Judy
Hi, I've just experienced my 3rd bout in several years of IC, and as we all know it is not pleasant or fun to deal with. The doctors seem to have very little info on this. Here's what helped me so I've been exploring on the internet and finding some useful info. Initially I thought cranberry juice would really help so started that, later to learn it is one thing to avoid! There are other foods/drinks to avoid as well that irritate the bladder, all caffeine, citrus juice and fruits, vinegar and anything containing it, also avoid nuts, spinach,and the list goes on,so I immediately eliminated those food things from my diet that could cause bladder problems. Also, avoid any B vitamins or vit. c, or any supplement that contains acid anything in them. For the acute pain, burning, urgency and spasms I began using pyridium which can be purchased over the counter under the name "azro". The pharmacist said the nonprescription is only 5 mg less than the prescription dose so if you're in a pinch and can't get a prescript ion you could pick that up. I also found that soaking in a very warm bath helped. Apparently not supposed to use any fragrants oils or soaps. Wear only cotton underwear. Take a nonsteroidal (Advil, Aleve, etc) for the pain and discomfort. Drink LOTS of water. Most sites say that taking Elavil also helps alleviate many of the symptoms for some. The key in all of this seems to be that what works for someone may not work for someone else. So far I've avoid any invasive tests and I'm 3 weeks into this latest bout. Things are now improving _slowly, but at least the burning and pain is less. I think our bodies on their own will try to mend if we let them and we don't end up in the hands of a doctor who doesn't know what to do so runs extensive tests and further aggravates the siutuation- just my opinion. Hope this helps at least a little. Judy