Nocturia, frequency, hydrocele, hernia (Wolfcub's case)

[Wolfcub]

A short update: I saw my GP this week before seeing the general surgeon. I asked her about reffering me to a PT. The GP said she would like to hear first the opinion of the general surgeon. A few days later, I saw the general surgeon who fixed my hydrocele+hernia and he told me to wait a few months to see if things get better.

BTW, am curious, Is it possible to have trigger points in the Bulospongiosus Muscle? If I press there gently my symptoms of constant penile tip sensations increased significantly. Interesting. I also want to point out that during erections the symptoms subside a little bit (have been noticing that for a long time).

[Wolfcub]

Anybody tried electro stimulation to release tense pelvic floor muscles? Could it be useful?
http://www.tensmachines.co.uk/Anuform-A ... _p_73.html

[webslave]

The Tenscare Anuform probe treats incontinence by increasing pelvic muscle tone. That's a bit like Kegels, counterproductive.

Is it possible to have trigger points in the Bulbospongiosus Muscle?

I don't see why not. The bulbospongiosus empties the urethra in males.

[Burner2k]

Webslave, any ideas on how to address TrPs in the Bulbospongiosus muscle? Just curious

[webslave]

Same treatment as usual (pressure applied for 60 -90 seconds), then consciously relaxing the area (paradoxical relaxation).

[davyboy]

Should we sit on a tennis ball for this area ?

[webslave]

That does not apply the concentrated pressure required to a single TrPt in my opinion, but it's worth a try.

[Wolfcub]

AN UPDATE:
Two weeks ago I was officially diagnosed with CP/CPPS, at last. I went to see a different urologist, who's also the manager of that urologic clinic. He was listening to my story and medical history. He asked such as: "When you press areas around your genitalia such as along the urethra, below the scrotum and etch- do you feel something?" ( yes - I feel some slight pain/tenderness most of the time and as there's something "trapped and moving in there" sensation. After that, his body language showed confidence. He did me a DRE exam. It took barely a minute. During this exam he pressed gently on my prostate via the rectal wall - HOLY GEE! There was a sudden localized strong burning sensation. It spread to my lower urinary tracts for a few minutes, aggravating my symptoms (I felt a strong burning sensation in the tip of penis for a few minutes).

He told me it appeared that I had CP/CPPS. He told me that unfortunately it's not a well-understood condition, but the trigger might have been microorganisms getting there and trapped in the prostate leading for a chronic inflammation which got our of control. He claimed that it happened for most men, but usually without showing any symptoms. I asked what could help to manage my symptoms. He decided to start an alpha-blocker therapy (antibiotics wouldn't help at all, he claimed, in CP/CPPS which is type III, abacterial prostatitis).

So this far I've been using Alfuzosin (XATRAL). I decided to make a monthly diary using the NIH symptom INDEX in order to evaluate the therapy. I would prefer someone else to write my diary because I guess that self-documentation might elevate potential bias ("wishful thinking"), but I found no volunteer for that So I'll be self reporting on a monthly basis. After 3 months of using this alpha blocker (I take 10 mgX1/day) I'll see the trend. In case I feel better and the INDEX drops in more than 4 points (which might suggest a better than just a placebo effect) I guess I'll continue using this drug and look for an additional therapy. If not, I might try a different alpha blocker/therapy. What do you think?

I'll be keep updating you, fellas.

[Wolfcub]

Good News!

Last month I started taking Alfuzosin daily (10 mg). I was very skeptical. However, a few days later I already noticed my urinary stream got better and it was easier for me to urinate. All of the other symptoms remained much the same...

BUT...

After three week, entering the 4th one, I've noticed I feel less and less abdominal pain. I've also felt less that strange feeling that I need to urinate. So now a full month period has gone and I feel surprisingly satisfied and happy! I don't know if it's just a placebo effect or more than that, but I feel great already. I feel so much relieved! here is a comparison between the first day of therapy and today (after 30 days).

symptoms.png

[Wolfcub]

Current status:

Urinary Obstructive-like symptoms: Almost gone completely (stream seems to be quite higher than before).
Urinary Irritative-like symptoms: Almost gone completely (urinary frequency/urgency is at minimum... I can quite easily pee every 3-6 hours, yet typically after 2-3 hours or so since last urination I start feel the need to... before taking alfuzosin I felt the need almost all the time!).

Pain:

• In the urethra (constant discomfort/occasional burning sensation/strange sensation as there's something trapped in there): NO CHANGE AT ALL (felt especially in the tip of penis, and also sharp pains and burning sensations when I press along the distal urethra).
• Abdominal/Pelvic pain: Almost gone completely (noticed that significant change after 3 weeks of taking alfuzosin on a daily basis), what leads me to an interesting thing: I strongly presume the autonomic nervous system is involved, because I've taken alfuzosin (alpha-1 blocker) for three months already and it almost made some of my symptoms - the pelvic and abdominal pain/burning/pressure sensations disappear completely when I'm awake... yet they tend to come back *when I sleep!* (and disappear when I'm awake once again because of them and go to pee). Amazing thing. makes you wonder.

Would like to hear your thoughts... and also if there's anything else I can try to deal with the constant urethral sensations.

[webslave]

Have you tried Phenazopyridine?

[Wolfcub]

No, as far as I understood it's suspected to be carcinogenic... so I prefer not to try it.

[webslave]

Might be worth it for a short spell. A lot of drugs (and foods) are carcinogenic at some concentrations. Just do some research into local anesthetics like lidocaine (local anesthetics lidocaine and prilocaine are both tumorigenic in rats). A short spell of the drug may give your body a chance to quell the nerve activity in the area and subdue the allodynia.

[Wolfcub]

Three months after starting alfuzosin on a daily basis (10mgx1/day) the beneficent effect is sustained and even improved a little bit (especially the urinary symptoms), as can be seen here:

[davyboy]

Glad to hear that you are making progress!