Painful bladder syndrome
Painful bladder syndrome (also known as Interstitial Cystitis) in its simplest form is a bladder that hurts when it is filled with urine, such that sufferers empty their bladders many times a day to get some relief, although of course this is short lived. Symptoms can however be very variable from one patient to another, and may be flared up by the wrong type of food or drink or stress. There is an overlap of symptoms with other conditions such as Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain. Treatment therefore can require the input of a number of specialities, between Urology, Gynaecology, Pain medicine and Gastroenterology.
Treatment can involve medications, instillations of soothing substances into the bladder and lifestyle changes. Sometimes even just being able to understand the problem and recognising things that cause flare ups can be very helpful.
