Have you experienced any of the following?

 

 

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  1. Have you had bladder pain, painful urination, urgent or frequent urination and received multiple antibiotics with little or no relief or recurrence of your symptoms?
  2. Have you had symptoms resembling those of a bladder infection then later your doctor tells you that your urine analysis is negative for an infection?
  3. Have you made multiple trips to urgent care facilities thinking that you have UTIs?
  4. Have had flares in the form of increased pain and frequent urination that made you go to the Emergency Room multiple times where you had imaging and lab studies that come back all normal?

 

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) is a medical disorder in which patients experience bladder pain with urgent and frequent urination in absence of a bladder infection. Here are some facts about IC that may be difficult to handle:

 

  1. IC patients are often misdiagnosed as having recurring UTIs.
  2. An IC patient sees an average of 6 different healthcare providers before the correct diagnosis is made.
  3. A lot of patients will choose a physician based on geographic location only (i.e. close to their residence) regardless of the doctor’s training or experience in treating IC.
  4. Most IC patients do not discuss an emergency plan with their physicians should an IC flare occurs on a weekend or while they are travelling where they do not have an immediate access to their physician.
  5. Not all specialists treat IC. Not all specialists who treat IC offer more advanced options for difficult cases including pelvic floor therapy, hydrodistension, Interstim, Botox injections, trigger point injections, etc.

 

What should you do?

 

  1. If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms seek the help of a physician who specializes in IC.
  2. Choose your physicians based on their level of experience with IC rather than their geographic location only.
  3. Discuss an emergency plan with your physician in case of an IC flare. This plan may include bladder analgesic and / or antispasmodic medications, self-bladder instillations, antibiotics if an infection is suspected and more.
  4. Make sure that your physician offers all the advanced options mentioned above especially if the more conservative approaches did not work for you.

 

Our Center treats hundreds of IC patients. We offer conservative and advanced options for IC management. Call our office to schedule your consultation at 480-889-2654, or you can schedule your appointment online by filling the encrypted appointment request form in the contact section. You can also send your questions to the doctors though our encrypted email service by clicking the tab on the right side of the screen. Also help and educate others by sharing this post through Facebook and “like” our Facebook page.

 

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