well, my bladder has always been "shy" and easily irritated, it became severely painful at age 16, probably because I started drinking alchohol on the weekends, having a sex life (gasp!!!) and drinking coffee... after having severe pain for 4 years, i was diagnosed.... I have stopped the alchohol, the sex and modified my diet. now 5 years later, and one daughter who I had in 2006, and my pain has not dropped lower than a 6 in almost 3 YEARS... I just got down to a 6 a few weeks ago, and sadly it isnt often , my usual pain is 7-9. I am not a wimp, and i know it.... I try not to use the higher numbers of the pain scale, but I am genuinely in 7-9 pain, I have always had WBC in urine, and mircoscopic blood and sometimes visible blood and always visible puss. I am not able to work right now and I am not collecting anything... I am hoping to get this pain under control, it is a CONSTANT pulsing pain like a throbbing heartbeat in my low pelvis (assuming bladder) which feels like it was ground in a meat grinder and doused with rubbing alcohol. I also have tailbone and urethral pain and burning, severe pain and spasms after penetrative sex. I can echo others concerns about feeling like you look normal, no one believes the pain I am in because I manage to care for my 2 year old, but it is truly a struggle and I have no choice because she needs care, so i have to do it no matter how bad the pain is. It is an "embarrassing" problem, no one understands what the pain is like.... no one... unless they have IC.... I had 1 UTI, coincidentally the START of my IC, and it was severe to the kidneys pissing blood, ever since I have had the feelings of the "constant kidney/ uti infection" that never goes away.












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