Treatment for Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis: Surgery, Recovery, Home Remedies

There is no single treatment for the bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis so you need to try different treatments in order to get rid of the signs and symptoms. In this article you will read about the treatment options for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis, surgery, coping, recovery.

Usually a combination is required to get the desired results and relief from the pain. Your doctor will study the symptoms and see which treatments for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis will be most suited to you.

1. Physical Therapy (PT) for Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis

   The physical therapy (PT) is usually done to get rid of the pelvic pain that comes with restrictive connective tissue, muscle tenderness and other abnormalities.

2. Oral Medications to Treat Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis

   Oral medications help to overcome the pain of bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis to some extent and improve your overall health as well.

   • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen (Aleve) help to fight with the severe pain of bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis.
   • Tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline or imipramine (Tofranil) offer a relaxed feeling to the bladder and reduce the pain to a great extent.
   • Antihistamines like loratadine (Claritin, others) reduce the frequency of urination and help to overcome the other symptoms of bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis.
   • Pentosan (Elmiron) is another medication approved from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to treat interstitial cystitis. Its helps in avoiding the infection getting into the urine and causing bladder pain. This might take around 2 to 4 months in showing the right results but in a few days itself you will feel the difference.

3. Nerve Stimulation to Treat Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis

   The different nerve stimulation techniques for treating the bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis are described below:

   • TENS or Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation: This is the technique to sooth the pelvic pain with the help of the electric pulses. Your urine frequency will go down and the pain gets reduced. The main purpose of TENS is to enhance the blood flow to the bladder so that the muscles become strong and the bladder pain comes to an end. The wires are kept near your pelvic region and electric pulses are induced keeping in mind the frequency which is apt for you.
   • Sacral Nerve Stimulation: This is the next technique in which stimulation is done to the bladder nerves so that your pain gets reduced. Your sacral nerve lie between the bladder nerve and the spinal cord and stimulating it gives a lot of relief. For this process, the wire is placed near the sacral nerves and the pulses are sent to the bladder. It helps in reducing the symptoms and giving huge relief from the bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis.

4. Bladder Distention Treatment for Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis

   Bladder distention is also a solution to this problem and people get a temporary relief from bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. Cystoscopy is performed for it thus increasing the size of your bladder and ensuring that urination frequency gets reduced. The process can be done again and again for long lasting results.

5. Medications Instilled into the Bladder to Treat Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis

   Another way to treat bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis is by placing the medicines into the bladder. Dimethyl sulfoxide (Rimso-50) is the medication used for it which is inserted through a thin and flexible tube. Sometimes two or more medicines are mixed together and local anesthetic is given for around 15 minutes. The solution is then expelled out.

   This process can be carried out every 6 to 8 weeks or as the case may be and can continue till a year for the best results.

   A new medicine is now used for this process and it is dimethyl sulfoxide (Rimso-50) which is a combination of the sodium bicarbonate, lidocaine and pentosan or heparin.

Surgery to treat bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis is usually not used by the doctors because it is not effective and there are high chances that the complications may increase. Only for a few cases the surgery is recommended and only when none of the above treatments are working. There are various kinds of surgical methods which are adopted for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis.

• Fulguration surgery for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. This is the first method in which an instrument is passed to the urethra to burn the ulcers and relive you from the interstitial cystitis pain and other problems.
• Resection surgery for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. Then you have the resection which is similar to fulguration but with a difference that ulcers are cut and not burnt for the best results.
• Bladder augmentation for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. The next is the augmentation in which the damaged area of your bladder will be replaced with the colon. Though pain continues with the frequency improves and catheter is then used by the people.

There are complimentary treatments for the bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis and is shown to provide great results after it. Acupuncture therapy for managing bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis helps to overcome the pain and reduces the other symptoms too. In this, thin needles are placed on the various points of the body and induce a lot of relief. The best part is that the results are really great and you feel a huge difference in your body. With acupuncture you can look forward to overall wellbeing of your body and fitness level.

If you want you can ask your doctor about the treatments and whether these can be performed on you or not.

Coping with bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis is frustrating. Interstitial cystitis has a lot of impact on your life that is why a support is needed from your friends, family and relatives.

Do not hesitate when talking to your doctor but be open and discuss all the questions you have in your mind. This will help you to find a better to your problem.

Be a part of a support group which is related to bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis where you get useful information and can know more about it.

The time period of the recovery or healing time for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis will depend on the kind of treatment you have undergone. Your doctor can best tell you about the same and guide you as well. You can ask questions related to the follow up as well.

In order to get rid of the bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis naturally, here are a few changes that you can make on your lifestyle.

• Dietary changes can be great lifestyle change for managing bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. The first thing is to change your diet like not eating the foods that cause irritation in your bladder. Stuff like beverages, citrus foods, alcohol, pickles etc can be dangerous so make sure to avoid them. You must also consume less tomato which too irritate the bladder and tend to increase the problem. Artificial sweeteners must be avoided as it just increases the problem. If there are other food items that are complicating the problem, avoid them for some time and start again once you consult your doctor and seek their advice.
• Bladder training is another great lifestyle change for managing bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. You need to train yourself and pass urine at the right time. You can use timer and set it accordingly. Initially you can begin with less time interval and increase it gradually once you get used to it. There are different relaxation techniques that you can use to control your urination and make sure it helps you.

Some of the home remedies that you can try for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis are:

• Wearing loose clothing is a good home remedy for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. Do not use belts on the abdomen and ensure you wear lose clothes.
• Exercising regularly is a great home remedy for bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. Start your exercise today for the far reaching affects especially the stretching ones which are highly beneficial.
• Reduce stress to manage bladder pain syndrome or interstitial cystitis. Keep away from stress and it can only complicate the problem.
• Stop smoking as it increases the pain and causes bladder cancer too.

Also Read:

• What is Bladder Pain Syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Complications