ELMIRON^® Patient Stories

Meet Hope Lovings

    This patient was compensated for
    her participation.

I was beginning to think I was crazy. I started having really bad pelvic pain right after my first pregnancy. My doctor did all kinds of tests and procedures, like CAT scans and MRIs, and he told me that it was probably irritable bowel syndrome. But the pain kept getting worse—it was really painful during sex. So I kept going back. He ran even more tests, but nothing. Finally he said that I just had chronic pelvic pain and I was going to have to deal with it and he gave me some pain medication.

Now the pelvic pain was getting worse and worse. And I knew the pain was real—it was like an intense burning sensation. I was being sent from one doctor to another. They thought I had kidney stones. They thought I had urinary tract infections or bladder infections, or something else. They kept giving me antibiotics and telling me to drink cranberry juice, which I did, not knowing that it was actually making my problem worse. I was spending a lot of money, and I wasn't getting any better. It was getting to the point where it was just so uncomfortable.

Finally, I discovered a doctor who really helped me. He had me fill out a self-assessment questionnaire and administered a potassium sensitivity test. After a physical exam he determined that I had interstitial cystitis. I was so relieved. Not that I had IC, but that I finally knew what was wrong. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I remember reading the brochure thinking, "That's me, these are the symptoms I've been having!" Then my doctor prescribed ELMIRON^®. He told me that it may take from 3 to 6 months to work, but at that point I just wanted something that would help. He also suggested physical therapy and gave me a whole list of foods that he wanted me to avoid such as citrus fruit, caffeine, and anything spicy. My doctor also told me that treatment with ELMIRON^® could have some mild side effects, such as diarrhea, nausea, or hair loss.

So I started taking ELMIRON^® with an antihistamine, and sure enough, within a couple of months I was beginning to feel better. I am so thankful that I found my doctor and that he prescribed ELMIRON^® for my IC.

NEXT: Living with IC