I started a very small dose of Ceftin/Zith around the end of February. Twelve days later I had what we believe was a ruptured ovarian cyst. At the time I had kidney pain and bladder sensitivity, but it all went away within about a week.
The monday after Easter I went up to the full dose of Ceftin/Zith and around the middle of my cycle I had the same ovarian/flank pain again with the accompanying bladder sensitivity. I thought it was just another cyst acting up and that it would go away.
Well, it hasn't gone away. I've seen my obgyn and she ran a urinalysis and everything came back fine--she thinks it's the lyme. My LLMD also thinks it's the lyme and is convinced we can knock it out with treatment. I asked him if he's seen this in other lyme patients and he said that he's seen it many many times and that it's extremely common in lyme patients. He said that medicine can usually knock it out in about six weeks, but that he did have one case that was more difficult and it took them about four months to knock it out.
I trust this doctor a great deal, it's just hard to focus on the fact that this will get better when my bladder and my sides are screaming at me. Has anyone here dealt with this and got rid of it? I did a search and found that CaliforniaLyme had had success but I know she's not here anymore. Anyone else? I need to know that I'm not going to be stuck with interstitial cystitis for the rest of my life.
I can't live without tomatoes!
Posted by maureen2174 (Member # 11471) on :
I had lots of bladder issues over the years (before getting diagnosed with lyme). It would seem like a UTI, but it wasn't. It didn't get to the point that it happened all the time, just every now and then my bladder would flare. I just had it happen again after being on meds for a year. However, I just added bactrim to treat bart. and I have heard that pelvic/bladder problems can be bart.
I didn't have it the whole year I was on meds, I actually even realized that the other day and then bam, got it again a few days later, but it only lasted for about 5 hours and now I am fine again.
Hope you get some relief. I know how much it sucks to have that symptom. Do you have any pelvic pain too?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
So is the pain mostly like it would be from a UTI or is it abdominal?
For now, don't eat any citrus or anything acidic. NO tomatoes, unless you love being in pain!
Thanks for the reply Maureen. I'm glad to hear that there are others who have a situation even somewhat similar to mine and were able to address it. Overall I've improved from a few days ago but it's still an issue. Last Tuesday my whole pelvic region was very painful, but we had testing done on that as well and everything came back fine.
I just read online somewhere that the most common place they were able to harvest lyme from mice was from their bladder--not in the urine but from actual bladder tissue. So it makes sense to me that if I'm knocking out the lyme my bladder wouldn't be too happy about it right now.
Thus far I haven't been diagnosed with bart--I do have a positive babesia test and I just started a short course of Mepron yesterday. I can't say that I've had any bart symptoms but who knows maybe this is one.
I guess for the time being I'm going to have to at least look into following some sort of IC diet until the meds can kick the lyme. I had iced tea and chocolate yesterday which are supposed to be big no-no's. Posted by Niere (Member # 14387) on :
Sorry--I missed your reply Lymetoo--ugh, I know tomatoes are a big no-no...and I had those last night as well. No wonder I'm in such a state today.
I just love tomatoes though. I grow them for heaven's sake! Last year I had around sixty tomato plants.
The pain is like a UTI, but without the burning. My bladder and my kidneys to some extent just feel very tender and I feel as though I have to go all the time.
Thanks for the links. I'll be sure to look at them!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Yes, Lyme keets LOVE the bladder. My IC is tons better since treatment for Lyme.
Chocolate and tea....nope. Coffee? a Big No!
Avoiding them WILL help, though!
Worries me about your continued pelvic pain though. I don't remember that being a big issue for me. I think it was in the early days of my dx though.
Appendix?
Posted by Niere (Member # 14387) on :
So glad your IC is "tons better"! That helps me a great deal!
The pain is on both sides so I don't think it would be the appendix, would it?
Posted by cantgiveupyet (Member # 8165) on :
is the pain in your groin area on both sides?
I had this terribly when i first treated.
Have you had yeast cultures done too?
Yes, as lymetoo said, please avoid anything spicy and acidic for now, to help the bladder.
Have you had a pelvic ultrasound, I would get one of those to rule out other things.
My whole pelvis is a mess from the lyme, and has gotten worse recently.
The pelvic floor muscles also can be involved and causing you pain.
Posted by Niere (Member # 14387) on :
Cantgiveupyet--thanks for the reply!
I definitely had pain in the pelvic region, now it seems more like in the lower kidneys area.
I did have a pelvic ultrasound done when this first started and they said there was a lot of fluid and that I most likely had had a ruptured ovarian cyst.
My obgyn did a bacterial culture and said it didn't look like I had any yeast issues. A few days previously I had treated myself for what I thought was yeast, now I have no idea if that was what it really was or not.
Can the pelvic floor muscles just be inflamed from treating the lyme? I keep thinking that this is all resulting from the lyme die-off and that it will eventually resolve. I hope so. And for now I am avoiding tea (not really a coffee drinker), soda, multivitamins, chocolate (not big on chocolate but I had some yesterday--it just figures) and tomatoes/tomato products.
I had made a mildly spicy chili shortly before this all started--I wondered if that triggered it.
Posted by ljaz (Member # 14723) on :
I get that too. I have pain in my ovary area (usually worse on left side, so not appendix!) and lower back with bladder sensitivity. I am not sure if it is food related or cycle related or both. I had a pelvic ultrasound and urine check, but both normal. I am not on any meds as of now. It usually happens for a few days and then goes away for a while and then back again, sometimes around mid cycle, but not always consistent. I am thinking now that it is IBS or some sort of other stomach issue??
[ 13. April 2008, 08:20 PM: Message edited by: ljaz ]
Posted by cantgiveupyet (Member # 8165) on :
ljaz- good point that you brought up about the stomach, often what i think is my bladder is actually my bowel acting up. Once i have a BM the burning pains subside. the nerves are all connected. ugh.
The pelvic floor is such an interesting structure. I do think it can get irritated very easily by the lyme dyeoff, especially if the bladder is inflamed.
I found what i thought was lower kidney pain for me was actually the top of my pelvis. It hurt so bad when the bladder stuff all started.
It wasnt until i went to physical therapy that I found out it was the top of my pelvis not my kidney.
The chili could have irritated the already inflamed bladder, for sure!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by cantgiveupyet: The chili could have irritated the already inflamed bladder, for sure!
YUP Posted by disturbedme (Member # 12346) on :
I also seem to have IC. Sometimes I have UTI pain/burning, but don't have UTI. I also pee and then have to pee again a second later because the first time didn't get it all out. And then sometimes when I feel like I need to go, nothing comes out... or can't.
Or sometimes I have frequent urination when I didn't even drink enough to cause it. Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
DISTURBED, you sound like me; i double void; sometimes even TRIPLE void!
i don't have IC, was dx last year with bladder SPASMS! Posted by ljaz (Member # 14723) on :
Disturbedme, I have the frequent urination thing too. I have to go 3+ times a night. My dr. said it was just overative bladder. Not sure if it is just a result of giving birth twice (not listed in the "Joys of Motherhood"!!!) or lyme related.
Posted by stella marie (Member # 7216) on :
If you think it's IC, can your gyn do a Urodynamic Study and Potassium Sensitivity Test?
Posted by ljaz (Member # 14723) on :
Have you tried meds for overactive bladder. I think if those meds don't work then you may have IC. I haven't tried the meds yet.
Posted by bejoy (Member # 11129) on :
I seem to have had dueling lyme and candida in the bladder for about 20 years.
Lyme treatment, specifically penicillin IM, got rid of my IC entirely.
Then it came back with a vengence, until I did quite a bit of candida treatment. Then it went away again, and I was comfortable for the first time in my adult life.
Then I went on a major sugar and coffee binge and it came back. The combination yeast and acid in the bladder isn't working for me.
But I do have confidence that I can get comfortable again when I treat the yeast systemically, deal with my coffee addiction, and switch to green tea.
Posted by ljaz (Member # 14723) on :
FYI (I saw this online):
Self-Help Tip -- Who would have thought that green tea, a drink so highly recommended for good health, is notorious for irritating an IC bladder. Even 1/2 cup a day can create intense bladder symptoms and pain.
Posted by backintherain (Member # 14385) on :
How can you tell if you have candida in the bladder? I really don't know if I'm having pain related to lyme problems or candida problems...either seems likely at this point, but it's definitely something. This info is probably not helpful, but I can say you're not alone. Four years ago (pre-lyme) I was told I had IC. It was awful, but after 6 months it just went away. thank God!!!! Now I'm running to the bathroom several times a night and feeling constant pain again. My lyme is almost gone tho. Disappointing.
Posted by cantgiveupyet (Member # 8165) on :
backintherain- Have you ever had your pelvic floor muscles evaluated?
IF they are tight they can cause a ton of bladder symptoms.
Mine are super tight right now, i just got evaluated, and like i suspected the pain im feeling is not coming from the bladder, yet when i pee, i have burning, frequency and im up during the night going. THis morning i felt like i had to go real bad and not much came out(a sign for me its my pelvic floor)
I always try to mention this in my posts because this is a somewhat new diagnosis, many dr dont know about it, and it can be caused by TBD's. for sure.
Posted by Niere (Member # 14387) on :
backintherain--can't say as I "know" this for sure, but in my various bits of research I've read that sometimes as people get better from lyme they start to have some of their original symptoms return, and then they disappear eventually as they make a full recovery.
So I hope this is the case for you!
Cantgiveupyet--that's interesting. I'll have to look into that. Thanks for sharing!
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