D Mannose

[lnw]

I just wanted to express my success of controlling my bladder spasms and pain with D Mannose.
I am currently 24 and have struggled with constant bladder pain (started as legitimate UTIs when I was about 12, progressed into unexplainable pain within my teens). I have seen a ridiculous amount of doctors and been on a plethora of drugs including long-term preventative antibiotics. After two extremely painful cystotoscopic exams, I refused to undergo any more surgeries or invasive procedures, therefore I was never truly diagnosed with IC but have been told by many doctors that this is what I have. All I could do was treat the pain with Pyridium and pointless Darvocet.

Last summer, I was in pain everyday for three months and was miserable physically and mentally. I had just started my acunpuncture treatments when some alternative treatment literature led me to D Mannose. I did a thorough internet search and decided to order some, I mean its less than $20 a bottle so why not? I felt relief almost immediately. There was no side effects and the treatment is all natural. It took me about a month of adding D Mannose to my drinks 3x a day to feel back to normal and I am happy to say I have not experienced that debilitating pain since. Sometimes I can feel it coming on and use it 3x a day, other times I may go a week or two without taking any at all. So far, it has not failed me and I haven't felt more optimistic about my health and happiness since I was a child.

I know there are a lot of D Mannose skeptics out there. It is primarily a natural treatment of UTIs which supposedly IC patients do not experience. But my advice is just give it a try. After all the stuff we have been through, there is no reason not to. It really helped me. There are no side effects, it is cost effective, natural and easy to find.

Also, I have never posted on the forum before but have read your stories for years. It sounds cliche but it made me really feel like I wasn't alone, there were people out there who were going through what I was. It gave me hope and I just wanted to thank everyone for being brave and posting.

Sorry for the spelling errors

Good luck, everyone.

[Deirdre]

That is amazing! I am so happy for you. So do you think in your case, there is a underlying e-coli infection?
I wish you continued good health!

[lnw]

I really don't know. I have had constant urine tests for a UTI and the cultures always came back completely negative of infection. From my basic understanding of how it works, it kind of flushes all the bad stuff out of your bladder and urinary tract. Maybe it could be something that doesn't show up on your average UTI test.

I am so surprised after all my years of going through these problems I had never even heard of this stuff, not from my doctor, my urologist, my homeopathic doctor or any of the specialists I had seen.

[healingthoughts]

lnw,

Good to hear you are feeling better.

You mentioned that you had two cystoscopies but were never diagnosed with IC. Does that mean the cystoscopies were normal and did not show any inflammation?

Also, what were your main symptoms? Did you have both frequency/urgency and pain or just pain?

[penneyjo]

I just heard about this for the first time from Dr. Oz on his show. That's a pretty good recommendation. He recommended it for UTIs, no mention of IC (of course).

[polygon]

I'm so glad for you!
I see my urologist in early June so i'll make sure to bring it up. I haven't done any research yet, but like you said, I might as well give it a try.

[lnw]

Both my cystoscopies came back totally normal. One was performed at my local urologist and one by a specialized doctor at the Mayo Clinic. I'll say this as well: I have always felt that these procedures made my problem even worse. The pain in months following was some of the worst I have ever experienced.

My main symptoms have been intense pain and burning of my urethra and urinary tract. I have only experienced frequency and urgency in regards to the sort of burning pain which makes you feel like you always have to go like I never was actually emptying my bladder.

[penneyjo]

Inw, could you please share the web site that you got yours from? Thanks

[Mc2203]

Hi What exactly is DMannose for? I heard that it can help ease/prevent flares caused by intercourse? Has this been the case for anybody?

Xx

[momto3]

Hi What exactly is DMannose for? I heard that it can help ease/prevent flares caused by intercourse? Has this been the case for anybody?

Xx

It works great for me in this area. I take it when I'm getting ready for bed, if I think we'll have sex that night. We're pretty predictable, it's usually on a Saturday night. Then I get up to pee afterwards and take another dose. I just put a scoop into a couple of ounces of water. Then I'll take a dose or two the next day.

I haven't had a flare or UTI from sex since I started using it routinely. If I start to feel flarey on any day, I'll take a dose or two. It makes me feel good and makes my flow seem really strong. I highly recommend it. I buy it at a local vitamin/health store.

[Mc2203]

Oh good Im glad it helps you with this. Can I ask did it help with urethral burning? I would like to try some-- Im not sure if they do it in England. I might have to order it!

Sarah.xx

[purpleviolet]

amazing

That is amazing. That means some people are really suffering from unrecognized or undiagnosed low-grade infections if d-mannose works that well. I think if I had this d-mannose before I got IC, when I had a lot of infections that led to urethral dilations by a urologist, I never would have developed IC. Instead they gave me antibiotics which did not work.

Why is a trade name removed. If someone uses the brand name Tylenol instead of acetaminophen is that name supposed to be removed. Could someone explain the difference to me?

[Deirdre]

it is strange to have to remove some trade names (Elmiron) and not others. I am also confused why you can't put the name of any alternative type doctors but you can post Dr Moldwin for example. There are several good brands of D-mannose. The powder has nothing else so if you get that you should be ok.

[ICNDonna]

The reason we don't do trade names is because the forums would rapidly become an advertising forum --- which would detract from our goal of providing support. And it's okay to post the name of a physician you would recommend, but not a link to a sales site. Dr. Moldwin is an outstanding physician who has pretty well dedicated his practice to treating IC and has written one of the best books I have seen about IC.

Donna

[Deirdre]

Thanks Donna. I had sent a pm to someone saying that I was going to Dr ***** ******* and it got censored. I have nothing against Dr Moldwin, for sure! Only used that name as an example of a name I have seen multiple times.