Interstitial Cystitis - Aurora,CO

Tons of watered down juice....as in 10-15% juice and the rest water. Lot's of vitamin c, vegetables, and soups and fruits with a high water content. The more I have in there the more I have to go pee and it washes out the bladder. I sometimes have a terrible time with urine retention. But I rest and get through it the best I can.

Fruits do not bother me and I've never identified any trigger foods. Keeping my bladder healthy through flooding is the only way I know to handle things.

My mom has this. She first thought it was just lots of bladder infections but was finally diagnosed about 8 or 9 years ago. After following a very strict diet for a long, long time, she is finally at a point where she can "fudge" a little and not have any flare ups. And by strict, I mean strict -- no chocolate, no fruit, no acidic anything, no soda, no coffee (but she's mormon so that wasn't an issue from the start), and lots and lots of water to keep the bladder flushed out. It was hard for her at first, but the lack of pain was such a relief. From the answers I have seen below, and what I know from my mom, you are getting some bad advice. But, I guess you really need to know your triggers and what works for you. As long as you are eating healthy should be able to breastfeed. Just don't stress out about it -- stress is the biggest trigger for my mom and she just had to learn how to manage her stress and engage in stress relief techniques. Good luck to you!

I have found that any hormonal fluctuation makes it worse, so breast feeding is bound to cause a rollercoaster. I have an open script for Uristad, which makes your urine blue , but makes my bladder blessedly calm and painfree. I use them during flare ups. I also drink 2 qts of water a day, more if it is hot in addition to coffee, diet coke etc. I found it really helps. Are you working with an actual Urologist? I found mine to be much more informed and helpful than my internal meds guy.
Good luck,
E.

First of all, let me just say that IC suuuucks and I'm so sorry you are dealing with it. I have actually found that avoiding any kind of peppers in my food, grapes, and olives (even olive oil) help me some. I am not sure if the grapes and olives are unique to me and I am allergic or what, but I know peppers irritate the bladder lining for most if sensitive to it. Since doing this, I do not get as many flares. Vitamin A also seems to help a little and drinking lots of water.

I know it is not infection, but when it gets really bad, for some reason D-mannose really, really helps me. I don't know what I'd do without it and I highly recommend it! (It is from cranberries but is more powerful.) I get the powdered kind from iherb.com - Now brand. Here is a link to the different d-mannose products at iherb. http://www.iherb.com/Search?kw=d-mannose ...I just looked at Swansonvitamins.com and they have it too and it says this: "It's a simple sugar that nourishes the good bacteria to keep our bladder and urinary tract healthy. D-mannose occurs naturally and has specific nutrients that make it one of the best supplements for urinary tract support. It's even more powerful than cranberry juice, which has been recognized for promoting bladder health."

My doctor said that some people do DMSO flushes for the pain and it has helped some. I haven't tried this yet, but googling it brings some info up if you want to look into it. Best of luck to you.

My mom has it. She has it under control now through radical changes to her diet -- as in, no fruits at all, only a handful of vegetables, no coffee, no chocolate, no sodas, nothing remotely spicy, no marinades. No vitamins, either, or anything vitamin-fortified, because those are aggravating. Bland, bland, bland is best for her. When she eats well, avoiding all of her trigger foods, she feels great. She's also doing an experimental therapy at Kaiser with electrical volts and getting good results. She's doing well enough to take a cruise in Europe this fall.

There's an interstitial cystitis support association, so I would track that down.

Good luck! I know this is a hugely life-changing condition, but hopefully with the right dietary changes, you'll get some relief, too.