Chronic Pain Today

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic and debilitating disease of the urinary tract and bladder that affects approximately one million people. It may not be just one singular illness but one incorporating many different illnesses. There is an inflamed and irritated bladder wall that leads to many bladder symptoms. The bladder wall of an IC patient will have stiffening and scarring of the bladder, less bladder capacity as a result of the scarring, small pinpoint bleeding on the bladder (glomerulations) and ulcers in the bladder lining (Hunner’s ulcers). 5-10% of IC sufferers will have Hunner’s ulcers, the rest have a non-Hunner’s type. So much isn’t known about the illness, even though it has been around for a while now.

Dr. Robert M Moldwin is director of the Interstitial Cystitis Center of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and is an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City. Dr. Moldwin’s book, The Interstitial Cystitis Survival Guide, has been considered the “bible” of IC. It is advertised everywhere and is one of the very rare IC books published by a traditional publisher and not self-published. At 11 chapters this book is very all-encompassing. It describes the basics of IC, the diagnostic process, the medications and treatment options they were exploring prior to 2000, how it occurs in men, how sexual functions are impaired, and has a good resources and glossary. All in all it’s a very good book; however, it is starting to get a bit outdated. Some of the treatments and medications aren’t used any longer due to their not being found in clinical trials to work.