Interstitial Cystitis, otherwise known as “IC” or “Painful Bladder Syndrome,” is a condition which continues to elude and evade a large number of physicians. Unfortunately, patients too often suffer significantly before receiving the proper diagnosis and care. People who suffer from IC deserve due care from medical professionals. One way that patients can help their physician is by being aware of their own symptoms and having the ability to identify Interstitial Cystitis.
Instructions
List Your Symptoms and Details
1. Write down the specific symptoms that you are experiencing. Examples might include urinary urgency, urinary frequency, difficulty urinating, pain with urination, burning with urination, pelvic pain and gastrointestinal problems.
2. Write down (next to each symptom) the approximate date that the symptom started, how long it has lasted and whether it is constant or intermittent. For example, you may experience urinary frequency all day, every day; or, you may experience it twice a week. IC symptoms may vary from person to person, and the more you are able to describe your symptoms, the better a physician will be able to help you.
3. Place a number, using a scale of 1-10, next to the symptom, dates and duration. Let 1 signify, “This symptom only bothers me a little bit,” and 10 mean, “This symptom is virtually intolerable.” When you see a physician, he will probably ask you to fill out a questionnaire that requires you to list your symptoms and how much they bother you, using the same scale of 1-10.
See a Licensed Health Primary Care Doctor and Specialist
4. Make an appointment with your primary care physician. Bring your diary of symptoms (that you created in section one). Ask for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Test. IC symptoms often mimic UTI symptoms. The difference between a UTI and IC is that a UTI manifests when a bacterial infection is detected. UTI’s can also usually be cured. IC patients test negative for the bacteria found in UTI patients.
5. Get a recommendation for a urologist or gynourologist, if you do not have a UTI. Make sure to contact your health insurance company to see if you need a referral. You can also ask your doctor to recommend someone he knows, preferably someone with experience in identifying interstitial cystitis.
6. Make an appointment with the recommended specialist. Tell the medical staff how serious your symptoms are.
Rule out other Causes and Conditions
7. Request another UTI test from your specialist. More than likely, he will order another test anyway.
8. Consult with the specialist about what other tests should be performed to rule out other causes. Examples of potentially necessary tests are ultrasounds, pelvic exams (for women), STD tests, CT scans and cystoscopy (with or without bladder distention). An ultrasound can identify cysts or other causes. A pelvic exam can identify conditions that share some symptoms with IC, such as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. A CT scan may identify uterine fibroids in women, or kidney stones in men or women. A cystoscopy, which can rule out bladder cancer, is an invasive procedure. A cystoscopy without bladder distention can rule out bladder cancer. A cystoscopy with bladder distention can rule out cancer and also check for bladder wall inflammation or lesions.
9. Consult with your physician about your diagnosis, and whether or not the two of you have identified interstitial cystitis as the cause of your symptoms. If no other causes for your symptoms have been found, and you have had a cystoscopy without bladder distention, your physician may give you what is called a “diagnosis of exclusion.” Otherwise, a cystoscopy with bladder distention will more assuredly identify interstitial cystitis.
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