Back in touch

[Melly]

Hi everyone,

I am sorry that I have been so out of touch lately. I am finally getting used to juggling many things at once, the baby, my husband, the job, and of course, IC. Ellen is now 5 months old, and is such a joy. I am still adjusting to having her in daycare. Luckily, I have a very understanding boss, who had a baby two years ago. My days at work are short, but very intense with trying to fit more things in a shorter time. I try to pick Ellen up early every day. Most days I feel that I am barely keeping up.

And of course, there's the IC. It didn't stay in remission as long as I would have liked. I am continuuing to breastfeed which I think is protective in some ways -- my flares have certainly been shorter and less painful. But, I have been adhering very strictly to the IC diet. I had a cystocopy and hydrodistention back in September which enabled the doctor to confirm my diagnosis. He has always been certain that I have IC and didn't feel that the cystocopy was necessary, but I thought it might buy me a little time. I don't think it has, but I do occassionally have some pizza with minimal consequences (but always treat it with Prelief).

With my follow-up visit with urologist, I decided to go ahead and get prescriptions for Elmiron and Elavil. I don't know when I will start them. I need to wean the baby which will probably be in the next month or so. Ellen (the little one) is doing very well. She sleeps through the night, and has become much more communicative, although, she seems to want constant attention. She really brightens up my life.

Having the baby on top of having IC has made things very difficult for me and my husband. Any advice would be welcome. Most times I am just too tired to consider being intimate, just being hugged and embraced can sometimes be uncomfortable (especially when I am flaring). He feels rejected at times. I keep thinking things will get better once I start the drug therapies. Sometimes I just feel there is not enough of me to go around. Managing this condition takes so much energy and effort. I know he understands, but it certainly hasn't been easy for him.

Overall, I think I am doing pretty good -- it just gets overwhelming sometimes. I hope everyone is doing well. Again I am sorry that I have been out of touch.

I will keep you posted about my experiences with the drug therapies. I have heard accounts of them turning people's lives around -- I am certainly ready for some changes. We'll have to see if they work.

Hugs and well wishes to everyone,

Melly

[jaime15]

Glad to hear you and the little one are doing so well!!

Jaime

[Shelleynz]

Hi Melly
Good luck with the Elmiron & Elavil. I haven't tried Elmiron but found Elavil excellent for my symptoms. Unfortunately for me the side affects were unbearable, but DON'T WORRY, we are all different and it may be ok for you, depending on what dose you take too.
I was interested to hear that you felt breast feeding helped your IC b/c I have a friend who said that her IC was at it's all time very best when she was breast feeding. She jokingly said that, maybe she could do that forever
Shelley

[pineland]

Hi there! Just to let you know, it's not always necessary to wean when you go on medication. In fact, the majority of medications can be perfectly safe to use while breastfeeding. The normal medication literature may tell you they aren't okay to use or that they haven't been tested (which is likely the case), however, if you check with a lactation consultant or in the book Medications and Mothers' Milk (Dr. Thomas Hale) you will find the info you need for making a decision. Many companies don't test, Dr. Hale has either done the testing or will give the reasons why it's okay or not okay. Elmiron is okay according to Dr. Hale (I got this from his website which is currently being rebuilt after it was destroyed by a virus). I don't know about Elavil. Good luck to you!
Darcy (and Olivia 8 mo)