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Have you ever felt like you have a yeast infection only to be told by your doctor that no yeast is present? Are there moments when wearing jeans or underwear are uncomfortable or painful? You may have vulvodynia, vulvar pain that lasts for three months or longer without an obvious cause. In the IC patient [...]
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis) is one of the chronic overlapping pain conditions that some IC patients in the central sensitization subtype can struggle with. CFS is an all-encompassing fatigue that lasts for at least six months and has no other medical explanation. Understanding its symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment options [...]
Patients with IC, IBS, vulvodynia, fibromyalgia, TMJ and migraine headaches now fall into a new diagnosis: "chronic overlapping pain conditions." An estimated 18% of IC patients also deal with migraines.(1) Migraines can be as debilitating as bladder symptoms and leave their sufferers longing for a dark, quiet room and sleep. Women are three times more [...]
Endometriosis and IC have been referred to in the medical community as "Evil Twins" because of how often they occur together. Patients with endometriosis are nearly four times more likely than the general population to also develop IC.(1) Doctors estimate that 48 to 65% chronic pelvic pain have both IC and endometriosis.(2) Both conditions cause [...]
Anxiety disorder is commonly found in IC patients. In fact, IC patients are 4.37 times more likely than the general population to have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder previous to their IC diagnosis. And if they weren’t, patients are still 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety after the onset of their [...]
A study in 2010 found that IC patients are nearly eight times more likely to also be diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) than the general population.(1) Being aware of the symptoms of IBS, how it's diagnosed and treated is important for ICers. The syndrome, which isn't a disease, has some similarities to IC in [...]
As if having one chronic pain condition wasn’t enough, some IC patients are more likely to be diagnosed with others, including fibromyalgia. Five years ago, I joined the rank of IC patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia during a particularly stressful time in my life. Once I was diagnosed, I was able to look back and see [...]
How To Do An Elimination Diet (By Bev Laumann) Many people with IC find that diet modification and an elimination diet are the most powerful tools they have to take control of their life and manage IC's frustrating ups and downs. Soon after embarking on an IC diet though, most of us find truth in [...]
