Coke as a trigger???

[kpatterson]

Hello,
I have recently been diagnosed with chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome and seem to be having good success with the treatments. My PT says that she is amazed that someone who has only had the symptoms for a few months has taken action so quickly. She sees people that have had this for up to 30 years without doing anything about it.

Anyway, I have taken the advice of many posters to this group which I am extremely thankful for. I have changed my diet, discontinued exercise (for the time being), engaged in trigger point therapy etc.

I even cut out coca cola which I only drank in moderation. Last night we went out to dinner with some friend and I had two glasses of coke. I felt fine at the time but when I got home and lay down I experienced shooting pains throughout my anal region right through to the tip of my penis. It seems fine when I stand up and relax my pelvic floor. When I try and relax the pelvic floor when lying down it seems to get worse.

I have not yet experienced pain as bad as this since being diagnosed.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Is this just the normal course of events for this ailment? Is there anything anyone would recommend (aside from no more coke)?

Thanks for any feedback.

[garyholc]

Fizzy drinks especially coke which contains caffeine are a definate trigger for me. Infact, I had lemonade last week for the first time in ages and 2 days later my frequency started up again. Stay off the fizzy drinks!!!

[graeme]

Any coke from a pub triggers me slighly, if i drink caffine and sugar free coke out bottle from shop I'm ok

[webslave]

Coke contains phosphoric acid ==> very acidic urine; also a megadose of caffeine (search for "caffeine" on this site).

[garyholc]

Webslave, is this ingredient also found in other soft drinks such as sprite, lemonade etc. just if so this would explain why I have frequency now. Havent had any for ages, have 2 lemonades last week and within 2 days bam, it comes back!

[webslave]

Many soft drinks contain SODIUM BENZOATE. Do a search for "benzoate" on this site. It's a nasty trigger.

[strobers]

All carbonated drinks area no-no. First, the ingestation of that much sugar is horrible for your body. Second, the ingredients are almost guarenteed to make you flare.

One things that everybody needs to realize is that all of us have a real serious problem, that we need to take seriously. There is no going back to the "old way" of doing things. That was another era in our lives. That was the past.

Everything should be geared towards decreasing symptoms, which for most of us with significant urine/bladder dysfunction means not drinking or eating anything that might possibly trigger a flare.

I live off of purified water and organic milk. God only knows how much I would love to have glass of orange juice, a slice of pineapple pie, a hotdog smothered in ketchup and mustard. It's a fantasy that I play out in my mind once in a while, but I know the reality of my situation and would never take the chance because it's not worth what I feel like afterwards.

Stay healthy by remembering that you are no longer the same person you were before you got this disease and live your life accordingly.

[kpatterson]

Well, I'm starting to believe that it wasn't the coke; simply the natural progression of this ailment. I am really stressed out because I have been getting shooting pains through the penis tip and radiating through the rectum. I also notice a sharp pain that occurs simultaneously on my left just beside the pubic bone. I have started doing everything suggested on this forum but the symptoms seem to be getting worse. Can anyone give me any advice for dealing with this particular symptom. I do a lot of stretching which helps a little, but then the pain returns after a few minutes. The pain is very intermittent and seems to go away for a few minutes or hours then returns. I am quite early on with this ailment although when I look back I had sharp pain years ago in the same area but none of the other symptoms. Is this ailment a progressive one, in other words do the symptoms tend to get worse after time? Thanks for any feedback.

[strobers]

kpatterson, everybody on this board has some kind of inflammation going on in their pelvic area. It's been proven time and time again that diet plays a huge part in this disease. Instead of "believing" that coke isn't the culprit, why don't you stop drinking coke and eating food you shouldn't be eating and then see how you feel? Can you do that for a month? If not, then honestly you aren't at the bottom yet. Trust me, when you are truly at the bottom you would eat your own shit to be well.

[kpatterson]

Stobers,
I neglected to mention that I have not had any more coke since last week. I don't even drink it very much. I merely thought that since a week has almost passed and the symptoms are worsening that coke isn't the cause.
I eat very well, lots of fruit and vegetables etc. Not much junk.
Thanks for the advice.

[strobers]

It's good your eating healthy, but even healthy food can make a person flare. I can't eat bananas because I flare, which are great for potassium nor can I eat Brazil Nuts, which are loaded with selenium. My point is that you should take the time to go to the IC web site, download their guidelines and go from there. You will be amazed at all the "healthy" foods that can cause you to flare.

For some people here, their pain issues are more than their urinary issues of which frequency and urgency is the biggest complaint. For others, such as myself, urinary issues are worse than the pain issues.

If you go for a month following the IC diet stringently, along with keeping track of everything you are eating in a food journal, and at the end of the month you don't feel any different, it may be that diet in your case isn't as important as it would be for someone else. However, on a day-to-day basis you will be able to track exactly how food is affecting you.

I'm sorry if I seemed a little snippy on my last post, but I get frustrated at some people who think that because they having a great day, or a perfect weekend, that gives them the go-ahead to go and get hammered, drink coffee, jerk off all day, ect. and then they post and complain that they feel shitty again. As I stated in a previous post, all of our lives our altered as a result of this disease and we have to learn how to live our lives differently; physically, spiritually and emotionally.

S

[kpatterson]

No problem
Didn't take it as snippy. I believe what you are saying regarding the diet thing and how healthy foods may cause flares.
I guess I'm just so immersed in this protocol at this point I don't want to overwhelm myself. But as you stated earlier I may not have hit bottom.
By the way, did your symptoms get worse over time or were they bad right right away.

[strobers]

My first year was the worst. If I didn't have the emotional support I would have offed myself. It was that bad.

Now, it's doable, but uncomfortable. I'm sitting here feeling like I have to pee, but knowing I don't have any urine to pee. So I try to stay busy, stay calm, stay relaxed, wait for at least two hours and then pee again. This goes on all day. I look forward to bed time because it's the only time I escape this. It's not fun.

[kpatterson]

Sorry to hear that. I haven't had it as long as you but I don't know how you handle it.
Have you noticed improvement? If so, what do you find works the best.

Again, very sorry to hear about your condition.

[strobers]

Everybody is different. My advise it to just read everyones story, get some ideas, put togather a protocol and go from there. You are your best doctor.

S