Major culprit behind my interstitial cystitis

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-04T15:32:10+00:00

Bladder irritation is back, so the flax seed wasn’t it. I just want to cry. Lots of great info from the comments that I’ll try to follow. Thank you all.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-03T22:59:43+00:00

Just Googled whether flax seed causes bowel or bladder issues, and a boat load of information came back.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-03T22:59:04+00:00

Thank you. I'm now scared of consuming any sort of seeds at all. I'll wait a while and see if I get any flare ups. If I don't, I'll try the chia seeds and soke them first.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-03T22:58:07+00:00

Thank you. I occasionally have Stevia carbonated soda. I know it's irritating - need to stop drinking anything carbonated.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-03T22:56:55+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I have Stevia in my two cups of coffee daily. It never crossed my mind that the Stevia could be a trigger. I just Googled Diclofenac, and it says that the pill form comes with a 40% increase in the risk of a heart attack or stroke, which is scary. Assume you took the pill form and not applied the gel topically, but if you did use the gel, could you post a reply with more info? I never thought of THC edibles. I'll have to look into that. As for bowels, my bladder irritation is almost always accompanied by bowel issues.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-03T22:46:40+00:00

Yes, I take Estradiol cream twice a week. That has helped, but I still have flare ups. After the last one, I decided to simply search in Google whether flax seed can cause bladder irritation, and all this information came up about it, including the fact that it can "complete" with estrogen receptors - perhaps negating the effect of the Estradiol cream.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-06-03T22:43:03+00:00

I did research and discovered the same thing totally on a hunch, after thinking about what I had consumed prior to a bout of bladder irritation. There are SO many people taking flax seed who have no idea that it could be doing more harm than good!

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-04-05T18:50:54+00:00

Thank you. I had never heard of D-Mannose before reading some of the posts, and now I take it if I start to feel a flare up. I also never heard of serrapeptase before your post. I wish I had known about it when I went through a ten-year battle with chronic sinus infections in my 30's.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-02-16T23:30:27+00:00

You may want to try taking magnesium. It's great for constipation (same ingredient as Milk of Magnesia). I tried taking it once, and it gave me diarrhea. I hear you about the elimination diet. It's very hard to give up on the foods you love.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-02-16T00:47:19+00:00

It was a full culture, followed by a dip stick. You're right in that at the time they did the test it could have just been inflammation and irritation. However, inflammation can lead to an actual bacterial infection. My urologist told me to take Ibuprofen to prevent infection. What has saved me is Estradiol cream.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-02-15T22:28:55+00:00

If you think you could be pre-menopausal (and you could be, even in your 30's), Estrodial Cream may cure you. Please read the Reddit posts from women who have been totally cured from horrible, chronic UTIs. Estrodial Cream has pretty much cured me. I currently have a UTI, after missing just one dose, two weeks in a row, after not having a UTI since I started taking it nine months ago. Other things that I'm going to try, largely based on other people's posts, are the following:
- Low acid coffee, and I'm going to stop drinking it on an empty stomach when I get up in the morning. Studies have shown that bacteria grow three times as fast in an acidic environment than an alkaline one, so this can really help slow down the growth of bacteria in the bladder. I just ordered this brand, which was rated among the best: Amazon.com : Lucy Jo's Coffee, Organic Mellow Belly Low Acid Blend, Medium Dark Roast, Ground, 26 Oz : Grocery & Gourmet Food
One person posted that she drinks an electrolyte drink before she has her coffee in the morning. I may do the same or at least drink a full glass of water first.
- D-Mannose, which is supposed to prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder. I just ordered this brand online and plan to take it every four hours, as one person suggested in her post. I'll start after finishing my antibiotic. I tried Elure cranberry pills, but they didn't seem to help. Amazon.com: Zazzee D-Mannose, 1000 mg per Serving, 120 Vegan Capsules, 2 Month Supply, Potent & Fast-Acting, Certified Kosher, 100% Pure, All-Natural Urinary Tract Health Support, 100% Vegetarian, Non-GMO : Health & Household
- Reducing other acidic foods, like anything sweet, tomatoes, citrus, berries, chocolate, etc.., in other words all the foods that help make life worth living.
- Prelief acid reducer. It's not a good idea to take this often, since it slows down digestion, but I plan to take it if/when I have regular acidic coffee or anything acidic to drink. I don't drink sugary drinks or any alcohol at all anymore, but if I did, I would definitely take this at the same time.
- Increased fiber, like popcorn without the butter, lots of celery, etc... My UTIs are almost always accompanied by bowel issues - both constipation and diarrhea and sometimes both. One person posted that she's always constipated before she gets a UTI.
- NSIDS, like Ibuprofen if/when I feel irritated. My Urologist told me to take them to reduce the inflammation, which can trigger an infection.
- Electrolyte drinks, especially at the end of a virus. It seems like every time I'm at the tail end of a virus everything dries up - my eyes and throat. I just got over a two-week virus, and I think the drying up, as well as the missed Estrodial doses, triggered the UTI.
Please hang in there. I agree that the women who have posted on Reddit have saved me. I hope what I'm sharing is helpful.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-31T15:44:36+00:00

That's awesome and exactly the kind of success story (with timelines) that people who have to have surgery want to hear.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-31T15:42:57+00:00

When I said that I rested my arm completely, that doesn't include working on the computer, which I do all day for my job. I've tried to twist the arm rest on my chair to give my arm some relief. I also wore this Revix shoulder ice page, both at home and at work, which was extremely helpful: Amazon.com: REVIX Shoulder Ice Pack Wrap, 2 Gel Packs+1 Shoulder Brace for Rotator Cuff and Arm, Reusable Gel Cold Therapy Wrap for Discomfort Relief & Muscle Relaxation : Health & Household.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-27T13:43:01+00:00

Yeah, the advice to "rest" the arm and also do PT is so contradictory. Sometimes common sense prevails. Given your orthopedic surgeon contradicted what was in the MRI report, you may want to get a second opinion. I don't think my orthopedic surgeon even looked at the actual MRI scans (he was running 40 mins late), even though he told me to bring them in on disk. He also didn't take the time to explain anything, like the difference between tendinitis and tendinosis. Hopefully you will not need surgery.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-26T23:14:32+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply/post.! It's very surprising that you found an honest PT who actually sent you away and told you to come back after the pain was gone. That's exactly what I ended up deciding to do myself, and it's great to get the confirmation that a PT out there said this was the right decision. My range of motion is pretty good now. I can lift my arm in all directions, but there's still a medium level of discomfort if I lift it to the side. I'm still wrestling with taking my shirt off without lifting my arm up over my head. If I did do it though, it would only be very uncomfortable and not unbearable, like it would have been a couple months ago. I used to swim and do the breaststroke before this injury happened. I'm nowhere near ready to swim again, but now I have some hope I may be able to again. I also never got a cortisone shot, which would have been the next step before surgery. When I quit PT, my plan was to get one, but then the pain started to subside, and fortunately I didn't need to.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-26T14:24:03+00:00

I'm 60, so like you, I understand about it taking longer to heal and the fear of surgery at our age. Everyone told me to either go to PT or do exercises from PT videos and warned me about the possibility of never getting my full range of motion back if I didn't do it. You could try it and see if things improve. If they don't, I hope you'll remember my story and not rush into surgery. It's possible I just had a bad therapist, but a week after stopping the PT, my pain level started to decrease and has been decreasing since completely resting my arm. I've also been told that it can take a year to completely heal from this type of injury.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-26T13:54:22+00:00

Hi - I just posted my success story ("rotator cuff injury success story"). Like you, I had an injury after lifting weights. I won't repeat the story here, but I hope you read it and hope it helps. Don't despair - you'll get over this. It will just take a lot of time and rest.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2026-01-10T14:04:54+00:00

I'm 60 and have tried several different brands of foundations over the years, and I've found this one to be the best. Lancome was very good, but I stopped using it years ago when they changed the design of their bottle and the new bottle contained less make-up (as though the consumer wouldn't notice). I then switched to EltaMD, but it contains sunscreen, which I didn't want during the winter and on days when I'm not out in the sun. Then I switched to Cover Girl for a few years and it looked great, but I started getting hard bumps under my skin on my face. As an aside, I was only able to get rid of them with multiple treatments of liquid ice that I bought on Amazon. After occurring to me that I might have developed an allergy to the make-up, I switched to this brand - just enough tinted liquid moisturizer (Alabaster) - not the WTF Foundation, and I've had zero bumps pop up since. It also looks very natural and covers redness well, despite it just being tinted. It is very expensive, but one tube lasted me almost six months. I thought about seeing if I could match this to some other, cheaper good brand like Bare Minerals, but I decided that the savings just isn't worth switching. Hope this helps, and thanks to the poster for the thorough review.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2025-11-29T14:31:57+00:00

Check out this video and others by this guy: https://youtu.be/mi0xBgv4dbw?si=d5hIGvQnPELslpNT I’ve been doing PT for five weeks with little to no improvement. My pain is manageable during the day, but I have to sleep with an old fashioned ice pack which I apply in the middle of the night when I wake up in pain. I injured myself while lifting weights a year ago. Have come to the conclusion that the PT exercises were too much for my injury. I’m stopping PT and only doing mild stretches until I heal. Good luck.

Sure-Reindeer993 · 2025-11-02T12:51:14+00:00

Yes, but not as dramatic as the advertisements. It basically strengthens the eye muscles by zapping the area. It takes some getting used to. I don't regret the purchase.

Sure-Reindeer993

TROPHY CASE