Recurring Cystitis, still no cause...

I have the same problems and have recently been diagnosed with IC. I have started to try herbal medicine to help instead of using over the counter medicines. What type of medication are you currently taking?

You could also try marshmallow root tea ive recently been doing alot of reading up and its mentioned quite often. It took years for me to be diagnosed started with symptoms when i was 15/16 but firstly doctors thought it could be gyne problems so I had a laparoscopy firstly which showed very little. After that syptoms were still ongoing and only got to see a urologist last year ( im now 21) was diagnosed after having a cystoscopy and they said it was very clear i had IC after doing this operation. Its very difficult even after getting diagnosed because they say IC is not curable I've been having bladder insillations which were great at first but felt these only mask the symptoms and then they returned. Started looking closely at my diet and what i could do to make changes and also made an appointment with a herbalist to see if natural medicines will make a difference.

Its very difficult but I hope you are able to have a diagnosis soon Its horrible feeling ignored by health professionals as it makes you feel very unwell and has a huge impact on lifestyle especially at our age 

xx

It may also be useful for you to keep a bladder diary Lucy, so you can show them when you have appointments. I always do one during a flare up so they are able to see how bad it is. Also keep a diary of what food you are eating and what medication you have had to take. 

I am in the same situation. I'm awaiting an ultra sound scan though. I think I know why I get mine. I suffer with IBS and when it flares up I get constipated, and when I get constipated I get a water infection. I also might just get them occasionally after 'rough' sex with no lubrication. As it irritates everything and I usually get one from that too.

I would keep a food diary just in case because I have found a few things that trigger it / prevent it. I drink 2-2.5L of water per day. I take cranberry capsules called Cranmed forte which prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder. I avoid citrus fruits as I think the acid might not be a great idea, I generally eat more veg that fruit, I don't eat as much chocolate, and because of my ibs I've cut right down on dairy.

This was the only link I found, otherwise sooo many people I know used to get ut frequently and they said it just stopped gradually after the age of 21 so don't lose hope!

Hope this helps! X

I'm in a different age group (66) and haven't had cystitis for over 30 years! So when I developed it 2weeks ago I was amazed because nothing in my diet or lifestyle had changed! I was widowed 25 years ago so it wasn't caused by sex or dietary changes. I tried CanestOasis which comes in 4sachets and available at Waitrose and Sainsbury's so easily available. These worked but after a week returned but not as strongly. Since then I have taken Carito mono capsules in which my daughter who lives in Germany sent to me. They contain Orthosiphon. The dosage is 2 tablets 3 times a day until the symptoms have gone. I'm on my 3rd day and it's 99 percent gone so another day should do it. Hope this helps.

Penny 😇

I've been labelled with interstitial cystitis after having a similar sounding work up by doctors.

If you research the condition your clinical signs could tick a lot of the boxes?...

I hope you start to feel better soon x

Also...FYI, if you do have IC avoid cranberry. Whilst it can be beneficial in aiding bacterial cystitis, it is very acidic and can actually aggravate your bladder in cases of IC. Wish I'd been told a lot sooner!

I have found that d mannose helps with my UTI, I have only been on this for about 2-3 months but they have rduced to about once per month. When I feel it coming on I up the dose to taking this every few hours and it slowly reduces it. I have not had to go to the gp for antibiotics since being on this. 

Hope this helps. X