Could your recurrent UTI’s be PBS/IC?

It's hard when you are experiencing constant pain and feel like no one understands what you are going through. When the endless doctors' appointments and testing do not produce an answer to help you cure your symptoms. I get it.

For years I suffered from recurrent / "chronic" UTIs. It wasn't until very recently that I was able to get to a diagnosis that helped me relieve my ongoing symptoms. That's why in this post I'm sharing how I went from the unknown to a diagnosis that changed the quality of my life.

In this blog post, I'm sharing my diagnosis process from start to finish and my top must-haves for surviving PBS/IC

So if you are struggling to figure out what is going on with your urinary health, vaginal health, or you are someone who suffers from frequent UTIs, you are in the right place.

I remember the 1st time I got a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection). I was 16 years old, and I had just lost my virginity. It was scary because I was convinced I had an STD. Terrified by what was happening with my body, I decided to tell my mom what had happened. I remember going into the kitchen where my mom was putting away groceries. I tried to slowly rip the band-aid off and tell her I thought I had an STD. It didn't really go great, but the next day I was at my first gyno appointment.

Thankfully the Doctor asked my mom to leave the room so that we could have an honest conversation. My Doctor had explained that I had a Urinary Tract Infection. After a lengthy discussion about sex safety, I left the office with my antibiotics and was on my way.

As time went on, I started experiencing recurrent UTIs, and every time I would go to the Doctor, they would prescribe me an antibiotic and tell me to get some AZO to help relieve the pain. I was a teenager, and I was experiencing UTIs so frequently that I felt like I wasn't living a normal life. When the antibiotics weren't working, I recall my primary care doctor trying to run a few tests to see if something was wrong with my kidneys or if they could find anything causing the recurrent "infections". At this point in my life, I wasn't aware of what results were coming up on my urine tests, so I wasn't able to advocate for proper care. I received ultrasounds, a full-body MRI, and other tests that couldn't show anything was wrong with me.

I was frustrated, my parents were frustrated, and it got to the point where I felt like I was making it all up in my head. Thinking back to my early days of UTI symptoms, it was probably likely that my urine tests were coming back negative for a UTI. It wasn't until recently that I finally got the answers I needed.

As an adult, I decided it was time to see a specialist for my problems. I booked an appointment with a urologist. I remember going into the office feeling so embarrassed because I was not only the only woman in the waiting room, but I was also the youngest by a LEAST 40 years. Again, confused and frustrated, I wondered if this appointment was really going to help me or if it was just another dead end. After speaking to the urologist about my constant pain and urinary distress, they prescribed me a drug called Uribel. He also scheduled a cystoscopy; soon, there will be a blog post about what to expect during one. At this point, things started to change for me. The Uribel was working, and I couldn't believe I was finally finding some relief. Although this appointment wasn't the big game-changer for me, I was happy to have a medication helping.

Years later, things started to get bad again. I was experiencing severe pain and pressure in my lower abdomen, I was urinating a minimum of 15-20 times during the day, and constant burning of my urethra. It was at this point that I decided to research a women's urinary health specialist. Thankfully, in my area, there is a very well-known, and highly recommended urogynecologist. This was the turning point in my medical journey.

When I got to the Doctors office, I was so happy to see other women in the waiting room who were my age. It was a huge relief to be in a place that I felt was going to be the answer to all my problems. They were going to figure out what was going on. When I met with the Doctor, we went over my symptoms, how long this had been going on, and she did a pelvic example. She also recommended another cystoscopy. We discussed what medications worked for me and what wasn't and hasn't worked for me. The Doctor then asked me if I had ever heard of interstitial cystitis or painful bladder syndrome.

I had never heard of IC/PBS. My Doctor handed me some information and went over the symptoms. Here is a link for more information on what Interstitial Cystitis is. It was spot on with what I had been dealing with. She walked me through a treatment plan and how to move forward.

I recall leaving the Doctor's office feeling relieved that I finally had something I could try to fix. It wasn't just about medication. It was about finding balance in my life to manage my symptoms. I was so excited that I finally had a doctor that listened to what I was going through and helped guide me to finding a way to manage my symptoms.

Over the next few months, I found ways to cope, and I finally got to a place where I felt like even though I had symptoms, I could make it through my day without being on the toilet all day.

This is why it’s so important as women that we continue to advocate for ourselves. I have spent YEARS looking for answers and had doctors dismiss me and tell me time and time again that nothing was wrong. Even if you don’t have IC/PBS it’s so important that you continue to push your doctors to help you find answers. At the end of the day, you know your body. If something is wrong, keep pushing, keep asking questions, and don’t give up.

Here is what has helped me since my diagnosis:
Number one, the Uribel is a massive help, and now I'm to the point where I can use it in a pinch and not a daily basis.

After diagnosis, the second most significant thing I did for myself was an elimination diet to determine what foods were triggering my "flares". Here is a good resource for recipes that are bladder-friendly to help you get started. The goal is to get away from high acid foods. Click here for the IC Diet Cookbook.

Third, I always have Prelief on hand for "cheat" meals. When you figure out what foods are triggering for you a lot of times, it will be a food you really love. For example, tomato products are a huge trigger for me, along with vinegar-based products, and soy. Sometimes, it's hard to find foods that you can safely eat without a flare when going out to eat. That's when Prelief comes in, you take it before a meal that would typically flare you. This is not something you want to take every day, though, because it can cause kidney stones with overuse. Click here for Prelief.

Fourth, I stick to alkaline water when I can. My favorite brand of bottled alkaline water is Essentia. You can also buy an alkaline water pitcher that you can refill; that's helpful. Again, the goal for me has been to make my body more alkaline and less acidic. Click here for an alkaline pitcher.

Now, whenever I'm in a pinch and need relief from UTI-like symptoms, I always resort to my six remedies for Instant UTI relief. Be sure to check out my storefront for more products that are helping me manage my PBS/IC symptoms.

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