I married my current husband in March of 1994. It wasn't as great a year as we had thought it would be as I started exhibiting the most horrendous symptoms in the sumer of 1994. It took me quite awhile to be diagnosed, and in the end, I had to take matters into my own hands. Had I not read a book that enlightened me to the symptoms of IC, I don't know how long I would have gone on undiagnosed with a doctor doing terribly invasive and painful "treatments." That doctor never diagnosed me. I fired him on the spot as soon as I read the book about IC.
This is one of the reasons I have done this site. I want you to have as many resources and references as possible so that you have the understanding you need to not have to go through what I went through. And this is not a medical recommendation as I am not a doctor, but I did a support group for several years and I was a State Coordinator for the ICA (Interstitial Cystitis Association), so I heard a lot of stories. And trust me when I tell you this. Be conservative and be cautious when you seek treatment for a disease for which there is no known cause or cure. My doctor who finally diagnosed me pointed out to me that the worst cases of IC that she saw were cases where the people had sought "caustic" treatments that had caused even more damage to their already damaged bladders.
You will often see in this site the words KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. I strongly believe that. Arm yourself with as much information as possible so that you can ask the right questions, and hopefully, get satisfactory answers.
I still take calls from people, and I am happy to talk to anyone who is struggling with this awful disorder. You will see my phone number at the bottom of the page on each of the pages inside this website. You can also email me at fayecombs@comcast.net.
Come on inside and empower yourself.
Faye Combs