In 1984, however, sufferers formed the Interstitial Cystitis Association , which has raised public awareness of the ailment, so much that today IC is one of the fastest growing research areas at the National Institutes of Health. Diagnosis, therefore, is mostly a matter of eliminating other conditions. A doctor can often confirm IC by overfilling the bladder with water to more than its normal capacity and, under an anesthetic, inspecting it with a cystoscope. The procedure, which damages the bladder lining, is actually therapeutic because the body then lays down a new, nondefective lining. About 40 percent of patients become symptom-free for months afterward.
Doctors often prescribe oral medications, too.
Elmiron, believed to create a protective coating over the bladder lining, helps about a third of patients. Elavil, an antidepressant that relieves chronic pain when taken in low doses, is also frequently prescribed. About a third of patients respond to bladder instillations of soothing medications. Ingredients might include the anesthetic Marcaine, the anti-inflammatory DMSO, and hydrocortisone. Many patients swear by acupuncture and acupressure as other alternative treatments.