October 31st is recognized as National IC Awareness Day. The symptoms for IC (Interstitial Cystitis) are not the same for every person. For some symptoms can be mild and not affect their daily routine that much. For others, the symptoms can be so severe that they are bedridden and in constant pain and agony. IC affects more women than men, but there are plenty of men still afflicted with this illness. My husband’s best friend has IC Disease.
Some of the most common symptoms for Interstitial Cystitis include:
– Women – Pain/pressure in the pelvic area
– Men – Pain or pressure in your penis, testes, and/or scrotum, the area above the pubic bone, the lower abdomen, the lower back, or the groin area including testicular pain, in any combination
– Women – Pain during or after sexual intercourse
– Men – Pain during ejaculation or the day after
– Frequent urination that can be painful (more than 8 times per day. Most IC patients urinate anywhere from 16 – 60 times per day).
– The need to urinate wakens you at night
– The urge to urinate can still be strong, even after you have emptied your bladder
– Symptoms of a urinary tract infection or have been diagnosed with more than 2 UTIs per year
– Symptoms will come and go – flares of IC may be worse around menstrual cycle, stress, illness, allergies, etc.
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