Bladder Issues - IC, UTI, kidney stones...?

Talk to me about bladder issues and how they relate to Lyme, co-infections, mold, etc. for you.

If you have bladder pain issues and/or interstitial cystitis, what has been helpful for you - physical therapy, herbs, what else? What makes it flare - stress, sugar, acidic foods, herxing, mold exposure, flares of other Lyme symptoms?

For the past couple of months, off and on, I have had spasms of intense lower abdominal pain, urethra pain and soreness, and lower back and mid-back soreness. I am prone to ovarian cysts, so initially I thought maybe it was those; I guess it could be ovarian cysts, but the pain from those usually stays off to one side and does not affect me right in the middle above my pubic bone, like the pain I'm concerned about at present. I also thought that perhaps it was kidney stones, since I take a lot of mineral-rich salt to treat POTS. I've never had kidney stones or a UTI, but urine test strips show no blood, nitrite, or leukocytes. I do not have unusual urine color or frequency or urgency; I pee about as often as anyone else who drinks three liters of water per day! I've had an unusual urine odor lately, but only when I drink lemon water. I'm not doing anything unusual in terms of supplements or treatment, but I have been unusually active and stressed.*

Any ideas for me?

*I'm in the process of moving, and the mold cleaning aspects are incredibly time-consuming and exhausting! I miss this forum and promise that I will be back faithfully once I am settled into the new place!

Hey, sara!!! I’ve missed you. I hope and pray all goes well with your move and that it will be a safe house for you to recover in.

As for bladder stuff, I have had lots of little things over my lifetime but nothing really useful that I could tell you. I suspect lifelong bartonella in my case. If I am correct, then surely bart has a part.

All my life up until the point I got sick with Lyme symptoms, I had barty bladder. Constantly felt like I had to pee and didn’t do much when I did go.

When I got sick with Lyme (still unknown at the time), my bladder habits did a complete 180. I would go for hours without going to the bathroom and wouldn’t feel the urge until I was about to wet my pants.

The last few years before leaving my first moldy house and office, I started having accidents and would leak. Even wet the bed once for the first time in my life. Thought all that was due to age and oncoming of peri menopause. All that stopped after getting out of the mold. Now that I am dealing with mold again, I have had accidents and leaked again, just in the past couple of weeks. First time in years.

I also used to have what I called pain in my ovaries. The doctor refuted my assumption saying my ovaries were much higher up than where I felt pain. So, I don’t know exactly what hurt, but it was down in the lower abdomen above the groin. Used to have random pains like that a lot.

Have had pelvic bone pressure before, too. Have had burning and pain with urination (especially when detoxing or heavy die off).

I have never had any diagnosed GYN problems except bacterial vaginosis twice, which didn’t involve any of the above mentioned symptoms. Have never had a UTI or kidney stones.

Oh boy another bartonella symptom? No wonder I have it then lol. I have been having the urge to pee even when I don't have to go lately. I also feel as if I have some sort of urinary retention problem. I have been diagnosed with PCOS formerly as well but I don't think it's related.

I heard that Interfase Plus can help prevent UTIs. My LLMD has me on it.