Simon Smith: had to pee every 10 mins for 10 yrs

[webslave]

In 2016 I wrote a story for The Spectator magazine titled My Condition Affects Half Of All Men And Is More Horrible Than You Can Imagine. The idea was that sharing my experience would help any men suffering in silence. Every week since then – and increasingly – a guy from a different country emails to tell me that article helped them deal with their pain. They mention the frustration at not being able to communicate exactly what they’re going through. Six months ago, fuelled by another monthly email, I decided to set up a YouTube channel dedicated to raising awareness about health conditions. The support has been very strong yet very anonymous. There’s a lot of shame, embarrassment and demasculinization around prostatitis. Men get in touch to share and confess – perhaps as an attempt at catharsis or empathy. I also receive a lot of emails of just sheer venting, from the casual to a full-blown suicide letter. The emails encourage me that my work offers some form of comfort or outlet for those suffering and unheard. I am confident most men reading this will have experienced a version of prostatitis. When I interviewed consultant urological surgeon Professor Richard Hindley he said: ‘The prevalence of prostatitis is huge. The literature says 3-9%. For me, as a urologist, I almost wonder if all men have an element of prostatitis but it’s often subclinical. Symptoms are so mild that you dismiss them and describe them as something else and they are so fleeting. But in others, they are far more severe.’

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2021/04/18/what-it- ... -14376169/