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New visitor, new story
Although I'm sure you've all heard something like it before.
Six years ago, my last year in college, I was working and going to school full time. I was dancing and being very physical.
One night at my waitressing job I took a bathroom break and there was blood. I knew that I had been feeling increased pain, and that night it was especially bad, but I didn't know what or why.
So I called my Dr. My Dr. put me on antibiotics for a UTI without ever actually seeing me. The antibiotics took the bad pain and made it unlivable. I spent three months nearly flat on my back, popping vicoden and trying to figure out why the hell this horrible UTI wouldn't go away.
Finally I started getting checked out. I had two cystoscopies, a lower GI ultrasound, etc. etc. They treated me for possible kidney stones.. everything.
In the end, finally, someone said Interstitial Cystitis, and that settled the issue.
For many years I was very lucky. I spent most of my time in full remission, only flaring up when I did something stupid like drink alcohol. I got twinges around my period, but nothing miserable.
About a year ago my flare ups started getting worse. I cut out all alcohol, all casual smoking and 90% of my caffine. Last April, right after my first wedding anniversary, I started a flare-up that has yet to stop. This flare-up is nearly as bad as my first antibotic-aggrivated one.
I can't get adequate pain meds. 30 vicoden a month?! That's four hours of relief in every 24. Not enough. I live in a city and can't even really get my doctor to understand how debilitating this is. She has 800 patients and treats every time I come in like it's an isolated incident. She won't understand that this is a disease that needs to be constantly monitored.
I live in fear of developing yet another autoimmune disorder. I have irritable bowel, eczema, athsma, allergies, psyatica, vicious canker sores and IC. The word "lupus" sits on the horizon for me... even if the fear isn't justified, it's there.
Because I can't get my doctor to treat me seriously (she referred me to the wrong urogynacologist) I've started seeing a nutritionist and physical therapist. I'm hoping that tightly controlled eating will bring the symptoms down and that some excercise will get my general health back up and bring my self esteem back up with it.
I can't do anything right now. The pain makes me so tired and upset.
I hate to complain because while this is the worst flare-up, I'm not totally incapacitated like I know a lot of people with IC are. I have an understanding husband (although with only one year of marriage I'm praying remission comes soon). I'm tired of healthy people asking me "Feeling better??" knowing that they despirately want me to say "yes", when in fact I feel like something the dog dragged in.
I'm hoping to find a group of people that I can talk to and commiserate with, that will understand that even though it can't be seen, the pain is real.
So, hi. My name is Krissy. I have IC and I hate it and am having trouble coming to terms. I'd like to hang out for awhile. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Six years ago, my last year in college, I was working and going to school full time. I was dancing and being very physical.
One night at my waitressing job I took a bathroom break and there was blood. I knew that I had been feeling increased pain, and that night it was especially bad, but I didn't know what or why.
So I called my Dr. My Dr. put me on antibiotics for a UTI without ever actually seeing me. The antibiotics took the bad pain and made it unlivable. I spent three months nearly flat on my back, popping vicoden and trying to figure out why the hell this horrible UTI wouldn't go away.
Finally I started getting checked out. I had two cystoscopies, a lower GI ultrasound, etc. etc. They treated me for possible kidney stones.. everything.
In the end, finally, someone said Interstitial Cystitis, and that settled the issue.
For many years I was very lucky. I spent most of my time in full remission, only flaring up when I did something stupid like drink alcohol. I got twinges around my period, but nothing miserable.
About a year ago my flare ups started getting worse. I cut out all alcohol, all casual smoking and 90% of my caffine. Last April, right after my first wedding anniversary, I started a flare-up that has yet to stop. This flare-up is nearly as bad as my first antibotic-aggrivated one.
I can't get adequate pain meds. 30 vicoden a month?! That's four hours of relief in every 24. Not enough. I live in a city and can't even really get my doctor to understand how debilitating this is. She has 800 patients and treats every time I come in like it's an isolated incident. She won't understand that this is a disease that needs to be constantly monitored.
I live in fear of developing yet another autoimmune disorder. I have irritable bowel, eczema, athsma, allergies, psyatica, vicious canker sores and IC. The word "lupus" sits on the horizon for me... even if the fear isn't justified, it's there.
Because I can't get my doctor to treat me seriously (she referred me to the wrong urogynacologist) I've started seeing a nutritionist and physical therapist. I'm hoping that tightly controlled eating will bring the symptoms down and that some excercise will get my general health back up and bring my self esteem back up with it.
I can't do anything right now. The pain makes me so tired and upset.
I hate to complain because while this is the worst flare-up, I'm not totally incapacitated like I know a lot of people with IC are. I have an understanding husband (although with only one year of marriage I'm praying remission comes soon). I'm tired of healthy people asking me "Feeling better??" knowing that they despirately want me to say "yes", when in fact I feel like something the dog dragged in.
I'm hoping to find a group of people that I can talk to and commiserate with, that will understand that even though it can't be seen, the pain is real.
So, hi. My name is Krissy. I have IC and I hate it and am having trouble coming to terms. I'd like to hang out for awhile. [img]smile.gif[/img]
Sheri G
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