Almost every IC patient learns that stress can exacerbate and/or worsen their IC symptoms. When our body is under stress, the "fight or flight" mechanism is triggered. Our body prepares to fight for its life and/or to flee, even in situations that aren't life threatening. The heart and lungs accelerate. Digestion slows and stops. Blood [...]
Interstitial Cystitis (IC/BPS) affects men of all ages, from high school students to seniors, air force pilots to Hollywood actors. Many, if not most, have been misdiagnosed with chronic prostatitis, often for years, before they receive a correct diagnosis. You might also be surprised to learn that IC/BPS has been tracked in high numbers in [...]
IC patients often experience their most uncomfortable symptoms at night when distractions are fewer and they notice their bladder symptoms more. They may feel a constant need to urinate or an uncomfortable sensation of bladder fullness that is very difficult to ignore. Getting up once or twice a night might be manageable but having more [...]
Patients with more severe IC who are unable to work may apply for disability benefits in your state our country. In the USA, there are four different types of disability insurance. Private Disability Insurance Private Disability Insurance is usually obtained through your employer if they offer disability benefits. In general, private disability insurance kicks in [...]
Bladder surgery is rarely considered for the treatment of IC. In the AUA Treatment Guidelines, surgical intervention is classified as a STEP SIX treatment. Using those guidelines, the patient should have first tried and failed treatments from STEP ONE through STEP FIVE, including diet modification, OTC supplements, oral medications, bladder instillations, physical therapy, Hunner's lesion [...]
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is commonly found in patients who have interstitial cystitis (IC). IBS patients can suffer from chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation and/or a combination of both. One hallmark symptom is intense cramping, often occurring after eating a problem food or beverage containing caffeine, MSG or chocolate. Constipation can also be a side effect [...]
Approximately 5% of IC patients have profound, extremely painful areas of inflammation in the bladder wall known as Hunner’s Lesions (formerly Hunner's Ulcers). These larger, bleeding wounds in the bladder represent the most severe form of interstitial cystitis and bladder pain syndrome. Some researchers believe that Hunner's lesions represent a completely different medical condition than [...]
Interstitial cystitis patients may find intimacy uncomfortable at times. Men with IC may feel discomfort at the moment of ejaculation while women report their most intense discomfort in the 24 hours after sex. Why? The pelvic floor is the usual culprit. Men experience their strongest pelvic floor contraction when they ejaculate while women experience about [...]
(By Jill Heidi Osborne, ICN President) It's hard enough to face pelvic pain as an adult, but can you imagine being a young child who can't sleep through the night, can't sit through class and who may not be believed by their families or doctors? Children as young as three years old have been diagnosed with [...]
If there was one common dream among IC patients, it's working with a knowledgeable and compassionate doctor who could treat all of their pelvic ills: the bladder, the pelvic floor, the bowel and, of course, the reproductive tract. Thankfully, a small but growing number of urologists and urogynecologists are now specializing in pelvic pain and [...]