Case Study: Interstitial Cystitis

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In 2005, I was diagnosed with an inflammatory bladder condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC). My IC symptoms included intense bladder pain, pelvic pain, urinary frequency, a constant, strong urge to urinate, and more. Certain foods and drinks also irritated my bladder, forcing me to make drastic dietary changes. While women are the more likely to be diagnosed with IC, it also impacts men and children. Like Lyme disease, there is no foolproof test to diagnosis IC, and many patients take an average of five to seven years to be correctly diagnosed. Initially, my symptoms were severe–often urinating 40 times or more in a 24-hour period. In fact, there were nights I slept on the cold, bathroom floor because it was easier than crawling in and out of bed several times. In addition, the pain was brutal, and I became frustrated because the traditional, somewhat invasive treatments for IC provided no relief for my condition. Since I needed to remain close to a restroom at all times, it became difficult for me to perform my job as a home health occupational therapist, and my quality of life was quickly slipping away. I spent every free moment I had seeking alternative options to reduce my persistent discomfort. …show more content…

However, I never suspected I had contracted Lyme disease at some point in my life. I was unaware of the illness that wove together my seemingly random set of symptoms. I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2012, and I later learned many Lyme patients also struggle with IC; tickborne infections can hide in tissues throughout the body (including the bladder) and remain undetected for years by a standard

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