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September is Interstitial Cystitis Awareness Month

9/23/2019

20 Comments

 
September being IC Awareness Month, and given I currently suffer from it, I decided to write a post about it to help spread awareness of this invisible illness.

Interstitial Cystitis is a chronic illness that affects the bladder. IC may also be referred to as painful bladder syndrome (PBS), bladder pain syndrome (BPS), and chronic pelvic pain. I refer to it as one thing mostly:

Annoying.
Image of a cat on blue background. Text that says, grocery shopping for food you can eat like nope, nope, nope, nope.This would be funny if it wasn't 100% accurate.
I was diagnosed with it in May of 2016. Overnight, the way I ate changed. I tossed the majority of the food in my cupboards because they were damaging my bladder and if I wanted to have a chance of healing, I couldn't be tempted. I went cold turkey with caffeine. At the time, I worked the 6AM shift at a local deli. Boy, did that suck.

Interstitial Cystitis, along with being a mouthful to say, is incurable. I take a daily medication that may or may not partially heal my bladder. The hope is that, one day, I'll be able to reintroduce foods back into my diet. Probably not Mountain Dew, but given they've started adding fake sugar to pop, I can't really complain. But I would like to eat chocolate again.

Have you ever heard of IC before? Can I get some good vibes sent to the people researching this disease so they can find a cure?

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20 Comments
Kate link
9/23/2019 11:19:34 am

I have heard of IC before. It sounds painful and annoying, as you say. Fingers crossed they come up with a cure one day soon!

Reply
Patricia Josephine
9/27/2019 09:31:31 am

It is pretty annoying, but not too painful for me. Others aren't as lucky, though.

Reply
Liz A. link
9/23/2019 06:56:59 pm

There's always that one food that you miss. Maybe one day they'll make a chocolate you can eat.

Reply
Patricia Josephine
9/27/2019 09:31:53 am

For me, it's lots of foods I miss because so many are triggers for IC.

Reply
Lee Lowery link
9/24/2019 10:03:43 am

Wow. Yet another intestinal disease linked to the "modern" diet. :-( Mealtime should be enjoyable, not a quest to find the one or two foods that won't make us sick. Wishing you health and sending you good vibes!

Reply
Patricia Josephine
9/27/2019 09:32:33 am

Yup. Getting this illness really made me wonder about what we do to our food and how it affects us.

Reply
Heather R. Holden link
9/25/2019 01:43:12 pm

So sorry you have to live through this. Can only imagine how much of a struggle IC is, day-after-day. :(

As someone living with my own chronic illnesses, will definitely send some good vibes out there for a cure for you! Hope you one day find yourself able to eat some chocolate again, and any other favorites you're missing... <3

Reply
Patricia Josephine
9/27/2019 09:33:34 am

I often tell hubby it wouldn't be so bad if it was a few foods I had to avoid, but when I go grocery shopping, I'm avoiding about 90% of the store.

Reply
Christine Rains
9/25/2019 06:13:06 pm

It would be wonderful if they came up with a cure. And life without chocolate? Yikes!

Reply
Patricia Josephine
9/27/2019 09:34:24 am

I won't lie, every Easter, I indulge in a Cadbury Egg no matter what I have to deal with later. But I have to be strong and limit it to one.

Reply
Elizabeth Seckman link
9/27/2019 10:50:29 am

I've had bladder infections, so I can only imagine what a problem constant bladder pain could be. I hope they find a treatment, at least enough that you can have chocolate again.

Reply
Patricia Josephine
10/4/2019 09:01:02 am

I'm lucky in the fact I don't have constant bladder pain, but when I do get it, it sucks.

Reply
Yvonne V link
9/28/2019 07:07:03 am

Sorry you are dealing with this. Sending you good vibes, and it is good that you are educating people!

Reply
Patricia Josephin
10/4/2019 09:01:17 am

Thanks for the vibes.

Reply
Samantha Bryant link
9/28/2019 06:23:52 pm

I'm glad you're able to manage . . .and sorry you have to.

Reply
Patricia Josephine
10/4/2019 09:01:47 am

Well, I don't really have a choice. The other option is a lot of pain and suffering that ends in a removed bladder.

Reply
stephen Tremp
9/28/2019 07:44:07 pm

Patricia, I have not heard of IC. Thanks for sharing your story with us. It's great to have a online support group.

Reply
Patricia Josephine
10/4/2019 09:02:27 am

Glad to have made you aware of it. The more people that know, the better.

Reply
J.H. Moncrieff link
10/2/2019 07:25:10 pm

I was once pseudo diagnosed with IC as a "we can't figure out what else this could be" measure, but it turns out it was just chronic bladder infections.

I can sympathize, though. Bladder pain is torture.

Reply
Patricia Josephine
10/4/2019 09:02:58 am

I can see how that would have been diagnosed given bladder infections and IC share a lot of the same symptoms.

Reply



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