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Thu 18 Oct, 2007 07:14 pm
I was just diagnosed with this last week. Does anyone have experience with this?
It feels like you have a bladder infection but there is no infection. There is constant pain and pressure on the urethra. Doctors don't know too much about it. I guess in the past women were told it was in their head. The bladder is in distress and there is no cure. The symptoms can be minimalized and controlled by diet.
I have had to give up the ingredients I love-all acidic laced foods-pickles, olives etc, lemon, vinegar, onions, chocolate, most nuts, all soy products, tomatoes, all fruit, salad dressing, because they irritate the bladder.
I feel better after a few days of this bland diet. At least I am allowed garlic.
This diet is very boring but I am stuck with it.
We like to help here, but really, this is not a primo med site. Check sites like medpage or mayoclinic to start, on google.
osso is quite right of course, but i would mention omega-3 fatty acids. the more you can get of those (within reason of course) the more you may possibly find that you're able to enjoy the foods you like.
i wouldn't recommend ignoring the advice to cut back on them entirely, of course. cut back, but get the omega-3's. i think your grocer will have them in gel-caps. they're one of the healthier things you can have, anyway.
Or, hey, eat them in foods.
ossobuco wrote:Or, hey, eat them in foods.
a novel approach, but most people that want to change their diet for the better already have, or it would already include omega-3's. i was trying to be practical, even though your suggestion is far more ideal. that, and what with all the processed food around, and poor and abusive agriculture, good luck finding food with enough of it.
How can I argue with that.. I won't.
I was diagnosed with that too, but I don't know how accurate the diagnosis is, really. My understanding is that it's just a catch-all for any recurrent bladder pain that they can't really explain-- my doc basically admitted that it's just a name, without any particular knowledge behind it....no tests for it, no treatments, no agreement on the cause...
Well, anyhow, all I've found to do for it is:
a. no more hormonal birth control. Being on the pill made it a lot, lot worse for me. More pain all the time, plus real UTIs every three or four months. Now I'm down to one UTI every one or two years, so that's improved.
b. watching water intake and never letting it drop below about 72 oz. per day because dehydration is definitely linked to the bladder pain for me
As for dietary changes-- none other than the water thing. Do you notice a link between dehydration and flare-ups of the pain? I always thought that I drank a lot, but I realized when I really kept track that I didn't actually drink much at all; when I make sure to drink enough I don't have any bladder pain. And I could never find any link between acidity in foods and flare-ups; I actually had a lot of luck with drinking a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, which was recommended by a nutritionist friend.
Interstitial cystitis
Yes, that is what my doctor said, too, that there is not as much known about it as other syndromes, that it is a very general diagnosis. but at leat it explains some things. This week I did cut out all the so called bad foods and I must say that it has made a difference. Many people have it. Some say it is an auto immune deficiency, others theorize that it is caused by a bladder that has a weak lining that becomes irritated by acidic urine. I was in agony for 2 years until I did some research on it, and spoke to my doctor who is a specialist on it at a local and well known hospital. Since the diet change, hopefully I will recover at some point. It is hard being on a bland diet since I love extra hot and extra spicy foods, and sure love those chocolates and pungent flavorings. And yes-having enough water and keeping chemicals out. I'm glad yours is under control. From what I understand the symptoms vary widely.
cyphercat wrote:I was diagnosed with that too, but I don't know how accurate the diagnosis is, really. My understanding is that it's just a catch-all for any recurrent bladder pain that they can't really explain-- my doc basically admitted that it's just a name, without any particular knowledge behind it....no tests for it, no treatments, no agreement on the cause...
Well, anyhow, all I've found to do for it is:
a. no more hormonal birth control. Being on the pill made it a lot, lot worse for me. More pain all the time, plus real UTIs every three or four months. Now I'm down to one UTI every one or two years, so that's improved.
b. watching water intake and never letting it drop below about 72 oz. per day because dehydration is definitely linked to the bladder pain for me
As for dietary changes-- none other than the water thing. Do you notice a link between dehydration and flare-ups of the pain? I always thought that I drank a lot, but I realized when I really kept track that I didn't actually drink much at all; when I make sure to drink enough I don't have any bladder pain. And I could never find any link between acidity in foods and flare-ups; I actually had a lot of luck with drinking a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, which was recommended by a nutritionist friend.
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