News & Blog

My name is Alla Krygina, I am a 16 year old girl from Russia living with Interstitial Cystitis since I was 11 years old. I wanted to let you know that whatever you’re going through, you are not alone, and if you are in pain, you can feel better! Living with IC has made me change my perspective of life.   When I first got diagnosed I wasn’t really surprised because my mom told me it ran in the family. However, I blamed everyone else, including my mother for burdening me with this condition and every other bad thing that had happened in my life. But once I learned to accept that I would have this condition forever, or at least until they find a cure, I had to learn to live with it. I started drinking more water and testing myself on what I ate – no acidic foods, less sweets, no caffeine, and OTC medications, but nothing worked well for me. I did find some relief with these changes that allowed me to go to school, but concentrating is still hard. It seems like every day I have a new UTI or bladder spasms that don’t seem to end, which gets worse around my period. But I find that as long as I have a hot water bottle that I can put on my abdomen, I feel better. Many people in Russia have Interstitial Cystitis but do not have access to treatments. I just wanted to wish luck and love towards all of you suffering through this horrible condition, and tell everyone, especially teenagers that I am here if you need me.

Alla Krygina