Removing Hunners Ulcers is very common for IC. And you are right to do your research but please don't let people scare you who have not done any. If you have hunners ulcers your IC is not mild and they normally do not resolve themselves. Hugs and Prayers that things go well for you.

Deb

I agree with Deb. If you have Hunners ulcers, which are a lot more rare than your average ic patient, you need to have them looked at, and maybe it would help a lot to get them removed. Follow your gut. If you like your dr. and trust him, which you do, then let him do his job. Yes there are some BAD docs, I think we have ALL experianced that with having Ic, but there are some good ones out there too who want to help. Plus I think you have to make sure and rule out cancer asap. Good luck, and don't be afraid. Sending you good thoughts... KAT

Hunners ulcers only occur in 5-10% of patients with IC. I read up on the different kinds of surgery offered for IC. Here they are (copy and paste)
Surgery
Doctors rarely use surgery as interstitial cystitis treatment because removal of part or all of the bladder doesn't relieve pain and can lead to other complications. People with severe pain and people whose bladders can hold only very small volumes of urine are possible candidates for surgery, but even then surgery is usually considered only after other treatments have failed. Surgical options include:

Bladder augmentation. In this procedure, surgeons remove the damaged portion of the bladder and replace it with a piece of the colon, but the pain still remains and some women need to empty their bladders with a catheter multiple times a day.
Fulguration. This minimally invasive method involves insertion of instruments through the urethra to burn off ulcers that may be present with interstitial cystitis.
Resection. This is another minimally invasive method that involves insertion of instruments through the urethra to cut around any ulcers.
Fulguration and resection are not always effective and could potentially worsen your symptoms.

I am not here to scare other IC sufferers. I wanted to make sure that everyone had all the information before going through with a procedure. Surgery can cause scarring on the bladder. That's how I got IC.
Hang in there,
Gloria

Don't worry, those surgeries mentioned in the post directly before the post I am now writing are very unlikely in what's going on. Your doctor would have to feel you are an EXTREME case in order to remove the bladder or portions of it.

Hunner's ulcer treatment does involve surgery like you're talking about. But it is much different:

"Hunner's ulcers, also called Hunners lesions or patches, are not ulcers in the usual sense. They are distinctive areas of inflammation on the bladder wall that characterize the classic form of IC. Hunners ulcers are the one diagnostic feature that clinches the IC diagnosis, but this classic form of IC affects only about 5 to 10 percent of patients. Often, patients with this form of IC have more severe symptoms than patients with nonulcerative IC.

To look for Hunners ulcers, your doctor will perform a procedure called cystoscopy with hydrodistention while you are under general or spinal anesthesia. The physician uses a cystoscope to look inside your bladder while slowly stretching it with fluid (hydrodistention) and then while draining it.

It is important to note that Hunner's ulcers are different from glomerulations, which are also often present in IC patients. Glomerulations are pinpoint-sized areas of bleeding in the bladder wall. Unlike Hunner's ulcers, glomerulations do not automatically lead to a diagnosis of IC.

Treating Hunners ulcers themselves can reduce symptoms significantly. Your physician will use one of these procedures:

Fulguration: "burning off" the ulcers by using a special instrument with a heated tip or a laser technique.
Resection of ulcers: cutting around and removing the ulcers from the bladder wall.
Submucosal injection: injecting a steroid (triamcinolone or Kenalog) into the ulcer. Although still being researched, this procedure can be safer and may prove to be as effective as the other two.

All these procedures are done while you are under general or spinal anesthesia."

http://216.235.204.192/Page.aspx?pid=557

I'm in the process of finding a doc too, I think I might have developed those ulcers.

I had a cystoscopy done just to confirm that it was IC and the Dr did biopsies to make sure it wasn't cancer since I had and still have a large amount of blood in my urine, and while he was in there he, distended it with what they call bladder distention to try and help stretch it so I could go longer with out have to urine, but any other scraping bad idea. DO NOT DO ANY THING TO CAUSE MORE DAMAGE TO THE LINING!!!!!!

Bucgirl 1,
Did the distention help?
-Gloria

The distension helped with having less emergency trips to the bathroom, after the pain for the first week. But the pain never let up. Also Bot ox helped with the urgency, but not the pain, that was weird , I really thought that numbing my bladder lining would work. The pain was there and I had to use a catheter to empty my bladder so I then ended up getting urinary tract infections. SOOOO, pro's and con's to all as we all know. But I'll never give up. Hope all is well with you and you and all others are in my thoughts and prayer's. Thank God I found this site, it has really helped.

I'm glad you found this site, too. Aside from the heat I took being anti-surgery, it's been very helpful. I've been in a remission for the past few months but I've been having flares. And now I have no health insurance. I don't think I want to do another 3 years of excruciating pain. I'm sure I can get something on the street. It's real pure, from Afghanistan. I don't want to get addicted and be stuck on it forever...Where are the new treatment options? What happened to the public health care option?
Hang in there,
G

The surgery helped!!! I feel like a new person, it may not last forever but I will enjoy it while I can....Thanks for all the encouragement, thoughts, and prayers! I feel GREAT!

Kendra, what ever you do ...do not let the doctors remove your bladder or do a bladder augmentation. I had the augmentation and it didn't work. I finally had to have my bladder removed and have had nothing but trouble since. I am now suffering from one kidney infection after another because I still have to catheterize. I am still in pain and have an implanted pain pump. It doesn't help much but does decrease my stomach pain.
All the other things that you mentioned I have had done with the exception of scraping the bladder. I have had the hydrodistention and it would only help keep me from going to the bathroom every 15 minutes for about a month. Please, please, please think twice and think again before having some major stuff done.