Neue01's Case

[neue01]

So I'm back into a heavy flare up again after being at 90% for an entire week. I'm extremely discouraged and frustrated over this. It was that missing 10% that made me attempt to massage out the rectal area again last night. Needless to say during the session I seemed to throw my muscles back into spasm and now I'm at 20%. This is the 3rd time this has happened now. I get my muscles into a good place that lasts about a week and then I throw them all out of wack. it then takes me 2 or 3 weeks to get them back into a good spot again. The thing that is perplexing to me though is why these muscles do not simply just relax within a few days and return to this good state I had previous placed them in on their own? This would seem logical. Currently it requires me taking a week to let them relax and then I have to massage and manipulate the muscles to release them into correct position before they will return to 90%. If I've gotten them to 90% why doesn't a flare subside on it's own accord and then return them to 90% of normal with out PT to release the area? It doesn't make sense to me that I have to essentially manipulate the muscles into a more normal position weeks after the spasm. Why don't they just return there on their own naturally? any ideas?

[garyholc]

Easy! Ok, make a fist, clench it as hard as you can, then hold that position for a year. Now unclench your fist. It will hurt like hell. But, then what will happen? The fingers will start to go back to the fist position. Why? because that's the way the muscles have been for the past year. Same thing is happening with you. You reset the muscles to how they should be, but they are trying to go back to how they have been. It will take time, and effort, physical and mental, but you will get there my friend, don't lose hope, the muscles are just trying to go back to their old position, you have to keep training them to go to their correct position and stretch them out. This isn't going to happen in a week, or a month.....

[neue01]

Yeah fully. I have noticed that when I release the muscles in question and arrive at 90% I have to daily massage the area out because the trigger point attempts to return. I guess the problem right now is it feels like maybe the last massage that worsened my situation actually aggravated the muscle and brought back or flared the trigger point back in a major way. This has essentially put me back 5 steps in the process until I can release it again... if I can. Not sure if that makes sense?

[garyholc]

Sounds like the case of 2 steps backwards and 1 forwards. How about giving yourself a break for a day or two with regards massage just to allow the muscles a little time to relax?

[neue01]

Yeah, that's my thought too. I hope it's the case. In the past it has seemed to take a week or so for it to calm down enough that it can even be released. If I try too early it only seems to aggravate the situation. It's really annoying. I can't tell you how good it was to feel as well as I was before sending myself down the crapper again. My arousal was fully present and the sensation was 100% again. The only thing that remained was a slight issue with retention. It was subtle but it felt like a little bit of urine remained in the urethra after urination. That's it though and my feeling was if I kept working on the area I'd rid myself of that final remaining symptom. Man was I ever wrong. Now it aches like it did back in the early days. I wish I had left well enough alone. My perfectionistic nature has gotten the best of me once again.

[neue01]

So I have a question around sensation for you guys. I have found now that my right side levator ani seems to be a big part of sensation and lack of sensation during orgasm. I seem to notice that if I flare this area up I have a prominent and annoying heavy dulling of sensation during orgasm and lack of libido. If I release this area I get a return of orgasmic sensation and largely a return of libido. Is this consistent with anybody else?

[neue01]

So I've really honed in on the reality that my right side levator ani is a major problem area. I have sort of avoided working on it largely because when I did in the early days it would aggravate my situation a lot. I have realized that I just need to get in there are really work on it going through both the good times and the bad times with it. A month back the bad times were very difficult and frustrating as lately they have gotten slightly more bearable. Working this area can still flare me up if I hit the area but don't manage to release anything thus only tightening it up instead. It seems though that the muscles are getting much more loose though and can be released from a flare with in a few days instead of a few weeks like early on. I hope this is a sign that this area is getting close to releasing more long term. I do know that when I can get it to release some my situation becomes largely symptom free immediately. It's so nice when it's released but it seems that the tightness sets back in after a day. It would be fantastic if this area would just finally release and the trigger point would fully dismantle and normalize. It's interesting to me that it takes this long to fully dismantle some of this stuff.

[neue01]

So I'm in a pretty horrible flare again. It's different this time though then past flares. I've managed to flare and tighten my tail bone which is an area I've never struggled with before. I can't seem to release the area over the last couple of days and it's driving me nuts. It's sensitive to touch and burns like crazy. Usually my modo when doing internal release is to go to where the pain leads you. It's almost more then I can bare to manipulate this area at all. I've begun to get catastrophic in my thinking once again. My thoughts tend to go to the notion that I won't be able to release this nasty thing. Does anybody have any tips for releasing this area? Has anybody else struggled with this muscle? I hate this condition so much.

[webslave]

My experience with releasing trigger points (I get them in my shoulders and chest from computer use) is that the first few manipulations actually increase the pain, but if you persist with the treatments, a couple of times a day, they suddenly fade.

[neue01]

So I was holding back for a few weeks from writing a glowing post on my progress to date. I had not wanted to jinx the situation but I had released my last flare and found myself in a great place. I spent 3 weeks solid with only minor and occasional symptoms mostly brought on by diet. I was living life like nothing much was wrong anymore. It was totally fantastic. I didn't even find need to mess with or massage out the area for these three weeks, I was feeling so on top of it. All my urinary symptoms had subsided and my libido and arousal issues were top notch. I was feeling that I had crossed the line in healing and was going to leave the rest up to nature to heal on it's own. I did still find issues if I ate food that I was intolerant too but even these instances were much more manageable and would reside after a few hours time. Then yesterday I got knocked back down again.

I was at work and had a morning full of meetings. I had needed to go number 2 but didn't have a clear space in my schedule right away. So I Just held it like I used to years ago and didn't think much of it. Then all the sudden I felt it. A shift in sensation and muscle tightness that just came on suddenly like a flare. So I hurried and went to the bathroom and tried to relax the area. No luck I spent the whole day in discomfort. I tried to sleep it off with little luck and this morning thought I'd try to release the area with a tool. I did this and initially released the area somewhat but then proceeded to mildly flare it up again on successive tries. Now I'm in an uncomfortable flare again that is driving me nuts. I'm stressing out again and frustrated that this keeps happening.

My feeling was that I had to release the area and that it was not going to happen on it's own. But once again I have tightened the area up and I'm paying for it. I'm right in this middle ground where if I am tightened up down there massage will release the area but if the area is fairly loosened up massage will conversely tighten up the area instead. For a while I just waffled back and forth between these stages each week. What do people think I should be doing at this stage to make progress with this condition?

[coppertop]

I can't speak from experience, but based on your story, I'd say take a deep breath, exhale (several times) and start as if you are OK. Do whatever you were doing 3 weeks ago to get you to that better place, and stay focused.

It must suck to feel like you are on your way and have a set back...but going down a few ladder rungs isn't falling off the ladder.

I'd do some skin rolling, some light massage, and ice the area. Lay off the trigger points for a few days. Add fiber too.
Good luck.

[Jay]

Hi there,

Coppertop has already given you advice worth heeding, so I'll just make a brief contribution here.

A common issue is that people follow the protocol, improve, and then become complacent. They feel so great that they cease to do the treatments and relaxation on a regular schedule. However, as this is a condition which is controlled more than cured, it's important to continue with a maintenance plan. A bit of a bother, to be sure, but taking time every day to work on yourself will give you a better chance of holding things in check.

As Dr. Wise has said, he's convinced that his pain would return if he ceased his self-treatment, and he has been asymptomatic for quite some time.

[BrettP]

Sounds all to familiar.

[carld]

Protocol is what is is...a protocol...Stick with it and anxiety is huge for you for sure...The fact that you were at work holding in your bodies natural urge to release your bowels, tightened everything up. Then you stress and start the vicious cycle. Break that habit...and don't punish your self mentally. That's what our condition wants you to do. It feeds on your fear, it's UCPPS favorite food!!!

If you get caught in the charging hard mode with out being in a relaxed way...Don't fret and say to our self, I'm having a flair...big deal. I will get through.

Imagine the UCPPS sufferers who are 100% of the time bed ridden and not getting better yet. That is clearly not you.

Best

[charles]

I've read through this whole thread and I didn't see anything about you trying stretches and exercise. My apologies if you did and I missed it.

I think stretches and daily exercise are incredibly important to prevent the muscles from returning to the irritated state.

I don't think the cure will happen from trigger point therapy alone.