Interstitial Cystitis Archives

Constipation and Interstitial Cystitis

Interesting article here...especially considering the overlap with IC and IBS

http://www.ichelp.com/RelatedDiseases/PFDAndBowelProblems.html

I am a 26 year old male diagnosed with IC, and have been having good results practicing skilled relaxation over the past 4 months.

For the past 6 months, I have been eating at least 5 servings a day of frozen vegetables, and I must say that I have been extremely regular the vast majority of the time.

Well last week I ran out of vegetables, and being busy with work and things, never got around to going back to the grocery store and getting more.(stupid excuse)

So after about 3 or 4 days of being vegetable free, after 6 months of eating lots of vegetables, I got 'backed up.'

And when I did one of my 20 minute skilled relaxation/meditation sessions, I could TOTALLY feel the difference in my pelvic floor muscles, bascially I was unable to relax them completely, and learning to relax them is what has greatly improved my IC/CPPS symptoms over the past 4 months.

I still got very relaxed during the session, but there was constantly an element of tension in the pelvic region that I was never able to relax, I am guessing something to do with the Levator Ani muscle being clenched up.

Needless to say, with this increased tension, I got a flare.(no pain anymore, just incrased frequency)

It is taking me a few days to 'regularize' myself, both digestive system and pelvic floor region. I am guessing after my digestive system is regular again, it will take me a week or two to get the muscles of that region in check again.

So those of us concentrating on keeping our pelvic floor muscles relaxed, need to make sure to *NEVER* lapse on your fiber(vegetables, fruit, etc) intake, because no matter how much you try to relax the pelvic mucles, when you are irregular you are pretty much unable to.

And when those muscles become tensed up, it completely exacerbates the IC symptoms, making you subconciously clench the muscles even more, thus contributing to the vicious perpetuating cycle.

Re: Constipation and Interstitial Cystitis

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