[urethritis]

he said that potassium is the cause of the pain somehow. I still don't get it. So can I get the tesing kit for a broth culture? how much does it cost? what types of supplements is she sending you? gosh I really hope your tests come up w/ some results. I'm having a particularly bad flare right now. It was bad last night too. ttyl

[suffering]

Hi Urethritis: She's going to mail me the kits and I have to overnight them all to three different labs. By the sounds of it a lot of cases of IC are related to Lyme. She knows of a lot of things to treat Lyme and also to help re-build the bladder wall. She is mailing me two supplements to start on.

I definitely need to lose weight. I gained a lot of weight before I got sick and haven't been able to lose it because of the fatigue. All in all it's not my biggest problem but I am looking forward to losing the weight.

The kits she has ordered for me are to test for Lyme, to test my vitamin-mineral levels and one urine test called a broth culture. I'm not sure if you've ever had one of these urine tests done. It's done by United Medical lab. If you are interested you can look them up on the internet. The thing about these tests are that they are left to sit for a lot longer than the standard agar plate test (which I think almost all doctors use. I can't think of one doc I know of who uses broth culture). Anyway, if you are looking for an excellent urine test this is probably the one.

What did your doc say exactly about elecrolytes in the urine? How do they treat this?

I will update you on anything/everything I learn as I go.

[urethritis]

wow, suffering. that's great!! so what does she think will cure your IC? will eating right for your blood type help that? what does she think causes it? My doc says electrolytes in urine are to blame b/c they irritate the bladder in IC patients. So are you going back to get tested for Lyme? What kit are you ordering? I'm sooo excited for you! Maybe I will check out that book too. We can start together and see if it works. Maybe I'll lose some weight in the process. ha! I'm only ten or so pounds overweight. no big deal. well, I'm off to drink water! Good luck and keep me posted!!!!

[suffering]

So I talked to that nurse practitioner today and I am hopeful. She is going to investigate me for Lyme disease and she's going to get me to do a broth culture urine test. She's also going to test my blood to measure my vitamin/mineral levels. She is sending me two supplements to start on and she has a whole bunch of other ideas for me to try.

One thing she mentioned was the "Eat Right 4 You Type" diet book. I have to find out what blood type I am. I ordered the book from the library.

Finally I feel like I am getting somwhere. She is very thorough! It doesn't look likely that the urinary tract infections were causing my urinary symptoms. She said just based on my symptoms (fatigue, urinary, TMJ, sleep problems, past history of depression/bipolar) that she definitely thinks I should be tested for Lyme disease. Lyme disease can cause all of those symptoms.

One of the most encouraging things she told me was she has a patient who was sick for 27 years and is now better after 2 years of treatment.

YAY!! I am so encouraged right now! Now I just have to wait for the test kits to arrive in the mail and get them done. This nurse is so thorough. I feel like I am in good hands. This is how I felt when I saw that doctor in Neww York. Both of them really know what they are doing.