For
those of you who know me, I was diagnosed with ic about a year and a
half ago. I still only know a fraction of what it is exactly, but I'm
still learning. You are in pain almost 24/7 but you have to suck it
up and deal with it. Because people get so tired of hearing about how
you're always in pain, that you don't feel good. So your basic
response when someone asks how you are becomes, "I'm fine,"
or "I'm okay."
Most people when I first got diagnosed were all like, "you're just doing this for attention," or "it's all in your head." When actually its not. Most people believe that unless you can see whats wrong, then it's all in your head. Us who have ic look fine on the outside, but on the inside, we're struggling. But we put a smile on our faces and do the best we can with what we've got.
Doctors know very little about ic but they are trying to do the best they can.
Basically I've heard ic being described as "all your nerves and insides are dipped in gas and set on fire." That pretty much describes what all us ic'ers go through 24/7. We may look fine on the outside, but inside, we're a mess. Our insides are on fire and messed up and cause us to become inflamed. Some days we may feel pretty good, so we try to do stuff around the house, but we end up pushing ourselves and we once again become inflamed. For me, inflammation means my pants no longer fit, I have trouble doing even the simplest tasks like cleaning the bathroom or washing dishes because my feet become swollen or hurting.
Ic can also cause more problems to develop alongside ic. There is no cure, its a life sentence of pain and finding new ways to deal with it. And if you don't have health insurance like many people with ic that I know, the doctor visits and the medication to try and help with the pain can become nearly unbearable, but we do what we have to to try and be as comfortable as we can.
I know many nights I lay awake and just stare at the ceiling because I can't get comfortable or I'm in so much pain that I can't sleep. It's just kind of a long never ending cycle. I feel great so I try to do something like clean the bathroom and I end up overdoing it and having a flare. Sometimes they last hours, but I've had flares that last weeks, where I am just laying on the couch and trying to make the pain go away.
I want you all to think for a second. Think of all your favorite foods. Pizza, pasta, chocolate, anything with even a hint of tomatoes. Now think how you'd feel if you could never eat that stuff again. Tragic right? That's what its like for me. All my favorite foods I can no longer eat. Pizza, frozen dinners, anything with any tomatoes at all, rarely any fast food. Basic home cooked meals cooked just the right way so that I don't become more inflamed. Occasionally I'll eat chocolate or chips and salsa and instantly regret it because I wake up the next day hurting so badly that it hurts to get out of bed.
When I first got diagnosed, I figured okay, its like having a utI 24/7 I can find a way to deal with it. Nope. Not like that at all. You have trouble sitting or standing for long periods of time, you get dizzy, your body seems malnourished from missing out on some of the foods your body needs.
I have met many amazing people through support groups who have helped me understand. But I have made two great friends who are also going through this and we support each other. We are far apart in place and age, but none of that matters. We are there for each other to help each other when we can with what we can. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been there for me through all this. And those who left, you've only made me stronger.
And if you read this and think this is all to get a pity party, you're so wrong. This is to get awareness of ic out there and help people understand. You don't have to have something on the outside to make you have pain. Most people with ic don't have any physical signs outside of their body.
We strive to do the best we can with the limited knowledge of ic that there is. Medications, treatments, they're all on a trial basis, just hoping that some day they will work and help you. I myself am still struggling to understand ic, with all the different types of medication and the amount of pain I deal with daily, but I have some amazing friends who help me understand and are there for me
lets get the message out there and make people aware!!!
Most people when I first got diagnosed were all like, "you're just doing this for attention," or "it's all in your head." When actually its not. Most people believe that unless you can see whats wrong, then it's all in your head. Us who have ic look fine on the outside, but on the inside, we're struggling. But we put a smile on our faces and do the best we can with what we've got.
Doctors know very little about ic but they are trying to do the best they can.
Basically I've heard ic being described as "all your nerves and insides are dipped in gas and set on fire." That pretty much describes what all us ic'ers go through 24/7. We may look fine on the outside, but inside, we're a mess. Our insides are on fire and messed up and cause us to become inflamed. Some days we may feel pretty good, so we try to do stuff around the house, but we end up pushing ourselves and we once again become inflamed. For me, inflammation means my pants no longer fit, I have trouble doing even the simplest tasks like cleaning the bathroom or washing dishes because my feet become swollen or hurting.
Ic can also cause more problems to develop alongside ic. There is no cure, its a life sentence of pain and finding new ways to deal with it. And if you don't have health insurance like many people with ic that I know, the doctor visits and the medication to try and help with the pain can become nearly unbearable, but we do what we have to to try and be as comfortable as we can.
I know many nights I lay awake and just stare at the ceiling because I can't get comfortable or I'm in so much pain that I can't sleep. It's just kind of a long never ending cycle. I feel great so I try to do something like clean the bathroom and I end up overdoing it and having a flare. Sometimes they last hours, but I've had flares that last weeks, where I am just laying on the couch and trying to make the pain go away.
I want you all to think for a second. Think of all your favorite foods. Pizza, pasta, chocolate, anything with even a hint of tomatoes. Now think how you'd feel if you could never eat that stuff again. Tragic right? That's what its like for me. All my favorite foods I can no longer eat. Pizza, frozen dinners, anything with any tomatoes at all, rarely any fast food. Basic home cooked meals cooked just the right way so that I don't become more inflamed. Occasionally I'll eat chocolate or chips and salsa and instantly regret it because I wake up the next day hurting so badly that it hurts to get out of bed.
When I first got diagnosed, I figured okay, its like having a utI 24/7 I can find a way to deal with it. Nope. Not like that at all. You have trouble sitting or standing for long periods of time, you get dizzy, your body seems malnourished from missing out on some of the foods your body needs.
I have met many amazing people through support groups who have helped me understand. But I have made two great friends who are also going through this and we support each other. We are far apart in place and age, but none of that matters. We are there for each other to help each other when we can with what we can. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been there for me through all this. And those who left, you've only made me stronger.
And if you read this and think this is all to get a pity party, you're so wrong. This is to get awareness of ic out there and help people understand. You don't have to have something on the outside to make you have pain. Most people with ic don't have any physical signs outside of their body.
We strive to do the best we can with the limited knowledge of ic that there is. Medications, treatments, they're all on a trial basis, just hoping that some day they will work and help you. I myself am still struggling to understand ic, with all the different types of medication and the amount of pain I deal with daily, but I have some amazing friends who help me understand and are there for me
lets get the message out there and make people aware!!!
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