It's a condition with no known cause and one that is commonly misdiagnosed. Its symptoms are often mistaken for other urologic and gynecologic disorders, such as endometriosis, recurrent and unresolved urinary tract infections and overactive bladder.
Interstitial cystitis, or IC, is a painful bladder condition characterized by pain in the pelvis, back, bladder or thighs, coupled with the need to urinate frequently or urgently.
After a six-year battle with IC, actress Melody Thomas Scott of the daytime TV show "The Young and the Restless" revealed her own personal drama dealing with IC.
"I had never heard of IC, yet I had all the hallmark symptoms - the pelvic pain plus increasingly frequent and urgent trips to the bathroom," she said. "I knew that I had to get help; the pain was getting unbearable."
Thomas Scott spent years in pain and saw many doctors, several of whom even suggested that the pain could be psychological.
"I was shocked and angry that my pain was characterized this way," she said. But she continued her search for a diagnosis.
Thomas Scott's story is typical of the frustrating experiences shared by other IC patients.
"It was such a relief just to get a diagnosis and be treated," she said. "Others aren't so lucky. For some, getting a correct diagnosis can take up to four years or more, and many visits to different doctors. And, we don't even know how many more people could be suffering undiagnosed."
That's why, for the first time, Thomas Scott has publicly revealed her battle with IC as part of "All About IC," an educational campaign conducted on behalf of Ortho Women's Health and Urology, a division of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.
"I want women to know that there is help and treatments available," she said.
After her diagnosis, Thomas Scott's doctor recommended a treatment plan to address her IC symptoms.
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For more information on IC, treatment options and a tool to help locate a doctor in you area that can diagnose and treat this condition, go to www.AllAboutIC.com. - NU
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