Jimmy Royce
04-28-2004, 10:34 AM
Hey everyone, my name is Jimmy and I currently live in San Francisco. I am 26 years old and I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis 4 years ago.
I was a little surprised that I actually had it. I came to the Urologist for a completely separate reason that had nothing to do with frequent urination. In fact, strangely enough, I thought that it was normal. The steady increase was so slight that it didn't really occur to me that there was anything wrong.
After a bladder distentation (they had to dilate my ureathra and boy was that not pleasant!) Dr. Foote at Midtown Urology, we discovered that I indeed had Interstitial Cystitis.
At the time I didn't think it was a big deal. She gave me hydroxyzine and sent me on my way. I recovered from the distentation, and shortly after that I moved away from Atlanta to Philadelphia, and then eventually to San Francisco.
I didn't have any problems, and I didn't even know that there was anything wrong. It was until one night in June 2002, that I had my first flare up. I became manic, and started to really get upset because the pain wouldn't go. A day later, it was gone.
Then a year later in August of 2003, it happened again, this time the flare up didn't go away, and I decided to use my medical insurance to use. I called urologist after urologist and none of them specialized, let alone knew about interstitial cystitis. When I did find a doctor, he was extremely skeptical of my condition, and didn't really do anything but sit a medication book down and made me read about Elmiron and wrote me a prescription and sent me on my way.
Needless to say, for an 'expert', I wasn't too ethusiastic about his lack of compassion, or his attitude. For pain, I was referred back to my PCP, who refused to give me the amount of pain medication that I would need in case of a flare up (because he knew nothing about IC was his excuse). The Urologist refused as well, and even after being sent to a pain clinic (who could only refer rather than prescribe), both physicians still were reluctant to give me anything.
So now, after Elmiron's side effects were a little too intense for me, and the IC flare ups are constant if not everyday, I'm looking at other options in the San Francisco bay area for good doctors, still bearing IC without pain medication, and folloring diets among trying to remain calm.
I have hope, that is sometimes the best weapon against IC, and believing in yourself is the best medication. In times of severe doubt that things will get better, I just have to know that there are other options just around the corner waiting to happen.
(I apologize for the long post, I was trying to make a cliff notes version, but it seems that I ranted a wee bit)
Jimmy Royce
(BTW: Does anyone know of any good doctors out there in the Bay Area?)
I was a little surprised that I actually had it. I came to the Urologist for a completely separate reason that had nothing to do with frequent urination. In fact, strangely enough, I thought that it was normal. The steady increase was so slight that it didn't really occur to me that there was anything wrong.
After a bladder distentation (they had to dilate my ureathra and boy was that not pleasant!) Dr. Foote at Midtown Urology, we discovered that I indeed had Interstitial Cystitis.
At the time I didn't think it was a big deal. She gave me hydroxyzine and sent me on my way. I recovered from the distentation, and shortly after that I moved away from Atlanta to Philadelphia, and then eventually to San Francisco.
I didn't have any problems, and I didn't even know that there was anything wrong. It was until one night in June 2002, that I had my first flare up. I became manic, and started to really get upset because the pain wouldn't go. A day later, it was gone.
Then a year later in August of 2003, it happened again, this time the flare up didn't go away, and I decided to use my medical insurance to use. I called urologist after urologist and none of them specialized, let alone knew about interstitial cystitis. When I did find a doctor, he was extremely skeptical of my condition, and didn't really do anything but sit a medication book down and made me read about Elmiron and wrote me a prescription and sent me on my way.
Needless to say, for an 'expert', I wasn't too ethusiastic about his lack of compassion, or his attitude. For pain, I was referred back to my PCP, who refused to give me the amount of pain medication that I would need in case of a flare up (because he knew nothing about IC was his excuse). The Urologist refused as well, and even after being sent to a pain clinic (who could only refer rather than prescribe), both physicians still were reluctant to give me anything.
So now, after Elmiron's side effects were a little too intense for me, and the IC flare ups are constant if not everyday, I'm looking at other options in the San Francisco bay area for good doctors, still bearing IC without pain medication, and folloring diets among trying to remain calm.
I have hope, that is sometimes the best weapon against IC, and believing in yourself is the best medication. In times of severe doubt that things will get better, I just have to know that there are other options just around the corner waiting to happen.
(I apologize for the long post, I was trying to make a cliff notes version, but it seems that I ranted a wee bit)
Jimmy Royce
(BTW: Does anyone know of any good doctors out there in the Bay Area?)