Couple of questions; Update

[joehansen12]

I experience pain in my penis when I press my abdomen when my bladder is full (or even half-full).

Question 1:
Is this a common condition with CPPS? Has it got anything to do with the bladder?

I ordered Theracane about a week back. I started using it from yesterday. I started with my back and it felt good. Then I started using it on my abdomen. I was just rubbing my abdomen with it without applying too much pressure. I did this for a couple of minutes and I had to go and pee. Usually after urination my pain goes away. But this time it persisted! A flare-up after a week long good health!! I am feeling so down now.

Question 2:
Should I continue to work on my abdomen with the Theracane? If so, can anyone please guide me with the procedure?


Update:
I've been to 3 PT sessions now. Each time he applies ultra-sound, heat, and massages my butt with his elbows. The PT thinks my pelvic, lower back muscles have become week due to fatigue. He recommended few more exercises. The PT sessions have helped me improve by 20%. I can sit a bit longer (read one hour) without having to get up. Stretching also seems to be helping. But the effects are temporary. However, I am hoping that with time these stretches would do me a greater benefit than I can imagine.


Thanks for reading!

Regards,
Joe.

[CppsDad]

Usually after urination my pain goes away. But this time it persisted!

Joe, take it easy with the Theracane, and slowly increase your pressure on the trigger points. Any time you cause a flare-up, it's evidence that you have been working on the right spots. Since you don't really know what spots those are, you kind of have to keep the entire regimen going (i.e. PT, Theracane on back and abdomen). Don't stop one piece, as they all may be helping.

Part of the thing with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome is that you get flare-ups treating it. For a lot of people, this causes them to back off stuff they need to be doing. If you are getting flare-ups, this is a good sign. A sucky sign, yes. But a good one too.

For those of us that work our abdomen's, we work it pretty hard. I don't mess around. I did that for too long. I press on my trigger points hard (unless you feel it pulsing, which is an artery and you should back off). I mean, I REALLY dig in there. It sends pain up and down my penis, and all the way towards my rectum. The nerves that run through the abdominals weave their way throughout the pelvic region. Therefore, if you have inflammation there, and trigger points, the irritated nerves can carry pain almost anywhere.

Work your abdomen like a cob of corn, starting from around the bellybutton level, and all the way down to the pubic area (you have to adjust the angle to get things just right).

You'll gain experience with the Theracane over time. You have to adjust the angle and pressure sometimes to find spots that are sore. That's all par for the course. Things change there frequently, especially after you rid each layer of trigger points, and work slightly deeper or at different angles the next time.

A flare-up after a week long good health!! I am feeling so down now.

The one step back phase is the worst. But it is essential. Your feeling is common, so you need to trust the Stanford/Wise-Anderson Protocol until you get real proof that it is helping. Personally, I think any flare-up is a sign that you have a treatable form of CPPS. I think this is good, and I'd do whatever it took to make yourself look at it from a positive manner. In fact, work it harder the next time. Eventually, the flare-ups will be less, and your pain should be less with it. But don't waste the flare-up and let the muscle settle back in to the tight spot it wants to be - keep the pressure on and root those little trigger point buggers out.

Remember - full recovery can take months to years. It depends on where you are physically. Hopefully, you'll see something positive soon. Even a little pain free period is enough to keep most people going.

Mike

[cppsyoungsufferer]

I'm going to purchase the Theracane as well. Does it come with a manual? Is there any documentation on how to use the Theracane properly?

Thanks!

[conradin]

I experience pain in my penis when I press my abdomen when my bladder is full (or even half-full).

Question 1:
Is this a common condition with CPPS? Has it got anything to do with the bladder?

It has more to do with the muscles on your pelvis, including those surrounding the bladder.

I ordered Theracane about a week back. I started using it from yesterday. I started with my back and it felt good. Then I started using it on my abdomen. I was just rubbing my abdomen with it without applying too much pressure. I did this for a couple of minutes and I had to go and pee. Usually after urination my pain goes away. But this time it persisted! A flare-up after a week long good health!! I am feeling so down now.

Take it easy with the Theracane. There are a lot of arteries and nerves that can easily get damaged.

[CppsDad]

I'm going to purchase the Theracane as well. Does it come with a manual? Is there any documentation on how to use the Theracane properly?

Mine came with a general guide about trigger points. But it wasn't a definitive manual. My PT offered to show me how to work it. I ended up just doing it myself, but took it pretty slow in the beginning. I'd do a session, see how I responded, then make it harder or alter it for the next time. I never went that far passed my prior efforts with each session. The only tough thing is that there are times when you have to press hard, so eventually you have to figure out when and where those are so you can do it.

[joehansen12]

Thanks for all the encouragement, Mike. The fact that a flare-up is a part of the recovery process sucks. Stretching and therapy seem to be helping with the pain. After taking any accredited quercetin product for 10 days, I feel that its helping me with my urinary urgency. I took the Theracane to the PT. He said he has never seen it before and he really liked it. However, he said that its better for upper and lower back and is very difficult to use on your butt, pelvis. Instead he recommended using a tennis ball for those areas. He also said that my muscles are responding (loosening up, which is a good sign).

I know that all these are helping me to some extent. And I know that they are not going to harm me in anyway. But, will these things cure me completely is something only time can tell. For now, I am sticking to my exercise routine.

Here's wishing everyone good health and a great weekend,
Joe.

[CppsDad]

Despite what your PT says, I think the Theracane is ideal for abdominal and perienal work. I haven't found anything better, in fact. So please, by all means, keep using it in those areas.

Yes, flare-ups stink, but that's the way it is. Eventually, they'll get better, shorter, and less frequent.

Don't focus on being "cured completely". That's a misnomer with this condition. Hopefully, you'll be like many of us, where our symptoms have been reduced to the point where we don't even think about them from day to day. I go through entire weeks without any pain at all. Am I cured? No. I still have flare-ups every once in a while, although they are minor. Your pelvic muscles are prone to sensitivity. You'll have to work on it consistently for the rest of your life (not to the same extent you are doing now - but incorporating yoga or daily stretching will be important). People with bad backs get up and stretch every morning. You might be the same. You might not. You might get away with a lot less.

[joehansen12]

Yes, flare-ups stink, but that's the way it is. Eventually, they'll get better, shorter, and less frequent.

Yes, I am noticing that the flare ups are getting less frequent. But I feel very uncomfortable as the day wears on. Mornings are the best times.

Don't focus on being "cured completely". That's a misnomer with this condition. Hopefully, you'll be like many of us, where our symptoms have been reduced to the point where we don't even think about them from day to day. I go through entire weeks without any pain at all. People with bad backs get up and stretch every morning. You might be the same. You might not. You might get away with a lot less.

That's the scary part. I don't know when I will reach a stage where I can stop thinking about this condition. This condition has affected my lifestyle and ambitions to such an extent. I am thinking about going back to my country and just be with my family now.

Wishing everyone good health,
Joe.

[CppsDad]

Things will get better. You have to be patient. Flare-ups are bound to happen. There's nothing you can do about it. So you just have to concentrate on the day to day things you need to do to get better. Do them all, and you can at least be confident knowing that you tried your best.

[conradin]

Take it easy on the cane. There are lots of nerves around those muscles so you need to be careful.