www.incontinentsupport.org

I've been hesitant to post anything recently as I've been noticing a great improvement in my symptoms lately and wanted to give it some time to play out. I am currently in my 4th week of being essentially diaper-free during the day after being 24/7 for the past 2-3 years.

Several weeks ago, I started to notice that I was getting "signals" much like I used to and things seemed to "feel" like they did before. Since my IC is caused by nerve damage and conduction issues due to spinal stenosis and spondylolisthesis, I hadn't been receiving those signals for a long time.

The only explanation I can come up with is the CBD oil I have been taking religiously since last May. I originally started taking it as a last ditch effort to improve my back pain and mobility issues. It was a game changer for me, pain-wise, and I almost immediately noticed relief. Within 2 weeks I was replacing my porch roof and replacing the floor at my business. I have been very diligent in taking the oils since then.

Since CBD manufacturers are not allowed to make medical claims, there was not a lot of information available when I started taking it, but after noticing improvement with my IC issues, I found that there are legitimate studies linking CBD to improved nerve conduction and possible nerve regeneration. There are also, as expected, countless articles, blog posts, etc. available from purveyors of CBD, but the following is published on the US National Library of Medicine/NIH site:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4543605/

I know some people swear by CBD and others scoff at it, but I wanted to throw it out there for discussion purposes. Obviously I can't say for sure that it is the source of the improvement I am experiencing, but for lack of any other explanation, it's what I'm going with.

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

THX for this information! I did't had that on the screen in this context but it seems logical. I just googled a bit and I think if you can use it against cramps and pain, it may also help to improve my IC symptoms. I will give it a try - that sounds really promising

Thanks for making this post!! I just checked on the Internet and found there is some evidence that says CBD can help to reduce my enlarged prostate (i.e BPH) and the symptoms associated with it. Of course this could just be another miracle "snake oil" but there appears to be a lot of scientific evidence that says it does work to improve a lot of conditions. The next time I go to my doctor I'm going to inquire about this and see if he feels it may be a help to alleviate my BPH symptoms. From what I can tell the worst it could do is put a dent in my wallet and not do any good, but it seems that it may be worth a try.

If it works for you, wonderful and HOORAY! However, I'm still skeptical. My grandmother was addicted to a cough syrup which contained opium. My fear is that, decades from now, medical science will discover the downsides of cannabis and its cousins, too late for many.

Patrick:
I'm skeptical too, but there does seem to be a bit of evidence that it may help with my symptoms. At least it's not a bunch of synthetic chemicals that have many known, and probably many more unknown, long range negative side effects.

I don't mind the diapers. They are small potatoes compared to what others endure. I'd like to know how well CBD might work for autoimmune diseases like lupus, which my daughter is dealing with.

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- Tom

I do mind diapers; however, their worst downsides are embarrassment and skin rashes. Compared to those, the side effects of too many of the medications prescribed for us are so bad that they make diapers attractive.

Are you using CBD that contains THC? Where I live, CBD with THC is still illegal, so I could only try the zero type. It didn't work for me, but I would like to try the good stuff. I have friends in CA, MA, FL and WA who swear by it.

Im ok with needing diapers to manage my IC issues other then skin rashes and an occasional embarrassing moment here and there compared to other medical issues being stuck in a diaper is not all that bad.

I would still prefer do be diaper free, and regain my control but not with the use of drugs and the possibility of long term side effects and possible addiction issues.

I have been taking the full spectrum CBD, which contains trace amounts of THC. I believe it is less than 0.3 by law and didn't even show up on the blood test for my life insurance policy. There are also THC free options available. The body has an endocannabinoid system in it and is designed to make use of the CBD. It is not a drug in the traditional sense (or the non-traditional sense for that matter). More to the point, it is a supplement that helps our body to work more efficiently and correctly.

I think it is still very misunderstood by the general public and mainstream medicine, but the growing body of anecdotal evidence (to this point) is starting to make the medical world take notice of it (more scientific studies being done, etc.) I have a friend who was able to go off Metformin and her doctor is considering taking her off blood pressure meds as well, after taking CBD for several weeks.

The caveat I have found so far is that there is good, quality, lab tested CBD and there is the bandwagon gas station CBD, so it is very much buyer beware. As I said, I started using it as a last ditch effort to improve my back pain and was skeptical when I started. I even used the term "snake oil." I know it is controversial which is one of the reasons I hesitated to bring it up on here, as well as the fact that I have no direct evidence to prove it is, in fact, what helped improve my symptoms, but considering that I have no other reasonable explanation, I decided to post it. So often, as I have read over and over on here and have experienced myself, conventional meds prescribed by urologists often don't help and in many cases, cause undesirable side effects.

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."