IC?

Can you have IC without pain?  I have a high threshold for pain anyway, but I have never had any sort of severe (or even moderate pain) as a symptom.  My gyn suspects IC anyway, because I have also been diagnosed with vulvadynia, and I'm told patients who have one often have the other.  

I often feel like I have a UTI but I never do. Often there's a slight "pang" or pressure in my bladder area, but it's not constant, maybe a few times a month. I never feel like I completely empty my bladder.

I have to urinate A LOT, but it varies as to how much.  Sometimes at night I will urinate and my bladder still feels full but I can't go anymore so I just go to bed.  Less than five minutes later I'm back in the bathroom to "trickle", and this can go on for hours.  I feel the urge to go again before I even flush the toilet, but I know I'm not going to go, or if I do it will be a few tiny drops after a half hour of sitting there waiting.  This feeling a strong urge but only going a drop or two, or not at all, only happens at night for some reason.  

Generally I have to go way more than I should.  But, as I said, it doesn't hurt to go, and when I feel a strong urge to urinate it's not accompanied by any pain, and I've never felt an urge come on that was so strong I felt like I might not make it to the bathroom.  I used to try to sip water all day as a health measure, but I don't anymore because when I do I have the need to urinate literally every 20 to 30 minutes.  Quite honestly if I go an entire day without drinking anything I will still need to urinate many more times during the day than anyone else I know.  

This has been going on for at least 5 years.  I'm 34 and at a healthy weight (5ft3, 112lbs).  I try to avoid anything that might be a trigger. A while back my gyn started me on amitryptiline and Elmiron to see if it would help, but after six months it didn't. Are there other conditions that cause such urinary frequency, or does it sound like it could be IC?  

[MSKshelly]

Honestly you very likely could have mild IC.  I know IC also varies and for many of us who did not get treatment when our symptoms were like the ones you describe it later progressed to being the severe double you over pain...., I know for me I did not realize the amount of pain I was really in be cause I have a high threshold of pain and had had some pelvic pressure or discomfort for many years.

Finally for me it was the intense burning the started and forced me to get help and talk about things I was too embarrassed to in the past. This started suddenly after many years of the above..... honestly though I had thought I had some stomach aches and low back pain.  Once my URO did a rescue instill of medications to numb my bladder I was shocked when all my pelvic pressure and then for my realization pain left.  Sometimes we get used to living with pain.  Once I started my instills, I was overcome with an incredible relaxed exhaustion, it was like my body was so relieved to not hurt.  I really had no idea how bad I was until it went away...

I remember telling a friend my cycles were no big deal, and I had little pain.  I had no idea that was because I lived constantly in that amount of pain... until it left.

I am older then you, so hopefully for you, it is like so many I have seen that really are what I consider the success of IC education.  Patients caught early and young enough to get treatment, get their symptoms under control, being able to go back to living again and not progress to the severe pain!

I hope this helps you!
Shelly

Shelly Matthewson
Private Medical Researcher
IC Support Group Leader
Director of MOARK IC