Bladder Pain Syndrome, also known as Interstitial Cystitis, is a condition that causes long term chronic pain and discmfort in the lower abdominal and pelvic area and is oftern associtated with urinary urgency and frequency. Bladder Pain syndrome can be difficult to diagnose but is often found in women over the age of 30. Women are twice as likely as men to have the condition
Symptoms include pain in the bladder or pelvic area, pressure or dicomfort as your bladder starts to fill up, Urinary urgency, urinary frequency and only being able to urinate a small amount a t a time. Is can be complex as symptoms may vary from person to person and may come and go. Healthcare providers are not sure what causes Painful Bladder Syndrome although they suspect a number of causes could be related such as defects in the bladder lining, auto immune diseases, allergies, vascular disease, high protein levels in your urine or unidentified infections.
There are no specific tests to diagnose Bladder Pain however it is usual that your consultant will undertake a number of tests in order to rule out other conditions and infections. These may include a urine test,a vaginal swab, a biopsy of your bladder wall and uretha or a cystoscopy. A cystoscopy is where your consultant will examine the inside of the bladder in order to rule out bladder cancer. Sometimes as well as doing a cystoscopy, they will perform a ‘stretching’ of the bladder where the bladder is filled and stretched to maximum capacity by filling it with water. This may reveal ulcers or cracks in the bladder and is done under anaesthesia. Finally an Ultrasound or CT scan may be arranged which may also include looking at the kidneys or a urodynamics test which examines bladder function.
There is no specific cure for Bladder Pain syndrome although there are many ways to treat it. These include:
- Medications such as Ibuprofen or paracetamol or medicines spefically for nerve pain such as amytriptiline or pregabalin. the consultant mey also prescribe medication to help with the urinary urgency.
- Bladder retraining- going to the toilet frequently may have caused a habit to form. Bladder retraining helps you overcome this habit. You will be required to keep a bladder diary pre treatment
- Physiotherapy: a specialist in pelvic floor function may be able to help youlearn to relax the muscles and ease the pain associated with Bladder Pain Syndrome.
- Bladder Instillations- where medication is instilled directly into the bladder through a catheter to help alleviate symptoms
- Hydrodistension ( Bladder stretching) – the bladder is filled with water to strecth the bladder and increase the urine capacity.
- Nerve Stimulation- this helps regulate your bladder as it can reduce urinary urgency and frequency and sometimes alleviate the pain and discomfort felt
- Botox injections into the bladder- tjhese injections paralyze the muscles to reduce the pain but they are only a temmporary fix and will need to be repeated every 4-9 months.
- Surgery- in extreme cases when other measures have not worked your consultant may consider removing the bladder (Cystectomy)
There are ways to help prevent Painful Bladder Syndrome such as managing your diet and avoiding foods that may cause irritation such as alcohol, caffiene, fizzy drinks, chocolate, tomatoes, spicy foods and acidic fruits, staying hydrated, taking regular gentle exercise, such as walking, cycling or yoga and trying to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Stress is known to trigger a flare up.
