which test is the main one for diagnosing ic?

[Just]

Of all the tests to diagnose ic , what is the main one that will tell you that you definitely have ic?

thank you
justine

[aantol73]

Justine there are pretty much 3 steps...
First your symptoms ie.. pain, pressure, frequency, blood in the urine etc, then a potassium test where the doc injects several different fluids into your bladder potassium will burn and sting and hurts like th dickens and finally they will normally go in doing a cysto/hydro for final confirmation....
Hope this helps!!!!

[Dixiefireball]

She is right that is what they done to me also. sending you hugs and prayers
Rhonda

[ICNDonna]

Some doctors are willing to make a diagnosis based on symptoms alone. Others consider the potassium sensitivity test to be accurate. However, the most frequent test is the cystoscopy and hydrodistention under anesthesia, with biopsies taken at the same time, along with symptoms.

Most physicians will want to rule out other possibilities before going to the hydrodistention so it is not usually the first test done.

Donna

[icnmgrjill]

Excellent replies all!

[holles]

i had several cultures done, an IVP, a urodynamics stress test (most humiliating thing i've EVER experienced), and finally a cystoscopy (done during a laparoscopy to rule out endometriosis in the bladder). cystoscopy didn't show endo, but IC instead. sometimes i wonder if endo is easier to live with than IC. at least with endo, my pain is only a few days a month, and painkillers usually help. :rolleyes:

sorry to rant. hope i answered your question.

[Just]

:) I've had many tests done to rule out majority everything., but the three you've mentioned. I'm not sure if I had that potassium test done, cuz I had a cat scan and mri's that had injections with it ,it only felt like you had to urinate. I was supposed to get a cysto done but they put that on hold to rule out other possibilities. I'm not sure if I want to handle this cuz I'm awful tired and irritated. My pain is mainly right above the pelvis bone and when that annoying pain finds me it is right in the bladder and stems down to my clitorus. I have no pain killers, besides ibufen 600mg. I also notice swelling in my lower abdomen. I can pinpoint and rub around my bladder and have my hand directly on it. Why can't the medical field help?! Right now I'm receiving my meds through the v.a. I believe i'm getting the generic brand of elmiron. I'm just frustrated,I try to remember what I was doing to cause this but it doesn't make sense. Again thanks to you all ...

Justine.

[Marlana]

Why all the other test first? How many times do they actually not find out it is IC? I heard the hydro was 90% accurate and the potassium sensitivity was 70 %. Is that correct? I am petrified of the PST. I dont want to burn like that for weeks..I have heard good and bad things on the hydro, mostly that the uncomfortablness goes away in a few days. I sure hope that is true?

[ICLori]

Hi, Justine! I see you are working with military doctors. My sympathy to you, I have to go to Army docs too (my husband is active duty.)

Based on your symptoms, it sounds very suspicous that you have IC. I do not know why (except for profound ignorance, which is usually the case) they are doing all those other tests on you when they need to do specific testing for IC.

Also, don't depend on a uro for pain relief, they will let you down 99% of the time. They don't "believe" in pain relief, they don't believe IC is apainful disease, they believe Ic is a psychosomatic disease, take your pick but you won't get good care for your pain from a uro generally. I mean, they might give you tricyclics, which work for some people, but if those don't work for you or make your pain worse like they did for me, your uro will expect you just to live with the constant pain.

Please demand either a potassium test or a hydrodistention/cystoscopy under anesthesia. Print out some articles about IC that show your symptoms point to it, that show how common IC is (most doctors still believe it is extremely rare when actually it's depressingly common), and show how much pain is caused by IC. Your doctors will probably refuse to read anything, but at least you tried.

Also demand to be given a referral to a pain management center. Luckily for us, hospitals now HAVE to have a pain management center in order to stay certified or whatever. That means that even horrible Army hospitals have to have pain clinics now! So there is hope.

But you need a diagnosis pronto, and pain relief pronto.

For self-help strategies, read all about it on this site. I find that sometimes heat helps, hot baths, drinking almond milk or Burger ?King milkshakes (have no idea why, seems to coat my bladder), drinking tons of water, avoiding foods with acid in them, taking prelief.

I wish you good luck, I know with the VA system/military system that is very misogynistic, you will need it.

Blessings, Lori