IC and dehydration question

**Kitty920** · 10-18-2011, 07:45 AM

Hi;

I am hoping someone might have some advice. I have posted a few times before and have been struggling with bladder/urethra discomfort for a very long time. I am still in the long process of being officially diagnosed. The urologist I am seeing thinks that in fact my chronic symptoms certainly suggest IC, however, he wants to rule out a low grade infection. That was in August and since then my condition has not improved enough on low dose antibiotic and I have an appt. next week to discuss the next step. Next he would like to perform a cystoscopy with hydro but I just found out that my insurance does not cover same day surgery procedures..so looks like that has to wait. In the meantime, I have not strayed from the "safe" diet list, and have been taking quercetin. I had asked my PCP to prescribe amitryptiline which I have been taking for about 3 months with no improvement. Anyway, the reason why I am posting is I have the flu and have been struggling with high fevers, chills, body aches, etc. since Sunday. I suspect that despite the fact that I continue to drink water, I feel like I am dehydrated. I drank some blue gatorade (50% diluted) and now my bladder is burning and hurts. I am just feeling so depressed; being so sick with the flu and now on top of that this burning feeling in my bladder.

Is there anything I can do at this point to soothe my bladder; and can anyone recommend what I can do to avoid dehydration; short of going to hospital for IV fluids. Thanks so much...I don't know what I would do without this wonderful site filled with such strong and courageous people.

Nancy

***ICNDonna*** · 10-18-2011, 09:34 AM

You might try drinking a salty liquid, such as chicken broth --- and be sure to drink plenty of water. Eating saltine crackers can also help since salt does help the body to retain fluid.

Donna

**earthlady** · 10-18-2011, 09:46 AM

Almond milk was always good for me for soothing my bladder. You can also try chamomile tea. The chamomile tea helped me a great deal when I was having bladder spasms. Also try chicken broth. If you don't make the chicken broth yourself I'd suggest looking for a canned one that doesn't have a lot of extra spices and stuff in it. Tough to find but there are organic ones in the health food stores. If you're dehydrated you probably don't want the low sodium broth and you can also mix a vegetable broth with the chicken broth so at least you are getting a variety of nutrients and fluids. It's tough enough dealing with the bladder pain but then on top of that the flu.... Hopefully it will run it's course in a few days.

**NancyB** · 10-18-2011, 10:24 AM

Dear Nancy -

Sometimes bottled water can cause symptoms. What brand are you drinking? Make sure you are drinking pure SPRING water with nothing added to it. Evian is one that lots of ICers drink, but it often bothers some people with IC. You may have to try a few to find one that doesn't bother you. Some brands are Crystal Geyser, Ice Mountain, Poland Springs, etc.

Hope your flu gets better soon and that your bladder will stop hurting you so much.

NancyB

**Kitty920** · 10-19-2011, 05:37 AM

Thanks so much for the great advice. Chicken broth is a great idea. I just made a huge pot of homemade soup last week when my son was home sick; so that is coming in handy. I only drink Crystal Geyser water because I found that Poland Springs seems to give me more frequency. Thankfully, my bladder has calmed down today even though I am peeing every 30 minutes or so trying to keep hydrated. I have been taking tylenol and advil every 6 hours or so switching off to keep ahead of the fever and body aches. What is so frustrating is when I went to my primary care doctor last month for my bladder follow-up he suggested I get the flu shot to avoid going through this, so I did. Guess there are no guarantees. When I look at the bright side of things I can say that I am kind of enjoying staying home wrapped up in a warm blanket and being commander of the tv remote for a change. Nobody dares get to close to try to take it from me...once I threatened I would cough on it..so they really don't want to touch it.

Thanks again!

Nancy

***ICNDonna*** · 10-19-2011, 06:41 AM

The flu shot can take at least two weeks to become effective --- and it doesn't always stop us from getting sick --- but the good thing is that if we do get flu and have been immunized, it's usually a shorter term, lighter case.

I hope you feel better quickly.

Donna

**Kitty920** · 10-19-2011, 09:12 AM

Donna and all,

Thank you so much for the encouragement and thoughtfulness!

Nancy

**Mothergoose** · 10-19-2011, 04:05 PM

Advil is an NSAID and can be a bladder irritant for lots of ICer's.

Sorry your sick, I am sure you just came in contact with the flu too soon after the shot.

A couple of years ago when there was the big thing about H1N1, I insisted my son get the shot for it so he did, a month later he still got H1N1, and a few months later he got it again. They say some people just don't make immunity to things, whether it is a vaccine or from contact.

MG

**Kitty920** · 10-20-2011, 04:44 AM

Hi;

I have found tylenol to be more effective anyway for bringing down my fever and body aches faster than advil. Only problem is it just doesn't last long. I am wondering if I actually somehow contracted the swine flu because it all started with GI symptoms for a couple of days then the fever came and everything else right away. Today is the first day without a fever but I have this horrible cough that really makes it hard to sleep..I feel so bad my house is not very big and I'm afraid I'm keeping everyone else awake too. Can we take any kind of a cough suppresant that will not irritate the bladder? I tried the vicks vapor rub but other than it opening up nasal passages so I can breathe a little bit easier through my nose, it did nothing for the cough.

Take care & thanks so much!

Nancy

**statesboro** · 10-20-2011, 05:43 AM

I wouldn't know whether or not you actually got the swine flu. In fact, I had not heard anything about it in a while. Also, I am gonna figure you really have been having the flu.(not that I am at all impressed) Regardless, it is good to know you don't have a fever right now. I just put down the Vicks VapoRub. Why? I have been having a cough as well. Ricolas don't mess with my IC, but my primary doctor had told me to get some Delsym over a week ago.(and was having chest pain as well)(which I actually had chemical stress test)(not my heart causing it) OK. It may mess up some IC bladders, but I did not notice much.(although I don't have all the pain with my IC) It seemed that I was thinking the cough and chest pain had gone away. I must have been wrong. Geez! I actually barfed twice on Tuesday. Regardless, I have got another appointment to see the doctor again. Oh! The Vicks has been making me able to blow some nasty stuff out of my nose, but the cough obviously came back. I just used Delsym a couple of times by now.(and thought cough was gone)(and was wondering if it did kinda mess up bladder)(?) Anyway, I don't want to steal the show; therefore, I will let that be all now.

**polygon** · 10-20-2011, 12:54 PM

I find I feel dehydrated ALL of the time with no luck (drink more water - more frequency, have more salt - bloated like crazy).

Did you have the feeling before you got sick? Amytriptyline can cause dryness as a side effect I think, might want to bring it up to your doctor, especially if you haven't seen an improvement yet. There are other oral drugs you can use even with a diagnosis, like hydroxizine, since it is an anti histamine, not specific to IC. Good luck, and I hope you feel better really soon!