INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS (IC) - also known as the painful bladder syndrome. It affects women of all ages. In general it feels like a bladder infection (UTI) that never seems to go away. It is often misdiagnosed as a recurrent UTI. Patients often experience pain in the mid lower pelvis and or in the vaginal area. IN GENERAL the pain is worse as the bladder becomes full. For some people it may be triggered by stress, certain foods (tomato based foods, spicy foods, acidic foods- certain juices) and by sexual intercourse. Patients typically must frequently urinate to help reduce the pain. The symptoms often increase and decrease over time for no apparent reason. The only way to help differentiate IC symptoms from those of a UTI is to have your urine sent to a laboratory for a culture (NOT an in office urine analysis). There are many effective treatments for IC- unfortunately there is no standard treatment for everyone. Treatment becomes a process of trial and error to establish what treatment works specifically for you.
Our doctors at Florida Urogynecology have had tremendous success treating IC symptoms with various medications, bladder instillations, pelvic floor rehab and nerve blocks. Here are some links you may find helpful for more information on IC or chronic pelvic pain:
The IC Network: http://www.ic-network.com/
Interstitial Cystitis Association: http://www.ichelp.org/