IC Belly

[pklina]

Does anyone recall before being diagnosed having a swollen overfilled bladder. My ex used to laugh and tell me I have pee belly. Once I peed, the swelling went down. I would look 2-3 months pregnant. I think that was the onset of my ic maybe? At the time I thought it was because I was so tiny.

[Mothergoose]

I have this all the time, I have urinary retention, the worse it gets the bigger my belly gets, I am thin so when my bladder swells it makes my bladder stick out.

Last time I was in total retention, I went to the Er in a pair of loose shorts, but by the time they finally decided to cath me I could no longer walk and my belly was so big I could not do up my pants.

I totally looked preggo

MG

[pklina]

Im sorry to hear that. I found muscle relaxers help

[Mothergoose]

Muscle relaxers can make my retention worse, so I have to be careful taking them.

[Zygala87]

An IC belly seems common to us who have IC. Many people have spoken about it. I don't think it is because our bladder is full but I have no idea why we do have it. I'm 68 and look 7 months along. Very depressing but there are ways for me to get around it. I wear maternity pants (nice ones) and long shirts (Pretty ones) and few people can notice my belly. I'm very sorry you are dealing with this. Seems so unfair. Especially for our young people. No one has ever been able to tell me why it happens. Inflammation? Lack of muscle control? If anyone knows or has an idea please let us know what you think. Hugs, Ziggy

[bubbe1]

ic belly

Muscle relaxers can make my retention worse, so I have to be careful taking them.

MG,

If you don't mind my asking, what do you do for your retention? This is a new problem for me, along with that constant urge to pee, with lots of pressure.

It seems that all the muscle relaxers and antisposmodics just make it harder to pee. Instills haven't helped, as a matter of fact, I think they are making my bladder more sore
(and the last few leaked out), so now I have a good deal of pain plus the frequency/urgency, plus only peeing tiny bits. And I was doing sooo well. Yish!

The nurse who does my instills said I don't have retention,(she always empties my bladder before putting in the meds), but I think I do.

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm sort of lost at the moment, so any input would be appreciated. BTW, my Uro said he doesn't know what to do either!

Thanks,
Laurie

[otter721]

I have this all the time, I have urinary retention, the worse it gets the bigger my belly gets, I am thin so when my bladder swells it makes my bladder stick out.

Last time I was in total retention, I went to the Er in a pair of loose shorts, but by the time they finally decided to cath me I could no longer walk and my belly was so big I could not do up my pants.

I totally looked preggo

MG

MG-- I have a couple of questions for you: I always have "IC belly" but I have yet to be diagnosed. I feel retention is contributing to my pain. I can go, just not completely it seems. Can you tell when your retention is worse by the pain, by how big your belly is or only by the feeling of not emptying completely? Does is make sense that I might have more lower back pain when I am retaining more urine? I go back to my uro (for a 2nd appointment-- the 1st one was almost 2 months ago.) next week and will be bringing this up with him. After 2 months of the IC diet (which seems to be helping, not completely but a lot) and Prelief, I feel a bit better, but certainly not "good." I have kicked myself a hundred times over for not pushing for the hydro-- I would really like to get diagnosed-- mentally I'm having a tough time handling this since I don't have a diagnosis yet. (Symptoms started after a once in a blue moon UTI at the end of February.)
Oh, and what helps with the retention? Anything? Does avoiding salt help as it would with general water retention? Thanks for any help you or others could provide!