urethral pain success

[Dianne]

Well, at long last I have a success of sorts to report. Thanks to the posts about almond milk I decided to try it. The relief was immediate, like in about an hour. I couldn't believe it and have waited to tell anyone for 10 days lest I jinx myself but it's still working, in fact better than anything I've ever used in 9 years for urethral pain. It hasn't helped the bladder as much (maybe some) but my urethral pain is totally gone as long as I drink at least 4 oz. every 4-6 hours. I'm off Cipro too which I hadn't been able to get off in months because it helped a little to decrease inflammation. I can really tell when the almond milk starts to wear off so I know that's what's keeping it at bay. I'm drinking about a liter a day of the Blue Diamond Almond Breeze vanilla. It's a little hard to find. Our local health food store has it and also Safeway chain grocery store but that's only places in this town of 30K. Safeway has been wonderful to me and have in fact ordered 3 cases for me which will arrive Tues. I was even more shocked to discover cathing doesn't hurt now either. Unbelievable! I'm so grateful to those who posted about this. Thank you. The nurse in me is puzzled though over what the exact mechanism of almond milk is and why it works. Does anyone know? I thought maybe it altered the pH but I've checked that out myself and that's not it. I'm intrigued. If anyone sees any articles on this, I'd love to see. Did someone just try it and coincidentally notice it helped? How did this get started?

[vm]

Wow. You've got me wanting to try it. :)

[BobbieB]

I need to find it....hope I can....that's the worst problem I have....at times....thanks. BB :)

[ICNDonna]

I think I'll give it a try too. I'm so glad you are getting some relief.

:)
Donna

[havingsuccess]

I want some to. I hate that urethral thing. Thanks for sharing!!

Success

[BobbieB]

I called a health food store close by...about 30 min. away...they have the almond milk....I'm going to buy some....and hope it works for me....If I could get that part of this problem fixed, I would be in ok shape...I think it's something I eat sometimes, that causes it...and was really watching every little thing, but that's so hard to do...and then when I eat something that's kinda "iffy"....I have this urethral burning and weird feeling especially when I bend over....?? does this sound familiar?

[tigger_gal]

Diane
thats great :) I am so happy for you. a quick question what if almonds make your bladder hurt? I know that sounds stupid.. but it is almound milk.
Brat

[Dianne]

Beats me. Nuts are something I can't tolerate either. I don't understand any of this. I've read the ingredients a million times trying to figure it out but I can't. That's why I wonder who discovered this. I still can't lie down without severe (bladder) pain in about 4 mins. but upright I'm better (bladder) and urethral pain TOTALLY gone whether up or down which means I'm having some good hours in the daytime. Nights are still a nightmare but when you get a break during the day, it's just more bearable in my case.

[dawn217]

I'll run right out for it! This is my only - and worst symptom of IC!

[buana1]

I'm curious about your urethral "pain". Is it an actual pain or burning or a sensation of still needing to "go"?

It's hard for me to know where different sensations come from, but I often have this feeling like there is still urine in my urethra. Any pressure on my urethra makes it worse and the only way to relieve it is to go again. Sitting in a chair is often the worse. I tend to sit on the edge of a chair to keep pressure off this area. It's often not a strong sensation, just annoying. But then again, it can be very uncomfortable.

This whole almond milk thing intrigues me. Think it might work with what I've got going on?

[dawn217]

my symptom sounds like yours, except mine is always worse after I go, for some time. And it's much worse when I bear down or relax all of the PF muscles.

[ICyuck]

I can't remember who originally posted about Almond Milk but a big thanks to her. I know that I chimed in at some point and said "me too" for those who found relief. I thought I remembered reading several people found that almond milk helped them? Maybe someone could try to do a search on this?

I don't remember ever reading any studies about it, and for the life of me I don't understand how or why it works but it really helped me before the Elmiron kicked in (I keep the Almond milk boxes in my storage cabinet just in case, a backup I guess) and if I ever have to go off Elmiron (knock on wood) I plan to drink Almond Milk all the time.

I'm glad to hear that other people are being helped, too. Maybe someone will do a study on it someday and see what it is that helps.

Love, ICY

[ICyuck]

P.S. Forgot to add, my IC seemed to be centered at the base of my bladder (according to the biopsy reports) and in the urethra also.

So maybe that's why I got so much relief from almond milk, maybe it helps that part of the bladder or the urethra mostly.

Seems worth trying, unless you are allergic to almond milk or have another reason for not trying it.

Love, ICY

[Iris]

Hi, I checked in our local Safeway store but could not find it. Do you have to ask them to get it in for you Diane, and also where is it located in a regular store? I looked in the natural section and it was not there, and I looked in the dairy and could not find it. So far no luck, I have not checked in a health food store yet. Any answers would be helpful, thanks Iris hi

[Dianne]

It's in the specialty food or organic food section like by the soy milk and rice milk alternatives. It's on the shelf, not the fridge section. It comes in plastic square milk cartons 1 liter in size with blue writing on it like what you see in the left upper corner here: http://www.bluediamond.com/retail/breeze/index.cfm?l_tableid=1&l_showcontent=0 Safeway was already carrying it here but it sells out the day it arrives so I special ordered 3 cases. As for urethral pain, mine is precipitated the worst by "sucking in" like when you pull in your abdominal muscles. The place it most grabs me is the base of the bladder where the urethra starts. The external opening is more exacerbated by what I eat or drink but nothing has touched the upper neck of the urethra type pain til now. To the person who asked, I can't tolerate elmiron. I have no idea if this coats things. My dream would be that with continued use it might actually help the bladder too. Last night when the bladder burning started, I lay in pain til almost 4am and then got up and drank some and actually got a few hours sleep after that so that's one instance where it helped bladder too. I think health food store would stand the best chance of being in stock. There is another brand too called Pacific someething but I'm afraid to change anything so I'm sticking to Blue Diamond.

[Iris]

Thanks Dianne I will have a look when I am in the Safeway next time. Definitely am going to try it out. Thanks again Iris. hi :)

[Iris]

Thanks again for the website, I located several stores in our area that sell it. Much appreciated helpful information Dianne, I will think about you when I drink it, take care and hugs Iris. grouphug

[darlene]

A few days before Christmas, I received news I have feared, I am diabetic. Could you tell me the calories and carbs in a days worth of almond milk? Nothing has worked for me, and it will be so hard not trying it because of the diabetes.

[Dianne]

Certainly! There's 32 oz./carton. I drink 24-32 oz./day depending on symptoms. Per 8 oz. serving is 90 calories & 16 gms. carbs. so that amount times 3-4 dep. on what you use would be your totals. Last night I waited til 12am to drink 8 oz. just as I went to bed as opposed to 10p when I drank it the other nights and I slept til almost daylight. It was wonderful so definitely going to wait til I'm ready to go to bed to drink last serving from here on. I'm finding 8 oz. at dinner will carry me til bedtime and 8 oz. breakfast will carry me til afternoon. I then use 4 oz. as need to get me til dinner or as needed during the day.

[ICNDonna]

You'll want to read the information on the carton. The container I bought said an 8 ounce glass has 100 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrate --- there may be slight variations by brands.

Milk (1%), on the other hand, has 110 calories in an 8 ounce cup, and 13 grams of carbohydrate.

Donna

[ChrissyH]

I'm very interested in trying almond milk, however there is no place around here that carries it. When I looked it up online, I found recipes to make almond milk. The recipes said just to combine boiling water and almonds and to crush or blend the almonds in. Would this be the same thing as the almond milk you purchase? I'm not sure if I should try making my own or see if I can order some. Also, about how much does it usually cost for one carton? Thanks for all your help. I get more help and information just from reading everyone's posts than anywhere else.

[Dianne]

I don't have any idea about the homeade version since I don't know what exactly in it is helping me. I had such a wonderful sleep last night, unheard of for me!! I'm paying $2something per quart at the store and with the 10% discount for ordering a case of 12 for $21.38, that brings it down to about $1.71 a quart which is nothing per day compared to what else I've spent over the years. Do you have a health food store that can order it for you? Ours didn't carry it either but they were more than willing to order it for me. Every day seems a little better which is leading me to believe it may have some cumulative value. I'll be interested if anyone else that is trying this gets results. I've been using for 2 weeks today.

[dminton]

Hi, Dianne!

I'm SO HAPPY that you found something that helps you! I have read of your struggles and this is just the greatest news. I am calling my local stores right away to see if they carry it. Good thoughts coming your way - Diana.

[michele]

I have several additional suggestions for those with urethral pain, which was worse than my IC pain and totally linked to my vulvodynia (when one flared, the other did too, and they were never not flared for the longest time).

I regularly take Elmiron, Atarax, Wellbutrin, and the pill (being on the pill constantly means no periods which means fewer flares from everything else). These greatly helped the IC, but the vulvodynia and urethra were untouchable.

I go to an extremely progressive and wonderful MD office in Philadelphia, and they will literally try anything to improve your pain. This office has an incredible Phd working for them who is really into working with you on pain.

For a while, I was applying capsacin (the stuff in arthritis cream) directly onto the vuvla...it's unbelievably painful and minimally effective for me but it works for some people. Next we tried a ketamine mix applied externally(ketamine is a powerful animal tranquillizer)...again, minimally effective and NONE of this was helping the urethra, but until we got the vulvodynia under control, I didn't even REALIZE how the urethra was actually much worse and even more problematic--amazing!

Next, we tried traumeel (a homeopathic remedy), which we were literally injecting into the glands (for the vulvadynia) and then the urethral neck (for the urethral pain) This was weekly for six treatments. Yet another indescribable sensation, but it worked pretty well and I found that I would have a week or two or three sometimes when the pain would abate mostly or totally.

Glorious but because I'm stubborn and don't accept that I have to be in pain at all, I kept pushing for "the latest". We were talking about it one day and I asked why we couldn't just insert some of the traumeel right into the urethra. We tried a few versions of this, and she's now dispensing several different options: a traumeel/lidocaine "jet" that you put right into the urethra...sounds bad but it really isn't and OH MY GOD so much better--it's like a syringe without the needle); a traumeel suppository that you insert vaginally and let it "soak in" overnight; and once you're in maintenance mode, a traumeel/olive oil solution that you swab on once or twice a day to keep you good.

That all worked beautifully, and patients are having much success with this method.

However, it all became a little too high maintenance, so I spoke to my accupuncturist about it. I'll tell you, I don't know what the hell she's doing to me but I am going months at a time, no more traumeel at all, and barely any urethral or vulvodynia pain.

Good luck, and keep looking for what works for you. Something will.

-michele

[kimmichele]

Is the almond mild still working for you?
Kim

[Dianne]

Yes, not the bladder, just the urethra.

[ads]

Dianne,

I am so happy for you! It is good to here some good news and next week I hope to hear it is helping your bladder for sure too! We will all keep our hopes up for you.

This is a great way to end my night. Thanks for letting us know and sharing.

ads

[Casi]

I will definitely have to try this!! I hate my urethra pain. i t hurts to sit down a lot of the time. I'm the oppisite of you Diane, it kills my bladder (and everything else down there) to sit up right for long periods. I look forward to going home and laying down for a while every day. It's like when I'm sitting up there is so much pressure on my bladder, urethra, and pelvic floor.

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences with almond milk! :kissing:

[kimmichele]

Diane,
I got some almond mild today and have taken 4 oz at 2 and 4 oz at five but no relief yet. I also boiled up some cabbage and drank the juice. This usually works for me as well as taking a lunestra when I sleep. I got control over the flair ups slowly over the years but I have noticed a pattern. During the holidays I get irritated from cheating and eating sweats and some chocolate (its everywhere). OUr clients send us lots of chocolates and sweets and nuts and my husband insists on keeping it around. Eating just of little bit destabilizes me and I get a flair when I eat something like beans that I was able to eat before the holidays. This usually goes on through the spring and then I get better during the summer. I am going away for the month of december next year!!

Accupunture helps but I live a long way from dr. I get lazy.

[vickisue]

my type of urethral pain presents itself as like there is a bladder stone trying to push it's way out ,but is stuck at the base of my bladder. i wonder if almond milk might help this type of pain? can anyone relate?