UCPPS - Prostatitis, Interstitial Cystitis Forum

One week is typical.

Yes, it was gone within 48 hrs.

So I just cut/paste what I wrote to another member:

after excluding all possible causes (through tests, scans, cystoscopy etc.) my uro thinks it is " tight / spastic pelvic floor / external urethral sphincter" and he sent me to an experienced pelvic-floor PT. Ten days ago she did gentle "mapping" of my trigger points and just a little bit manual therapy on them. I felt okay or maybe the same after that. Yesterday was the first real PT. I think she knew not to overdo it but maybe it went just a little bit too long. I had to do also some stretches in their gym before that. So, few hours later I started feeling more urgency than usual flare-up, which is unpleasant but actually means that those TP-s are really connected with my issue. I am waiting now to subside and eventually get better.

I tried to search the issue of manual PT initial exacerbation and found this exchange from 2009:
https://ucpps.men/viewtopic.php?p=34880#p34880

I am not as overly-anxious but will be happy to know what is usual or read more about the "initial exacerbation" as I couldn't sleep tonight having to pee each hour. Now is 5am and I hope it will get better. At least it didn't get worse.

The manual PT of the last 3-4 weeks had great effect from the second session on. I almost forgot about my issues.
However my vitamins B6/B9(Folate)/B12 are very low according Genova NutrEval test and the functional doctor gave me B-supreme strong combination of B vitamins. Few hours after I took one pill I had urgency all afternoon and night - big flare up. Still dealing with it two days later. Crazy stuff!
I will stop the supplement for a week and search another one with minimal strength.

B vitamins can cause flares, especially if your inflammation is bladder-centered. That's well known.

Hi Mark, do you live without ANY coffee in the last decades or you started it again after you got rid completely of your bladder issues?

I am asking because last 2 days I have a nasty flare-up and the only difference was - some cappuccinos and ProOmega® 2000 pill from Nordic Naturals (But again - in the summer, in Italy I had one cappuccino every morning in a bar and there were no problems)

Thanks.

Coffee gives me diarrhea so I avoid it for that reason. But coffee is a big no-no if you have bladder or lower urinary tract inflammation. Find another hot beverage. I like Chamomile tea with sucralose sweetener.

There is also a small chance that the acid lemon flavoring of the ProOmega® 2000 is affecting you.

I noticed this Tips page linked to another post. Very good one! I have never seen it before.
Is it really for prostatitis or also for IC?
Also I saw "buffered Vitamin C" recommended up to 2g. I read what buffered means. But buffered or not isn't C the worst offender. I think taking 1g a day for 3 months in the summer of 2020 was one the reasons for my problems. I am even sensitive to high doses of Vitamin B and I actually really need to increase Vitamins B6/B9/B12 in my system and do not know how to do it without irritating my bladder! If "buffered" works are there buffered forms of Vitamin B too?

I'm not a fan of megadoses of vitamins, which is a quack remedy. Don't take high doses of any vitamin. Most vitamin supplements end up being urinated down the toilet anyway. No, there is no buffered form of B.

Hi webslave, I take it that because Tips page is called "UCPPS Prostatitis Tips" it is relevant for IC too.
Also, I will give another try to OTC-s. Started taking the recommended dosage of Bladder Builder few days ago (2x2 daily).
Do you think it's the best out there and do you think it provides enough Quercitin and PEA, because they do not put the exact amounts on the label.
This time I will try at least a month.

However, since I am using Bladder Builder (1 week) I have shorter intervals and smaller volumes so not sure if this is coincidence but I will probably stop it for a week and see if it will improve.

Is there some data or knowledge about the use of Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis) or Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) for irritated bladder? They have been used for hundreds of years. Today they are known to have uses for mucous membrane linings of the G.I. tract. Recently I learned that some people traditionally use them also for calming and building the bladder. Pretty safe and no side effects.

Try them and see. After 20 years, this forum does not have many success stories about those.

I have a flare up in the last three days. Kind of bad, even at night.
Yesterday I had my Pelvic floor PT and felt good for about 6 hrs afterwards. Usually I feel good at least a week after PT. So it is not from the muscles but has to be from the other component - the bladder.

Here are some new things that happened ordered by degree of suspiciousness:

1. I have been using Stevia (including once in a baked cake) for the last week
2. Have been taking "Cortisol Manager" every evening for the last 5 days for sleep problems ( ingredients )
3. Have been drinking almond milk for more than a month. Actually discovered a gum-free one called MALK without any garbage ingredients, but only three: almonds, water, salt (link)
4. Have a new sexual relationship within the last month and although do not suspect anything bad will run an STI panel test
5. Generally I am doing okay and in doing mito/paleo diet. Dropped dairy and almost all grains for the last 2 months. (Walking 7 miles every day for 2 years and doing pelvic PT twice a month for the last 3 months) ...

However:

• For the last few weeks I developed a sleep maintenance problems: started as anxiety issue one night when I tried to get back to sleep at 2am and now being more self perpetuating - use Atarax and Valium sup on as needed basis
• Also for the last few weeks I noticed having generally smaller urine volumes and waking 2-3 times at night but not always for peeing. If I drink a lot of water though and wait I can make a volume of 500ml. My PT told me yesterday that she felt my bladder "being stuck on the left side" and she was loosening it through a massage. She said this normally happens when people have scar-tissue and went through some digestive-problem episodes. That's how I understood it.

So, I am trying not to catastrophize in my thinking. Maybe some advice can help me to connect the dots.

Thanks,
Stefan

Admin comment: new sexual relationship can lead to ejaculation frequency increase and that can goose symptoms

Interesting things are happening: while I am addressing successfully my new flareup and the sleeping problems my tailbone woke up and in a more pronounced way. As I wrote somewhere above, last summer in Europe I fell on my tailbone but relatively soft landing and after a week all was gone (xray: not broken). Since then mild tailbone discomfort came up couple of times after some unfortunate stretches or speed-walking. Last time - a week ago after standing hamstring stretches (one foot almost 90 degree up on a bench backrest). Yesterday after some driving the tailbone pain got stronger and although I am resting all day today it got really bothersome. Interestingly, initially it felt almost like anal pain but then clearly tailbone pain. Also, my usual bladder discomfort issues kind of "disappear" during tailbone pain. Like they are taking turns :-) Sounds funny but I may look for an orthopedist or something. Today I am scheduled to go for my regular Pelvic floor PT and I will ask her to address this issue.

Admin comment: known as coccygodynia, google that and search our forum for it too.

Has anybody used "Bladder Serene" from Apex Energetics?
https://apexenergetics.com/bladder-serene
A functional medicine doctor prescribed this to me (plus Kava Kava capsules and cornsilk) . I still haven't tried it.

Here are the ingradients:
Amount Per Serving %DV
Magnesium (as magnesium taurate) 37.5 mg 9%
Magnesium Taurate 500 mg
Beta-Sitosterol (from phytosterols) 300 mg
Stigmasterol (from phytosterols) 200 mg
Pumpkin Extract(Cucurbita moschata poiret) (seed) 200 mg
Campesterol (from phytosterols) 175 mg

Other ingredients: Natural flavors, malic acid, xanthan gum, luo han guo fruit extract, cellulose.