Last summer, an ICN member asked a question that we hadn’t heard before. Can an outbreak of genital herpes (HSV-2) trigger an IC flare? In her case, it did. We launched an informal survey in the ICN Survey Center which revealed that she is not alone. A total of 42 patients diagnosed with both conditions [...]
In the thousands of patients who have contacted the Interstitial Cystitis Network in the past twenty years, there are several who have created indelible memories. I met Bard more than a decade ago when he called for help with his disability discrimination claims against his employer, Verizon. Bard faced outrageous discrimination at his job, often by female superiors. [...]
The American Urological Association annual meeting is often the highlight of the year for researchers and clinicians working with interstitial cystitis. This year the conversations/lectures/research focused to a great degree on pelvic pain syndrome. One highlight was Drs. J. Curtis Nickel, Dan Shoskes and Michel Pontari who presented the cases of two men struggling with pelvic [...]
One of the easiest ways for patients to try to reduce their bladder and prostate discomfort is by removing foods which are high in acid, alcohol or hot spices. Even one cup of coffee day, one green tea or one soda can trigger severe bladder irritation and discomfort. Worse, that daily acid wash may prevent [...]
By Jill H. Osborne MA, ICN President (June 19, 2014) It might surprise you to learn that anxiety is a strongly related condition to IC and pelvic pain. It was the human genome project which made the connection. Researchers trying to determine which section of the human genome correlated with anxiety discovered that a large, [...]
(Editors Note - The plight of men with interstitial cystitis has never been fully told due to the misperception that IC/BPS is a woman's condition. In our Spring 2013 IC Optimist, we published a dozen stories from men struggling with IC. A professional chef, Tom's story shares how difficult it can be for men to [...]
Challenges Facing Men With IC/BPS Are Undeniable! Spend a week in the IC Network offices and you might be surprised by the number of phone calls we receive from men struggling with IC symptoms. We’ve worked with physicians, military service members (command and enlisted), pilots (commercial and military), actors, stockbrokers, congressmen, space scientists, police officers, teachers, [...]
Ketamine Cystitis Linked to Bladder, Kidney, Liver, Sexual, Cognitive Dysfunction and Schizophrenia By Jill H. Osborne, ICN Founder Last week, a young man in New York called to discuss his newly diagnosed interstitial cystitis. After a few minutes on the phone, I asked him "Have you ever used ketamine?" Stunned, he said "How did you [...]
Prevention Magazine released a fabulous article, "Why It Hurts Down There", which discusses how pelvic floor dysfunction can be the cause of many pelvic pain conditions, such as IC, vulvodynia, constipation and so forth. It shares two compelling patient stories who, after many physician visits, finally discovered that the pelvic floor muscles, specifically pelvic floor [...]
Do you catheterize? Scared of catheters? Not sure about types of catheters used? Diane Newman DNP, ANP-BC, FANN is a Nurse Practitioner specializing in the prevention of urinary tract infections. She provides training for urology nurses and other medical professionals and recently shared two excellent webcasts on catheterization, one on types and the other on [...]
