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My name is Frances. I think I have the classic symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis. My main symptom is Noctura. When it hits me it hits me at night just when I want go to sleep. I could run to the bathroom anywhere from ten to twenty times a night for two to three hours every five to thirty minutes. I also have urges and pressure in the pelvic and urethra area. Sometimes my urethra hurts. This started when I was about 23 years old in 1999. At first I thought it was because I drank too much diet soda and water and I was trying to maintain the weight I lost. However, it would slowly get worse. It creeps up when I least expect it and sometimes this would last anywhere from one night to an entire week. By the next day I'm too tired to do anything that required complexity. I went to a general practitioner when I was 24 years old and they did a urine test and it was negative. I was stunned because I don't understand how a person could go to the bathroom all the time especially at night and still not have some kind of infection. It would come and go for another two years until I finally got my own health insurance.
At 26 I went to a gynocologist for the first time in the my life to see if this was gynocological. At the office that was where a bladder infection was found. I was prescribed a week of antibiotics. But it still didn't clear up so I went to urologist #1. He looked at my urethra and saw that it was very narrow and had to do a sonogram and a cystoscopy. I had these things done two weeks later and he found that I had a tight and narrow urethra and as a result of this I had this tendency to contract urinary tract infections. I had a severe infection when I was just eight years old and I a slight one when I was eighteen years old. I was prescribed an antibiotic, detrol, a dietary supplement and a cream to apply to the urethra. Well the problem got worse to a point I was running to the bathroom more than ever especially during the day. So I called him and he said that this was going to be a chronic thing. There was something about him that I didn't like and that was, "Go get a boyfriend and he will open you up." I know he was joking but this wasn't a joke and to prescribe medications and tell me I'm going to have this the rest of my life made me feel like a worthless piece of ****. A few months later when I went back for a urethra dilation, the infection cleared but the frequent urination existed. Even the gynocologist said I didn't have an infection.
I went to urologist #2 who diagnosed me with various bacterial infections and prescribed me antibiotics but still the problem persisted. He had me go through a urodynamic study which showed I had a tight and narrow urethra and a bladder that contracts small amounts of urine at a time. He reccomended ditrophan. I went to another gynocologist thinking that a woman would be more helpful than a man but her attitude was that my urine was negative for infection and her attitude was the stop drinking at night and stop drinking soda. I have had frequent urination at night on and off for another seven years but the problem would subside for a few months and then wham it would come back. I have cut back on caffeine only drinking one can of diet soda a day and on occassion chocolate milk. Then in 2007/2008 problems started again and I went back to urologist #2 and they did a urine output test and showed that the urine output was normal. I have had normal urine cultures from various doctors since 2003.
I think my frequent urination also happens around my ovulation and around my menstuation. I noticed just before my period I am running to the bathroom every five minutes during the day and night. Although nightly doesn't happen as much until now. This week I had three nights that I was running to the bathroom ten to twenty times in a two to three hour time frame. Can't figure out why but I think my diet may be the culpurt. I'm 35 years old now. I have seemed to have high intolerance to acidic foods and drinks. I had heartburn a few months ago and was diagnosed with mild acid reflux disease at 28. I have tried to lose weight but even when I have lost weight I have had acid reflux problems. It it isn't acid reflux it comes as a form of frequent urination especially at night.
A few months ago blood was discovered in my urine by my general practitioner. He thought it was my period but I had my period the week before. So he did another urine test and it was normal. My white blood count was fine. And sometimes now when I get my periods I sometimes spot during my periods. I feel very itchy where the part is where I urinate. And sometimes when I wipe there blood comes out.
I think I have a family history of this because my great aunt also had these problems and when I think back to all the symptoms she may have I believe she had IC. She always expressed a fear of having to go to the bathroom while on the train to work and everytime we would go to pick her up to go somewhere she would have to go to the bathroom about five to six times before she actually was ready to go and while on trips she would have to keep going to the bathroom. And she would always be running to the bathroom at night. She had the same procedures I had but nothing ever worked.
What bothers me so much is these doctors have these fancy medical degrees on the wall and they have idea about IC and they only go with what they know but when traditional medications don't they don't want to do further tests. It seems that we have to educate them on everything.
So do I go back to a new urologist and mention IC to him/her? I know I need to educate myself on this because these doctors know nothing. So do I bring the material for him/her to read? Let me know what you guys think.
Thank you
At 26 I went to a gynocologist for the first time in the my life to see if this was gynocological. At the office that was where a bladder infection was found. I was prescribed a week of antibiotics. But it still didn't clear up so I went to urologist #1. He looked at my urethra and saw that it was very narrow and had to do a sonogram and a cystoscopy. I had these things done two weeks later and he found that I had a tight and narrow urethra and as a result of this I had this tendency to contract urinary tract infections. I had a severe infection when I was just eight years old and I a slight one when I was eighteen years old. I was prescribed an antibiotic, detrol, a dietary supplement and a cream to apply to the urethra. Well the problem got worse to a point I was running to the bathroom more than ever especially during the day. So I called him and he said that this was going to be a chronic thing. There was something about him that I didn't like and that was, "Go get a boyfriend and he will open you up." I know he was joking but this wasn't a joke and to prescribe medications and tell me I'm going to have this the rest of my life made me feel like a worthless piece of ****. A few months later when I went back for a urethra dilation, the infection cleared but the frequent urination existed. Even the gynocologist said I didn't have an infection.
I went to urologist #2 who diagnosed me with various bacterial infections and prescribed me antibiotics but still the problem persisted. He had me go through a urodynamic study which showed I had a tight and narrow urethra and a bladder that contracts small amounts of urine at a time. He reccomended ditrophan. I went to another gynocologist thinking that a woman would be more helpful than a man but her attitude was that my urine was negative for infection and her attitude was the stop drinking at night and stop drinking soda. I have had frequent urination at night on and off for another seven years but the problem would subside for a few months and then wham it would come back. I have cut back on caffeine only drinking one can of diet soda a day and on occassion chocolate milk. Then in 2007/2008 problems started again and I went back to urologist #2 and they did a urine output test and showed that the urine output was normal. I have had normal urine cultures from various doctors since 2003.
I think my frequent urination also happens around my ovulation and around my menstuation. I noticed just before my period I am running to the bathroom every five minutes during the day and night. Although nightly doesn't happen as much until now. This week I had three nights that I was running to the bathroom ten to twenty times in a two to three hour time frame. Can't figure out why but I think my diet may be the culpurt. I'm 35 years old now. I have seemed to have high intolerance to acidic foods and drinks. I had heartburn a few months ago and was diagnosed with mild acid reflux disease at 28. I have tried to lose weight but even when I have lost weight I have had acid reflux problems. It it isn't acid reflux it comes as a form of frequent urination especially at night.
A few months ago blood was discovered in my urine by my general practitioner. He thought it was my period but I had my period the week before. So he did another urine test and it was normal. My white blood count was fine. And sometimes now when I get my periods I sometimes spot during my periods. I feel very itchy where the part is where I urinate. And sometimes when I wipe there blood comes out.
I think I have a family history of this because my great aunt also had these problems and when I think back to all the symptoms she may have I believe she had IC. She always expressed a fear of having to go to the bathroom while on the train to work and everytime we would go to pick her up to go somewhere she would have to go to the bathroom about five to six times before she actually was ready to go and while on trips she would have to keep going to the bathroom. And she would always be running to the bathroom at night. She had the same procedures I had but nothing ever worked.
What bothers me so much is these doctors have these fancy medical degrees on the wall and they have idea about IC and they only go with what they know but when traditional medications don't they don't want to do further tests. It seems that we have to educate them on everything.
So do I go back to a new urologist and mention IC to him/her? I know I need to educate myself on this because these doctors know nothing. So do I bring the material for him/her to read? Let me know what you guys think.
Thank you
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