Health Organization for Pudendal Education

I heard IC often and never know what it was.
My nonmedical understanding is:
an allergic reaction with some foods making them attached on a medebolic level to the lining of the bladder
this causes burning, pain with urination, inflamed bladder and urithra, failure to empty bladder and urgency to urinate

it took 3 months on an IC diet and adding Prelief (calcium, magnesium) suppliment when I feel my bladder starting to burn or fail to empty my bladder

the diet is simple and mostly just requires me to trade some foods for other foods

is the website I got the info from and let me know if you have trouble getting there and I can mail the info to you

I share this because the inflamed bladder and urithra caused pudendal and obturator flare ups as well as burning and pain with any stimulation

good luck

The self care regimen is a good one but the medical explanation is:
-medical diagnosis of IC is done by distending the bladder during cystoscopy and looking for "pinpoint hemmorhage" of the bladder wall: it is a form of hemorrhagic cystitis
-IC is not a food allergy. It can be due to several causes including nerve feedback from adjacent muscle spasm, and one possible manifestation of Sjogren's syndrome which is an autoimmune syndrome.
-The reason the IC diet (and prelief) can be helpful, is not that they remove allergens but that they make the urine less acidic and more alkaline, which is less irritating to the IC bladder.
-the disadvantage of the IC diet and prelief is that when the urine is more alkaline, it is an environment many bacteria enjoy. So it is important to drink extra water and empty the bladder frequently to prevent infection. Drinking more water also dilutes the irritants in urine and so further helps calm down the bladder.