Well it's official: I have flown four times with IC.  I can honestly say that I am holding myself a little straighter and I am proud of myself for doing what I thought for many years that I never thought I'd be able to do again.  Although not all of my experience was fantastic I can pass along some tips and I feel much more confident to travel again in the not too distant future. 

Prior to flying, I printed off a 3-4 sentence explanation of IC and cut them into ten slips.  I highlighted the section that explains that people with IC can sometimes feel the need to urinate 50-60 times a day.  I booked all of my seats at the back of the plane as close to the restroom as possible (and picked aisle seats).  I learned after my flights that when you book your plane tickets you can mark a section under "disability" so that there is a record in the computer that you have a medical disability.  Some online airlines have blank fields where you can fill in the disease. 

Immediately upon entering the plane, I would smile at the first flight attendant that I saw and I would hand out one or two of the strips and ask if they could read it while they were getting ready for take-off. The response to this was varied: some flight attendants gave me extra special attention during the flight (and alerted both the pilot and the other flight attendants of my condition); personally thanking me for the print out and hoping that my flight was ok; asking what my paperwork "implied" and then crumpling the paperwork and handing it back to me; to flight attendants offering ice chips instead of a drink so I stayed hydrated.  In general I had more positive and supportive flight attendants than negative ones, but I did have a confidence about the flight (and the possibility of being delayed on the runway) knowing that I had proactively alerted the crew to my potential special needs.  One flight attendant even walked out with me into the airport and said that with the new FAA regulations that I had done a good thing by alerting them ahead of time because it could be an issue to use the restroom when the seatbelt sign was lit.  Another flight attendant stated that because it was a medical condition that had to comply but I needed to know that if I walked around the plane when the seatbelt sign was on that the airplane could not be held liable if I fell during turbulence, etc. 

Overall I am thrilled to report that I am one step further to being a "normal" person.  I will always be an advocate for those of us walking around (and traveling) with hidden diseases.  May your travel be as good as mine.

It is with gratitude that I announce that I just booked my first plane tickets in five years.  My flight will mark the first time that I have felt well enough to travel via an airplane.  I will never forget my anger and depression at having to miss out on countless family vacations, or having to turn down jobs that might entail occasional business travel. 

I'll admit that I sometimes never thought that I'd ever be able to travel again.  The countless years lived with excruciating bladder and vaginal pain, the need to urinate every fifteen minutes and the "ten items or less" IC diet now fade into the background like a nightmare.  I can't leave it all behind me though. 

Already as I write this and I imagine myself strapped into my narrow seat, surrounded by strangers on a filled to capacity airplane a certain amount of fear and panic set in.  My IC is so tolerable that most days I don't even think about it.  I tell people that I'm "recovering from a bladder disease".  But this doesn't change the fact that I still probably urinate more than the average person, and the panicky painful bladder can act up if I'm not able to urinate within fifteen minutes of feeling the urge. 

I figure I have two choices on the flight: dehydrate myself completely (not a healthy choice) or drink in moderation and not be embarrassed to get up to urinate whenever I need to (thank goodness I booked aisle seats in the back of the plane).  I plan on taking a small blurb about IC/PBS with me to show the stewardesses.  I will be praying to whoever will listen that none of my flights necessitate staying in our seats due to some catastrophe.  Perhaps I will even get a doctors note from my very encouraging OB/GYN.  No matter the outcome, I am happy to report that soon I will be getting my wings again-in more ways than one!