To learn more about my urologist.
http://www.urologychannel.com/dean/

Interstitial cystitis (IC), one of the chronic pelvic pain disorders, is a condition resulting in recurring discomfort or pain in the bladder and the surrounding pelvic region. The symptoms of IC vary from case to case. People may experience mild discomfort, pressure, tenderness, or intense pain in the bladder and surrounding pelvic area. Symptoms may include an urgent need to urinate (urgency), frequent need to urinate (frequency), or a combination of these symptoms. Pain may change in intensity as the bladder fills with urine or as it empties. IC is far more common in women than in men. Of the more than 700,000 Americans estimated to have IC, 90 percent are women. These patients may be unable to work, unable to have sex comfortably. Fifty percent are unable to drive in a car comfortably.
http://ic-network.com/
http://www.ichelp.com/
http://ic-network.com/
http://www.intercyst.org/

Sacral Nerve Stimulator
http://www.medtronic.com

Fibromyalgia (fye-bro-my-AL-gee-ah) is an arthritis-related condition that is characterized by  generalized muscular pain and fatigue. The term "fibromyalgia" means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. This condition is referred to as a "syndrome" because it's a set of signs and symptoms that occur together.
http://www.fibromyalgia.com/home.htm
http://www.fm-research.com/
http://fmaware.org/index.html
http://www.muhealth.org/~fibro/fm-pt.html#Misc

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
http://www.ncptsd.org/

Malignant Melanoma
http://www.thecancer.info/melanoma/index.asp
http://www.ontumor.com/melanoma/treatment_pt/
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=2788

Breast Cancer
Meet my friend Keri, breast cancer survivor
http://www.cancer.org
http://www.aicr.org

Multiple Scerolsis
http://www.nmss.org

Heart Disease
www.americanheart.org
www.stroke.org

Diabeties
http://www.lifescan.com/care/index.html
http://ndep.nih.gov/

Cluster Headaches
http://healthology.com/focus_article.asp?f=headache&c=
types_causes#Cluster

Sleep Disorders
http://www.sleepapnea.org/

More links to medical sites:
http://medlineplus.gov/
http://webmd.com/
http://mdchoice.com/
http://healthology.com/html/splash.htm
http://www.medscape.com
http://www.medcohealth.com/
http://www.merck.com/
http://www.medicinenet.com/sleep_related_breathing_
disorders/article.htm

Sweet Teeth Drain Pain According to research conducted at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, adults seem to have a higher threshold for tolerating pain if they taste something sweet at the time. Whether sweet tastes produce a release of analgesic, or pain-killing, endorphins within the body or simply divert the brain's awareness away from pain, Dr. Fillingim says is not yet clear. "Anything we can do to increase expectancy that pain relief will occur is a good thing," says Dr. Fillingin. Holly Welling - September/October issue of Arthritis Today.

Interstitial cystitis? Chances are, you've only recently heard of it. Unfortunately for those of us that have this disease, we've had to learn to restructure our lives around it's symptoms which can range from mild discomfort to excruciating pain. No two IC patients are alike, no two will have the same allergies, whether it be food or the chemicals we use daily and take for granted, i.e. hand lotion, shampoo, perfume, cleaners, and other regularly used items. Nor will the same two patients have the same relief by altering diet or taking medication.

I had not heard of this incurable, debilitating disease until I was diagnosed with it in February 2001. For years I had suffered with pain and was treated with multiple surgeries. I saw many, many doctors and each tried to cure the pain. Each suggesting yet another surgery. It started with my gall bladder, then my left ovary and a colon resection, then my right ovary, the left ovary again because a small piece was missed during the colon resection and scar tissue which had caused a bowel obstruction. Finally a stint was placed in my left ureter and then removed a week later, with no results.

With each surgery, I had hope of an end to the pain, but that did not happen. When Dr. Dean diagnosed me with IC, I was devastated. I lost all hope of ever being pain free. He started treating it aggressively with several medications, some too strong, others I developed an allergy to and then he tested me for a Medtronic Sacral Nerve Stimulator. I was a prime candidate for the implant and after wearing the test equipment for one week, I was scheduled for surgery to have the permanent implant. (I have included Medtronic's website for more explanation along with several websites that offer a great deal of information on interstitial cystitis and the research being done in search of a cure.)

The implant surgery went well, but I had a severe anxiety attack in the recovery room, the mere thought of having something foreign in my body was overwhelming. After being medicated for anxiety, I was placed in my room and the implant was activated. It has helped control my frequency and urgency. I no longer urinate 25 times a day. However, the pain has not stopped. Dr. Dean referred me to a pain management doctor, but his technique was not satisfactory.

With the fear of colon damage and/or heart damage from taking so many pain killers, and the possibility of fibromyalgia, Dr. Dean referred me to the necessary specialists. The cardiologist diagnosed a heart murmur, the gastroenterologist did not find anything wrong with my colon and the rheumatologist diagnosed me with fibromyalgia, another debilitating disorder. She is convinced that stress is the underlining factor in my development of this disorder.

Stress also being the element that causes flair-ups with both IC and FMS and in turn leads to the pain, stiffness, achy muscles and rash. So in this world of terrorism, financial setbacks and day to day living, I must remain as stress free as possible. I do not travel much because of the pain associated with the movement of the vehicle. I avoid certain foods because of their high acidic content and I avoid stressful situations that undoubtly cause me the most pain. I take Darvacet when the pain is not over powering and Demeral when the pain is unbearable. If I do not get the pain under control, I will more than likely have a morphine pump placed in my abdomen.

As mentioned, stress, my main problem, is hard for me to understand and recognise. The smallest things can cause stress, without my acknowledgement, so I try to avoid crowds, screaming kids and activities that are less than relaxing. I'm sure that some people do not understand my illness and consider my stress factor a problem that I should be able to control, but at this point in my life, I'm not able to control all aspects of it's hold on me or the past experiences that have altered my life. Pain alone is a huge stress factor and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after witnessing a fatal stabbing will linger with me forever. Although I see a psychologist regularly, the process to over come something so devastating is very long and tedious. I recognise parts of it differently than I did when it first occurred, but coping with those images are a daily battle.It seems my world came tumbling down when Dr. Dean diagnosed interstitial cystitis and life has not improved with the following diagnosis of fibromyalgia. I can only take one day at a time and can not plan anything in advance. There are times that walking is so difficult that I must hold on to something to keep from falling. I take pain killers regularly and have a rash on my hands and arms constantly. A list of symptoms for IC and FMS will follow this statement.

Fibromyalgia presently seems more dominate than IC. It has caused migraines, muscle aches, stiffness and a rash. When I become overly stressed, the rash worsens almost instantly. I can expect to have a migraine for at least 3 days, once every two weeks and the aches and pains are always present, but more prominent after activities. Even working in the kitchen, cooking, causes my shoulder to hurt terribly. I try to avoid excessive movement and walk only as much as necessary. While cleaning I will gather everything that is out of place and try to replace it as I move from one cleaning area to another. Unfortunately, these cleaning chores are not done regularly or adequately. I do not vacuum at all, someone else must do it, the tugging and pushing of the vacuum cleaner causes an instant flare-up. I have had to learn that everything can not be perfect, that I must except a little clutter and not worry about what is clean or dirty. Things are certainly not as I wish them to be, but I live day to day in hopes of a pain free moment.

Sleep Apnea - A sleeping disorder commonly associated with fibromyalgia and IC. It can be corrected with the use of a CPAP, diet and exercise. I use a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) everytime I sleep. No more falling asleep in my chair. The CPAP does not allow me to stop breathing. It forces air into the air passage keeping it from becoming blocked , which is called, Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Sleep apnea is a disturbance in one's sleep when they stop breathing for 10 seconds or more at a time. The body requires sleep to repair itself and sleep apnea hinders these repairs causing more problems to arise. The symptoms of sleep apnea are: Loud snoring, Excessive daytime sleepiness, Restless sleep, Difficulty breathing during sleep, Morning headaches.

Epstein-Barr Virus - Frequently refered to as EBV, this virus is one that everyone is exposed to, usually with in a few weeks or months of life. Infants become susceptible upon birth when the maternal antibody protection is no longer present. Many children become infected during adolescence. When infection with EBV occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, it causes infectious mononucleosis 35% to 50% of the time. EBV establishes a lifelong dormant infection in some cells of the body's immune system. A late event in a very few carriers of this virus is the emergence of Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, two rare cancers that are not normally found in the United States. EBV appears to play an important role in these malignancies, but is probably not the sole cause of disease. Most individuals exposed to people with infectious mononucleosis have previously been infected with EBV and are not at risk for infectious mononucleosis.

Chronic Fatique
Chronic Pain

Keri is a friend of mine that has had breast cancer, her husband was diagnosed with Hepatitis C on January 8, 2003. He has worked in the hospital for years and they feel he contracted the disease there, please pray for them to be strong and that the treatment is successful.

Learn more about Hepatitis C here.

My son, Andy has been diagosed with Temporomandibular Disorder and Disc Displacement.
A good jaw joint illustration is here. His jaw is not working properly which is causing him to grind his teeth. He was treated with a splint several years ago but has since cracked it and is having more problems. It seems that his jaw is not sliding on the disc, instead the disc remains stationary. He will have an MRI done to show the damage that needs to be repaired and will possibly have surgery to release the disc. He has been referred to another doctor after being referred to one in College Station. Upon the next doctor's findings, I will update this information.

The present procedure discussed: Arthrocentesis

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mentally re-experiencing the trauma can include:

* Upsetting memories such as images or other thoughts about the trauma.
* Feeling as if it the trauma is happening again ("Flashbacks").
* Bad dreams and nightmares.
* Getting upset when reminded about the trauma (by something the person sees, hears, feels, smells, or tastes).
* Anxiety or fear - feeling in danger again.
* Anger or aggressive feelings ñ feeling the need to defend oneself.
* Trouble controlling emotions because reminders lead to sudden anxiety, anger, or upset.
* Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly.

People also can have physical reactions to trauma reminders such as:

* Trouble falling or staying asleep.
* Feeling agitated and constantly on the lookout for danger.
* Getting very startled by loud noises or something or someone coming up on you from behind when you don't expect it.
* Feeling shaky and sweaty.
* Having your heart pound or having trouble breathing.

Interstitial Cystitis Symptoms

The symptoms of IC vary greatly from one person to another but have some similarities to those of a urinary tract infection:

Decreased bladder capacity
An urgent need to urinate
Frequently day and night
Feelings of pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis, and perineum (the area between the anus and vagina or anus and scrotum), which may increase as the bladder fills and decrease as it empties
Painful sexual intercourse
In men, discomfort or pain in the penis and scrotum. In most women, symptoms usually worsen around the menstrual cycle.

Aggravating factors - stress, acidic foods,

IC Facts

A chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder. The cause of interstitial cystitis is unknown, but occurs more commonly in females.

Adults pass about a quart and a half of urine each day. The amount of urine varies, depending on the fluids and foods a person consumes. The volume formed at night is about half that formed in the daytime.

Normal urine is sterile. It contains fluids, salts and waste products, but it is free of bacteria, viruses and fungi. The tissues of the bladder are isolated from urine and toxic substances by a coating that discourages bacteria from attaching and growing on the bladder wall.

People with interstitial cystitis (IC) have an inflamed, or irritated, bladder wall. This inflammation can lead to scarring and stiffening of the bladder, decreased bladder capacity, glomerulations (pinpoint bleeding) and, in rare cases, ulcers in the bladder lining.

IC, also known as painful bladder syndrome and frequency-urgency-dysuria syndrome, is a complex, chronic disorder that has baffled doctors for as long as it has been recognized.

Fibromyalgia Symptoms

Pain - deep muscular aching, burning, throbbing, shooting and stabbing
Fatigue - totally drained of energy
Sleep disorder - able to fall asleep without much trouble, but deep level (or stage 4) sleep is constantly interrupted by bursts of awake-like brain activity
Irritable Bowel Syndrome - constipation, diarrhea, frequent abdominal pain
Chronic headaches - recurrent migraine or tension-type headaches
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome - TMJ, tremendous face and head pain
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome - sensitivities to odors, noise, bright lights, medications and various foods
Other common symptoms - dysmenorrhea, chest pain, morning stiffness, cognitive or memory impairment, numbness and tingling sensations, muscle twitching, irritable bladder, the feeling of swollen extremities, skin sensitivities, dry eyes and mouth, frequent changes in eye prescription, dizziness, and impaired coordination can occur.
Aggravating factors - Changes in weather, cold or drafty environments, hormonal fluctuations (premenstrual and menopausal states), stress, depression, anxiety and over-exertion can all contribute to symptom flare-ups.

FMS Facts

A disorder characterised by muscle pain, stiffness and easy fatigability. The cause is unknown and an estimated 3 million are affected in the USA.

Fibromyalgia is a common and disabling disorder affecting 2% to 4% of the population, women more often than men.

http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/diseasecenter/fibromyalgia.asp