LisaLisa67
06-12-2010, 02:02 AM
Hello Everyone,
I'm new here. After several years in my 20s, suffering with what docs always assumed (sometimes they'd just put me on antibiotics without doing urinalysis) were frequent UTIs, I had a cystoscopy in 1999 and was found to have IC.
I'd been sooooo lucky up until 2008 at which point I suffered for 6 weeks with a flare-up that was unrelenting. During that time I live on Pyridium and Detrol and Ibuprofen and 1/4 tab of Percocet (with the 600mg of Ibuprofen), to deal with the symptoms. Prior to that, it seemed I'd have a flare-up that would occur after having s*x (that would last a week, then go away). Then I was fine for a WHOLE YEAR!...until Jan 2009 when I started a new job and had another flare-up that lasted almost 2 months (which was excrutiating, and there were days I wished so bad I could call in sick and just spend it sitting in a bathtub but didn't because it was a new job, I suffered intensely). Finally, my doc put me onto Vesicare which helped a LOT more than the Detrol (Detrol was so useless for me, compared to the Vesicare). I watched my diet like a hawk. No coffee, tomato-anything, citrus, the usual triggers. I bought a million supplements that are supposed to be helpful for IC, too.
Learned the hard way that some of my favorite things (eg: Yogurt, of all things!) were triggers.
The thing is.....I still suffer with flare-ups but now they just last for a couple of days and there is NO rhyme or reason....and this is what I don't understand.....and am wondering if anyone else experiences this?
For example, yesterday morning I could feel a flare-up; that sense of urgency and discomfort over bladder, need to pee more frequently. When I got home from work, I took 1/4 tab of Percocet + 600mg of Ibuprofen....wake up this morning, feel good. Didn't even need to take Vesicare or Pyridium (as they've discontinued the latter, I stockpiled it...think I have about 100 tabs left, use them sparingly). Now today I can drink coffee and eat any of the usual triggers and I'll be fine. How is that?
There's been days I was flared-up and I was already in so much discomfort (you almost just get used to living with it so it becomes more bearable) but wanted a Starbuck's coffee so figured what the heck, I'm already in pain....so I'll have a large coffee......suffer that day....then the next 5 days I'm fine and can eat anything I want; tomatoes, citrus, you name it.
There's been some days I've had 2-3 cups of coffee and all kinds of food that are known triggers and I'll be fine for 2 weeks......then whammo, a flare-up that last 2 days.
I used to watch my diet very carefully but I got so discouraged with how little I could eat that after awhile i decided that sometimes it just wasn't worth it...because for the past year my flare-ups generally only last 2-5 days ....sometimes only 1 day. I figure I can live with the discomfort for 1 day if it means I can enjoy a large Starbuck's coffee.
Sometimes I can go for 2-3 weeks, eating everything I want.....all the usual trigger-foods in the world....and no problems............then one day I wake up and things are flared-up again. So i suffer generally for that day and the next.......do the usual Pyridium/Vesicare 5mg/Percocet 1/4 tab, Ibuprofen 600mg for a couple of days and then wham, I'm fine again and can go back to consuming all of the usual triggers without a second glance.
I realize I'm very lucky.......some suffer with this for weeks and months with no relief at all.
Is my up and down, like above, and ability to consume the usual triggers for days (sometimes weeks) without a problem --- common?
Lately it seems almost every Friday I have a bit of a flare-up. Eg) last weekend......flare-up on Friday, suffered at work......took the usual meds (minus the 1/4 Percocet).......had a hot bath when i got home (that helps a lot!)....next morning (Sat), felt totally fine...had 3 cups of coffee that day, pizza with extra sauce, didn't watch my diet at all............fine all weekend and all week until yesterday (friday), felt very uncomfortable all day. Now today I'm fine.
Thanks
Lisa
I'm new here. After several years in my 20s, suffering with what docs always assumed (sometimes they'd just put me on antibiotics without doing urinalysis) were frequent UTIs, I had a cystoscopy in 1999 and was found to have IC.
I'd been sooooo lucky up until 2008 at which point I suffered for 6 weeks with a flare-up that was unrelenting. During that time I live on Pyridium and Detrol and Ibuprofen and 1/4 tab of Percocet (with the 600mg of Ibuprofen), to deal with the symptoms. Prior to that, it seemed I'd have a flare-up that would occur after having s*x (that would last a week, then go away). Then I was fine for a WHOLE YEAR!...until Jan 2009 when I started a new job and had another flare-up that lasted almost 2 months (which was excrutiating, and there were days I wished so bad I could call in sick and just spend it sitting in a bathtub but didn't because it was a new job, I suffered intensely). Finally, my doc put me onto Vesicare which helped a LOT more than the Detrol (Detrol was so useless for me, compared to the Vesicare). I watched my diet like a hawk. No coffee, tomato-anything, citrus, the usual triggers. I bought a million supplements that are supposed to be helpful for IC, too.
Learned the hard way that some of my favorite things (eg: Yogurt, of all things!) were triggers.
The thing is.....I still suffer with flare-ups but now they just last for a couple of days and there is NO rhyme or reason....and this is what I don't understand.....and am wondering if anyone else experiences this?
For example, yesterday morning I could feel a flare-up; that sense of urgency and discomfort over bladder, need to pee more frequently. When I got home from work, I took 1/4 tab of Percocet + 600mg of Ibuprofen....wake up this morning, feel good. Didn't even need to take Vesicare or Pyridium (as they've discontinued the latter, I stockpiled it...think I have about 100 tabs left, use them sparingly). Now today I can drink coffee and eat any of the usual triggers and I'll be fine. How is that?
There's been days I was flared-up and I was already in so much discomfort (you almost just get used to living with it so it becomes more bearable) but wanted a Starbuck's coffee so figured what the heck, I'm already in pain....so I'll have a large coffee......suffer that day....then the next 5 days I'm fine and can eat anything I want; tomatoes, citrus, you name it.
There's been some days I've had 2-3 cups of coffee and all kinds of food that are known triggers and I'll be fine for 2 weeks......then whammo, a flare-up that last 2 days.
I used to watch my diet very carefully but I got so discouraged with how little I could eat that after awhile i decided that sometimes it just wasn't worth it...because for the past year my flare-ups generally only last 2-5 days ....sometimes only 1 day. I figure I can live with the discomfort for 1 day if it means I can enjoy a large Starbuck's coffee.
Sometimes I can go for 2-3 weeks, eating everything I want.....all the usual trigger-foods in the world....and no problems............then one day I wake up and things are flared-up again. So i suffer generally for that day and the next.......do the usual Pyridium/Vesicare 5mg/Percocet 1/4 tab, Ibuprofen 600mg for a couple of days and then wham, I'm fine again and can go back to consuming all of the usual triggers without a second glance.
I realize I'm very lucky.......some suffer with this for weeks and months with no relief at all.
Is my up and down, like above, and ability to consume the usual triggers for days (sometimes weeks) without a problem --- common?
Lately it seems almost every Friday I have a bit of a flare-up. Eg) last weekend......flare-up on Friday, suffered at work......took the usual meds (minus the 1/4 Percocet).......had a hot bath when i got home (that helps a lot!)....next morning (Sat), felt totally fine...had 3 cups of coffee that day, pizza with extra sauce, didn't watch my diet at all............fine all weekend and all week until yesterday (friday), felt very uncomfortable all day. Now today I'm fine.
Thanks
Lisa