Struggling with Interstitial Cystitis as a College Student

hi! i’m feeb, i struggle with interstitial cystitis. i’m a college student and initially thought it was just recurring UTIs (still not positive it’s not just that but i don’t know), and i went to see a urologist and she suggested IC. i’m struggling with symptoms a lot, i seem to have frequent flare ups and while i use AZO to manage them, i can’t seem to pin down triggers to avoid or anything else that’ll make it better. sex is especially a problem, and i’ve had a LOT of issues around that, which is really upsetting as someone who has dealt with a lot of weird feelings and trauma around sex and recently started to get over it, only to start experiencing this problem.

Your answer

Grasshopper73

2y ago

Diet has also been a huge way to manage my symptoms, acidic foods, carbonated beverages, caffeine and alcohol are my tiggers. For me when I completely avoided these things for a while it seemed as though my bladder "healed" and I can now enjoy some of them in moderation. Sex unfortunately still triggers bladder pain for me. But I also have endometriosis. I'm not sure IC is the cause of my sex related bladder pain. I also have chronic vaginal infections. It's really frustrating and makes relationships difficult. I am sorry you dealing with this so young. I am 40, started having problems in my late twenties.

Katnipp

2y ago

Coffee and things with soy are big things to avoid, also anything acidic. And chocolate is a big one too :((

wishywashy

2y ago

Hi! A good thing that worked for me was a food diary! My trigger is acidity, and mainly sour candy and fruit. I would try not to eat super acidic things and see if thats the issue? but i know some people have sugar as a trigger as well so you could cut the sugar back too and see if anything improves!

100Percent_K

2y ago

Have you read up on the IC network page? It has some very helpful information 🙂

100Percent_K

2y ago

Also if you’re struggling with it interfering with school, you can contact your accessibility services on campus and set up accommodations!

feeb

2y ago

no but i will now!

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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