Life With Interstitial Cystitis: Part 2 "Recovery"

               If you read "Life With Interstitial Cystitis", the first installment, then you know my struggles of timing my life around pain. I had many "Ah-Ha" moments along the way. And there was even a brief period of time when I had a complete remission. 

Oxalates!

       About 18 months ago, I was reading online, researching ways people with IC had recovered. I came across Vulvadyna and the recommendation to eliminate "oxalates" from my diet. Oxalates are an organic compound found in many plants. I think it is actually a plant poison meant to poison the bugs that eat the plants. But because humans are so much larger, they don't affect people the same. Most people can neutralize them and pass them out through waste. For those of us who can't, the oxalates become crystals which can bind with calcium and cause kidney stones. Or they lodge in the bladder and irritate the bladder and vulva.

Low Oxalate Diet

          So the biggest step I have made in my healing has been to almost eliminate oxalates in my diet. I noticed an immediate improvement in my pain levels when I started to eliminate them from my diet. But it isn't easy! Ninety five percent of the recipes in my repertoire contain at least one item that has high oxalates in them. Cooking for my family has been problematic. Just tasting the food to check for proper spicing causes me to experience symptoms! Not to mention the fact that after cooking for nine or ten people, I just don't feel like making myself a separate meal. 

       I finally had to just walk away from the kitchen! I don't do much of the cooking anymore. My family isn't thrilled about that, but my children are capable of cooking. They will get through. And I just can't justify being in pain anymore. Once I experienced what it was like to live without pain, I just couldn't consider going back!

What CAN I Eat????

         Once I unlocked the puzzle and realized that oxalates were a huge problem for me, it was like a whole new chapter of life had just begun! But then I soon learned that things were going to be a little more complicated than just obvious oxalates. Salad dressings, sauces, pre packaged convenient foods, and restaurant foods can often surprise me with the pain they result in after I eat them! Many spices contain high amounts of oxalates and salt can also be very irritating to my sore bladder. My meal options are very limited at the moment! But feeling better and being able to live a normal life has really pushed me to not cheat. I am hoping that eventually my bladder will heal and I will be able to incorporate more foods into my diet. I'll keep you posted on that!

UPDATE!

      After spending a month strictly avoiding oxalates, and taking vitamin D, I feel 100%. I can't describe what a relief that is and also how strange it is to go through my days pain free. There are just NO WORDS! I will say I probably ate the same 5 things over and over and over again. And the reason I was successful when I haven't been before is, I am just so fed up with pain, food holds little enjoyment for me. Since my month of strict adherence to no oxalates, after a year of about 80% adherence, I have been able to eat a few things without any painful consequences. But I am vigilant to not allow that too often lest I be in the same boat I just got out of. 

  Tips and Tricks For Others To Try!

1. MY BEST TIP is drinking orange juice. The kind that has no sugar added and is the most natural form possible. If this is too expensive (It is for me!) try a fresh cut lemon squeezed into water. Citrate is a natural protector against oxalates! It also alkalizes urine which reduces pain from other potential irritants. (For me salt is an irritant!)  
2. Calcium Citrate is another handy tool. It also works to keep oxalate crystals from forming. Also, it alkalizes urine. This is super handy on a trip or when food options are low. I can cheat a little when I take this and eat foods that would otherwise immobilize me.
3. I have read many times about something called an "oxalate dump" when the body will release oxalates it has stored and that after reducing the oxalate load in the diet that these dumps can cause painful flare-ups. I have never been sure if I was experiencing this or if I ate something I shouldn't have, but I do experience more bladder issues around my menstrual cycle. So here is the rule, "When there is pollution (oxalates), dilution is the solution!" Flood the body with alkalizing fluids! 
4. Caffeine!- Ok this one is no doubt controversial and some people experience pain and irritation with caffeine. I don't! And I think the trick to caffeine may be in how it keeps my body processing fluids and keeping my bladder constantly flushed. It is a huge pain reliever for me.
5. Oxalate lists can be different and they can be inaccurate! Check more than one! Bread can be fine for me or whole wheat can really be a problem....sour dough can make all the difference! So fermenting foods can affect the oxalate content!
6. My last tip is to find a list of foods that leave you pain free and try not to deviate from that list in the slightest...at least for a time. Then experiment with adding foods back. This is so hard for me and takes effort in planning and executing...especially when I am stressed and just want easy food! But feeling good is so worth it!

Obviously these are just things that helped me, but are not meant to diagnose or treat any medical condition! :-)