its me again

[hopeful]

hello i know ive been asking a lot of ?s but until i get into my new uro in sept my old one is no help and told me to come here for answers not him. whatever anyways you guys seem to know more about this then he does. Im upset because i never had pain at all anywhere until they did my cath. now i have the pain along with all the other sx. is the pain for you all like menstrual cramps at times and sharp pains at times and you feel like your bruised all over your lower half of your abd.? the pain is different for me at different times but lately its just there and aches and nags. if i press on my lower ab it feels like its bruised does this sound familiar to anyone? Im also getting low back pain with it as well? i just had a ua micro two days ago no infection. the only thing i take is prelief and robaxin one in awhile. my doc wont give me elmiron (sp) he said that hes had bad luck with it with his pt and side effects. and i wont take pain pills....i just live with it but at times i cant stand it. when you guys talk about a flare......it seems like im in a never ending one help me out here.....do you guys have sx all the time to some extent no matter what you do and then when you flare they just get worse? because no matter what i do im never completely sx free. Ill have a better day or good day once in awhile but i usually aways have some form of sx. thanks hopeful

[Dixiefireball]

does sound like you are flareing.
are you on the IC diet??? that helps a lot of icers
and if you need pain medicine there is nothing wrong with taking it as long as you are taking it the way the doctor tells you too. No one likes to live in pain
i have to take pain medicine daily if not i couldnt get out of bed many days
you don't have to take pain medicine to where your dopey (sp?) just enough to help ease off the pain.
I agree you need to find another uro glad you did any doctor that tell you to go find your own answers is a doctor that doesnt seem like he knows what he is doing
if you think maybe food may have set you off or a drink. try one tsp of baking soda to an eight oz glass of water drink lots and lots of water to flush your system out.
use a heating pad for pain or ice pack and take a RX from your doctor if he is willing until you can get into see your new uro.
you shouldnt have to live in pain you do have rights.
I hope you decide to take your pain medicine to help you your not an addit just because you have to take a few pain pills to get relief.
sending you hugs and prayers
Rhonda

[jen_dahling]

Hi hopeful. Yes, yes, and yes. When my IC was at it's worst, I had every pain and ache that you are having. The sharp to dull pain, the abdominal "period" cramps, the lower back pain, the upper abdominal pain, etc. I began to have short-term memory loss, anxiety, couldn't sleep at night, too. I wish your old dr had put you on elmiron. Although some don't have the desired results, I believe that it has really helped me. At night I also take 25mg elavil and 10 mg flexeril to help sleep. I'm sure that a moderator will post here shortly for more help. Katrina has put together a gerat list of things to do "in the meantime" to help reduce pain and discomfort. The ICN handbook and diet guidelines are great as well.
Good luck to you and I'm sorry you have to wait so long to see your next dr.

[Sarojini]

Yes. I have ALL of the pains you are describing, in fact RIGHT AT THIS SECOND because my period started. Good grief, I hate pre-period and period flares!!!! I'm on the pill too. I'd hate to know what would happen if I was not!

Ok, that was a vent... I'm sorry :)

Anyway, many of your pains do sound like flare pain, especially since you have tested negative for infection. I agree with Rhonda (Dixie) about the pain medicine --- listen to her, she knows what she is talking about ;) There is no reason to suffer in pain if you do not have to. If you need to take your pain stuff, then DO IT. It does not mean you are an "addict." In fact, there is much research out there that shows that patients with chronic pain are the least likely to become addicted -- all these people want is to be able to QUIT taking the meds!

Like Rhonda, I too take pain medicine every day now in order to feel better. When my IC first began, it was mostly terrible frequency and urgency... however, due to a lot of stress in my life and other things I progressed to having daily pain. While I'd love to get to a point where I no longer have to take the pain meds, for right now they make my quality of life much better.

I wish you luck with your new uro... in the meantime, please don't suffer needlessly. If you need pain stuff, take it. In addition, I wish your current doc would at least prescribe Elmiron or something else to help you get through the next few months!!

:grouphug:

[ICNDonna]

I totally agree that taking pain medications is sometimes the best route to take. When I am really flaring badly, many times just getting the pain level down to a manageable level will help get me out of the flare.

When I am flaring, I have bladder spasms. If I try to ignore them, they continue to worsen --- but if I get the pain level down, the muscles have a tendency to relax and many times I only need to take the pain meds for a few doses. Also, it takes far less pain medication if it's taken when the pain level is still fairly low --- once the pain gets a real grip on you, it's much harder to control it.

I know sometimes I sound like a poster girl for narcotics, but sometimes you just gotta!

I have taken pain medications, as needed, for all of my almost 30 years with IC and I do not have an addiction problem. I have not taken a pain med for over a week now and have no need to take any right now.

Warm encouraging hugs,
Donna