I have IC (Interstitial Cystitis); I've had it since about 2001 or so. I'm not sure exactly how long ago, because it came on over time and took about 3-4 years to really diagnose. I started with a couple of bad bladder and yeast infections in 1999 and a debilitating back injury in 2000 (I am pretty sure EACH of those things are related to my IC). After trying physical therapy, chiropractic adjustments, cortisone and lidocane shots, with no success, I finally managed to stabilize my back injury with a combination of acupuncture and massage, and a regular yoga practice. The bladder problems, however, remained unchanged. I kept returning to the doctor, thinking I had another bladder infection, but the tests were coming up negative. I just was told to wear cotton underwear and loose fitting clothes, drink lots of cranberry juice, and be sure to go to the bathroom before and after sex.
At the end of 2002, my husband and I decided we were ready to have a baby, so I went off the pill. About 2-3 months after I stopped taking it, the bladder pain, frequency and urgency became much worse and flared more often. I was referred to a urologist, who figured that I had a low level infection, which wasn't showing up on the tests. He treated me with low dose of Macrobid for 3 months. End result...I developed a BAD yeast infection, which spread to the rest of my body, causing rashes to appear all over my face, neck and shoulders. I managed to treat the yeast with a strict 3 month yeast-free, sugar-free, allergen-free diet, combined with herbal antifungals and immune boosters. However, the bladder pain, frequency & urgency remained.
Fortunately, I went into remission when I got pregnant in 2003, which lasted until my daughter was about 6 months old. Slowly, however, I began to relapse, and the symptoms of pain, frequency and urgency began worsening over time. In 2005, I was finally given the Potassium Chloride test (OOOWWWW!) and diagnosed with IC.
I've been through some very dark times with this illness. The pain can be excruciating---like a knife or a razor blade slicing through my insides when I move. There is a feeling of anxiety, like I am being attacked. I break out in a cold sweat and get the chills. When it comes, I can't focus on anything else and still bear it. I have to stop, close my eyes, and just breathe through it.
When the pain became so strong and constant that I was unable reliably work or care for my home and my family, we had to leave our home and friends, to move across the country so we could live with my in-laws. I haven't been able to pick up and carry my daughter since she was about 1 year old. I've had to forgo sex with my loving husband or risk days of pain afterward. I have lived in fear of not being able to find a bathroom or going somewhere where there is no bathroom or I have to wait too long to use it.
But anyway...the past is not really the point of this blog. Well not right now at least. This week, I'm starting a new journey--a journey to healing. Up till now it was all about treatments. Well that's done. I'm not going to "treat" anymore, I'm going to heal (I hope). This blog will document my progress, my ups and downs and hopefully keep me sane in the process and give me an idea of what's working.
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