Hi- new here

[amy09]

Hi,
My name is Amy and I'm 22 years old. I am new to the site and haven't officially been diagnosed with IC yet but my family doctor strongly believes that's what I have. The problems started a few weeks ago. I have been living in Las Vegas (originally from the midwest) for the last year because my boyfriend is stationed there in the Air Force. I started experiencing what I thought was a UTI so went in to the quick care clinic. They did a dipstick test and found white blood cells but not much evidence of bacteria.. ended up on Bactrim anyway. After a few days my symptoms hadn't improved so I went to the ER and they said my antibiotics weren't working and I still had a UTI. So I was put on Cephalexin. After about 36 hours I hadn't noticed much improvement so I went back to the ER and they did ultrasound scans on my bladder, kidneys, etc and bloodwork which all came back fine but my urine still wasn't clean. The doctor put me in the hospital for 24 hrs on IV antibiotics. I thought I was improving a little but a couple days later my symptoms flared a bit. I was so fed up with the bad healthcare down there that I decided to fly back up to the midwest to see my own doctors. My family doc did a urinalysis and said my white blood count was down so that was good and she definitely believes it's IC.
I'm still waiting to get into a urologist. I'm just depressed and trying to find support. I have been accepted into a veterinary technology program (hoping to start this year) and am really hoping this doesn't affect that.. or my ability to have kids or anything. I'm very glad to know there are other people my age who have this and it's been so inspiring to find this site and hear that I can still have a great future even despite IC.

[sailawaygrl]

Hi Amy,
Glad you found us, but I hope in the end you don't need us! How long until you see the urologist? Waiting can be brutal, I know. Having IC shouldn't affect you having children at all. Until you are sure it is IC, try not to think in those terms. You don't want to mentally plan a life you won't have to live!! LOL
If you want to do something that could possibly start helping you before your diagnosis you can start on the IC diet. You can find a link to it by going to the top of this page and then go to the ICN homepage. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water, to keep your urine diluted. Drinking water is going to be good for you whether you have IC or not, so no harm there!

I hope you don't have IC, but if you do, there is always someone here to talk to. Keep us updated.

Sandra

[bob04951]

Welcome, Amy, hope you do not have IC, but even if you do it takes some time to find the right things to ease it. You will see many, many options here, some work for some and not for others, but there is relief out there. Wish you the very best and do not despair. It could be a lot of things, and it sounds like your docs are on top of it. Hang in there. Jill, wife of Bob

[amy09]

Update

Hi,
Just wanted to write an update. Oh and thanks for the nice replies. I saw a urologist on the 8th. She did a cystoscopy at my request (no hydro) and said my bladder looked healthy and my urinalysis came back fine. Obviously I know that without the hydro she can't rule out IC. She said she didn't think I have IC but would look into that if my symptoms don't get better in a few months. She said she believes it's just residual irritation from the UTI I had (it took almost 3 weeks for my urine to stop showing bacteria and white cells). I'm still really worried. I already suffer from depression and anxiety and have managed to convince myself it could be cancer or something. My uro said she saw no tumors or anything but from what I read on the internet, there's a certain type (CIS) that sometimes doesn't even appear on a regular cysto or just shows up as small red or pink patches. What if she missed that? My symptoms have been slowly improving over the past couple weeks so I don't know. And I've had 2 drs and the uro tell me the odds would be so rare that it would be cancer considering my age (22) and risk factors (I have never smoked, etc) and I never had red blood cells show up in my urine except a few when I had the UTI. Anyway, sorry this was kinda long but I needed to vent. Oh, I forgot to mention the uro put me on Ditropan XL for a couple months.. planning to start it tonight and see if it helps. Thanks for listening (or reading rather).

Amy

[sailawaygrl]

Hi Amy,
Thanks for updating us. Your news sounds like it is good news! You said you are starting to feel better too? Don't stress yourself out, they are right, the chances of cancer are minuscule. If things stay a problem for you, you can ask for a biopsy later. You are very young to be worrying yourself so much about cancer, with all the opinions you have had I think it is safe to trust them that you don't. You know this started with an infection that took a while to clear up, so that alone would reassure me that it isn't cancer. You sound so worried about that, try to relax and let that thought go. You got GOOD NEWS!!! You aren't ONE OF US!!! Congratulations!! I wish you the best. Try not to worry yourself into pain. Are you taking anything for your anxiety? Maybe you should discuss your worries with someone that can help you with them. Many of us talk to psychologists, it can't hurt.
Good luck to you,
Sandra