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IBS and bladder problems?

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 6/3/2007 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
In addition to having IBS, I have Chronic Interstitial Cystitis. My urologist told me that for women, if you have one of those conditions, you WILL have (or get) the other one. Does anyone else suffer from both?
Posted 6/4/2007 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
What are the symptoms?

Posted 6/4/2007 1:38 PM (GMT 0)

Well, they are similar to a bladder infection.  The pain and burning on urination, the frequency, etc.  But the bladder always hurts. It's a pressure-type pain. And I have to keep my bladder as empty as possible, because it hurts worse the fuller it is.  They only have one medication for it that has a 50% chance of working, but you need to take it 3-6 months to see any results.

I was told to avoid any type of acidic food... chocolate, tomotoes, orange juice, citrus fruit, artificial sweetener, dairy.  But that's next to impossible for me!

Posted 6/5/2007 1:02 AM (GMT 0)
Hi drie,
Welcome to HealingWell! :-)
I have to admit, I've never heard of Chronic Interstitial Cystitis (CIC) being connected to IBS. In all the IBS books I've read, and all the internet research I've done, I've never come across that condition. When researching CIC have you come up with anything linking it to IBS?
Are you taking the meds and hoping to find help for the symptoms while you wait for it to kick in? As your doc mentioned, diet is important. So is staying away from alcohol and not smoking. I have also heard that physical therapy and biofeedback can help. Have you spoken to your urologist about these options?
Posted 6/5/2007 3:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi drie,

I haven't heard them being related either but I know that many of the antispasmodics used to treat IBS are also used for the relief of the IC. I have heard that its an awful condition, as debilitating as IBS and I'm sorry that you have to deal with both.

Take Care
Posted 6/5/2007 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
Maybe what he meant is that all people with CIC will also have IBS, although I don't think anyone can say that all IBS people will have CIC. Not enough people on this board complain of bladder problems for their to be a firm connection that way. But all CICs having IBS might be a possibility.

I don't know if it's enough like a real bladder infection to help, but sometimes probitics help bladder infections, as well as the bowels. But it all depends on if the CIC has a bacterial component to it or not; if bacteria isn't involved in making the problem, then the probiotics won't help it (still may help your bowels, though).
Posted 6/25/2007 12:45 AM (GMT 0)
hi i'm new to this site but just wanted to say i also have chronic ic and ibs. there is a number of related ilnesses linked with ic and ibs is one of them. So i guess like me you spend most of your life in the toilet!! jelx
Posted 6/25/2007 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
you've probably already visited it but the cob foundation website has info on ibs with ic. hope this helps x
Posted 6/25/2007 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
My daughter has crohn's disease but they think she also has ibs. She has terrible bladder pain but it has only cultured a couple of times. When I mention the bladder to the GI he acts like he never heard of anyone with ibs or ibd to have bladder involvement. When she went to the urologist he blames the crohn's. I am ready to pull my hair out. She goes back to the urologist the 26th and I am demanding they do something for the pain. She also has urge incontinence and her bladder leaks if she moves too fast or lifts something heavier. She will be 10 in August. I am thinking she has ibs and not crohn's but they had found inflammation in colon.
Any information you can give me will be a blessing. Thanks
Ivy's mom
Becky
Posted 6/25/2007 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
Crohn's can indeed affect the bladder. I've read that some of the ulcerations in the colon can go through/sort of spread over to the bladder. Everything is very close down there, and the intestines lay on top of the bladder and sexual organs. I've even heard that some of the ulcerations can go through to the vagina. I don't know if it was directly caused by the Crohn's or not, but my great-uncle had all sorts of bladder and kidney problems throughout his life. One kidney ended up completely calcified and ended up shutting down. I think it's one of the ironies of that painful disease that it can't kill you; he lived to be 82. But Crohn's can definitely cause all sorts of problem all long the digestive tract, and sometimes to nearby organs.

I'm sorry to hear that your daughter, at such a very young age, has something that serious. Given that they found inflammation in the colon, then yes, she has IBD, although she might have the somewhat less problematic UC instead of Crohn's. That doesn't mean that she can't have IBS symptoms when she's not having an IBD flair, but I'm afraid that she's almost certainly stuck with having an IBD too.
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