About an hour later, my whole body ached and all of my symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis (IC) were in overdrive. I felt an increase in lethargy, burning,pelvic pain and I was running a low grade fever...FLARE!!! How could this be? It had only been 3 1/2 weeks since I had my last flare.
I took a pain killer and went to work and still felt terrible. I continued to work all day. I checked my temperature throughout the day and it dropped back to normal. I still felt and looked horrible. I had decided that if I felt this bad the next morning, I would go to the doctor for a bladder instillation. Instillations of DMSO are the only thing that I have found that give me relief from my flares.
That night, at home, I still felt extremely bad. My husband had cooked one of my favorite comfort foods; baked chicken and rice. It was like he knew that I was going to need it! I was too nauseated to eat much of it though and that was disappointing.
My mind began to wander and I was thinking that my flares were starting to be closer together instead of further apart. My flares had been about every 6 weeks, now they are about every 3 1/2 weeks. I started to feel sorry for myself and thinking that eventually my flares would get closer and closer together until one day I would just be in a constant flare all the time...sigh!
Lately, I have been looking at the calendar in fear. I was fearing my next flare. I knew that it was about time for another one and I was living in fear of it. That is no way to live! That's not even living, that is fearing!
I slept well the night of my flare. Good sleep is a gift from God! The next day, when I woke up, I felt fine! Alleluia! When I went to work, I told my co-worker that I felt good. I said "yesterday I felt awful and today I am, how can I describe this?" "I am walking on sunshine!!!" I felt a great sense of not only relief, but control! My flare only lasted one day and I didn't have to go to the doctor to treat it. This has never happened to me, what did I do differently? Now that was the burning question in my mind. What new treatment am I trying or how did I manage it better??
I am on a new medication. I started taking Elmiron again. Elmiron is the only oral medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of Interstitial Cystitis (IC). It is believed to replenish damaged areas of the bladder lining. When someone has IC, it is believed that the moucus layer of the bladder is damaged. When this lining is damaged, it causes pain. So if Elmiron rebuilds the lining, there should be less pain.
Elmiron does not come without side effects of course. The most feared symptom for IC patients is hair loss. Some people say it it worth it, but I am a huge fan of my hair. So yet another fear is constantly in the back of my mind.
The main side effect that I have experienced is nausea. I have been dealing with nausea for over 15 years now, because of my IBS. However, the Elmiron has brought the nausea to a new dreaded level. For over 5 weeks now I have been very nauseated every day. I felt like I had a lump in my throat and lead in my stomach. My appetite has been very low. I was even considering not taking the Elmiron any more because of it. Instead, I decided to take one of my dosages right before I go to bed. So if it made me nauseated, hopefully I would sleep through it. Since I have made that change, the nausea has not been as bad.
I also rested a lot the day I had the flare. I went into work late and I layed down in the bed after work for over an hour. I also had some good sleep the night of my flare. Ah good sleep, I love me some!
Maybe it was the combination of lots of rest and the Elmiron. Who knows? Who can figure out IC, not me! Although I am convinced that I will continue to try, maybe for the rest of my life.
All that worry and fear. Why do we do that?!?...we are human that is why. But the Bible teaches us not to worry or be anxious, but to be thankful for what we have and pray.
Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6We can let worry and fear control our lives, but it will rob us of our peace and our happiness. What good comes from worry and fear? None! The only winner is Satan! Let's use all that energy on trying to make ourselves or others feel better.
I can hardly express how thankful I am that my flare only lasted one day. It made me think about the negative way I was looking at things. I don't need to worry, I need to pray and give thanksgiving instead because I am Walking On Sunshine and don't it feel good!!!
This song made me happy. I hope you give it a try, go ahead it just might cheer you up!
Anyone can leave their comments below so that they can be shared with everyone who reads my blog. Thank you for all the wonderful comments you have already made about my blog on Facebook!To learn more about Interstitial Cystitis:
http://www.ichelp.org/http://www.ichelp.org/
or
http://www.ic-network.com/
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