You could have interstitial cystitis, a common condition of the bladder. It's often confused with a bladder infection because the symptoms are virtually identical yet urine cultures are always negative for infection. If you're like most of us, you've probably been given antibiotics for years "just in case" you have an infection or, worse, been told that it's "all in your head."

A new patient, most often a woman, is diagnosed with interstitial cystitis every 15 seconds. Yet, why oh why, are they often told that it's all in their heads? Blame it on history. In the late 1950's, a researcher published a paper inwhich he claimed that a young woman struggling with bladder discomfort and pain actually had "unexpressed anger manifested in the pelvis." Arrrghh! Thus, began a forty year cycle of women being told that IC wasn't real and that they required psychological care.

In the late 1980's, the US NIH established the first diagnostic criteria for this puzzling condition, proving that IC is indeed a real condition ... which, in 2007, has been further refined to be more of an "injury" or trauma to the bladder and/or other pelvic organs. The result is neuroinflammation of the surrounding tissues, the development of neurosensitivity which, any patient can say, occurs as many many trips to the restroom. This explains why diet and even a simple cup of coffee, can trigger such intense bladder frequency and discomfort.

In any case, our "IC Underground blog shares the latest IC news and developments, new clinical trial announcements and more from the Interstitial Cystitis Network. It is a companion to our ICN support forum, which currently has 18,000 patients registered. Run by a team of 20+ volunteer support group leaders, we believe that the future is bright. By working together, we can lift each other up, provide encouragement, laughter and, of course, hope! We hope you'll join us today!

- Jill Osborne, ICN President