My progress

[garyholc]

Hi everyone

Havent posted on here for a while thought I'd tell you how I have been getting on. Its been around 8 months now since my prostatitis started. I initially had extreme frequency with little pain, followed by pain (not extreme), and erectile dysfunction (ED) etc.

I started doing the stretches in the HITP book, more swimming, cutting out alcohol and caffine, and trying to stay happy (going through a relationship breakdown, hate my new job, have to sell house, not easy).

Symptoms have been coming and going, but generally they are subsiding. I was down for a Cytoscopy and Urodynamics test, but paid to go private and the consultant recommended I did NOT have them done. Instead I had an x-ray and a ultrasound with full and then empty bladder, along with flow rate test.

Two weeks ago I went back for the results. All were clear, I had fully emptied my bladder, though flow rate was still low. This I find varies somedays good, somedays not so good. I've been depressed again lately, and know that 2 days after I start feeling depressed, the symptoms come back.

Been getting a bit of pain just above the left testicle again and in the rear, though urinary frequency hasnt come back as bad (thank god, this was the worst symptom). I've also let myself slide a bit, not doing as much swimming and drinking more. Funny, but sometimes I think its my body saying "come on now, pick yourself up, or I'm going to start giving you problems again"!!

However, the biggest problem for me is still the ED, anyone else have this problem I dont know if its psychological as I am "afraid" now when I have sex that I will be a failure (have had 1 or 2 episodes), but I just find that either I have no drive, or that I cannot maintain it for long, or that its not as firm as it used to be and getting it to stay that way is very very difficult. I notice on good days when symptoms go I feel "normal" in this department, but I hate having this, I'm only 32 and feel way too young to be considering going into a chemist to ask for Viagra. Any other suffers out there of this, does it eventually go or am I stuck with this? Obviously, the more it happens, and I think about it, the more the problem will be psychological, but its so difficult. Whereas I once loved sex, I now worry about it in case I just embarrass myself....

[MBey]

Hi garyholc,

I know it's kind of depressing if the love stick doesn't work any more as before, but first try to see more the positive things (frequency!) going on and don't focus on the worst as it's not surprising that it won't work down there when you put such a pressure on it.

Unfortunately, if it's more the libido side which is the main problem, viagra, levitra, or cialis (best one) can't really help. You could try yohimbine instead. I've also heard that with the relation to muscle tension in the abdomen it can be helpful to massage the pubic bone to improve the libido.

To analyse the reason of your libido problem there are several possible causese:

- hormones, like testosterone, prolactin, FSH, LH, oestrogen, SHBG (testosterone is surely the most important one)

- psychogenic problems (stress, depressions, anxiety, etc.)

- various other chronic deseases (which I don't expect you have got)

- nerve problem (low sensitivity in the penis, which is often the result of antidepressants or various pain killers, so check your drugs for these side effects. To narrow this down, you could also try to drink a lot of lemon juice and eat a lot of chocolate since this usually irritates the urethra in a sort which finally increases the sensitivity of the penis)

Generally it seems that ED symptoms vanish after a while when the whole chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome problem is diminished or gone, especially if you didn't suffer from it several years.

Don't circle around problems you can't change. But in your case, I would go to the doctor to check the hormones and probably try yohimbine, he expects ED problems anyway as he already knows you have got chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome :)

Don't play the healthy, "functional", "normal" and strong man if you are not, instead are you strong if you stand to your problems and weakness...

[Sleeper Service]

The male sex drive does slow down in the 30's - we hit our peak at about 18 or 19 apparently - so it's normal to get the episode of Fawlty Towers now and then. Also, worrying about it often makes the problem worse. If you need the odd blue pill now and then, so what? It was invented to make life better so go for it.

CPPS is an ailment that tends to improve, albeit slowly, over time provided you start listening to your body and taking action.

[GP2]

episode of Fawlty Towers now and then

[garyholc]

One more question... where your belly button is, move about 2 inches down, then to the left, now to the left of your testicle, sort of in the gap where your legs attach to your lower abdomen, this is where I am getting pain, weird pain, if I press it the main becomes more intense.

I dont get pain anywhere else. And this is the only place I have ever got serious pain. I dont get it in the right, or directly above penis where prostate is, never really in rectum, just here. I'm thinking about going back to urologist to ask if it could be something else causing it.

Am I right in thinking the tubes that supply sperm to the testies are in this region, or something else perhaps? Its not a stabbing pain, but a horrible sorta, well, can't describe, constant sharp ache which can be reduced by sitting more upright. Anyone else get this in this area to the left and above their left testes?

[webslave]

Make sure you get checked out for an inguinal hernia. If you have an inguinal hernia, you might be able to see a bulge where your thigh and your groin meet. The protruding piece of intestine may enter the scrotum, which can cause swelling and pain. Other symptoms of an inguinal hernia might include pain when you cough, lift something heavy, or bend over.

[garyholc]

Thanks. Funny enough I was thinking yesterday that it hurt more when I coughed. can't say I can see a lump, though think I can feel something, will get checked out. Mind you, the number of consultants I have had prodding me around that area, and ultrasound/x-ray surely it would have been detected.

[GP2]

One more question... where your belly button is, move about 2 inches down, then to the left, now to the left of your testicle, sort of in the gap where your legs attach to your lower abdomen, this is where I am getting pain, weird pain, if I press it the main becomes more intense.

This is likely to be trigger points in your psoas muscles and / or oblique muscles. Very common - I can't emphasize this enough. IF YOU HAVENT BOUGHT CLAIR DAVIES "TRIGGER POINT MANUAL" THEN DO IT NOW!

Good luck

Greg