Interstitial Cystitis???

Cranberry juice

alkaline

Sorry, just googled it - you're right.

Seems to work though.

I was diagnosed with IC in August 2012. I cut out all acidic foods - most fruits, all carbonated beverages, many types of candy, juices, coffee, etc. After a few months of no symptoms, I gradually added things back in. You will never catch me drinking a glass of lemonade, but I'm able to eat salsa, or one clementine on occasion with no symptoms so long as I eat something else non-acidic with it. I can drink a cup of coffee each morning now. Since I changed my eating habits, I haven't had a single episode, and mine were cripping previously. I thought I had UTIs for years, but they were really IC episodes.

There is medication you can go on, but I chose to make diet changes first and never needed the medication, but mine isn't a serious case. Feel free to send me a FR if you want to talk more about it!

ya no what I think I might have this!!!

My cat has it (same as in people) and what was suggested for her was to manage stress. Stress is a huge trigger for symptoms, and the holiday season is very very stressful so you may want to ask about what you can do to manage it.

Awww poor kitty And yes they mentioned stress can be a huge trigger. Sadly it sounds like every patient responds to different treatment, so its just a matter of finding what works... which is kind of adding to my stress!!!

You'll figure it out :flowerforyou:


And at least you're able to get to a bathroom with it.. she pees on the couch instead of the litter box when her symptoms are acting up >.<

DO NOT DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE!!! Years ago I kept having what I thought were UTIs, and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. I had horrible pelvic pain, blood in my urine, and sometimes what looked like pieces of flesh in my urine. I was in college and the stupid people at the clinic just kept giving me antibiotics, but finally when I was home on break a doctor told me there was no bacteria in my urine so it couldn't be a UTI. I was tested for a bajillion things - Celiac's, food allergies, endometriosis, etc.

Finally my gynecologist said it could be IC, so I saw a urogynecologist who performed a laparoscopy and cystoscopy and confirmed severe IC. The inside of my bladder was so damaged that he could see bleeding and breaking down of the walls. I was literally peeing out blood and lining from my bladder! It was so bad that I had developed Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and was having spasms and so much pain all the time. I couldn't be "intimate" with my boyfriend because it hurt too much, and even using a tampon was impossible. It really affects everything in the area!

They put me on Elmiron, which supposedly can help with rebuilding the bladder lining, and Prosed, which is for the pain (it turns your urine blue, haha). I also had weekly instillations of medication put into my bladder through a catheter. It was really hard at first, but finally I was able to figure out which foods trigger me. After a year I went off all medications and can control it completely through diet.

Here are foods that I CANNOT eat (but it's different for everyone)
- Coffee
- Red wine
- Tomatoes (this is a major trigger for me)
- Cherries
- Strawberries
- Anything cranberry
- Sodas
- Artificial sweeteners (try Stevia or Truvia or Agave nectar)

Doctors believe it's the acidity in foods like these that cause the breakdown of the bladder and the resulting pain. Interestingly, I can eat a grapefruit or a lemon with no problem, though. You really have to eliminate any food that you think could irritate you, then introduce them one at a time to see how you react. It seems like a lot of fruits are off limits due to their acidity, but blueberries are known to be great options for people with IC, and I'm fine with apples and bananas and avocados. (Seems like mostly the red fruits are no-nos for me, haha)

If you're having a bad flare, you need to find a way to balance your pH. Baking soda is perfect for this. My doctor recommended putting a teaspoon into a large glass of water and drinking that, but it's totally gross. I found this set where you can make your own pills (I guess people put herbs/etc in them), so I literally made baking soda pills and take one with a huge glass of water if I'm having pain. It is seriously a miracle worker.

Here are other things that can help with IC:
- Aloe pills (sounds odd, but look it up - there are even specific IC aloe pills)
- Corn silk tea - soothes the bladder, tastes pretty good!
- Eating any sort of alkaline food

Feel free to friend me if you have any questions or need someone to talk to. I know this can be so difficult and frustrating, especially because there is still so much that is unknown about IC and how to treat it (and there's no cure). Hang in there - once you get the hang of it, you'll feel much better!!

I do not have IC but I have yeast always in my bladder same symptoms as yours. I find I can not eat spinach or almonds at all due to the oxalates. Look up a low oxalate diet there is a handy chart I googled at one point. I also found coconut oil helps me a lot not sure if it will do the same for you. But yes bladder issues can be control through diet I did not eat sugar for the longest time now that I am eating it again I can feel the effects. Oh also not sure with IC if you can do this but I start my mornings off with a shot of watered down lemon juice.

3laine75 wrote: »

Cranberry juice

NOOOO CRANBERRY JUICE, big IC no no.