Family History Argh!

[CppsDad]

I just got a call yesterday I had been hoping I'd never receive. Like LighteningTree, and a few other posters, I am also a twin. I've read your posts with keen interest to see how it might apply to me and/or my brother. I've been watching my brother with some worry this last year after learning of your own sibling's troubles, as he has been going through a stressful home remodel on top of a stressful job. But yesterday he called me and said he had an excruciating pain in one of his testicles. He theorizes that he wore some pants that were way too tight, and he may have caused irritation by doing so. I certainly hope it is the case, because that is as likely a theory as any. But I didn't tell him how many posters on this forum are twins (of the same or different gender), and how each of their twins had chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome symptoms like them. I certainly didn't want to worry him, but now I am fearing the worst (as is he after watching me struggle). I'm trying to stay out of it somewhat so as not to make him worry more, as he may have nothing more than random soreness, or perhaps even the ever whimsical bacterial infection.

I'll keep you all updated when I find out what is wrong with him. He's calling his urologist tomorrow, and I expect him to start that roller coaster. I hope he has just an irritated testicle, and nothing more. But if it turns out not to be the case, I will be counseling him as best I can, and hope that with my help he can stop chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome right from the start.

Mike

[Dj Smitty]

so is there any substantial evidence that makes this condition more hereditary than random? My grandfather experienced acute BPH in his late 60's and had resection surgery shortly after his bladder completely backed up and he lost consciousness...he's a stubborn old bugger. He has been fine since but never complained of problems before that incident.

My father and younger brother are at a loss to understand my problems...though I have heard my brother pee and he stops and starts, which is what I have done for many years, even before the onset of prostatitis.

[scotsman]

Fingers crossed it's not what we fear it will be.

Thoughts are with him.

Richard.

[Richie]

From what I have read, even though the environment has an impact, genetics has a dramatic impact on your inate ability to cope with stress, etc. I think many of us may find family members impaired by stress related conditions, manifesting in a variety of different physical forms.

I just wished we got to pick which one!



Not a Dr. Not medical advice.

[SickofCP]

hope he is ok.

maybe there's some advice you can give him that might help. He's probably worried enough already, so anything you say probably won't make him feel worse. I certainly wish that I had someone to talk to other than the doctors that I was seeing.

At the same time you could tell him that there's a good chance that he doesn't have what you have, and that he'll be ok (even if you think that's a lie).

tell him to have a bath, take a day off work to relax, go for a massage (real RMT not a rub n' tug). Try to calm down his anxiety.

[CppsDad]

so is there any substantial evidence that makes this condition more hereditary than random?

I think heredity can play a part certainly. My brother and I both tend to suffer anxiety and stress-related conditions (my father does as well). Also, if my muscles were weaker in spots that made them prone to the kind of fatique and irritation caused by too much tension, it would seem highly possible that my twin has the same sorts of weaknesses in his musculature. Will they ever find the kinds of correlations they've found with cancer and mental disorders? Who knows. My guess is one day they will.

Regarding my brother's condition, today his pain is less. He says it is going away, but I'll be keeping an eye on him from now on. At least he was willing to call me up and confide in me right away. That will help him if it gets worse. I'm sure my brother will appreciate all your kind thoughts too!

Mike

[winding_road]

my brother did have a week or two of discomfort and symptoms similar to CPPS..but it went away.
I know that there is a study suggesting a "genetic" link, but if you think about it, it might be just that most guys do have similar symptoms at some stage, just that for many it just goes away or is much milder that they do not feel the need to talk about it..

[LightningTree]

Hey Mike,

You are prone to feel guilty. You might fear it spreading through some psychokinetic process to your brother. This belief is hard to suppress, as it is part of the childlike psyche that kids have from birth and we all harbor. For example, many kids think their parents failed marriage or health was somehow ruined by them. I know people who felt that way as kids, and still did into adulthood.

I don't know about you, but in my personal twin experience, I have seen that genetics is far more important to our health, behavior, and life stages than anyone in our world of Free Will philosophy would readily acknowledge. I've seen this time and time again. I think this is important for you to understand, because if symptoms do show up in your brother, you need to understand at the child-like emotional level that you didn't 'pass' them to him.

Just like many people subconsciously link their guilts and fears to causation of their pain and come up with theories that involve willful action that they partially regret, that same guilt can lead you to associate your brothers pain with something you did in your relationship with him. Avoid that thinking. Its the same fallacy.

Besides it may turn out that your brother over exerted himself and mildly threw-out his back. There are many, many causes for temporary testicular pain.

For example, my brother and I have CPPS. But my Dad got a prostate infection when he was in his 20s. It was just a prostate infection

Even if he does end up with the condition, just remember that (1) you didn't give it to him and (2) he is better off with your support than if he was the only one in the family with this problem. You see how many people come to these boards totally confused and abandoned by the medical establishment. He'll never have to go through that IF he developes this problem. In other words, your relationship with your brother remains positive, whatever obstacles lie ahead.

[CppsDad]

I'm not feeling guilty about giving it to him. I fully believe that genetics played a part. What I did not want to do, however, is make him overly worried about having chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome until it was quite clear he had it. He gets anxious like me, and so there was no reason to make him start thinking the worst.

[LightningTree]

Well, I'm glad you don't feel responsible. I'll admit its a tough balance between preparing someone and burdening them with anxiety they don't need. I hope he feels better soon.

[CppsDad]

Well said. That's exactly the dilemma. We'll just have to see what happens.

Mike

[CppsDad]

Update: My brother just told me yesterday (4 months after my 1st post) that he is still having testicular pain. He goes in tomorrow to see the GP again. I'm sure he'll be on antibiotics by the end of the week. Grrrr....

[LightningTree]

I'm sorry to hear that Mike.

[treynor33]

Well if it is chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome at least he has a good bit of info/help available to him from you. I wish I'd have had someone with all the info you have when I was hit with this crap.....I'll hope for the best for him...

I have two brothers and neither of them have any issues like this. My father used to have bouts of bacterial prostatitis a couple of times a year, but Cipro always took care of it in about a week for him he said.

[webslave]

My father used to have bouts of bacterial prostatitis a couple of times a year, but Cipro always took care of it in about a week for him he said.

Highly unlikely. Ask him if he had pain and other symptoms like yours. Chronic bacterial prostatitis is usually almost symptom-free.