Frequency--Can PT Help?

[Coalie]

For three months I have been dealing with frequency. It ranges from severe-like a few drops every five minutes, to more moderate--like 100 ml every hour. It is ruining my work and my sleep as well. I occasionally get some pain in the tip of the penis not associated with urination, but it is more intermittent and tends to follow sex for a few days and then go away so I am left with just the frequency again.

I have a weak urine stream with a little bit of starting and stopping when I go.

I have been to tons of uros and everything comes back negative.

Could this be a pelvic floor issue so that PT could help me, or is PT really just for pain?

[webslave]

PT is mostly for pain, but may be worth trying if there is any pain element at all, and you say that there is. Especially if all other avenues are exhausted. What treatments have the uros suggested?

[ChgoGuy]

I've had good luck with PT (and self internal work) regarding frequency. Because of urge issues, it's lead to frequency issues for me. I've calmed the urge issues down, so I'm having less frequency issues during the day. But I am nowhere near what I am comfortable with yet. Night time has gotten a bit better too, but it's still a struggle for me. However my Urologist seems to think I'm dealing with another issue that is causing the frequency at night. I hope in the next few weeks to tackle this and see where this road leads me.

I would also like to add that I have made acceptable strides with the force at which I urinate. My stream has improved. It was pretty bad most of the time, but I think with internal work and PT, stretching, Quercetin, Magnesium Glycinate, and most importantly calming myself down, I've got to believe it's helped me. My only worry is that with other health issues going on, that the stress factor from those don't push me back into a flared up state. Because I seem to have made better improvements with the pain aspect of this for almost a month now. You can do it! Good luck!

[Coalie]

Thanks...So what kind of work are you doing with your PT? Can you be more specific?

[Coalie]

A separate question...I thought CPPS is a diagnosis of exclusion meaning there is no objective evidence. On my cysto the uro said I had significant inflammation all along my urethra and into my prostate and bladder neck. He then wrote “prostatitis”. This seems paradoxical. It is an inflamed prostate, so “prostatitis” sounds right, but my understanding is that most men don’t have inflamed prostates or else CPPS would be easy to diagnose. Can you clarify?

[Coalie]

Also, what do you mean by “TENS to help sleep”? I know what is a TENS is, but how do you use it to help you sleep?

[Coalie]

In answer to “what are the uros suggesting”—after going through every medicine that gets them bonus trips to Hawaii (antibiotics, antimuscarinics, anti inflammatories, and alpha blockers), they are now recommending surgery such as TURP or HoLep to remove the inflamed prostate tissue. Naturally I am skeptical, but interested in your thoughts. My case does not fit neatly into CPPS/IC, or OAB, or BPH for that matter...seem to have some of each.

[ChgoGuy]

Thanks...So what kind of work are you doing with your PT? Can you be more specific?

I just finished up my latest course of PT. Internal work always helps me. She would also work on muscles like abductors. In the past, my PT would concentrate mostly on the internal work, with some external. This time there was more external work and even some massage involved. I felt this time around that I usually walked out of there feeling better than when I walked in. I actually tried to relax more in PT. I think it worked. I used to tense up a lot the previous 2 times in the past 3 years. The best thing to do is learn how to do your own internal work. Once a week at PT just isn't going to cut it long term, but PT is a good learning experience if you have the right PT for you.

[Coalie]

My first session was today and she just did biofeedback which I found pretty useless. Want to get to work on internal as you suggest. Need her to get me started though as wouldn’t know what the heck to do myself. What tool(s) do you use at home?

[ChgoGuy]

Can you clarify?

I would rather Webslave answer that question. But I think the term "prostatitis" implicates the prostate when in fact it's more likely that the prostate is accused of guilt by association with that whole area. Doctors still don't understand it, but they had to call it something I guess. So they implicated the prostate and it just kind of stuck. At least that's the way I look at it.

[Coalie]

That is exactly my understanding....but so a visibly inflamed prostate on cysto is therefore, paradoxically, not a classic symptom of Prostatitis/CPPS...is that right?

[ChgoGuy]

Also, what do you mean by “TENS to help sleep”? I know what is a TENS is, but how do you use it to help you sleep?

I would use TENS as a distraction tactic. Kind of like playing a trick on the brain. I don't really sleep, with or without CPPS and the urinary issues. But I can doze off. And if I'm lucky, for 2-4 hrs. But then I tend to be up all night. TENS in the pubic area or the lower back, would put my focus on the pulses from the TENS device, to help distract me from any pain or urgency. I also would incorporate some heat. I would stay attached all night. So if later in the night I did awake from dozing off to pee, if I was having a difficult time dozing back off, I would turn it back on. The hope that it would distract me long enough to doze back off, was my goal. I would say it had a success rate of about 70% for me, however there were some nights nothing helped.

Hope that answered your question?

[Coalie]

Thanks...interesting approach...I have been using sleeping pills, but I don’t like that becoming dependent on them.

[ChgoGuy]

What tool(s) do you use at home?

https://pelvictherapies.com/product/la- ... therawand/ and lubricant.

[Coalie]

Your TENS description is all in the past tense, why?