Pain in the bladder can hint at a condition called Interstitial Cystitis. More than 1. 3 billion people in the US suffer from this urinary condition on a long-term basis. 80 percent of the people suffering from pain in the bladder are women. Interstitial Cystitis is diagnosed on the basis of the following conditions
1. Strong and sudden urge to pass urine.
2. Pain in and around the bladder
3. Absence of any other disorder or illness that could have hinted otherwise.
Symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis are as follows
1. Bladder pain: This can be anywhere between mild and sever, but it is worse than how a person would feel when he or she is having a full bladder. The pain eases after urination and comes back when the bladder is filled again. The pressure or pain is felt in the pelvic or genitalia. For women, bladder pain is evident during sexual intercourse; whereas for men, it can surface during ejaculation.
2. Urgency to pass urine: This refers to a sudden urgency to urinate. This is normal if you have not been to the toilet for quite sometime and you have been drinking lots of fluids. But in case of IC or Interstitial Cystitis, you get the feeling of going to the loo, even if there is not much urine in your system.
3. Frequency of urine: It is normal to urinate about 10 times a day or more. But people with Interstitial Cystitis go for urinating, more than 60 times a day, possibly to relieve the bladder pain that goes along with it. It is also embarrassing on one’s social image, making it difficult to interact with people. There is also another condition called Nocturia, that make a person go for nighttime urination, that can wreak havoc with the sleep.
Triggers for Interstitial Cystitis: The common triggers for urinary infection, pain in bladder that point to Interstitial Cystitis are certain types of foods, sexual activity, allergy and stress. Women have particularly seen that the symptoms tend to increase a week before menstruation. IC symptoms are usually mild in the beginning and not so problematice but later they become difficult to manage In some cases, people who suffer from IC are even struck with emotional disorders
Diagonsis of bladder pain or Interstitial Cystitis
First the doctor will look for symptoms that are similar to those of IC. Some of the conditions that have to be ruled out include endometriosis (in case of women), sexual transmitted infections, overactive bladder, urinary tract infection, bladder cancer etc. The doctor will first ask you about the symptoms and then perform medical tests to find out if the cause of bladder pain is Interstitial Cystitis.
Some of the sure-shot hints that can make the doctor decide that you have Interstitial Cystitis includes:
• Bladder pain that is worsened as your bladder fills up and is eased when you relieve yourself.
• Bladder pain that gets worse after you intake certain foods, like tomatoes, spices, chocolate, orange juice, caffeinated drinks, or alcoholic beverages
• No bacteria in urine and no response to antibiotics.
Call your doctor if you suspect that you might have IC. Once you know what you’re up against, you can start focusing on feeling better again.
