Medical Illness and Trauma: interstitial cystitis

[iceberg13]

Does anyone here suffer from interstitial cystitis? I have had since age 5, feel was onset by child sexual abuse. Now, 41, It affects my life relationships etc. Doctors don't believe me about pain and how it affect quality of life.

 

[PamelaS]

Does anyone here suffer from interstitial cystitis? I have had since age 5, feel was onset by child sexual abuse. Now, 41, It affects my life relationships etc. Doctors don't believe me about pain and how it affect quality of life.

I’m sorry for your pain. I am just starting to read The Body Keeps Score. Hoping to find some answers.
This forum is mainly focused specifically on PTSD and CPTSD. But I truly believe that the body can be affected as well as the mind. Good luck figuring it out. So sorry for what brought you here.

 

[RSnow]

I am sorry you are suffering with this. Not having a physician that believes your story only compounds that. I developed IC within a year of my abusive marriage, and it continued for 28 years. Every body is different. My doctors and I suspected the condition was related to my living situation. 2 years after I left my marriage I began Somatic therapy. After 2 years of therapy I no longer had regular flareups. In the last 5 years I have only experienced the onset twice, both during very stressful situations when I felt overwhelmed. Neither reached the state or pain I experienced previously.

There are many wonderful experts that have been researching and helping people down the path of recovery from trauma. The Body keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine and The Body Says No by Gabor Mate are all helpful resources for understanding how unresolved trauma can affect the body

I sincerely hope you can find the support you need in your community

 

[PamelaS]

I am sorry you are suffering with this. Not having a physician that believes your story only compounds that. I developed IC within a year of my abusive marriage, and it continued for 28 years. Every body is different. My doctors and I suspected the condition was related to my living situation. 2 years after I left my marriage I began Somatic therapy. After 2 years of therapy I no longer had regular flareups. In the last 5 years I have only experienced the onset twice, both during very stressful situations when I felt overwhelmed. Neither reached the state or pain I experienced previously.

There are many wonderful experts that have been researching and helping people down the path of recovery from trauma. The Body keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine and The Body Says No by Gabor Mate are all helpful resources for understanding how unresolved trauma can affect the body

I sincerely hope you can find the support you need in your community

Thank you for sharing your healing experience. That is so encouraging. I was wondering if I would ever heal. You give me hope. I am currently reading. The body keeps score. Learning a lot. I have been looking for a trauma informed therapist. Having a hard time getting to see anyone because there are so many people seeking help that they’re not taking new clients. But I have a mountain pile of resources on trauma and abuse and I’m busy learning. So I can be patient waiting for a trauma therapist to help me move forward. This is helping a lot. I actually got the courage to confront my husband, my abuser, through a letter. Since I’ve sent him that letter, he has been leaving me alone and respecting my boundaries. So very, very thankful that I got up the courage to write that letter.

Happy to be here, encouraging one another and sharing what works. Thanks for sharing the hope of healing in the future.