How Interstitial Cystitis Changed My Life

The Silent Syndrome

Interstitial what you may ask? Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammatory condition with a painful syndrome of symptoms surrounding the pelvic area. IC mimics a bacterial infection. Symptoms of IC include: tenderness, pressure, or intense pain in the lower pelvic area, urinary urgency, frequent urination, and mild to severe pain during or after vaginal intercourse. These symptoms may include intense pain and a severe burning sensation in the urethral and vulvar area which over time may become chronic. Ninety percent of patients diagnosed with IC are women. The syndrome of IC symptoms is not only physically, but mentally distressing; affecting personal self worth and relationships.

Risk factors for IC include: gynecological surgery, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Allergies, Asthma, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is also believed the women of Jewish decent may be predisposed to IC, and that there may likewise be a hereditary risk associated with IC. It has also been recently discovered that a substance called anti-proliferative factor, or APF is found exclusively in the urine of people with IC. It is not fully understood what the cause of the inflammatory response is and IC is often difficult to diagnose. This leads many women to start doctor shopping, as they move from physician to physician without finding any diagnosis, or relief.

IC does not stop there. I call it the invisible illness, as people tend to perceive that because you look okay, that you are okay. When in reality you are suffering from a degree of pain that would bring many people to their knees and their mental state to the brink of sanity. The complications that result from this illness are Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, and the inability to take part in your normal activities. IC can devastate your sex life, how you dress, sit, and move. It can tear down your self image, and touch every facet of your life. Put simply, IC hurts!