Ick!

I have no patience for anything this morning.  No patience for my dog, who wants to lift his leg up on every mailbox we pass on our walk.  No patience for my husband, who is scrambling online, as I write this, to try to order last minute Christmas presents for his family, when I have spent the last 3 weeks suggesting ideas that I guess weren't good enough to order ahead of time.  Most of all, I have no patience for my current ObGyn, who has decided (after 3 months of treatment) that maybe she isn't the best doctor to fix my bladder pain and wants me to see a 3rd urologist.  For this record, the urologist she recommended works in her hospital and his special interest is oncology concerning the prostate.  Somehow, I don't think that he is going to have the most up-to-date information on female, hormonal bladder pain and incontinence.  Honestly, I just feel hurt.  I did some calling around, and I have referred myself to a different urologist who works for a local large medical university and treats only female patients with bladder voiding issues and pain.  I'm really not a bad patient; it's just that this has been going on for a year, and I am sick of it.  I will stop blogging now, and I'm sure this is no fun for you to read.  I'm really only here to update my stats.
              Josie

The Numbers:  December 14, 2011.  Food:  Breakfast:  Wheat chex and coconut milk.  Lunch:  Brown rice, olive oil, sea salt, spinach, pork, Havarti cheese, avocado, red grapes, mint Oreos, Christmas cookies.  Dinner:  venison, sea salt, olive oil, carrots, celery, pear, Trader Joe's pretzel roll, I Can't Believe it's Not Butter, one slice Trader Joe's pork sausage (gross!  Not good!), crab dip, corn chips.
Medications:  Pyridium TID, Zyrtec SID, amitriptyline SID, Cosamin, Fish Oil (down to BID, because I think it was causing intestinal cramping at TID).  One Advil at the start of the morning.
Pain:  I think uterine cramping (3-4) - as would be normal due to my cycle and the reason for the Advil.  In general, I felt like I had to urinate a little more often but it wasn't painful.

December 15, 2011.  Food:  Breakfast:  Wheat chex and coconut milk.  Lunch:  Vension, olive oil, carrots, celery, pear, sea salt, red grapes.  My friend's almond bark candies (almond bark, Rice Krispies, marsh mellow goodness).  Dinner:  Trivia night pizza place:  4 cheese pizza and marinara sauce (big test meal).  This meal was my first one "out" in several weeks, and it seemed salty, although my husband did not notice.  I drank lots of water.   I'm sure I had a Mint Oreo during the day.
Medications:  pyridium TID, Zyrtec SID, amitriptyline SID, Cosamin.  Stopped Fish Oil due to GI issues.
Pain:  Great day!  I wore jeans!  Vulvodynia was a 3 after several hours in jeans, but resolved soon.  One mild bladder flare-up for about 1 hour (pain of 3) after "holding".

December 16, 2011.  Food:  Breakfast:  Wheat chex and coconut milk.  Lunch:  Local 5 ingredient salad place.  My salad was:  Romaine lettuce, carrots, olives, cucumber, corn chips, egg, fat free Italian dressing on the side (dipped something like 3 times).  Dessert:  Cookie Company chocolate chip cookie.  Snack:  Almond Bark candy, Arnold's Honey Wheat bread and Jiff Creamy Peanut Butter.  Dinner:  Oatmeal.  Dessert:  Mint Oreos.
Medications:  pyridium 2 in AM, then 1 in afternoon, and 1 in PM.  Zyrtec SID, amitriptyline SID, 2, Advil at 10 am, Flexeril at 2pm, TENS throughout the day, with ice/heat pad, Cosamin (1/2 dose, as running out and my order is late) and Fish oil started BID at afternoon dose.
Pain:  I think you can tell by the above entry that I was painful.  First, in AM, badder pain was a 1-2.  Then, became stressed about the doctor issues (listed above), and with next urination, bladder pain went to 5, with urethral pain at a 3.  Had present lunch with friends, came home, and bladder pain went up to a 7.  Vulvodynia was absent to a 2 all day (the 2 during the worst of bladder pain).  Mood a 5-7 all day - high depression and anxiety.  At 7pm, felt improved enough for aerobic exercise, then bladder pain down to 2-3 for the evening.
So, back to the old, frustrating as Hell questions:  was this pain flare do to the food,  (4 cheeses?  marinara sauce?  sodium level?) , stress (having to "refer" myself again and hurt feelings), or hormone (Day 4, when Day 5-8 has been known to cause trouble?)?   I guess no way to know for sure at this point, so I just keep tracking the trends.