Living with the Pain of Interstitial Cystitis

Insterstitial Cystitis (IC) is a medical condition that causes chronic pain in the bladder and pelvic area. The pain may be mild or moderate for some people and more severe in others. I experience the more severe pain, the kind of pain that makes you almost feel as though you are paralyzed and can't move. Some people with IC experience problems with urinating and feel pain and pressure when doing so. It is a burning feeling going through the urinary tract and can also create pressure in the pelvic area.

For quite some time, I didn't know why I had these symptoms and where they came from. Everytime I would urinate, I felt extreme pain, almost as if I was urinating little pieces of glass that were cutting me up inside. The burning and stinging pain after urination caused so much discomfort that I could barely move. I decided to go to my medical doctor to see if what I was experiencing may be the signs of a Urinary Tract Infection.

The medical doctor gave me a urine culture and told me that my urine was clear and that there no signs of infection. He couldn't give me an explanation as to why I was experiencing such pain during urination. A few weeks went by and the pain was not letting up. I went to a gynecologist to see if she could give me a diagnosis. She did all of the routine gynecological testing as well as STD testing and everything came out fine. There were no problems. I was in a monogomaus five year relationship at this time so I didn't really think it was an STD, but because burning and stinging can be a sign of an STD, she wanted to rule that out. After these two visits and no diagnosis, I wasn't sure where to turn for help.

I allowed a good amount of time to go by before I decided to try again for a diagnosis. My symptoms would come and go, but when they came on, they were very severe. I decided to drink a lot of water to dilute my urine. That seems to help me when the pain is severe. I thought maybe there is something I am eating that is acidic and could be causing me such pain when I urinate.

While I was at work, the pain would make me lose my concentration. My boss saw how much pain I was in and recommended that I take an over the counter painkiller such as ibuprofen. I was never one to take painkillers for my pain. When it came to getting my wisdom teeth pulled, severe menstrual cramping or migraine headaches, I always dealt with the pain instead of reaching for a painkiller. I took my boss's advice and starting taking ibuprofen whenever the severe pain came back.

My boss also recommended that I see a urologist and he gave me the phone number of a urologist that he was familiar with. I made an appointment with the urologist. I had a pelvic ultrasound done and there was nothing abnormal to be found. I had a CAT scan and another urine culture and still there was nothing abnormal. There were no traces of bacteria in my urine. The urologist couldn't explain why I was experiencing this symptoms, but he did say that when there are no other known causes for symptoms like this, then his diagnosis would be Interstitial Cystitis.

He wanted to prescribe me a sedative medication. He thought that it might help to relax my bladder and ease the symptoms of IC. I refused because I did not want to be on any kind of sedatives. I never did go back to the urologist. At this point, I tried to treat myself. Drinking 3 or 4 bottles of water before I left for work in the morning just to relieve the pain, made me feel quite sick. It also gave me a bad headache. I then started relying on ibuprofen to help relieve the pain.

I've heard that ibuprofen can ruin the lining of your stomach if it is taken for prolonged periods of time. I really wish there was some kind of specific medicine or cure for Interstitial Cystitis. Right now, being that I have no health insurance, it is very hard me to find help.

I can only describe the pain as something so uncomfortable that I want to hide when I have it. I find it difficult to concentrate or carry a conversation when I am experiencing this pain. It is like a sharp knife is tearing me up inside when I urinate. I even feel it when I don't urinate but have the urgency to. The pain will start in my pelvic area and sometimes radiate to my kidney area.

Some people have gone to the ER for pain related to these symptoms. I often notice that if I am experiencing a lot of stress in my life, the pain of my flare ups is even worse. The pain can be so unbearable. I've even read stories where people quit their jobs because they just could not work and deal with the pain of IC at the same time. It really can interfere with someone's life and daily activities.

I do some research every now and then to find out if there is anything new that can be done to prevent or alleviate these symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no cure, so for those of us suffering with these extremely painful symptoms, we just have to learn our own coping strategies and ways of dealing with the pain. I have read about some procedures that may help, but they can be expensive, and may not even end up being enough to get rid of the symptoms. Hopefully, one day, there will be either a cure or preventive medication that will get rid of Interstitial Cystitis. This way all of us who suffer from it could get finally find relief from all of this pain.