WELCOME TO THE ONLINE HOME OF THE SAN DIEGO IC SUPPORT GROUP, one of the oldest IC support groups in the nation.

We hosted the 2005 San Diego IC & Pelvic Pain Conference on September 17, 2005 at UCSD Medical Center in San Diego. Five leading physicians in the treatment of IC spoke at the conference:

(1) Dr. C. Lowell Parsons, UCSD, treats all urologic disorders, and specializes in caring for patients who have interstitial cystitis (IC). He shared his treatment approach which includes use of therapeutic (e.g. rescue) instillations.

(2) Dr. Theoharis Theoharides, Tufts University, a pre-eminent IC researcher who plays a critical role in the development of new therapeutic approaches for IC, gave what discussed mast cell activity in bladders of IC patients. He described the use of antihistamines and compared Elmiron vs. other mucus-replacing products.

(3) Dr. John Willems, Chairman, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Scripps Clinic described successfull treats of women who have fibromyalgia and/or vulvodynia, conditions commonly related to IC.

(4) Dr. Bruce Kahn, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Scripps Clinic, discussed the prevalence of interstitial cystitis in a large number of gynecologic patients with pelvic pain and shared his approach as an OB-GYN to treating IC.

(5) Steven Hickman, Psy.D., Director, UCSD Center for Mindfulness, chronic pain specialist in the field of mind-body medicine, discussed the role of mindfulness in coping with chronic pain and illness.

The IC-Network has posted video clips of the 2005 conference. To view them go to http://www.ic-network.com/videos/#b.


SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS

We meet the first Sunday of FEB, APR, JUN, OCT and DEC from 1:30PM to 3:00PM in the Coral Room, Thornton Hospital, UCSD Medical Center Campus, 9300 Campus Point Drive in La Jolla, CA 92037. Support group meetings are free. UCSD charges a $1-per-hour parking fee. Call Cathy (858) 672-2249 or Terry (619) 266-2701.