F*L*A*R*E

Part of me has always wanted to write one of my blog posts while in the middle of a flare up. Then the other part of me doesn't think anybody would want to read about that. Well, I am going to write about what a flare feels like for me, but (good news) I am not in the middle of one right now. Turns out I have NO desire to write about what a flare up feels like when I'm going through one. I guess it would be like asking a woman in labor to type out what her experience is like while she's going through it. Not gonna happen.

One thing that you must know about a flare is that everybody who has IC gets them at some point, but not that many are the same. Another is as much as you try to avoid "triggers" (things that can cause a flare) sometimes there is nothing you can do to keep one from creeping, no not creeping. popping up on you.

I'm going to warn you right now. This is going to descriptive, and I'm sorry if it is too much information for you guys, but I feel the best way that I can help other people out there suffering with IC is to be as honest as I can. Even if it might make me, or my readers, a little uncomfortable. So here it is, what brings on a flare, what my symptoms are, and what it feels like for me.  I've already discussed some of the things that can bring on a flare for me, but the biggest thing is constipation. When I have a flare I am literally sitting on the toilet (told you it might be TMI), with a rolled up towel pressed against my stomach in an attempt to provide a little bit of comfort and relaxation, trying to get everything out of my intestines, because at this point in the flare my pain is at least an 8 if not a 9 or a 10. Once I have gotten everything out of my body that I can the pain takes a significant drop. And if I'm around a shower or a heating pad I can get the pain down to a 6 within an hour or so. At least that is the case normally. As with all IC symptoms there are exceptions to the rule. Another part of a flare up is bloating, hence why I am so attached to my ultra loose, ultra comfortable MSU workout pants. They are cute enough that I can wear them in public if an outing (such as getting my son from school) cannot be helped, but comfy enough that I can lounge in them all day at home.

So that is what a flare up is like for me. When I feel it coming I grab some water, a towel, a book, figure out where the fastest route is to the best heat source, take a seat and breathe. Thankfully this is one thing that a woman in labor and I have in common. It is important to remember to breathe. JUST BREATHE. It really does help with the pain!

P.S. A few weeks ago in an event that can only be described as God-sent I had an idea that with blueberry season winding down I needed to start taking fiber pills. And as much as I hate to choke down 5 horse pills two times a day, it did make these last few weeks bearable and moved the flare ups which at this time in my hormone schedule normally would have been occurring daily (even hourly) to only occurring one, MAYBE two, times a week.

Picking the Petals off the Flower

        I like you, I like you not. I like you, I like you not. No I'm not talking about a person in my life. I'm talking about Sundays. Recently, one of my friends said to me "It seems like you feel bad every Sunday!" Sadly, she was right. But it's not that Sunday is any special day. It's just a day that I'm out in public, on a set schedule, and not wearing my oh-so-comfortable MSU sweatpants (sorry to all of you UofM people out there). You would think that having a schedule would make you feel less worried and therefore relaxed, but in the world of IC that is not the case. To have a schedule adds stress, and when you add stress it's like adding a flame under a pot of water. It'll just keep heating up and rumbling until it eventually boils over. And it's not that this doesn't happen any other day, it's just that on Sundays I am not in my house all by myself and able to deal with it like I normally do. And I just never know on any given Sunday what level of pain, if any, there is going to be.

        Why do I keep subjecting myself to this unknown week after week? Because I get to talk to other adults. Because I get to, hopefully, encourage others. Because I love getting to teach the little kids about the Bible. And because I love being able to worship God and delve into the Bible with other believers. I may have to take a nap when I get home, or I may have to sit in the back in the comfortable chairs because the pews are making the pain worse, but I will keep going to, serving at, worshiping in and enjoying church on Sundays. I love the group of believers that God has placed us with right now, and I would never put more stress on somebody else by "calling in sick" because that would not be fair to them. And I would miss them all too much. Even though it can cause me pain to step out from my norm it is such an encouragement to see all those smiling faces every week. So I will continue to go every week, hoping that I will not only get encouragement but be an encouragement to someone myself.