Like cystitis but different.

[Foobydoo]

My poor Mum has been suffering for the last six months, with symptoms similar to cystitis.
She is on water tablets, has heart failure and type two diabetes.
She has visited the g.p several times, had courses of antibiotics and her urine is clear, showing no infection.
She is fine during the day but in the evening she starts suffering with painful burning spasms in her bladder and needs to keep having a pee.
She is also up several times a night with it.
After a few hours it passes and she feels normal again, until the next attack comes.
She also cannot drink a drop of alcohol as that sets it off. She doesn't drink much but likes half a lager and lime on a hot day.
Does anyone have any ideas?
She is ringing the doctor on Monday but they have been spectacularly unhelpful up to now.

Did she ever had an ultrasound to investigate further. Six months is a long time for GP to not do a proper diagnosis. She could have bladder stones or something similar. As a home remedy she can use potassium citrate which does help a lot of women with cystitis but do take advice from pharmacist if it is contradicted with her medical history.

Potassium citrate is available in liquid form by Care and in powder form under brand name cystopurin.

Has she been checked for vaginal atrophy (not called that any more but can’t think what it is called) because that is hugely associated with urinary issues in older post menopausal women. Many GPs know very little about it or think it’s just something we have to put up with but there are treatments.

My friend had interstitial cystitis and sounds similar symptoms but I don’t know a lot about it. I know alcohol was a trigger though.

post menopause I have had cystitis twice in January and last month. Gentle washing morning and night, sudocreme have helped avoid it again. Soda water also helps if not contra indicated.

However, in your mothers case she now needs to be referred to a consultant, god knows when that will happen though.

Your mum's symptoms sound similar to mine. This happened to me a few years ago. The GP started me on Ovestin for vaginal atrophy. Certainly did the trick for me. Its a horrid painful feeling and I feel very sorry for your mum. Hope she gets it sorted soon.

There was a huge thread on here not that long ago about a woman who had something similar : I think it was intersisital cystitis. Maybe do a Google search?

Sounds like interstitial cystitis I have it. It can be miserable. I keep mine at bay with 2 marshmallow root capsules, and an aloe Vera tablet every day. Made it much easier to bear

Do the antibiotics clear things up then it comes back or do they have no effect?