Cystitis is a chronic condition that affects your bladder. The wall in your bladder becomes inflamed causing the bladder to be very sensitive. Cystitis causes frequent visit to the bathroom as many as 40-60 times a day in severe cases. It also keeps you up at night.
If you want to know more about cystitis, visit us at Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center and consult with the best nephrologists and urologists in East New York.
Symptoms of these condition can vary from person to person which can be mild, severe or constant. It can change in a day, in a week or sometimes, symptoms can linger for months or years. They might even go away without treatment. Some of the symptoms may be similar to bladder infection. Common symptoms for this condition can include:
- Pelvic pain, pain in your tummy, lower back or lower tummy
- Pressure or discomfort as the bladder fills up
- Urinating in small amount
- The need to pee often
- For men: pain during orgasm or after sex, pain in the scrotum, testicles or penis
- For women: pain during sex, pain in the vulva, vagina, or the area behind the vagina
For women, symptoms can be more painful during menstrual periods. The bladder pain can vary from a dull ache to piercing pain. Peeing could also make you feel a little sting or a burning feeling.
There are also factors that makes these symptoms worse, like foods/drinks and stress, both mental or physical.
Although causes for cystitis is yet to be completely understood, it may be related to other medical conditions such as:
- Defects in your bladder lining
- Presence of abnormal substances in your urine
- Autoimmune disease
- Allergies
- Vascular disease
- Other unidentified infection
There is no definitive test to diagnose interstitial cystitis. If you go to your medical provider and complain about bladder pain with the frequency of going to the bathroom, the next step will be to rule out all the other infections and conditions. Your medical provider may run different test, such as:
- Urine sample and urinalysis – used to determine infection so your doctor can treat your infection with antibiotics
- Biopsy of your bladder wall and urethra – to help determine or rule out cancer
- Cystoscopy – this procedure is used to examine the inside of your bladder. This could also rule out bladder cancer
Although cystitis cannot be cured, there are many different ways to manage it. Treatments are aimed to relieve your symptoms. Cystitis treatments can include:
- Diet – You may want to remove certain food and drinks that you’ve observed that made your symptoms worse.
- Exercise – Physical activity may help relieve the symptoms of cystitis
- Reducing stress – Stress triggers symptoms. Learning how to manage stress makes living with cystitis more bearable
- Bladder retaining – This a treatment that will help you retain urine in your bladder a little longer. This will help minimize the need to go to the bathroom more often.
- Oral medication – This treatment is for managing your pain brought about by cystitis
- Bladder instillations – This treatment is to fill your bladder with liquid medicine.
- Surgery – Surgery is the last resort of treatment for cystitis. This procedure may be used to remove parts of your bladder or your entire bladder. If you have tried every possible course of treatment but the pain is still excruciating then surgery may be considered.
Cystitis can bring you a lot of challenges. It affects your social life, sleep and even your ability to work. Despite all these, learning how to live with it and manage the symptoms could help you live a better quality of life. Consult your medical provider to help and guide through the treatment process.
If you suspect or have symptoms of cystitis, consult your medical provider immediately and have yourself checked. At Doral Health and Wellness Urology Center, our team of urologist will work with you in managing your disease and your quality of life. To schedule an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11212 or call 1-347-384-5690. You can also visit our website at https://www.urologistbrooklyn.com/.