What Interstitial Cystitis?
So spoilers, this stuff is amazing and every woman should at least have this in their medicine cabinet.<br /><br />My story:  I’d had a terrible UTI after sex (I know it was sex for sure) in January of this year (2016), was put on nitrofurantoin (macrobid), and it resolved, but I never felt quite right after.  I avoided sex until April, 2016, and I developed another severe UTI.  The day of sex I was normal, next day bloody urine, no gradual build-up of pain or anything.  I’m very lucky I had a wonderful doctor at my local urgent care, because after not having a UTI for the first 6.5 years of my relationship with one person, I’m suddenly getting UTIs immediately after sex, EVERY TIME?  She referred me to a urologist, but in the wait to see him, again, I didn’t feel right, pressure in my bladder that would get painful if jostled too much, like in a car.  Was put on ciprofloxacin because I’d already taken nitrofurantoin, and just in case I had a strain of bacteria that wasn’t able to be cultured, but was there and needed to be killed.<br /><br />When I finally saw the urologist (June), he put me on trimethoprim at the lowest dose possible, as a preventative while my bladder mucosal lining healed after being DESTROYED by my severe UTIs (which can take 4-6 months, this is also why women have a higher chance of getting a UTI within the first 6mos after a previous UTI.  The bladder hasn’t fully recovered and is more susceptible to infection).  But he also told me that I definitely should get a D-Mannose supplement, because anecdotally his clients have been loving it.  He even printed out an abstract of the most recent clinical trial to back it up, which convinced me to try it.  So I immediately found a bottle and my pain resolved within days.  It basically does what pop culture makes you think cranberry juice is supposed to do.<br /><br />I prefer the powder format, because the pills are gigantic and you have to take 3-4 of them to get the full effect of a teaspoon of the powder form.  I put the powder in my water bottle before I leave for work/school, and try to drink it within an hour instead of sipping it throughout the day.<br />Yes it’s a bit expensive, but if you haven’t had a UTI in a long time/ever, but just want a preventative, taking it every few days and before and after sex is good practice.  If you’re like me and had interstitial cystitis that WOULD NOT RESOLVE, this is perfect in combination with prophylactic antibiotics, and life long preventative after the antibiotic course is over.
Rating: 5 stars