Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Rant, in the key of P major

Why is it that the one thing you want is always the one thing you cannot have....

My husband and I cannot have children. Aside from some rather serious medical issues, and a couple serious fertility issues (All my fault, of course)... there is also the "if you get pregnant while on this drug your baby will have three legs" issue... and the "I'm literally allergic to my husband's sperm" issue. Sometimes it feels like God is screaming "Don't you even dare try!" at us.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Awareness starts with "U"




Ok, so I can spell (I did watch my share of Sesame Street) and I do know that technically "Awareness" starts with the letter "A"... But, the kind of awareness I'm talking about does start with you.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Let's talk about S-E-X!

Ok, so right now, I'm going to give you fair WARNING. If you have no desire to hear about my sex life (and who could blame you) walk away NOW. If you're my brother or my mother in law, and you really don't want to know this... if you are one of those people who doesn't believe in TMI... just stop reading, hit the back button, and get on with your life!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Weeding your friend garden!

There comes a time, as an IC patient, where you will face the obstacle of unsupportive friends. If you haven't yet, good for you! Unfortunately for me, this accompanied my diagnosis, and only about a year later have I been able to overcome the feelings that I was left with.

My husband has been amazing through this all. Not only does he love me at my worst, but he has shown me what a good friend should be like- kind, caring, supportive, and unselfish.

I was talking with a good friend I've made through our local IC support group, and I told her that going through my friends was a bit like weeding my garden. She laughingly replied with "Except some are exactly like weeds & just keep coming back!" How true!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

FLARE.

I'm in a horrible flare today, and I thought it might be useful to use this time in which I can't do more than just sit, to tell outsiders more about what living with IC feels like.

For me, living day to day with IC equals quite a bit of pain, but as I have a high pain tolerance, it isn't such a daily struggle. Most of the time my conditions are at the back of my mind, and as long as I can keep hydrated I can function fairly well, although take more frequent trips to the restroom than normal people. When I get a flare, however, things change... my entire life is turned upside-down. It all revolves around my bladder, and the horrid spasms that are causing it to malfunction.

A flare starts out like this... I feel like I have to pee. And not just pee, but pee like an elephant would! So I race to the bathroom, go a teeny-tiny amount, and suddenly the pain gets WORSE. Now it feels like I have to pee even more than I previously did, plus I can now feel spasms in my bladder and also in my urethra. Joy be mine. These spasms are much worse than anything you would feel during your period cramps, for example. They feel like someone has taken glass & mixed it into your water & you are now attempting to pass shards of it through your body. It burns & it aches & sometimes it just feels like it will never stop.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Diagnosis Aftermath!

So, you've just been diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis...

What do you do now?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

"Tell me where it hurts..."

"Everywhere!"

Being diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis is difficult. Basically it is first & foremost not even recognized by some doctors as an actual disease. In fact, 20 years ago it was called the "hysterical woman" disease!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Let's start at the very beginning...

A very good place to start.

I lived for almost 28 years without Interstitial Cystitis. In fact, up until June '08, I had no idea IC was even a real disease.