ELMIRON^® Patient Stories

Meet Terry-Jo Myers

    This patient was compensated for
    her participation.

Hi, my name is Terry-Jo Myers. I am a retired, 18-year veteran of the LPGA Tour. But the story I'm going to tell today is not a golf story. When I was 21 years old, just before my senior year of college I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis, or IC, which is also known as painful bladder syndrome. I would often wake up early in the morning with the urgent need to urinate and with pain in my pelvic area. It felt like I had paper cuts lining the wall of my bladder.

I went to my doctor because I thought it was a urinary tract infection. I started on a course of antibiotics, but that didn't give me the relief I was looking for. I was then sent to another doctor who ran several tests but didn't find anything. Eventually I found a doctor who diagnosed me with IC, but I was told that there was nothing that could be done and I was just going to have to learn to live with it.

For me the onset of IC was quite severe. I felt like I was constantly running to the bathroom, day and night to relieve the pain. I often had an urge to urinate, and the pelvic pain was very distressing.

Being on the LPGA Tour was a childhood dream. It was what I always wanted to do. This dream was almost taken away from me because of IC. Imagine trying to play golf on an elite, professional level and your only thought is, "Can I get to the bathroom to relieve this pain?"

Finally, I found a doctor who understood what I had been through. He was very knowledgeable of IC, and started me on the IC diet right away. He also prescribed a medication called ELMIRON^®. He told me ELMIRON^® is believed to act as a buffer, which prevents substances in the urine from reaching the bladder wall. My doctor also told me about some potential side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, and headaches.

I had been taking ELMIRON^® for about 3 to 6 months when I started to notice improvement in my symptoms. I was so happy to find something that helped to relieve the pain.

I still take ELMIRON^® every day. It goes everywhere with me—even in my golf bag.

NEXT: Living with IC