Finally found out what's wrong with me

[angie11]

I posted about a week ago on "not diagnosed yet" about how I thought I might have IC because I was experiencing UTI symptoms, but antibiotics weren't helping and my urine cultures kept on coming back negative for infection. Well I had my appt with Dr. Moldwin's NP and I was diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction. I was told that it was probably caused by all the recurrent UTIs I've gotten. I was also told I might have a mild case of IC because I have to get up and pee 2-3x a night and I also had a trace amount of blood in my urine, but the dr. wants me to work on making my PFD better before exploring whether or not I have IC.

I just feel soooo relieved to have a diagnosis

I was put on 6mg of Diazepam a day and I was given oxycodone-acetaminophen for the pain if/when it gets really bad. And I was also given a mild antibiotics to take after intercourse to prevent UTIs. I also have to stick to the "IC diet" (something I started because I wanted to be proactive before I went to the drs.) and other than that, just take my medications and try not to stress out so much. Then I see my dr. again in 6 weeks and we'll take it from there

[cmclien]

Good news!
If you don't mind my asking, how can they tell if you have pelvic floor dysfunction? Is there a particular test?

[angie11]

Well the dr did a pelvic exam and pressed down on certain parts of my muscles and it hurt, some spots way more than others, and she found a particular section on my left side that is a trigger point for me and it hurt the worst. And I she was also able to diagnose me based on my history of recurrent UTIs and when I feel symptoms.

Basically my muscles don't work properly anymore so my muscles can't tell that my bladder is empty. So even though my bladder is empting fine, my muscles got so used to me having to pee all the time because of UTIs that they "think" I always have to pee which is why I was feeling like my bladder wasn't emptying.

My symptoms get really bad when I'm stressed because stress causes my muscles to tighten and they also get worse if I've been sitting for a really long time because, once again, the muscles are being tightened. Also, sex doesn't hurt me during, but after. The dr. said that's because it takes a while for the muscles to feel.... irritated (for lack of a better word). Just like exercise. When you exercise for the first time in a while, you don't feel the pain while your exercising, but the day after.