New symptoms

[SickofCP]

I've been doing the SP for more than a year and a half now. Overall, I'm doing well. My pelvic muscles can now relax substantially. My urethral pain is pretty well gone (no more pain at the tip). Also my urinary symptoms are greatly improved. My remaining symptoms have been that the muscles still tense up when sitting for a prolonged period.

HOWEVER, over the last week or so I've felt itchy in the scrotum and perineum area. It's odd because at the same time, I've been able to relax the pelvis. I think this is something else going on. I went to a walk-in dr on Friday and he gave me some topical cortizone/anti-fungal compound cream. It does feel less itchy now, but still itchy a little.

ALSO, after ejaculation on Saturday, my penis (like in the circumsized foreskin area) swelled up. I've never had these symptoms before.

Is it possible that I have some kind of infection here (fungal or otherwise?) These symptoms seem separate from my usual CPPS.

Please help.

[PainInPA]

The only thing that comes to mind for me is a comparison to a bee sting. Usually, after a bee sting, you experience pain and swelling for a few days, followed by a tremendous itching - during the healing stage.

Perhaps you are experiencing healing blood flow that you haven't had for a while in those areas and that is causing the itching.

Just a thought...

[SickofCP]

The only thing that comes to mind for me is a comparison to a bee sting. Usually, after a bee sting, you experience pain and swelling for a few days, followed by a tremendous itching - during the healing stage.

Perhaps you are experiencing healing blood flow that you haven't had for a while in those areas and that is causing the itching.

Just a thought...

Except the itching started before the swelling. BTW, the swelling lasted a day, but I fear that the next time I ejaculate the same thing will happen.

The oddest thing is that my usual symptoms have not been bad.

[LightningTree]

It could be just some passing thing you may have picked up. I don't want you to panic. I know that after all we go through we can have some pretty bad thoughts.

In the worst case, excessive sitting may be irritating your pudendal nerve.
See if it goes away.

If it doesn't, try sitting with your legs crossed on one hip for a week, and see if that helps. I switch from hip to hip once every 10 minutes.

And don't forget, when you sit for long periods of time, don't! Get up and walk around at least everyhalf an hour. Even if it is just around a cubicle! :)

[SickofCP]

It could be just some passing thing you may have picked up. I don't want you to panic. I know that after all we go through we can have some pretty bad thoughts.

In the worst case, excessive sitting may be irritating your pudendal nerve.
See if it goes away.

If it doesn't, try sitting with your legs crossed on one hip for a week, and see if that helps. I switch from hip to hip once every 10 minutes.

And don't forget, when you sit for long periods of time, don't! Get up and walk around at least everyhalf an hour. Even if it is just around a cubicle! :)

I avoid excessive sitting at all costs. Lots of standing. I don't think this is what triggered it.

I saw my GP today who calls the itchiness "red ball syndrome". I don't think he knows what he's talking about as per usual.

[LightningTree]

Oh well, it was worth a shot.

Have you changed your eating habits lately?

Have you changed the detergent with which you wash your clothes?

[SickofCP]

Haven't changed detergent. Haven't really changed diet; however, I ate a bunch of cashew nuts before this happened, and hadn't eaten cashews in a long time. Could it be an alergic kind of reaction? It feels separate from my CPPS. My muscles do not feel tense. In fact, other than the itchiness I feel pretty good!

Should I try an antihistamine? If so, which one?

[SickofCP]

I'm hoping some of you can offer some help to me on this one. The itchy scrotum area is bothering me. I think my GP thinks that it's all part of my CPPS, but I don't. I think it's an allergic reaction of some kind. My pelvis is rather relaxed, but the scrotum skin feels itchy. I'm seeing a dermatologist soon.

Anybody think antihistamines are worth a try?

[adam]

Finally! Someone else with the itchy symptoms.

I too had itchy skin in the perineum, scrotum, and waist (above my crack).

Actually, this started about 6 months before my CPPS. I was under quite a bit of stress during this time and didn't pay it much attention, except to SCRATCH it. I believe that after months of scratching and clenching the muscles in my pelvis, I developed CPPS. Fast forward three years later. I have learned to manage the itch when it arises by something so simple, yet so difficult. DO NOT SCRATCH it! I repeat DO NOT SCRATCH it. Its actually the scratching that can make skin continually itch. The condition is pruritis.

It was diagnosed as "eczema" and I was given all the usual topical ointments to treat it. Nothing worked long-term.

I never did find the cause of my itchy skin.... detergent, stress, silver, heat, cold, diet, who knows. But what I did find after much trial and error is that by not scratching it, it would never get too bad and now rarely occurs. Good luck!


-Adam

[MastCells]

Anybody think antihistamines are worth a try?

I would consider asking your doctor about trying antihistamines. Hydroxyzine or the less effective and less sedating fexofenadine might help.

"(iii) General symptomatic treatment

(a) To reduce or avoid any provocative factors, e.g. dryness of the environment, wearing irritating fabric, overheating, stress, vasodilatation from hot food.

(b) Topical applications

Emollient, menthol in calamine lotion can be used.

(iv) Oral medication - Antihistamine are most useful in conditions in which antihistamine clearly plays a role, e.g. urticaria. Histamine is the most consistent itch mediator known, but since it is not the only mediator it is not surprising that antihistamines are not always helpful.

* Tricyclic antidepressants may be of help in some patients with intractable itching.

(v) Special treatment

(a) Naloxone, a synthetic opioid antagonist (hence a possible specific antipruritic drug), may relieve intractable pruritus. It is being used experimentally in some cases.

(b) Topical capsaicin is being tried in some centres as a antipruritic agent.

(vi) Other suggested measures of uncertain efficacy include transcutaneous nerve stimulation and acupuncture."

http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/victo ... uritus.htm

[SickofCP]

Thank you very much for that post.

Today, the itchiness seems much better. I'm hoping that it was just an allergic reaction that is now passing. But if it persists (which it very well may), I will definetly consider antihistamines and the rest.

Thanks again.

[MastCells]

No problemo. Keep us posted.

[SickofCP]

No problemo. Keep us posted.

Update:

I saw a dermatologist last Saturday about the itchy scrotum. He saw some dermititis and prescribed a different cortizone topical cream to the one I was taking. He thinks it was irritated from a fabric softener or detergent (I still think it was from the cashew nuts I ate). His feeling was that it would likely not last long (few days he said). And sure enough, it's almost completely better now (knock on wood). In fact, I don't think I felt any itch at all today.

Looking back, my GP scared me by telling me that it would be like CPPS, where it could last months/years. I had this for just a few days, and already he was making it a chronic condition! I think he probably thought it was just part of my chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome problems and sluffed it off. It was me who suggested to see a dermatologist. I think I need a new GP. He always tells me the same things..."CPPS will last a few years and then go away, but later comes back". When I tell him how the SP is helping me, I could tell that he doesn't take it seriously. His feeling is that it just gets better with time, and anything that I'm doing doesn't matter. The truth is that when you do the SP, you can feel the direct connection between what you are doing and your improvement.

[Astrotitan]

I mentioned muscle tension and the SP to my Doc and he shrugged it off and looked at me as if I was some sort of idiot. I have decided to give him the flick and go to another GP. Before my symtoms started I was complaining of a cough and chest discomfort. After being hospitalised because of dehydration from my prostatitis they run me through a whole bunch of tests and one that turned out positive was antibodies for mycoplasma. I asked my Doc if I had mycoplasma and he said no, I was recovering from it. Why the hell didn't he take it serious months before when I complained to him about it? I was given all sorts of antibiotics for the prostatitis which would also have knocked out the mycoplasma.

So when you say that your improving because of SP and the Doc shrugs it off, I know exactly what you mean. This is the helicobacter saga, revisted, all over again. Many Docs just refuse to believe in new treatments and discoveries.

There was a saying we used to have at Uni when I was doing my Computing degree, at the end of the course there are computer programmers and then there are true computer programmers, its the same with the Docs. Some should never have been allowed to practice medicine.

[NoMoPain]

If we believe what some of these Doctors tell us, it can be terrrifying. And that terror that we feel sets off real physical reactions in our bodies that only act to negatively impact our symptoms and health.

Today if someone tells you the earth is flat you would laugh at them. Hopefully someday when the Doc tells you your prostate is inflamed, you will laugh also.