Interstitial cystitis, also called painful bladder syndrome, is a painful condition that affects more women than men. (Company’s calling – living with the pain of interstitial cystitis). Some people with IC have only mild symptoms (pressure or tenderness) but others have severe or intense pain in the bladder and pelvic area. It can be particularly painful when the bladder is full and during sexual activity.

October 31 has been designated as an awareness day for IC because so much isn’t known about it. The hope is that this will help women (and men) who may have this problem may recognize themselves …read more

Interstitial cystitis is a miserable, uncomfortable, and painful disorder that affects more women then men. It’s also rarely talked about because of its very nature (Company’s calling – living with the pain of interstitial cystitis).
Researchers have found that between 18% to 33% of people who have interstitial cystitis (IC), also caused painful bladder syndrome, have been sexually abused. According to a study published in the Journal of Urology, women with IC who have been sexually abused feel the pain differently and have other symptoms compared with women who don’t have a history of sexual abuse.
Researchers studied 121 women who had …read more

Company’s Calling, a popular Monday feature, hasn’t appeared for a while because I ran out of volunteers who wished to be interviewed. I would love to get the feature going again because I get emails (and comments) from people who appreciate learning how others have dealt with and who are dealing with their issues of chronic pain.
When people are living with chronic pain, they often feel alone – and we definitely know that they aren’t. Would you or someone you know be interested in sharing your story? You can remain anonymous if you would like and you can answer the …read more

Yesterday, a reader posted this question for us in one of the comment sections:
Is anyone experiencing I.C. (interstitial cystitis), IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) & vaginal bleeding? You are not alone. I’m on Elmiron, have been suffering for many years. I’m already past menopause. As if these are not enough, also I’m on medication for high BP, high cholesterol, diabetes & thyroid cancer, thyroid gland taken out, followed by radiation treatment twice.
Marijke here: Do any of you have any of these issues and if so, what are your experiences? Has anyone else tried Elmiron?
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My lady isn’t home. There was no-one to visit with.
Please keep her company next week – if you have a story to share, email me and we’ll get going on it.
For those of you who are new to the Company’s calling feature, here are some previous Company’s calling interviews:

Company’s calling – living with the pain of interstitial cystitis

Company’s calling – living with migraine pain

Company’s calling – the road to a diagnosis for endometriosis

Company’s calling – a journey with fibromyalgia

Company’s calling – another migraineur speaks out

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Image: iStock.com
 
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Describing pain can be difficult – areas of pain can be vague, as can descriptions of the pain itself.
The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has published this drawing for physicians to use to help them to better understand their patients’ pain. Click on the drawing to go directly to their site’s image to get their PDF image.

 
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This week, we welcome Sandy Robinson, a wife and mother, from Pennsylvania. She talks to us about her life with interstitial cystitis, which is her third chronic illness; she also has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. She has her own website at http://www.fightingfatigue.org, and forum, http://www.fightingfatigue.org, for people with CFS, fibromyalgia and interstitial cystitis.
Can you tell me about when you first started experiencing the pain and what kind of pain it was?
I first started experiencing severe symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis four years ago. I also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia and at the time I was having …read more

Uncontrolled pain makes life very difficult sometimes. Feeling that your doctor isn’t helping manage it properly is frustrating. Besides changing doctors or trying to educate your doctor about what you need, there isn’t much you can do.
One of the problems with doctors and adequate pain control is the fear of using opioids or narcotics. The fear stems from concern that patients may become addicted but it also stems from doctors not really understanding what opioids to prescribe, at what doses to prescribe them, and how often they can be given.
To address this, The Federation of State Medical Boards Research and …read more

 
Interstitial cystitis (IC), often called painful bladder syndrome, is a bladder condition that affects around 1 million people in the United States; 90% are women. A study done in 2005 estimated that up to 12% of women in the US have symptoms of IC.
According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, “Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a condition that results in recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region. The symptoms vary from case to case and even in the same individual. People may experience mild discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and …read more