New Symptoms in Month Ten of Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol

[HuckFinn]

After dutifully following the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol since last summer, I've gradually seen my symptoms go from excruciating to manageable, with the predicted waxing and waning of symptoms (notably, tip-of-penis pain, rectal pain, urinary urgency and urinary pain) and occasional increasingly longer periods of feeling remarkable good and relatively pain free.

But starting last Sunday, I came down with a whole array of symptoms that I've never had before, and they're quite unpleasant. Specifically, they include tension and funny-bone-like numbness and discomfort in the buttocks, perineum, and upper thighs. I know these are standard chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms, but is it common to have brand new, never-before-experienced symptoms this far into the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol?

[webslave]

One factor that is outside the ambit of trigger point therapy is diet. I can only remain well if I avoid wheat, for instance. Look carefully at your diet, especially if you have a history of allergy or are atopicin any way.

[LightningTree]

I have experience variation in symptoms that depends on how I sit/lie down during the day. Which muscle group becomes the most stiff and painful general depends on which receives the bulk of my weight during the day.

But I have not experienced the extensive shift in symptoms since the first month. That being said, for the first month I had largely penile and perineal pain. Now I have mostly anal and buttock pain, which for me is far more tolerable and preferable to the other.

I forgot to mention that I have generally had a strange 'internal numbness' sensation when I put pressure on the buttocks. That has mostly receded over the past year, but is generally present in a lesser form in the evenings.

[HuckFinn]

Thanks. That's a good point. About two months ago I switched to what's called the Paleo Diet--basically, a menu modeled after what our primitive ancestors probably evolved eating (lean meats, vegetables, some fruit but not a lot and none of the grain-related or sugary foodstuffs that would have entered the diet since the advent of agriculture, a relatively recent event in evolutionary history). During that time, I made significant strides in reducing my chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms. And here's where human nature comes in: I felt so good that I started lapsing back into my usual eating habits. Whamo--I developed a raft of new symptoms. Cause and effect? I don't know, but it's certainly worthy going back on the Paleo Diet just in case.

I also have really bad hay fever every spring, and I understand that many people with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome also have allergies of various sorts. Diet may help there as well, who knows?

[LightningTree]

Hey Huck,

Is there literature that you can recommend on that diet?

[HuckFinn]

Check out a book called The Paleo Diet, by Loren Cordain, probably available at your local library. Also a therapist who works with patients primarily suffering from mood disorders and ADD has written a very good unpublished dissertation on the subject. Copies of the dissertation are available directly from the author, Nora T. Gedgaudas, for something like $25. (I have no affiliation with her whatsoever. The Cordain book, available at the library, is free and also good, though not as extensively footnoted.) The Gedgaudas dissertation is entitled Primal Body-Primal Mind: Achieving Optimal Wellness the Way Evolution Intended. I got a copy and found it well-footnoted and credible. You can track it down by googling the author's name and dissertation title. Also see the website http://www.PaleoDiet.com.

[LightningTree]

Thanks Huck,

That diet looks pretty difficult for me.

I am a New World eater. I like my corn and legumes. :p: And unfortunately, bread is my favorite food. And potatoes! :p:

But I may give something like this a try. I wonder how long I will last (I'll measure in minutes, most likely.)

[webslave]

I also have really bad hay fever every spring

Yes, that adds a lot of weight to the raft of things the immune system has to cope with, and bad allergies can exacerbate any underlying disorder. I know perfectly normal people who get abnormally tired and ratty when their allergies are playing up, especially in Spring!