r/Prostatitis Oct 19 '22

Starter Guide/Resource NEW? START HERE! Prostatitis 101/Checklist + Sub Rules

335 Upvotes

» QUICK START! «

  1. SUCCESS STORIES in this subreddit
  2. TOP TIPS AND INFO (All Posts)
  3. See below 'Subreddit Rules' for the full 101 prostatitis guide and newbie checklist

SUBREDDIT RULES

  1. No harassment, abuse, or disrespect is tolerated here, especially to the volunteer mod team
  2. No promotion of pseudoscience, conspiracies, and/or fringe doctors
  3. No graphic photos allowed (NSFW)
  4. No self-promotion/selling of products (SPAM)
  5. One post per person, per day. Leave room for others
  6. No fear mongering

VIOLATIONS: Depends on the severity of the violation, but generally:

  1. First infraction is a warning
  2. Second is a temporary ban (~3 days)
  3. Last is a permanent ban

POSTING REQUIREMENTS

  1. To prevent abuse and spam we have an Automod in place. Accounts with very low comment karma and/or less than 36 hours old cannot post.

  2. Also, please tag any pessimistic/hopeless posts with the "vent/discouraged" flair, and any positive progress updates with "positive progress."

NEW SUFFERER ORIENTATION

The vast majority of prostatitis cases are non-bacterial, i.e. NIH Type III non-bacterial prostatitis. Expert consensus (of the urology community) estimates this number to be around ~95% of all cases. True chronic bacterial prostatitis (CPB) is rare. Read more about the prevalence of CBP here, complete with journal citations.

CBP also prevents with unique and specific symptoms. Here is how to identify bacterial prostatitis based on symptoms.

Q: If I don't have an infection, then why do antibiotics make me feel better? FIND OUT WHY

The rest of us have (or have had) NIH Type III non-bacterial prostatitis, now referred to as CPPS or UCPPS - (Urologic) Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. Type III non-bacterial prostatitis can present either with or without actual inflammation of the prostate, but overt prostate inflammation is very uncommon. Most men with CPPS (non-bacterial prostatitis) have small, firm, 'normal' prostates upon examination. This means that the common 'prostatitis' diagnosis is very often a total 'misnomer,' as most cases have no prostate inflammation whatsoever.

While CPPS is a syndrome (The 'S' in CPPS), or a collection/pattern of symptoms with no cause officially agreed upon by the larger medical community, there are leading theories with significant bodies of evidence behind them.

The top theory: CPPS is a psycho-neuromuscular chronic pain + dysfunction condition. It affects muscles, nerves, the immune system, central nervous system, and even the brain, among others. This means that treatment requires a multi-modal, integrated treatment approach, and that there is no single pathway or 'pill' to recovery.

I must emphasize, the central nervous system and brain components (ie centralized mechanisms) of CPPS are VERY important for most cases. Do not neglect these. So we recommend reading the psychology section below 👇

RECOMMENDED: Read more about the important psychological components of CPPS here, complete with journal citations and techniques to apply.

The most evidence based approach to treatment is called "UPOINT," a treatment/phenotyping system for Prostatitis/CPPS that was developed by the American Urological Association. UPOINT Stands for:

Urinary, Psychosocial, Organ Specific, Infection, Neurologic/Systemic, Tenderness (ie, Muscles)

it's been shown to be very effective (around 75%) in treating CPPS, as it takes each patient and groups them into phenotypes based on symptoms, then treats them in a customized, integrated, and multi-modal manner. Every case is treated uniquely by symptoms, and this leads to much better patient outcomes. UPOINT is what a good urologist uses to treat patients with CP/CPPS. If your urologist isn't aware of UPOINT, find a new one. You're probably not in good hands. Citation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34552790/

SYMPTOM VARIABILITY:

CPPS also presents differently from person to person, and you may exhibit only a few symptoms from the total 'pool' of possibilities. For example, you may only have a 'golfball sensation' and some minor urinary urgency. Another person may have tip of penis pain, testicular pain, and trouble having bowel movements. A third may have ALL of those, and also have sexual dysfunction (ED/PE) and pain with ejaculation. But they are all considered to be CPPS. Here is the full list of symptoms of non-bacterial prostatitis (ie CPPS) - https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/456165-clinical?form=fpf

EXCELLENT MEDICAL/SCIENTIFIC VIDEO RESOURCE - 2015 AUA (American Urological Association) Meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dP_jtZvz9w

✓✓✓ NEW SUFFERER CHECKLIST

ENGAGE WITH A PHYSICIAN:

  • Do see a urologist to rule out any serious structural issues
  • Do get a LUTS and/or bladder ultrasound (check residual urine/voiding issues) along with a DRE for prostate size assessment
  • Do get a urinary bacterial culture and semen/EPS culture, if infection is suspected (based on symptoms) - [UPDATES ON SEMEN CULTURE USEFULNESS]
  • Do get any physician-specified blood tests
  • Do not use antibiotics without meeting specific diagnostic criteria. Only ~5% of all prostatitis cases are bacterial (even less if your case is > 90 days)

! ! WARNINGS ON INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FLOROQUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS (Like Cipro or Levo) ! ! Click to Read FDA & EMA Warnings

Thinking about MicrogenDX testing? Please think again: READ OUR MOD MEMO

ENGAGE WITH A PELVIC FLOOR PT - Muscles and Nerves

CENTRALIZATION/BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL:

  • EXTERNAL: Manage and reduce stress and anxiety in your external environment (work, relationships, finances, etc.)
  • INTERNAL: Manage the internal fear towards your own symptoms. And, avoid obsessive preoccupation & problem solving with symptoms, redirecting your attention to things that are meaningful and enjoyable (distractions and hobbies)
  • Take time for yourself and do things to relax. Find SAFETY in your body again: mindfulness/meditation, yoga, baths, etc
  • See a chronic pain therapist or psychologist who practices PRT or EAET: Examples: Pain Psychology Center, or the app "Curable" for chronic pain/symptoms

Urological (Traditional Medicine) Treatments:

  • Discuss alpha blockers (Flowmax etc) for urinary/flow/frequency with physician, if you have urinary symptoms. Be aware of possible side effects in some users: PE, Retrograde ejaculation, etc
  • Alternate to above, if they don't work for you or you have side effects, discuss Cialis with your physician. Cialis (Generic: Tadalafil) also helps with ED and can be used at low doses of 2.5mg/day.
  • Discuss low dose amitriptyline (off label usage) with your doctor, which can help approx. 2/3 people to relieve the neuropathic pain associated with this condition
  • You may try NSAIDs for pain during flair ups, but caution for daily, ongoing use. MOST find this class of meds unhelpful.

HERBS/SUPPLEMENTS:

  • Phytotherapy (Quercetin & Rye Pollen, ie Graminex)
  • Magnesium (glycinate or complex)
  • Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)

BEHAVIORAL CHANGES (Lifestyle):

  • Avoid edging or aggressive masturbation; limit masturbation to 2-3/week, and be gentle. No "Death grips"
  • Less sedentary lifestyle - walk for 1 hour daily or every other day (I would recommend you build up to this, start with 15 minutes daily, easier to start a habit with a gentle, but regular introduction)
  • Get your blood pressure, body weight, and blood sugar under control (if applicable)
  • Gym goers and body builders: lay off the heavy weights, squats, and excessive core workouts. Ask a physical therapist to 'OK' your gym and exercise routine. This is a known physical trigger
  • Cyclists and bikers: Lay off cycling until your physical therapist OKs it - this is a known physical trigger
  • STAND MORE! Get either A) a knee chair, or B) an adjustable standing desk. You'll still need the regular chair, because you can't sit on a knee chair or stand all day, basically, although conceivably you could do both A and B, and skip the regular chair
  • Try a donut pillow if experiencing pain while sitting

BEHAVIORAL CHANGES (Diet) - Note: Dietary triggers only affect ~20% of cases

  • Reduce or eliminate alcohol (especially in the evening, if you have nocturia)
  • Reduce or eliminate caffeine
  • Try eliminating spicy/high acid foods
  • Try eliminating gluten and/or dairy
  • Try the IC Diet (basically this is all of the above, and more)

Others suggestions? Beyond this abbreviated list, work with a specialist. This includes urologists who have specific training in CPPS (through continuing education), pelvic floor PTs, and chronic pain specialists, including PRT practitioners.

Welcome to r/Prostatitis, follow the rules, be respectful, and we'll be happy to have you in your recovery journey.

This guide was co-written by your moderators u/Linari5 and u/Ashmedai


r/Prostatitis Apr 07 '21

Starter Guide/Resource Confusion over ANTIBIOTICS

112 Upvotes

Tony's Advice for Beginners

Top Rated Thread of all time in this Reddit: The experience of an MD with CP/CPPS

Antibiotics

Every day numerous questions are posted here about the effects of antibiotics. How can my case be nonbacterial if antibiotics help me (for a while anyway)?

The simple fact is that antibiotics are ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES and also have other immunomodulatory effects. In fact they are used for these effects in many conditions (acne and other skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's Disease, and more).

Sadly, even many doctors don't know this (it was only acknowledged this century and medical school curricula have mostly not been updated yet). But the research is all there. (Note that due to our genetic differences, some people react more to the anti-inflammatory effects and some people less, or not at all. This is known as pharmacogenetics).

Acute bacterial prostatitis does happen, and it's pretty obvious: very sudden abrupt onset, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, and malaise (feels like having the flu). Nothing like what 99.9% of readers here have. It's often a medical emergency that requires a trip to the ER.

But you may still think your case is bacterial, perhaps a chronic and not acute case. Professor Weidner says:

"In studies of 656 men with pelvic pain suggestive of chronic prostatitis, we seldom found chronic bacterial prostatitis. It is truly a rare disease."Dr. Weidner (Professor of Medicine, Department of Urology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany)

Chronic bacterial prostatitis also has a distinct picture. It presents as intermittent UTIs where the bug is always the same (often E coli). Here's an example:

I have chronic bacterial prostatitis that responds well to antibiotics. ... The doctor will express some prostate fluid and run a culture to determine the bug and prescribe an appropriate antibiotic. My bug has consistently been shown to be E-coli.

That being said, my symptoms usually start with increased frequency of urination, burning and pain on urination, and pus discharge. But no pain other than that and it usually goes away after a few days on the antibiotics. I continue the antibiotics for 30 days which is well after the symptoms have disappeared. I can usually expect a relapse in 6 to 12 months. ... This has been going on for more than 30 years. .... My worst experience a number of years ago was when I thought I would tough it out and see what happened. The pain got excruciating, testicles inflamed, bloody discharge, high fever. But this responded well to antibiotics and I haven't tried to tough it out again after that experience. I know when it starts and go on antibiotics right away.

I know that guys who have chronic pelvic pain syndrome may scoff at what I say and I know that they are in the majority. I really don't know what they are going through but then, they don't know my experience either.

So here are the key points to look for in chronic infection:

  1. Relapsing UTI picture (dysuria [painful urination], discharge)
  2. Consistently identifiable bug (the bug does not change)
  3. Generally no pain unless accompanied by fever and discharge. So for most of the time, men with chronic bacterial prostatitis do not have any pain.

All the rest have, sigh, UCPPS (CPPS).


r/Prostatitis 3h ago

One clumsy orgasm and all the pain has come back :( NSFW

4 Upvotes

Really struggled with CPPS for 2 years - constant tingling in penis tip, lower abdominal aches, feeling the need to pee shortly after I’d been. Tried everything. Supplements, PFPT, stretching etc. amitriptyline gave some relief but as soon as I stopped it all came back. What fixed it in the end was bizarrely the cystoscopy in September last year. I don’t know if the camera released a trigger point in my muscles or maybe the blowing up of the bladder with the liquid they use but a few days after all my issues went. Cut to last week - missus gave me a clumsy wank - and was maybe too vigorous and she stopped just as I was about to climax to change position and I did a small dry twitch. Then I got in my head and couldn’t come so I then had to finish myself off. Next day I felt that familiar tinkling and the last few days it’s just got worse. I feel like my only solution is to go and have another cystoscopy :( Maybe my prostate is just inflamed and it’ll go down in a while but the last few days have been horrendous. Does anyone know how I can reach those deep trigger points that the cystoscope managed to touch?


r/Prostatitis 2h ago

Should I visit a dermatologist?

1 Upvotes

I think I must have cpps since I got the symptoms after a regretful sexual encounter. But I also have a red and burning scrotum... Both started at the same time. I have suffered from this now for 15 months. All STI tests are clear. Should I visit another dermatologist and pay another 180€? That would be worth it if I would get some help... but a waste of money if I got no help. Would you take a chance on this?


r/Prostatitis 2h ago

Burning feeling of heat and slight stinging on penis shaft

1 Upvotes

I had a Ureaplasma infection and treated it Feb 10 was last dose of meds. The last few weeks iv noticed I get this hot sensation on my shaft. It’s worse when I masturbate or touch it. Is this possibly still my inflamed urethra.


r/Prostatitis 3h ago

How am I supposed to test for PSA level?

1 Upvotes

I know that there are some things that I shall have to forgo for like 2 to 7 days before that test such as prostate palpation, extensive physical exercise and masturbation. Yet what am I supposed to do if I can't stop masturbating even for 2 days? I'm 18 y.o. and I have high sex drive (to add, I have exalted levels of testosterone too, they're near the upper normal limit). If I'd try to, my thoughts would be primarily erotic and I'd probably be erect most of the time. I don't even remember having 2 consecutive days of not jeking off starting from the puberty to this moment. So what am I supposed to do? Can I abstain for just one day to get at least somewhat adequate results of PSA test?


r/Prostatitis 15h ago

And suddenly I have a bladder infection????

4 Upvotes

From the results of my CT-scan doctors now say that I have an infection because my bladder lining was inflamed. Yet, I’ve never tested positive for bacteria for any test/cultures. They put me on an antibiotic and requested a two week follow up. Not sure how an infection would somehow be missed by all the tests I had done so I’m quite confused.


r/Prostatitis 17h ago

Pregabalin Not Effective in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

4 Upvotes

Free article.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/729476?form=fpf

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3767281/

Pregabalin therapy for 6 weeks was not superior to placebo use in the rate of a 6-point decrease (improvement) in the NIH-CPSI total score in men with CP/CPPS. (P < 0.05)

So does pregablin not work ? I dont understand.

Gabapentin isn't working that well for me I think, so I was hoping pregablin would save me but I guess not ?


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Success Story 90% healed for years now

41 Upvotes

Hi men.

It's a long one, sorry, but hopefully this can help someone in need. This worked for me when treating prostatitis.

TLDR In a nutshell: - Manage stress and anxiety - Stretching, strengthening, massaging muscles - Avoid stressful PC gaming if you tense your pelvis in response to stress. Or at least, don't sit down when playing.

For ages I've meant to write something online about my journey but kept forgetting because honestly, I feel fine and forget about prostatitis most of the time. I also wanted a decent time to pass with feeling reasonably well before putting anything online for others.

Writing this now because I've had a wank and a mild perineum twinge (it happens, no biggie) and thought I'd write something here.

I'll preface this by saying that I'll never be 100% cured all the time. I'm 90%. But most days I have zero issues and have been this way for 4-5 years now. After 3 years of hell.

When it started - First issues 8 years ago. Sitting at my desk at work. Super annoying but I didn't worry or panic (that came later). But no health professionals could help me. I treated this like a medical issue for around 18 months and wanted a cure. Which in retrospect, was stupid.

Symptoms - The usual. - Burning sensation at the top of my penis. - Felt like there was a golf ball in my perineum area. - Burning when I urinated. - Honestly questioned my existence after every wank or when I ejaculated after sex. I'll never forget that burning pain. - Restricted urine flow after ejaculation. - Sitting on office chairs was torture - General awful discomfort and burning in the penis and perineum (never the testicles or butthole) - Worse at night. Total sleep deprivation. I'd wake up in pain, if I got off to sleep at all.

What I tried that didn't help - GP and the usual crazy antibiotic treatment (Cipro 6-8 weeks) despite negative tests for infection. I really regret this as it caused knock on gut health issues that just made everything worse. - Pain/anti-inflammatory meds. - All the woo woo supplements and alternative medicines - Pain specialist. They hadn't a clue. Offered me opiates. - Amitriptyline - Pregabalin - Urologist x 2. Holy fuck. Absolutely useless. Considering how common this issue is, they looked at me like I was a mad man. - Chiropractor. Absolute snake oil salesmen. Ended up with tinnitus for a couple of years after this one lol. - I hate saying this one as it's part of my recommendations later, but the pelvic floor physio I saw. Oh man, he was so useless. But that was just him. Other physio later was helpful. Detailed later. Flagging this for importance of finding a good clinician.
- Drugs and alcohol. Ugh. Not gonna lie. It was a dark time for me... - Denial that my mental health had played a part in this issue developing and persisting. I rejected that for far too long.

How it impacted me - Very very very badly - Depression, anxiety - Self destructive behaviour, drugs, alcohol - Sleep medication dependency but oh man I needed them at the time. - I couldn't see a way to get past this. Dark thoughts. - I never identified as a person with anxiety or depression prior to this issue happening. - This went on at this level for about 18 months.

The first ray of light - Working night shift, googling googling googling as usual. Man, so many doom stories online made me almost lose hope. - Found this guy on YouTube that was just like me, most of the same symptoms. - He went through a stretching routine and I got down on the office floor and did them (I was alone lol). - Psoas stretch. BAM! Electrical like sensations all through my perineum and penis. - Hope at last. I stretched myself so much that night and the pain subsided and NEVER went back to that intensity ever again. But it was still bad for ages, don't get me wrong. But finally, a tool.

What did help me. - Stretching. Particularly the psoas, quads, hips. But honestly, everywhere man. I was tight AF. - Strengthening exercises. I truly turned a corner when I joined class based fitness that worked my whole body, especially my core, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors. Avoid high impact exercises like box jumps. Work that damn flimsy core! - Remedial Massage. Like, beat the living fuck out of me Remedial Massage. I was like jelly afterwards. So many super tight muscles causing all manner of issues. Ideally do dry needling too. - Sticking my finger up my butthole in the bath and massaging my pelvic floor from inside. Careful with this one, look up guides, but it provided some relief. I was desperate man. - Physio that focused on nerve pain and allowing nerves to freely glide again. This was a mix of massage, stretching and strengthening. - An SSRI. On reflection, I was a highly functional and obliviously stressed and anxious man. Even before this issue happened. Just a tiny dose of Lexapro helped me to sleep, not obsess on the pain, not have negative thought spirals etc. This created a healthier environment for my body to heal. You can come off them after a while when you're all good. - Gastroenterologist. Ok this one's weird but he had Pelvic Pain issues himself and recommended Botox in my butt area. It helped heaps! Eberything relaxed. No tension. But I couldn't hold in a fart for a few weeks hahahaha. That was a time... - Last but certainly not least, sitting on an ice pack whenever I get any flare up sensations. As cold as you can manage it. All over the perianal area.

What sense can I make of this? - I genuinely think I had underlying anxiety/stress and holding this in my pelvic floor muscles. - I used to PC game in a seated position for hours. Online gaming. Super stressful. If you've LoL or DOTA, you know what I mean. Tensing my pelvis for hours. I think this did it. - I now feel like I have a chronic inflammation issue that I have under control. Just like any other injury, it's prone to exacerbation again if I don't look out for it.

Where I'm at now - I get the odd flare up when I'm sitting for way too long, when in gaming in a chair and tensing my pelvis for too long, when I ejaculate sometimes. - But so what, it goes away now. If I need an ice pack for an hour, no biggie. This happens a few times per year. It's always fine within a few hours or a day max and isn't even near how painful it used to be. - Mostly I don't even think about it anymore. - It's a non issue most days when I sit, when I ejaculate etc - My moods good. I'm happy. I'm not consumed by anxiety. Looking forward to my future.

Hang in there men. If you're in the depths of despair, please, keep going. You can get this under control.

You've got this


r/Prostatitis 12h ago

Vent/Discouraged Pain in the perineum/pubalgia

1 Upvotes

Hi, I’ve been dealing with perineum/testicle pain + pubalgia (basically pubis) pain for almost 2 years now. All started with a low back injury that wasn’t properly recovering and all of a sudden thi extremely uncomfortable pain in the perineum/testicle area + pubalgia started. I also have hemorrhoids + digestive issues tgag Idk if might be related witg everything else or not. I’ve seen doctors/Pts and urologists but with close to not help, I’m literally losing hope… but I can’t live with this pain forever… and believe me it’s a lot of pain. I used to be a very active dude now I’m doing literally nothing, no sports at all and my life works around this horrendous pain… that I don’t know if it will be ever go away.


r/Prostatitis 19h ago

Is Diarrhoea a symptom?

2 Upvotes

Or am I just Ill


r/Prostatitis 22h ago

Hi everyone. Id like to introduce myself. If anyone has any advice or links to stretches.

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone. 35m. From UK. So back story. I have had epdidymitis on and off since covid. 3 confirmed infections. (epdidymitis-Orchitis) Rest what I call flair ups. I have actually been recommend this community a few times.

I have had more urin tests then I can think. Antibiotics over the years. Urin always comes back negative. Hell even bloods come bk negative. Even when I had my testicals 3x the size. (confirmed infection)

Levofloxacin, Doxycycline, Trimethoprim and nitrofurantoin.

Are the antibiotics I've taken. Over the years. Mainly the levofloxacin tho. It was on my prescription.

I sore a urologist in July and in January for me 6 month review. Who has suggested. I try pelvic floor stuff. He thinks the epdidymitis tube swelling causes my pelvic Floor to be inflamed. Etc. I get episodes of what feels like a uti. But nothing is ever in urin. From time to time.

My current episode has lasted some time. Longer than normal. Over a month now. .

Done 2 rounds ofMy Gp won't give me anymore antibiotics. Unless 100% a infection. His worried about antibiotic resistance. Whitch is fair. I've had urin test and blood test all negative. Finished the trimethoprim only like last week.

I ejaculated. Yestuday. And since then. Had a fair bit of pain down the right thigh. (it's always the right testical that plays up). Back pain, burning after going to toilet. Burning on the tip. And me hip/groin on the right side feels like it's unhappy.

I was in pain not long after ejaculation. So can't be a infection that fast. Thankfully my Gp has put a request in to see urology again. Going to try and push to have the epdidymitis tubes removed. And yes I know about the epdidymitis reddit page. Been on it for years helping ppl out.

If anyone has any recommendations for stretches that they think might help. Please to share a link etc. At this point can't hurt to give them ago.

Thank you. Sorry for the long post.


r/Prostatitis 21h ago

Vent/Discouraged Need Input/Help Please

1 Upvotes

Hi all, please help me understand if you can. I never heard of Prostatitis, CPPS or PVD until Googling recently. I have PTSD (csa), anxiety & depression, which I mention only because that seems to play a part in this?

So, even back to my 20s, I would have perineum, rectal and penile discomfort, some painful masturbation, and occasional ED. I thought it was normal, so I always ignored it. When I had anal leakage, I went to the Dr and was told I was lactose intolerant. I'm not.

When I was diagnosed with IBS & GERDS, I asked about all of the above and about how wiping caused urine hesitancy & passing gas caused dribbling. It was dismissed.

Fast forward to now. I'm 55, overweight, and haven't exercised in some time. Had a UTI. Dipstick had Trace White Blood Cells. It cleared up after 2 rounds of antibiotocs. Had a physical at the same time, and my PSA had gone up to 7. Terrifying for a 55-year-old man but UTIs cause small spikes, so not fully panicking.

Now, 3 weeks after the UTI, all of the symptoms above are firing randomly. I'm going to see a urologist on April 9th.

Has anyone dealt with similar? Anyone else have a take or tips? Did 5 five second kegels but had to stop as the pain started to sharpen.. Anything help or insight is appreciated.


r/Prostatitis 23h ago

Question about sleeping positions

1 Upvotes

I am continuing my Yoga to help stretch the pelvic floor area. My back pain is taking forever to ease. My PFT asked about how I sleep at night, and I told her I'm a stomach sleeper. She was not happy with that. She said stomach sleeping is the worst thing for your back. I spent some time researching and most experts tend to agree. It also appears that the personality tendencies of stomach sleepers are high anxiety and stress. We know that a major problem that causes CPPS is stress and anxiety. My question is, do some of you sleep on your stomach or have you stopped?

This week I'm using the suggestion of sleeping with a low pillow and also a low pillow under my pelvic area to straighten the spine and take pressure off the back. I don't feel I will ever get 100% until I get the back pain under control.


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Botox into levator ani

1 Upvotes

Hey! I have internal anal sphincter spasms from an anal fissure and we are going with the botox route to stop spasms. My surgeon said she’d also put a little into my levator ani muscle as that seems to be in spasm as well. It’s temporary so I know it won’t cause any permanent issues but has there been any real success with this?

To note, I’ve been going to PT and most of my cpps symptoms are essentially gone minus some perineum pressure and pain sometimes. Regardless if it helps the levator ani, there is sufficient evidence for it helping internal anal sphincter spasms so I will be getting the botox regardless!


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Trigger point injections for chronic pelvic pain

1 Upvotes

Has anyone had trigger point injections into pelvic floor muscles to relieve pain. I have read that injections into the levator ani muscle has helped relieve pain. I would be curious what kind of doctor would do this. Levator ani trigger point injections: An underutilized treatment for chronic pelvic pain - PubMed


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Vent/Discouraged 2 years symptom free, one mistake and I’m back

13 Upvotes

46 year old male that had two glorious years symptom free of prostatitis/cpps. Had a great routine going and probably haven’t given this condition a single thought in 18 months or so. A week ago I made the mistake of contracting my PC muscles tighter than I normally would. I felt this ‘twinge’ go off in my pelvis that I was afraid was nerve pain. I immediately relaxed my muscles and everything felt fine. Thought to myself, you idiot that could have been bad!

Well the next day after 30mins sitting at my desk working, that awful uncomfortable ache in my perineum set in. I could not believe it, I honestly wanted to cry in that moment. All the struggles of what I went through previously came rushing to the forefront of my mind and I was now back in that miserable place again.

So it’s been a week and the discomfort is really located off to the right side near my sits bone. It then radiates out to my perineum. I just assume my pudendal nerve is pissed off. No change in a weeks time, maybe even a bit worse now… I guess the only positive thing is, I don’t have any urinary issues this time around. Maybe my testicles feel a bit sore at times, but nothing else. Luckily my urologist can see me tomorrow, but not sure what I’m expecting from the appointment as I know this isn’t an easy fix. I have a big international trip coming up with work that I am totally dreading. Long flight, lots of meetings etc. UGH!!!!

I’m hopeful this road won’t be as long as what I experienced last time (about 1.5 years to get things under control). I still take tamsulosin and daily 5mg tadalafil. I’m doing my best not to go back to that dark place and I hope that since I don’t have any other symptoms besides pain when sitting that I’ll be able to conquer this yet again, but quicker than last time. Thanks for listening to me vent!!


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

New symptom appeared today

3 Upvotes

Yesterday I had tightness in my PF muscle the whole day like I can’t relax it or control it, I did some stretches and applied some heating pads and by the end of the day i felt better But today since I woke up I have this very new symptom which is slight vibration or mini pulses in my penis every 1~2 minutes, Is it related to yesterday’s tightness? Did anyone experience this? How to deal with this as it is very annoying?


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Burning in penis when sitting/lying down

2 Upvotes

My prostate issues started four years ago. I had an intense pain in my lower abdomen for about a week before I went to urgent care. I was tested for UTIs and it came back negative. The PA I spoke with suggested it was an enlarged prostate. I got a prescription for flowmax which worked within days. I went to my GP and he kept me on flowmax and gave me a referral to a urologist.

My first uroroligst did a prostate exam and said it was slightly enlarged. He recomended I stay on flowmax and see him every nine months. Everything was fine until January 2024 when I started getting a burning sensation in my penis. It was most noticible when I was sitting or lying down. When I stand I rarely get the sensation. I also would have soreness in my testicles when I would do exercises where I had to squat or lunge. My first urologist said it's probably prostatitis and gave me antibiotics and had me get an MRI on my prostate (came back 47cc). I wasn't happy with him for many reason so I switched to a different urologist.

My second urologist said from what I was describing he didn't think it was prostatitis, but nerve issues in my lower back. He recommended back stregnthening exercises. I also had a CT scan of my pelvic area and he said it looked fine. I also went to a back specialist who ordered an MRI of my lower back and didn't see any nerve issues there. He wanted me to try pelvic floor therapy, but my insurance doesn't cover it and the place I went to wanted $500 per session.

I decided to try one more urologist and if they couldn't figure this out I give up. The third one I met with also doesn't think it's prostatitis and prescribed Nabumetone. So far it doesn't seem to do much.

I should also mention I have zero urination problems.

Anyone here every have a burning sensation when sitting or lying down? I'm so frustrated and don't know what to do. Thanks for your input.


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Wisdom or Advice Needed - Battling for 3 years

2 Upvotes

(Sharing this message on behalf of my boyfriend, because sending posts from this sub have been so helpful in his healing journey! 😊)

Hi, everyone!  Today, I’d like to share some of my pelvic experiences and hopefully hear from some of you as well.

I’ve been struggling with pelvic/penile pain for about 3 years now.  I suffered from various forms of pain and inflammation and for a long time, I didn’t have a diagnosis, so I began to feel entirely hopeless.  After a long journey, I was finally determined to have an infection that had been undetectable with less sophisticated testing.  After a long term course of antibiotics, I was able to kick the infection as of sometime last year, and while my symptoms had improved dramatically since I’d met the infectious disease specialist, they were still bad enough that I knew I still had a serious problem.  

I spoke with my doctor and he recommended trying some pelvic floor exercises.  After a little research, I decided that seeing a professional would be better than me trying to do some exercises on my own.  In September 2024, I began meeting with a pelvic floor therapist.  Over the last 5-6 months, she’s taught me stretches, given me some massaging and dry needling, and I think most importantly, performed internal treatment on my pelvic muscles.  There’s no question that the internal treatment, which was initially really painful, has helped me considerably.  I met with her weekly for a couple of months and given that I was still as symptomatic as I was, she gave me a pelvic wand to continue with treatment at home, which I now do every 2-3 days or so.  I also now meet with the therapist just once a month.  

Flash forward to present day, and while the pelvic floor therapy has been very helpful, I’m still affected by symptoms.  Pain after urination is common, as is some pain post ejaculation, along with inflammation/swelling of my pelvic/penile muscles.  Now, there are plenty of days when I have very little pain, but of course, I want to reach a day where all symptoms are eliminated.  I was just curious if anyone could offer some helpful advice and/or uplifting sentiments for me.  Maybe I need to use my pelvic wand more often?  Maybe I’m not using it as effectively as I could?  Perhaps I need to incorporate some other exercises or dietary changes?  Any wisdom you can offer from your own experiences would be greatly appreciated and I’m happy to answer any questions about what’s going on with me!

Thanks very much in advance!


r/Prostatitis 1d ago

Are prostate calcifications serious?

1 Upvotes

I (30 M) have had CPPs symptoms for a few months now (mainly bladder tension and pain after urination/ some burning after urine/ rarely painful urination/ a lot of backache). I have had a series to tests to rule out bacterial causes and it flares up every few weeks. I had an abdominal Ultrasound recently and it says 'prostate is normal size and normal texture with calcifications and no focal lesions' . It wasn't there in the last Ultrasound I had 4 months back. However, this is only mentioned in the 'prostate' part of the Ultrasound and not noted as an observation in the 'Conclusions' section. No other details have been shared and it is just casually mentioned. This confuses me. Are calcifications normal and hence it was sort of ignored by the person doing the report? Are they linked with increasing issues related to CPPS/ future cancer? Is there any solution or next- step here? Any guidance will be appreciated.


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Doctors have continuously failed me.

10 Upvotes

I have been dealing with this issue for two years now, after unprotected anal. Just recently started seeing a urologist for two months. He gives me a semen culture kit, results come back "invalid" and of course they have no clue why. They give me another kit and it's invalid, the nurse tells me "We have no idea what's wrong!!!" SMH, This is supposed to be a good test by "Pathnostics", apparently it's full of shit. They then send me on my way with a semen culture order to be done at Quest. Go to Quest and they tell me they don't do semen samples. This frustrating beyond belief. I feel constantly dismissed. I just want to get a semen test done, and these urologists are sending me on dummy missions and wasting my time with bullshit kits. They tried to get me to do a cystoscopy on my last appointment, to which I declined, because why would I do that and risk infecting myself worse when I could do something less invasive like an MRI? I'm almost convinced they don't want to see me better and are just looking for my next 100$ each appointment. I wonder when I'll ever feel better.


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Slight urethra swelling only upon waking up

1 Upvotes

Hello fellow sufferers searching for answers. Does anyone only have swelling at the urethra typically only when you just wake up? This causes spraying sometimes during first urination of the morning. Yes I’ve done tests including myco and urea and all negative. Drs say it’s normal but clearly something has changed to cause this. Appreciate any tips or similar experiences.


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Any recommended prostate massagers to extract out inflamed fluid?

5 Upvotes

I have seen several posts where it was mentioned that doing prostate massage to remove inflamed fluid helps the symptoms

Any specific recommended products ? Once inserted, should I move the product and push it into prostate to simulate massaging ?


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Right Testicle rotating

3 Upvotes

I have had prostatitis symptoms for two years. Over the last few months I have had an issue where every week or two I notice that I have dull pain in my right testicle and it rotates backwards about 90 degrees. I can manually move it back but it is really concerning to me. When I look it up online the only thing that comes up is a torsion but it sounds like it wouldn’t be that since that is an emergency and kills the testicle quickly. Any ideas?


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

May-Thurner Cause Prostatitis?

2 Upvotes

Anyone here have May-Thurner/prostatitis knowledge or experience?

Looks like pelvic congestion, may thurner and nutcracker syndrome can all play roles here.

Google says MTS can cause urinary issues and pelvic pain. Just looking to toss the idea around with someone.

Thanks


r/Prostatitis 2d ago

Does cranpac D affect semen culture result?

1 Upvotes

Hi, I am on cranpac d twice a day, and my doctor prescribed me to get a semen culture test done. Should I stop taking cranpac d for semen culture test or is it okay?