Silver Nitrate

[peppersalt]

Donna,
Thanks so much for your reassurance!
I will sleep better tonight.

[ICNDonna]

Try not to let this worry you. When I was first diagnosed back in 1975, silver nitrate irrigations were commonly used for IC and I was treated with it for several years. It's rarely used any more and I remember it being pretty irritating at the time. It's not unusual to have microscopic red cells in the urine of an IC patient --- I know I have it. I don't think much about it unless I'm feeling some irritation and have a urine check, but I'm sure it's there most, if not all of the time.

You are so lucky to be able to go as long as you have without treatment. We've come a long way in twenty five years.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[peppersalt]

I don't believe that silver nitrate solutions are used any longer.
However, I used to have my bladder distended with silver nitrate
instillations--the last one done 25 years ago. Along with urethra
dilations.

Since then, I decided to stop going to the doctor for those and just
lived with the frequency. I never had much pain, just frequency
and urgency.

Recently, blood was detected in my urine during a urinalysis, while
I was being diagnosed for something else (spotting after menopause).
Now I am wondering if those silver nitrate treatments are coming back to
haunt me, maybe they caused damage to my bladder lining
that I never knew about.
Or maybe there are scars from the urethral dilations and they
get irritated or inflamed by concentrated urine.

I am even wondering if there is any evidence of those treatments with
silver nitrate having caused serious illness years later, such as cancer.
Yes, my imagination is running wild.
I will go to a urologist next month, but until then all I can do is
wonder and worry...