Imagine...Welcome to the Life of an IC Patient

It's not easy to imagine living in the shoes of another person. But let's do a little activity. Close your eyes and imagine...

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night in intense pain because you have to pee.

Imagine having to give up your favorite food because it now makes you sick.

Imagine having to cancel plans with friends because you are in so much pain you feel nauseous.

Imagine being too embarrassed to to tell those friends why you are cancelling, so people begin to stop inviting you places.

Imagine being let go from your job because you took one too many days off for a doctor's appointment.

Imagine doing chores and errands in 10 level pain with a smile on your face because you don't want your kids to know how  much you're hurting.

Imagine not being able to watch a movie, write an email or complete a board game without having to get up to pee, sometimes more than once.

Imagine having pain so bad that some researchers have compared it to the pain level of a patient on dialysis or a person in the early stages of cancer, but medical professionals deny you pain medication. 

Imagine having to wake up everyday wondering if you will be in pain or not.

Imagine not being able to wear jeans anymore.

Imagine going to 10 doctors over a span of two years to get a diagnosis. 

Imagine being 35 but taking more medications than the average 80 year old.

Imagine being exiled by a friend, family member or significant other who doesn't think that your pain is real.  

Imagine always having to know where the nearest bathroom is every time you go out. 

Imagine having an illness with no cure and no one exact form of treatment so every day feels like a guessing game.

OPEN YOUR EYES. WELCOME TO THE LIFE OF AN IC PATIENT. Doesn't sound like too much fun does it?

It's important to note that there are all different levels of IC so not every IC patient may experience everything on this list, but this list is a realistic representation of what IC patients can go through. If you know someone with IC, ask them to take a look at this list, they will probably find at least 5 items on it that pertain to them personally. 

If you have IC I encourage you to comment and to add onto this list.