Living with Interstitial Cystitis

I an 53 and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis before 20. For years I did not feel I could live with this. I learned some helpful things. Obviously only drink water, stay away from alcohol, do not use any product with aspertame. In the past several years I seem to gone into a remission and life is much better if I follow the rules. But low and behold a big surprise came.

4 weeks ago I felt a flare up which as you know feels like a bladder infection, as usual I tried treating it by flushing with enormous amounts of water and attributed some of this to stress from a new job (7 days a week, 15 hour days). It did not go away. My boss doesn’t believe in “illness” so I didn’t dare have this checked. When he went out of town for a day I had my urine checked and told I had a REAL bladder infection (never had one before, it was always IC). Nurse said it was the worse she’d seen. I asked how this was possible. Her answer: you let it go too long thinking you knew what it was. Now there is infection in the kidneys and some in the liver and pancreas. I’m on the strongest antibiotics made.

My message: please even if you never had a “real infection (bacteria)” don’t assume you can’t get one. I don’t know how to deal with this new boss, but I’ve learned not to ignore my body.

god bless all of you who have had to live abnormal lives many don’t understand, or who have seen Dr. and Dr. who just tells you you have a bladder infection and gives you antibiotics. But here is my caveat: maybe THIS time it is bacteria and you need to care for it.
xo