Up Close and Personal with Interstitial Cystitis

From the time I reached puberty, I remember coming down with at least two urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bladder infections every year. My parents had me at the doctors all of the time as it was and now these ailments caused even more trips to the doctor.

The doctors never really gave any explanation as to why I continually had these infections except to blame it on me. I must be holding myself too long before urinating, I wasn't wiping properly, etc. But none of this was true. They just didn't know why I was prone to infections and it was easier for them to blame it on me than to admit they had no clue.

Around this same time, I found that I was having the urge to urinate frequently. I can still remember getting anxious whenever we would go somewhere because I would fear that there wouldn't be a bathroom close by to stop at and I would urinate myself (which had happened to me as a teenager).

Moving forward into adulthood, in my early twenties I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I was still having UTIs and bladder infections a couple of times a year. I did go and see a urologist and a gynecologist to find out why I was always having this pain when I urinated, even when an infection wasn't present. Again, no one could tell me why and I was blamed once again for not properly urinating and wiping. I still continued urinating frequently and the older I became, the more frequently I had to urinate.

In my thirties, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. About two months after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I was spending a lot of time in the emergency room of our local hospital. I started having severe pain in my lower abdomen and I could barely walk because the pressure was so severe. I then started having to urinate every 10 - 15 minutes and I was in total misery. After several trips to the doctor and finding that no infection or bacteria were present, I was finally diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. My urologist told me he believed that I had always had IC Disease, even as a child. After almost 20 years of these problems, I had another answer and another piece of the puzzle was in place.

Interstitial Cystitis is a bladder disease that causes pain in the lower abdomen, urinary frequency, pressure in the lower abdomen and pelvis, and bleeding from the vagina. It is more common in women than in men. The cause of Interstitial Cystitis is unknown. Interstitial Cystitis is diagnosed through a procedure called a cystocopy, which is an outpatient surgery. While under anesthetic, the patient's bladder is stretched and filled with water. If glomerulations are present (hemorrhages on the bladder wall), Interstitial Cystitis is diagnosed.

Urologists must also rule out other diseases and bladder cancer as well.