[livingwith]

My IC pain is so severe today i had to leave my job. i had to sacrifice the money not yet made. the money much needed for food, shelter, essentials because i was too painful to think. i felt i wasn’t fully conscious at my low paying job. my pain made me hate everything. My job, ,my body, my house, everything. i called my urologist he’s too busy to see me. i called an alternative health consultant, a health integrationist) she’s busy and can’t see me until 2 weeks fr...Read the full article

[Nashay]

Dear Gina,

I do know how you feel. I know it may seem odd coming from a High School Senior, but I have gone through the same things. I have missed so much school due to Interstitial Cystitis. I have been in and out of the ER with re-occuring bladder spasms. They always just dope me up and send me home, which donest really solve anything. Everytime I consult a doctor, they tell me I have a UTI. It has taken them over a year to figure out my condition. And all of the antibiotics that I have been on only makes the IC worse. Not to mention what the pain meds do to my brain.
But I'm not here to just talk about my problems. I was wondering if you would be alright with me giving you a few tips. I have been researching this disease very heavily, and I have found out some very surprise facts. For one, there are A LOT of things I cant eat. The main thing that can irritate the bladder wall are tomatoes (surprising, I know), along with Potatoes and onions. Lactose, sugar, yogurt, anything that has citrus in it or citric acid, cranberries and cranberry juice (often given as a "help" juice for UTIs). There are many great websites out there, and I encourage you to educate yourself. Not only for your bladder and body, but for your mind as well. IC has been linked with depression very heavily. Also, your holistic doctor should have given you some type of bladder-soothing medication. I recommend Pyridium, although it will turn your unrine bright orange (and I mean bright!). Also, ask him/her about a Manose Bladder Powder that you mix with water. I am also on a bladder suppliment that cotes my bladder so that bacteria can not stick to it. These are very great products, and I highly recomend them. And as far as riding a back, perhaps try a different seat. I love to ride mine, but due to my condition I havnt been able to. If that doesnt work, I actually just taped a sponge or two to my seat, haha. It may look odd, but it does help. Plus it's a cheap fix.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and I wish you the best of luck. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Again, I hope everything starts getting better for you.
-Nashay Levi

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