Finding a Way to Express Yourself as an IC Warrior

As an IC Warrior, I have a hard time expressing myself.  When I try to explain to people what Interstitial Cystitis (IC) means, they generally say “yeah, yeah, yeah, you have a pain in your bladder. I get it”. I don’t feel like they get it though. I say things like “Just think of it like a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) times 100”, hoping they can relate to that pain and those symptoms. They rarely can. Few people actually ‘get it’. Few can comprehend how IC is impacting my quality of life.

With this in mind, I decided to use my camera to try to explain to my family and friends what being an ‘IC Warrior’ meant for me. I headed off to the Dollar Store to find something I could use to make myself look like an IC Warrior! All I could find was a plastic knife and a ninja mask!  I had no idea what I was trying to achieve other than try to explain myself better and raise awareness for IC.  Before I knew it I had 14 photos and I was ready to post. I was very nervous about posting them though as I had never expressed myself in such a way before. Most people didn’t even know I had IC, never mind understand what it meant for me.

I posted my photos on Facebook and something revolutionary seemed to happen! People started to get it! People were saying things like “Wow! I knew you said it was bad but I didn’t realize it was THAT bad!”. I remember telling  How could you not have gotten it! I realize now that my photos really did express a thousand words and communicated things I could not verbally communicate. People were able to interpret them and better understand my struggle.

This medium worked for me so I’m hoping by sharing my photos here in a two part series, I may help someone else communicate their struggles with IC to the world.

Part 1:

I Am An IC Warrior. This means I battle Interstitial Cystitis (IC) EVERYDAY.

IC is a chronic, incurable, painful and debilitating bladder disease.

Research has shown IC can cause a quality of life similar to that of a cancer or kidney dialysis patient.

But I don’t let it beat me because I am an IC Ninja!

Some days are bearable.

But some days are really hard.

I’m fed up right now because I have been off work for 4 weeks because of IC, recovering from surgery….I have an implant in my spine which helps tap out the pain cycles.

This is my IC recovery bouquet.

As an IC warrior I never leave home without these (my catheters).

IC warriors often despair for the end coming.

IC Warriors smile on the outside.

But they are in agony on the inside.

IC Warriors look like they are healthy and well.

But inside they feel like they are being stabbed repeatedly and they really would rather be curled up at home in a ball than being out battling in the world.

Please share for more IC Awareness

So please share my post and spread the word on IC….we need a voice in the world so people can understand and be more compassionate towards our chronic struggle.

Fiona McKiernan

My name is Fiona McKiernan and on September 1st, 2015 I proclaimed to the world that I am an “IC Warrior”.