Interstitial Cystitis (n): A chronic condition in which a person has bladder pain or pressure and sometimes even pelvic pain.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with IC. I was constantly getting urinary tract infections and couldn't figure out why. I was completely fine and healthy and then in the blink of an eye, I didn't feel so great. I would get a UTI and it would go away and then come back, or I just had symptoms of a UTI when I didn't actually have one. The clinic at my school thought I was pregnant (because that's their answer for everything) and my other doctor didn't know what was going on. I went to get a third opinion and he thought I could have interstitial cystitis and gave me a list of foods and drinks to avoid for three weeks and if I got better, that I should continue my diet. Two weeks went by and I felt back to myself again.

There is no cure for IC, but there are ways to lessen the symptoms: Keeping a specific diet or taking medication. Like I said, I stuck with the diet since it seemed to be working for me. I went from being able to eat anything I wanted to, to having a strict diet I stick to, although I do try to incorporate "restricted" foods/drinks back into my diet just to test it out; sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn't. Some things I'm not allowed to have are: chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, soda, anything acidic/citric, anything spicy, etc.

Everyone experiences IC differently and there are people who have it WAY worse than me, unfortunately. For my experience, I frequent the restroom and I already have a small bladder so you can see how this is an issue for me. If I eat or drink something that I'm not supposed to, any of these things can happen: a pinching feeling in my lower abdomen, burning in my lower abdomen, bladder pain, and bladder pressure.

It's difficult sometimes, but I can't really do anything to control it other than what I'm already doing. It's hard to go out to eat at new places because I have no idea what they're putting in their food or if they can accommodate my dietary restrictions (black pepper is one the worst things for my bladder and one of the main issues I run into at restaurants).

On the bright side, I've found loop holes in my diet. I can have white chocolate, I found an herbal, caffeine free coffee substitute, and I've also found recipes online for a "no-mato" sauce if I want to make pasta.

So yes, it's hard and makes things difficult sometimes, but I look at it in a positive way. This condition encourages me to eat healthier and put things in my body that will benefit it.