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Patricia Lynne, Independent Author

Why I had to give up chocolate

3/27/2017

17 Comments

 
FYI: Journey Into Darkness has a new flash fiction added. Read it!
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If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you've probably seen me use the hashtag #icproblems, and lament about how I want to eat chocolate but can't. Afterwards, I've had people ask me what IC was. I'd always link them to the information, but I needed a post today, so I thought why not write about this.
Interstitial Cystitis is not only tricky to say, but also a chronic condition causing bladder pressure, bladder pain and sometimes pelvic pain. (source) The pain ranges from mild discomfort to severe. It's also called painful bladder syndrome. It's and invisible illness that's in the top five most painful conditions to have. I can attest to that.

What sucks even worse is there's really no cure. I'm on a medication that will possibly heal me up to 70-80%. If it doesn't heal and it only gets worse then the only option is to have the bladder removed. Remission I think is possible, but it's anyone's guess if that happens. They also don't really know the cause either. The most I can do is manage it with my eating habits.
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This is my list of safe food. They don't normally cause pain.
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These are foods I avoid. It's much longer than the other and blankets a lot of foods. And yes, not even water is safe!
When I was diagnosed, I basically had to toss the majority of what was in my cupboards. That's not an exaggeration. I went through all my food and separated what was listed as bladder friendly on this list. I had to do what was called the elimination diet where the goal was to find foods that didn't cause pain.

The first few months EVERYTHING I tried triggered me. I printed out that list and carried it around. Finally, I found something: Milk. One day all I did was drink milk. I lost 20 pounds as a result! (So if you really want to lose weight, might I recommend the elimination diet. Just pretend that all food will hurt if you eat it.)

I still have to carry the list and consult it from time to time, but I've gotten a pretty good handle on what triggers me and what's safe. Hopefully between that and the medication (which I have to take on an empty stomach, so that's another weight loss tip. Pretend you have a three hour period where you can't eat food no matter what) my bladder will repair as much as it can. But I'm stuck with this illness.
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This is what my bladder looks like. Kinda like planets. All that red and white shouldn't be there. It should be pink.
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17 Comments
HR Sinclair link
3/27/2017 05:24:15 am

Water? Wow. Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry you have to go through this. That's a massive don't eat list. With managing your food, you feel ok?

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Sarah Foster link
3/27/2017 06:30:39 am

Wow, not even water? I'm so sorry you're going through this. Hopefully monitoring your foods continues to help.

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MB
3/27/2017 06:40:09 am

I've noticed your tag and have been trying to find the time to ask you how you are/what's going on but I'm kind of a shitty friend with a host of my own health issues and a currently paraplegic dog. Sorry :(
I've had other friend do the elimination diet for all sorts of reasons, it seems an awful way to have to figure things out (by hurting yourself in the process). I'm glad you're finding some relief and have an actual diagnosis. Hope things improve for you!
I'm not a chocolate fan much at all, but what about white chocolate or unsweetened? Unsweetened would be gross to eat as a snack but I noticed sugar on the safe list so maybe for baking? Or chocolate flavored protein powder? I'm type ii now & my husband and I have been cutting things out for health and weight purposes so I find myself trying low cal high protein dessert recipes and many use flavored protein powders. Not sure if that would be an option for you.

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Christine Rains link
3/27/2017 06:59:55 am

That's just crazy! And no pizza? Yikes! Hopefully with time and management, it will get a little easier.

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Alex J. Cavanaugh link
3/27/2017 07:25:55 am

I'm sorry! Hopefully between medication and diet, you can heal and control it so you don't need surgery.

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Liz A. link
3/27/2017 09:49:01 am

I'm so sorry. That sucks. I hope you're able to eliminate all trigger foods and everything repairs itself.

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Libby Heily link
3/27/2017 11:14:20 am

That sounds difficult. I had IBS and ulcers for a while and had to play the elimination game but it wasn't nearly as severe as what you're describing. Good luck and I hope you find many things you enjoy eating that don't hurt!

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Stephanie Faris link
3/27/2017 12:19:20 pm

I feel like Mexican would be harder for me to give up, but when it comes to our health, that's more important than deliciousness! Plus, it looks like there are still some great foods you can eat? I hope the medication works its magic.

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J E Oneil link
3/27/2017 01:12:02 pm

That sounds awful, even without having to give up chocolate. I hope things improve soon. (And the first thing I thought when I saw those pics was also planets; great minds, right?)

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Tui Snider link
3/27/2017 05:08:58 pm

Those planetary bladder pics are cool, but dang... So, so sorry you have this painful condition.

I know other people with conditions that require them to try and figure out which foods are triggering. That is quite a challenge!

Hope the medication works and your avoid list shortens over time!

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Jemima Pett link
3/28/2017 02:11:19 am

I remember when you had to stop posting for a while because you were in so much pain. I'm glad that at least you've found out why, and started to get some way to controlling it.

I'm very lucky, but maybe I should go on that milk diet!

PS Can I use those bladder pics for my sci fi series? ;)

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Nicola link
3/28/2017 02:41:57 am

So sorry to hear of your terrible problem. Really hope your body heals itself with your help. Sending you lots of healing power across the ether. Take care.

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J.H. Moncrieff link
3/28/2017 04:13:16 am

Ouch, ouch, ouch! So sorry to hear this, Patricia. I was once diagnosed with IC when I was in my early twenties, but it was an elimination diagnosis--they couldn't figure out another reason for my chronic bladder infections.

What solved my issues was drinking a ton of water, being careful to stay hydrated. But I'm guessing you've tried that.

I hope you feel better soon. *hugs*

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Stephen Tremp
3/28/2017 01:16:55 pm

I hope the meds do what they are designed to do. Best wishes for healing and being able to eat what you want again.

Stephen Tremp
www.stephentremp.com

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Larry Kollar link
3/28/2017 06:29:12 pm

OUCH! I hope this heals up fast.

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Arlee Bird link
3/31/2017 07:44:51 am

This sounds kind of bad, but I guess we all adapt when we have to. There are probably a lot of things I should eliminate from my diet like most of the things I eat. I know I have terrible eating habits.


Arlee Bird
<a href="http://tossingitout.blogspot.com/">Tossing It Out</a>

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Shweta Suresh link
4/17/2017 12:50:54 am

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. I wish you a speedy recovery. Take care!

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© Patricia Lynne 2010- 2017 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
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