Is it Inhumane to Deny IC Patients Proper Pain Treatment?

Is it inhumane to deny IC patients proper pain treatment? I think so. I mean, let's get real. IC patients and those with similar illnesses (PN, V, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction) are not druggies searching for their next fix. IC patients are truly and really in pain terrible. No matter how much pain IC patients are in, many doctors still deny opiates and other strong pain treatments to many patients especially young females.

It's sad when help is available and patients are denied treatment.

I am not 100% sure why doctors are so reluctant to prescribe opiate pain killers. Part of me thinks it is because of the large number of healthy people who abuse opiates for fun (thanks jerks). Part of me thinks maybe law makers are cracking down harder on the medical community. A really large part of me thinks that no doctor wants to be responsible for a patient's "addiction". But here is the thing: anyone who does his or her research will find that patients who are in good mental health, are REALLY IN PAIN and are monitored only have around a 1% chance or less of becoming addicted to these prescription drugs. IC patients don't want to use drugs. IC patients don't want to get high. IC patients just want the pain to stop so that they can lead more productive lives. When you have shooting, throbbing and stabbing pain radiating through your bladder, vagina or rectal area it is pretty hard to focus on even the simplest of tasks sometimes. Proper pain management could be life changing for IC patients.

Now, I can understand a doctor not wanting to give prescription pain pills to someone who walks in off the street and just claims to have pain. IC patients do not fit this mold. IC patients HAVE A DIAGNOSIS, a diagnosis of a painful and incurable disease. IC patients typically have to try a variety of treatments to find ones that work to control the illness. Many of these treatments (hydros, bladder installations and surgeries) are very invasive and painful. I feel like the medical community thinks that it is "okay" to treat us like science projects, sometimes causing us more pain along the way, but that they feel it is "not okay" to treat our pain.


 The saddest part is, the only reason most IC patients who desire opiates want them is because they have tried them and the medicines truly do help to relieve the pain. If standing on our heads, drinking Gatorade and blinking helped the pain, IC patients would desire to do that instead.


I think it is inhumane and selfish of the medical community to know that there are medications available that can help a patient and deny that patient treatment.

I joked around with some of my IC friends the other day, that maybe someone should take a taser to the groin of mean doctors and then they will know how IC patients feel. But when I think about it, that wouldn't be good enough. The pain of one taser zap eventually fades. IC patients struggle daily. 


So what is the answer? I think one of two things needs to happen: doctors either need to believe in the pain of pelvic pain patients and prescribe narcotics when necessary. If they don't want to do that, then the medical community needs to get in gear and invent a treatment that is non-narcotic and works. It's not the fault of pain patients that they have tried all of the existing alternatives with no success. 


I think it is inhumane for doctors to deny chronic pain patients with proper diagnosis narcotic pain treatments if they are suffering. What do you think?

The Important Muscles Your Doctor Never Told You About

Know your body. Your muscle spasms are real.

Starting around your pubic bone and ending near your rectum, every person has a group of muscles called the pelvic floor muscles. Both males and females have pelvic floors, but pelvic floor issues are more common in women. 

So what exactly do the pelvic floor muscles do? Think of your pelvic floor muscles as a hammock of sorts. The pelvic floor muscles hold many important things in place including the uterus and bladder. That is a pretty important job for a group of muscles many people have never heard of. 

If you have never experienced a pelvic floor issue, you likely go through life unaware of your pelvic floor and how much it is doing for your body on a daily basis. If you experience pelvic floor problems on the other hand you can have issues with urination, sitting, sex, walking and almost anything else you can think of involving that region of the body.

Pelvic floor dysfunction (or PFD as the IC community likes to call it) occurs when the pelvic floor muscles spasm involuntarily. PFD is a medical condition all on its own, but many IC people have PFD and vice versa as the pelvic floor and bladder need to work together, especially in women.

Imagine how badly it hurts when any other muscle in your body has been injured. Now picture that pain effecting your vagina, rectum or bladder. OUCH, is probably the first thing that comes to mind. PFD is still rather mysterious in its origins just the way IC and vulvodynia are, but many people with IC are believed to have PFD because of the constant bladder inflammation and frequent urination. Inflammation can greatly impact the pelvic floor muscles and patients can lose control of being able to relax them leading to chronic muscle and nerve pain. 

It is really important for women of all sorts, even those without IC, to realize that their bodies have a pelvic floor. Pelvic floor issues can effect anyone. The rare times the pelvic floor is discussed in the main stream media, it comes up in conversations about urinary leakage or sex improvement and the answer given at the time seems to be to do a kegel exercise. For patients with a true pelvic floor dysfunction, the answer is not this simple.

While there is no current cure for PFD treatments are available including physical therapy, vaginal valium, trigger point injections and more. 

The lesson here is to know your body and know that you have muscles keeping everything together down below. If you feel like something is wrong with your body, go with your gut feeling and find a doctor who is educated. 

And while you are here, don't forget that it is IC awareness month. Spread the word, knowledge is power.

Dear Pelvic Pain, Why Can't We Just Get Along and Sit Together??

If you are suffering from pelvic pain due to Interstitial Cystitis, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Vulvodynia, Pudendal Neuralgia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or any other chronic condition you probably now find difficulty in doing some simple tasks that most people take for granted.  One of those things is sitting.  Yes, sitting.  Sitting and pelvic pain are not friends.  If you are stricken by this issue, here are some suggestions for making sitting a little more comfortable.

Cushions

There are many seat cushions available.  A typical donut usually is designed for someone with back problems and is not often too helpful for women with pelvic pain.  You need a more specialized cushion.  I recommend the one sold at the ICN Shop online. This cushion is designed differently from the donut leaving a gap where the perineum (that pesky spot between the vaginal region and anal region) can rest comfortably.   I personally own two, one for my car ( I NEVER drive with out it) and one which I have for chairs.

 The Total Pillow

The Total Pillow recently advertised on infomercials is awesome.   While I love the ICN cushion for working and driving, I often found it difficult to bring to restaurants.  The main difficulty is because you can really only carry it like a regular pillow or put it in a bag.  Since the Total Pillow has a hole in the middle, you can easily put your arm through it to carry it.  What makes it different than the donut, is that the Total Pillow is mold-able and you can position it to your own comfort.  I recommend buying the blue jumbo Total Pillow rather than the original brown one from the initial infomercial simply for the fact that it is more attractive to bring out in public.  Now don't get me wrong, no matter what kind of pillow or cushion you use, you will usually have SOMEONE asking why you are sitting on it.  Luckily, most of my good friends already know why and I have gotten to a point where I am happy to explain my condition to others (It takes a long road to get here, totally not an overnight thing).  I know it can be scary at first to bring a cushion out in public, but if you have been home bound due to your pain, it is well worth it to give it a try. 

Say Good-Bye to Jeans

If you have pelvic pain, jeans are the devil.  That hard crease in the middle and your girl zone will not be friends and the jean will make sitting even more uncomfortable.  But never fear, there are tons of ways to still look cute without relying on jeans. Leggings, gucho pants, yoga pants and sweat pants are all essential parts of a pelvic pain patient's wardrobe.  Leggings can be dressed up or down making them very versatile.  If you need pants for a business or formal situation, you would be surprised how well black yoga pants can pass for dress pants when put with heels, a nice top, a blazer and jewelery. Get creative, pelvic pain does not have to be a pajama bound sentence.  Not that there is anything wrong with pajamas, we all love pajamas, but sometimes we want and need to get dressed up.

Since no two pelvic pain patients are alike it may take some trial and error to figure out what works for you.  For some people there is a solution where they can sit in zero pain.  For others, it may only reduce their pain level from an eight to a four.  But we all know that when flaring, even a pain reduction is a blessing.  Hope these tips help.  Happy Sitting!