The first night I woke up five times to use the restroom, I figured it was a fluke and I’d had too much water before bed. My mind wasn’t scrambling for answers at two in the morning. There were no agonizing pains or leaks in my bladder, just the constant need to go. With each passing hour, I continued to wake up, pee for a second, and go back to bed, entering into an endless cycle of restlessness. After the fourth consecutive night of this, I finally went to the doctor.
I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, a chronic bladder condition caused by acidic foods, stress, or sitting for extended periods of time. After the diagnosis, I had to watch what I ate, as any one small thing could send me into a flare up. In the past, I could eat a taco with habanero salsa for dinner every day of the week. Now, anything spicier than mild puts me at risk of having to live with and fight through the flare up for what could be weeks. The anxiety and pain I experience during a flare up is life-altering. I have to be near a restroom at all times, and sitting often makes it worse. I’m constantly waiting for the will of my body to ease up. I’ve found the more spicy food I eat, the longer I have to wait for a flare up to end.
Over the summer I was on a road trip to Seattle and ate two chili peppers during lunch. Water wasn’t enough to contain the burn, and typically when my mouth burns for too long, I know my bladder won’t be able to filter the spice either. With the combination of spice and sitting in the car, my flare up lasted three weeks, during which I constantly felt the urge to go even when I knew I didn’t need to. On the rare chance I didn’t have an urge, there was a constant burning in my bladder. Nothing could help, and my doctor’s only advice was to “ride out the storm.” I was forced to inconvenience everyone on the trip and pull over every 20 minutes to use the restroom. It’s hard to explain to those close to me what this urge feels like and that my bladder feels like it’s constantly being stretched to its maximum.
But in addition to the inconvenience and the inability to eat what I want, the biggest thing I think the disease has taken away from me is sleep. Even when I lie in bed during a flare up without the urge to pee, I’m riddled with anxiety and fear that this will be my life forever. Sometimes it seems that just as soon as my boyfriend and I fall asleep, I need to use the restroom and wake us right back up. It’s a challenge.
My coping mechanisms are simple, but it was difficult to find what best worked for my body right away. I take AZO urinary tract vitamins every day to boost bladder health, and those seem to kick in quickly. I can feel the tension in my body easing as the vitamins work their way through my system. I find that taking these at any point throughout the day gives me a better night’s sleep. Living with bladder inconsistencies also means adapting to a different diet. With interstitial cystitis, it means staying away from acidic foods and caffeine. This took some getting used to when I was craving things like tomato soup or coffee, but I soon found alternatives that boosted my healthy lifestyle, such as soothing peppermint tea as an alternative to caffeine.
I’ve found that the key to living an easy life with bladder inconsistencies is not keeping items around my home that will irritate me, whether it’s food or other stressors. After all, my home plays a major factor in my overall health. I’ve learned that maintaining healthy choices for my body 24 hours a day is a key part of living with bladder inconsistencies.
I’ve lived with this condition for a year now, and while I didn’t recognize it at the time, it’s made me more aware of what I eat. I’ve learned the foods that don’t work with my body aren’t worth it. But the revelation of healthy eating didn’t happen overnight. I lived through a constant cycle of trial and error and my boyfriend reminding me that I’d be up all night if I bit into salsa. It also helped to have another person looking out for me all the time and holding me accountable for what I ate.
Now, I’ve accepted this lifestyle and believe it’s made me a healthier person. Life comes with a bundle of consequences in the choices we all make. I don’t see living with interstitial cystitis as a setback; I see it as a comeback for making healthier choices each and every day.
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