IC is different for everyone. I have most of my pain at night. i tend to get more bloated at night and I think that's the source. I have trouble when i lay on my left side too! Weird I know. Elmiron usually doesn't help until 6 or more weeks I think. I hope It will work for you! Also diet change and going to the gym helps... even if you don't feel up to it. Sometimes going to the gym would put off a flare for me! I usually feel fine in the morning, unless I've been sleeping on my left side :) Good luck. Knowledge is power!!

I agree that it is different with everyone, like you most of the time I do not wake up with it, it's usually after I am moving around and then it starts, which I end up groaning and saying well the beast is awake, yay.....There are times I wake up with it, but that's usually when I have been up most the night in agony anyways. As far as the pain with sitting and burning, that sounds like pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, which I also have.... The pain with it feels like a constant throbbing between my legs almost like I am being hit repeatedly with something, it gets to the point I feel like I could loose my mind over it and sitting makes it worse, and it can also at times feel like it's on fire.....You may want to ask your doctor about it, it's basically where all the pelvic muscles are in constant spasms.....There are a couple things you can try to get some relief from it, get some foam and cut it out in like a U shape and sit with the U facing out, also try sitting on the toilet I do that a lot, relieves the pressure, also try putting a cold compress between your legs it calms the spasms down a little, also if you do decide to ask your doctor and he/she says you have it they have vaginal suppositories that you can use and will numb/stop the pain and pressure, they can also do nerve blocks (they help but they hurt, BAD) anyways, I hope this helps, good luck!!

Hi Rascal,

Sitting is one of my worst problems as well. I can sit with a specific ObusForme seat cushion and have to carry it with me everywhere. Maybe you would benefit from looking into something like this? It realigns the pelvis and somehow takes some of the worst pressure and pain away. Elmiron takes a whiiiiile until you see any difference whatsoever. It doesn't get absorbed very well and my dr told me at the beginning that it would take 3-6 months to see any difference from it. To me, it definitely sounds like you have the symptoms of IC, at least ones that I experience or know of others experiencing. I hope you don't, but if you do, we're here for you. Take care.

- Kat

thanks guys! Your answers help me, really! It's nice to know I'm not the only one in pain. KendraRuth - I'm going to look into pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. You described it perfectly. The nerve blocks sound too scary for me.
Thanks everyone for posting back :)

I'm so glad I could help even if only a little, please let me know what you find....Yeah, I get the nerve blocks once a week now and I still almost go into panic attacks almost every time, but once it's over it was worth it.....Good luck!