What is Interstitial Cystitis?
Updated: Nov 26, 2019
Interstitial cystitis (IC), also called painful bladder syndrome — is a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain. The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe.
Your bladder, which stores urine expands until it's full and then signals your brain that it's time to urinate, communicating through the pelvic nerves. This creates the urge to urinate for most people.
With interstitial cystitis, these signals get mixed up — you feel the need to urinate more often and with smaller volumes of urine than most people.
Interstitial cystitis most often affects women, but can affect men impacting the quality of life.
Conventional doctors say there is no cure. I confidently say with proper nutrition and lifestyle changes most can completely eliminate bladder pain and symptoms and enjoy life again. It is possible and believing you can heal is an important step on your healing journey.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
Bladder Pressure and pain that worsens after the bladder gets filled with urine.
Pain in your urethra, pelvis, lower back and lower tummy
Women experience pain in vagina, vulva, or perineal - can be described as burning, aching, spasms
Men, a sensation of pain in penis, testicles, scrotum (or behind)
The urge to urinate, even if you had urinated a few moments ago.
Pain during or after sex