Bladder Pain? Dumb Question!

[littleQ]

Hi all,

Here is a dumb question...if your bladder pain occurs because of IC, where exactly do you feel it? Above the public bone or behind the public bone.

Lastly, after my cystoscopy, I feel pain after urination. Could the pain comes from the irritated urethra due to the cystoscopy?

Thanks!

LittleQ

[Katrina]

Ok above the pubic bone most commone but some of us feel it in our back too so it can be both.

Cystoscopies commonly cause infections....so if you have a brand new symptom the best thing to do is tell your doc and get checked for an infection first. If none is pressent than it would make sense that you would have some increased discomfort after the cystoscopy.

THERE ARE NO DUMB QUESTIONS!! Please feel free to ask anything you want to! I am a crazzy one who will try to answer the "dumbist" of questions.

I hope that helps you and you feel better soon.

[littleQ]

Hi Katrina,

Thanks so much for the reply! It's frustrating trying to figure out why you are having these pain and urgency.

Thanks again!

LittleQ

[Babs RN]

Little Q,
My IC pain is lower back and suprapubic(above my bladder). The pain on urination could be a bunch things from trauma due to catheter insertion or some sort of infection. Talk to your doc and make sure things are ok.


Hugs,
Barb

[littleQ]

Katrina & Babs RN,

Thanks again! One more question about your bladder pain. Does the pain feels like localize in one small area or it is more of like spread out like a stomache pain.

Again, sorry for the silly question, for I try to sort out the pain I am experiencing. My pain feel mainly (localize) down there in the urethra, but the doctor I saw today said that I am experiencing bladder pain. I don't think I agree with him.

LittleQ

[Katrina]

My pain usually feels localized down there....but at the bladder.....not the sides....although I do get side pain as well...from my endo which is very common for ICers to get. Let me know if I can help you anymore.

:grouphug: :grouphug:

[Jeanne D.]

LittleQ,

Where you feel and how you feel bladder and/or urethral pain can vary from person to person or day to day. Depending on the area of your bladder that is affected will effect how you feel pain. For example, if the trigone area of the bladder is irritated it is very likely that you will feel burning in the urethra. The bladder is really causing the pain but you may feel that pain in the urethra. My whole entire bladder is inflammed and it feels like a generalized pain, but I have more pain in the areas where I have Hunner's ulcers. I can actually point to the areas of ulceration. While my uro was doing a cysto, I pressed on the areas of my bladder where I felt the ulceration -- my uro confirmed that where I was pressing down definitely had areas of ulceration and increased inflammation. If the dome of my bladder is irritated I don't have urethral burning, but increased suprapubic pain. Due to the large nerve supply to the bladder (which is directly connected to the spinal cord) you may also feel referred pain -- the pain is actually in one area but is being transmitted via the same nerve chain to another area. However, it is definitely possible to localize your pain.

I hope I was able to answer your question, without totally confusing you! LOL

Jeanne

[littleQ]

Hi Jeanne,

Thanks for your reply! I didn't feel any pain at all in the urethra or bladder when they did the potassium test on me. So does that rule out my pain is not from the bladder?

LittleQ

[Jeanne D.]

Hi LittleQ,

Not necessarily. I can have medication in stilled in my bladder that causes pain in others, yet even though my bladder is wildly inflammed, I feel no increased pain from the instillation. It is however, unusual for an ICer not to feel some type of pain with the potassium test. It doesn't mean that you are not experiencing pain from your bladder, just that the potassium did not cause the pain.

Jeanne

[ICNDonna]

When I'm flaring, it always hurts more after I urinate than it does before. To describe where my pain is, if you think of an area about the size of a cantaloupe which encompasses the pubic bone, urethra, and bladder --- that's where I feel pain. It's definitely bladder and urethra.

Donna

[littleQ]

Hi all,

Thanks for all your reply! My symptom comes and goes. I would have one normal day, then one bad day. When you are in flare, Do you always have some symptom everyday?

LittleQ

[ICLori]

Hi, LittleQ, your questions were very good ones and I am glad you asked because it helps all patients, the more we ask and learn!

Some people experience the same amount of pain all the time, 24/7 but it's more common actually to have it happen like you are - with increased pain sometimes and decreased pain other times. You might have periods of time, minutes, hours or days, where you feel pretty normal and you think the IC is gone, then it comes back and you might have a really bad period of time with it.

When you said you didn't react to the potassium test, it makes me wonder, did the doctor say that your capacity seemed normal, etc.? I have heard that pelvic floor dysfunction, with the muscles, can cause symptoms very similar to IC symptoms. If the doctor is pretty sure it isn't IC, because of the potassium test, is he or she willing to send you to a physical therapist to see if you might have some PFD that would feel alot like IC? My understanding is that PFD is very treatable and if you have that rather than IC you hopefully will be feeling much better soon!

Blessings, Lori

[littleQ]

ICLori,

I went to see another doctor yesterday. And he thinks my Pelvic floor is pretty relax. Most likely that is not the problem. He thinks my symptom more likely due to the infection i have lately. He said infection needs time to heal. So he just gave me more cipro for ten days and see how it goes.

I pass the potassium test. I didn't feel any pain when they put in the potassium solution. i just feel a little discomfort in my stomach. And i also had cystometrogram done. Everything seems to be very normal. I have a smaller than average bladder because i am a very small person (5 feet tall and weight only 90lb).

The two urologists i saw, think that my symptom is due to the infection i had not long ago. It just need time to heal. I want to do the cystoscopy/hydrodistention test. But both doctors think is not necessary at this point.

[ICLori]

Oh, that's wonderful news! I am hoping and praying your doctors are right, that your body just needs extra time to heal from the infection and then your discomfort will go away and hopefully never come back again!

Hope you feel better soon,

Blessings, Lori