IC Disease: Bladder Instillation and Distention

Treatments for Interstitial Cystitis

Interstitial Cystitis is a chronic bladder disorder that can be disabling for some of its patients. Interstitial Cystitis occurs when the lining of the bladder, or bladder wall, becomes irritated and inflamed. Causes of Interstitial Cystitis are still unknown but the illness is linked to other chronic immune dysfunction related illnesses. Some of these include Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Endometriosis and Lupus. Along with Interstitial Cystitis I also have Fibromyalgia and CFS. My urologist told me that approximately 25 percent of his Interstitial Cystitis patients have Fibromyalgia.

There are different ways to treat Interstitial Cystitis. Depending on how severe the patient's symptoms are will determine what treatment methods and if a combination of treatment methods is necessary.

Along with prescription medications, bladder instillation and distention are common forms of treatment for Interstitial Cystitis. A bladder instillation is a procedure where the bladder is filled with a therapeutic solution for a period of time (a few seconds to 15 seconds) before being drained through a catheter. A bladder instillation is also referred to as a "bladder wash" or "bladder bath". Different types of bladder instillations will treat different symptoms: some medications injected will treat inflammation while others will coat the bladder lining.

Heparin

Heparin is a blood thinner that is used through bladder instillation to fight inflammation. It works similar to the FDA approved IC medication, Elmiron. It builds a protective coating over the bladder wall.