Chronic forms of Cystitis

Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) is the updated name for Interstitial Cystitis (IC). This and Radiation Cystitis are known as chronic forms of cystitis, meaning that they are long-term conditions. These don’t usually involve bacteria.  BPS is a long-term inflammation of your bladder wall. The cause is not yet known. It has been suggested that it could be a damaged bladder lining, or an auto-immune disorder. It may feel like a urinary infection, however  antibiotics are not effective.

Symptoms may include:

Pain in the low tummy, vagina, urethra or bladder area can be at any time, during
urination or during sexual intercourse
Frequent need to pee
Urgent need to pee

If you have BPS, you will be spending a lot of time at home, or worrying about where you can find a toilet when you go out. It can be so severe that you can be virtually house-bound. This can lead to other problems such as anxiety and depression. Muscle tension from the physical and emotional stresses can lead to more pain and a loss of mobility, and exhaustion is common because of the number of times you need to get up at night for the toilet.

Relationships can suffer along with your body. Your family and friends may love you dearly and still not be able to understand how difficult things are for you.  A lot of people try to keep their bladder problems a secret because they’re embarrassed, which is another emotional strain.  BPS can be a debilitating condition which creeps into every area of your life. It can take years to get a diagnosis because this is done only when all other possibilities have been ruled out, and symptoms of other conditions can be similar. Even when you get a diagnosis, there’s still no cure, although there are medical treatments and interventions which can help.