Lifting, etc

[Nurse2]

Does anyone have trouble with lifting, pulling, pushing?
I'm a nurse and we often have to push our stretchers, which I find I have increased pain around my bladder/pelvic areas after a shift of heaving pushing, etc. Once I asked someone to take my patient somewhere due to having pain already when I went into work, and I heard someone say that I was making it all up, that IC isn't that bad, that I was using it as an excuse to not work as hard, etc....Argh! It is just so annoying....I almost feel like I should just go ahead and push, pull, lift, etc and deal with the pain later....

[pnut]

I've noticed when I lift things my lower back hurts and I feel awful. My doctor told me not to lift, for it adds pressure on your bladder and it's not good for it. He also told me not to wear high-heeled shoes, cause that is hard for our backs too.

But YES, I can't lift too much, because when I do, it HURTS for days! :(

So, tell those people who think IC isn't that bad to "you know what!" I hate hearing things like that. Life would be so much better if we were the ones on the other side of the fence, right? Then they would know how truly debilitating this is, ughhhh!

Take care and try not to lift or pull, or whatever makes you hurt the most, you gotta take care of you!

xoxo,
Dee :)

[Sarojini]

Lifting things can really make me sore too... even doing the laundry, with all the bending to get stuff into the dryer and back out again, can make my lower back and pelvic region sore.

You're not alone.

I'm sorry you have to listen to the uninformed people... :( Just know that WE believe you --- IC is REAL.

[Dixiefireball]

my doctor has told me in the pass not to lift anything over ten pounds.
and i have found out the hard way many times when i don't listen i end up in alot of pain.
sending you hugs and prayers
Rhonda

[graceimnot]

I had to change jobs because of the pain lifting caused. Right now I am still working, but I don't know how long this will last. I had to try one more time.

I know that I am in alot of pain whenever I lift push pull tug etc.

[dmiller]

I am so sad:mad: :( I have been trying to figure out what triggers my flares, and I think I have figured it out. I only have pain and have to go to the bathroom several times after my husband and I have sex.

My husband is very sexual and I am so afraid of what this will do to our relationship if this continues. He has now figured out also that I suffer after sex. He has backed way off and doesn't want to do it. I know he needs to and frankly so do I, so I am the one that says it's time we do this.

Then i suffer! Does this happen to anyone else.

dmiller

[ICNDonna]

Lifting does put strain on the abdominal muscles, which does cause bladder pain for me. I have to be cautious about lifting. I can push things, like a wheelbarrow, without problems as long as I don't lift.

Donna

[plaedes]

yes, definately. pushing a heavy shopping cart, doing laundry -my machines are in my basement and some days laundry is just out of the question. there is the bending and lifting added in with awquardly manuevering stairs with the basket. Oh, in case you havn't had the pleasure DO NOT RIDE a riding lawn mower to cut your grass! I am still hurting from doing mine last week. an instillation yesterday has helped, but still not 100%. my mother ruptured some disks in her neck about 2 1/2 yrs. ago and her neurosurgeon told her that no woman should lift more than 20 lbs. max. our bodies just arn't built to handle it. but we all know that is impossible, so we just do what we can. I just try to enlist my husbands help with those things. sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
dmiller- yes.....severe pain after sex sometimes. i've tried hot showers, baths and heating pads. it helps a little, but always feel it for several days. i try to avoid positions that make more contact with the bladder region, but it can be difficult.

[blue]

I also have trouble pushing, pulling and lifting.

I also noticed when I rode my horse the last time, I was in pain. I'm not sure yet if it's related. I'm waiting until I have a pain free day, or a day with not much pain to ride again and see if I flare..

Boo Hoo! I love my horse!

[plaedes]

i was in a minor flare back in jan. because i had stopped taking my elmiron for a month. i wanted to see if it was really working, but i was also having this outbreak of Blepheritis in my right eye. yeah, i get all the weird named stuff...LOL. anyway, after two months of treating the eye thing with no luck i read somewhere about a rare side effect with elmiron and eyes. don't remember what it said now, but i stopped taking the elmiron and within a week my eye cleared up and i resumed elmiron after a month because of the pain coming back. i went horseback riding the first weekend back on elmiron and it hurt, but only about a 3 on the 1 - 10 scale. it had been years and my breasts hurt more than my bladder did. hope you can still ride. i don't have the opportunity often, but i will try again. the riding mower was far worse!

[blue]

I guess the mower has way more vibration!

[lotsofgirls]

Hi Nurse2,
I have learned that I needed pelvic floor therapy due to dysfunction caused by my IC. After the therapy I took a core stregthening program to stregnthen my TA. Its the muscle I use now when I need to lift etc to protect my pelvis or bladder. I actually find it works.
Cath

[crystilclear]

It bothers me too. Don't let anyone make you feel bad! They obviously don't understand and are very insensitive. Boy if they had it they'd feel VERY differently. It is aweful that we have to deal with all the pain from IC but also the mental strain.... I hope you can figure a way to work this out without hurting yourself!!! Take care and know that we all understand and support you. So ignore rude comments like that. They really don't understand. Noone can fully unless they've experienced IC themselves. Don't over do it. Do what you can and don't feel bad we ALL have limits even the nurses that said that to you. I hope it works out for you. Take care - CHris