Do I have prostatitis?

[eric1032]

hello all,

I started having frequent urination issues since last Aug 2019. Went to a urologist and he performed digital examination. His diagnosis was prostatitis. But as of today, I am beginning to wandering if I really have prostatitis. My symptom is only frequent urination. I don't have any pain. I get the urge to pee every 1 to 2 hours depends on the day. My uro explained that my prostate is inflamed, as such when push onto the bladder, it created the urinating urge. He prescribed me Cipro the 1st time I saw him. Cipro worked while I was on it for 3 weeks but the urge came back after I stopped. I now know it's Cipro has anti-inflammatory property hence it worked when I was on it.

I believed I had prostatitis because:

1. acidic food, coffee, green tea, spicy food.... they all increase my urge to pee twofold.
2. when the uro did the digital examination, when he pressed against the prostate, I felt pain and the urge to pee increased so much that I had to hold my pee.
3. after readying this site, I start looking for muscle pain around my pelvis area. I noticed a small area of muscle, near the left thigh and pubic bone area, hurts when I applied pressure.

Then there are factors that makes me wonder if I have prostatitis or something else. I don't feel any pain during the entire 10 month since I had this. I mostly work at an office so regularly going to the restroom is not a problem. When I go out for 2 to 3 hours, a little plan ahead will do the trick. If I need to be out more than 4 hours, I usually take one or two Advil and I can hold the pee for 4 to 5 hours. I think the anti-inflammatory property in Advil alleviate my symptom temporarily.

I last visited my uro couple month ago and he told me to live with it. He gave me a Cipro prescription but told me to use it only if the flares are really bad. Advil will usually do the trick for me.

I am confused.

[webslave]

The fact that you have no pain and an increased urge to pee with well-known IC trigger foods points to a mild case of IC. Follow the IC diet.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8733

Also look at stress, lifestyle and psychological issues.

[eric1032]

thx for the link, Webslave. Foodwise, once it occurred to me that certain types of food are the trigger, I started to eliminate them by trial and error. I have a pretty good handle on what I can eat and cannot eat. But every now and then, I eat the wrong food, and I get flare ups. Masturbation and sex also seem to be the trigger.

Is this ever going to go away or will it get worse? Most of the forum members have way worse symptoms. I want to do everything I can to avoid that.

[webslave]

It will definitely go away. But you need to learn the ways to reverse the condition and keep it under control before it will go away.

[eric1032]

I have a penny size cyst on my left butt cheek for a very long time, like years. It never hurts so I didn't do anything. Last year I moved to a new home. I didn't have furniture for couple weeks so I sat on the hardwood floor couple hours every nite. If inflamed the cyst with abscess. It hurt so bad, I had it drained. After the doctor drained it, it healed nicely and then a month later the cyst grew back but it doesn't hurt except if I squeeze it and I can feel slight pain on the side of the cyst so it's slightly infected. It doesn't affect my life so I left it untreated.

This is couple month before my frequent urination symptoms started plus it's outside the body so I never thought there two issues are related. But are they? I am starting to wonder.

[webslave]

Epidermoid cysts have no known relationship to CP/CPPS. Draining them is a waste of time and money; they usually come back. The preferred treatment is surgical excision. Cheap, safe, quick, effective.

[eric1032]

Just an update. For the past two month, the frequent urination issue didn't subside but it's manageable. I been following the IC diet religiously. I get 4 or 5 good days in a row where I feel normal again followed by 4 or 5 bad days where I feel the urge to urinate every 1 to 2 hours. There is no apparent pattern... it just does what it wants to.

One thing of note, I did feel pain in my penis one day. Last weekend, I went hiking, it's 4 hours round trip, on the way back, toward the last 30 minutes, my penis just felt very uncomfortable, minor pain.... I would say from scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 3 or 4. I became somewhat nervous and thought I am experiencing CPPS syndrome... but by the time I got to the car, it went away completely. It hasn't happened again. Not sure what it was.

I am not on any supplement or prescriptions. Hoping following IC diet will eventually pay off.

[gigabyte80]

@eric1032 - I had the exact same situation like you at the beginning - and then it evolved into constant discomfort in tip of penis and then started getting pains in perineum and constant urge to pee only felt at the tip of penis. I don't mean to trouble you, but just keep this in mind.

[eric1032]

Yikes...not what I want to hear. but thx for the advice. It's always been in the back of my mind that it could get worse so i have been doing everything i can to avoid that..... I am on strict IC diet, I exercise, some light stretching, etc. I can't control what the future holds but I can control what I can do and stay positive.

[gigabyte80]

Yes, I fully agree, not that I am feeling worse to be honest - perineum pain has stabilized, but I am left with this discomfort on the tip - stretching like crazy and I will star doing internal trigger point release and hopefully this will go as well - keep positive and do not let it control you... I am sure you will get better!

[eric1032]

I had my annual physical recently, my doctor informed me that my vitamin D level too low. I went to Costco and bought vitamin D - 5000 iu. I only take them every other day for 2 to 3 weeks so far. I noticed something interesting, when I take the vitamin d without food in the morning.... my frequent urination symptom goes away, in fact, I could go 6 hours without having to urinate. And when I do urinate, the volume is significantly less, 1/3 of my normal output. Then the next day, I get a mini-flare, the urge to urinate really intensifies. I also note that if I take the vitamin D with food, I don't feel any change.

It seems that taking 5000 iu Vitamin D without food is giving me side effects. but I googled and frequent urination is a side effect if one takes too many and is having vitamin d toxicity. I am getting the opposite effect plus I am only taking it every other day for 2 to 3 weeks so far, definitely far from "too many".

I am trying to make sense of this. @webslave or anyone can provide some insights?

[webslave]

Vitamin D activates vasopressin
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 110836.htm

Vasopressin controls urination (antidiuretic)

Taking without food allows better absorption in your case.

[eric1032]

I just want to update my condition and also have some questions. The last 4 to 6 weeks have been very positive, I have more good days than bad days. I started this journey last August. I felt 80% cured by Dec then by Feb of 2020, it started again and it has been non-stop. I suppose it's been so long, I forgot what normal felt like. However, since I had more good days than bad days in the last 6 weeks, I am able to figure out what caused my flare. My number 1 trigger is masturbation/sex. I have cut that down completely for the last 2 month. #2 is food trigger, I have been on a IC diet for the last 4 month. I feel things are turning around.

My questions:

1. Around 10 years ago, I had a bad case of flu, I was feverish for about 50 days. My doctor did all kinds of test and couldn't find a cause. Eventually it went away. During that time, I was on Advil every 8 hours to bring the fever down. I noticed that when I was feverish, my ball sac tends to be saggy, whereas, when I wasn't feverish, my scrotum was firm. Ever since then, I can tell if I am sick or not just by feeling my scrotum. In the past weeks, when there is no frequent urination (aka, good days), my scrotum is loose and felt very relaxed. if it becomes firm or tight, I am probably going to have a flare. This is completely the opposite of what I have accustomed myself to. Is this normal?
2. When I feel good and not in a flare, I have a very strong morning wood that wakes me up because it hurts a little. Is this normal?
3. What does "urgency" feel like? So on my good days, I will start getting the urge to urinate after 90 minutes from the last void but there is no urgency, I feel it but it's not strong, and I can go for another 2 hours before I actually have to go. On my bad days, I get the feeling to urinate after 45 minute to an hour from the last void, but the urgency sensation tends to be very strong; to the point I can only hold it for another 30 to 45 minutes. I have trained my mind to ignore it but sometimes I pressed on my bladder and it actually hurts.
4. Abstaining from sex or masturbation, how does that affect health long-term. I am to the point I don't want to have sex or masturbate because I am afraid I will exacerbate my condition. My wife knows about my condition and has been supportive. But obviously this cannot go on forever.

Thoughts?

[webslave]

1. The body regulates scrotal temperature to keep spermatozoa alive, hence the raising or lowering dependent on core temperature. When you are cold, the scrotum is pulled upwards towards the warmth of the body, and vice versa when you are feverish. But the scrotum is also pulled up tight when there is a spasm or shortening of the pelvic muscles, as in a flare. It's all perfectly logical.
2. Yes, that's a good sign
3. Urgency is defined medically as "an immediate unstoppable urge to urinate", so I don't think you're experiencing true urgency.
4. Complete abstention is not good. Up to 2x a week is fine, but do it right: viewtopic.php?t=627

[eric1032]

Webslave, thx for the reply. I really appreciate that you take the time and answer each member's question.

I will follow your advice. Hopefully my next update will also be positive.