new to prostatitis--looking for positive reinforcement

From: Brian B. (bbieniowski_at_dellmagazines.net)
Date: 12/16/04 

Date: 16 Dec 2004 10:20:07 -0800

Hello everyone,

I thought I'd feel better posting a little bit about my own experiences
with prostatitis in the hopes of finding some comfort from other
sufferers' advice and experience.

I'm 28 years old and have been suffering from prostatitis for about a
month now. I believe I may have contracted the condition from a bath
in not-so-clean water, but I'm honestly not sure. I'm not a heavy
drinker, nor do I use recreational drugs or participate in anal sex.
My condition began roughly two days after the bath, and I felt that it
was the most likely cause.

My history:
I began urinating rather frequently one day, and attributed it to
coffee, which I'm a great fan of. I would have to urinate a number of
times per hour, which, as you can imagine, was rather annoying. I
didn't experience any pain or discomfort other than urgency (whether or
not I had a lot of urine to pass). After a three days of this, I
decided to see my GP regarding the condition, because my wife and I
felt I might have a urinary tract infection. The doctor took a urine
sample which came out negative and sent the specimen out for culture,
all of which turned out negative. My step-father, who had experienced
a similar problem, recommended I take saw palmetto and zinc (which I
have taken since then, without fail).

After a week of the same symptoms, my GP recommended I see a urologist.
The urologist took another urine sample, gave me an ultrasound of the
bladder, and digitally examined my prostate. Since my symptoms were
relatively painless (just constant urge to urinate) he prescribed that
I take advil and have sex on a regular basis. "Easy!" I thought.

Happily, the problem subsided for a week, and I felt I was cured and
stopped taking Advil. Unfortunately, I had a tragic death in my family
that caused me great stress, and involved plane flights. My problem
returned as soon as I boarded the plane. I began taking Advil again
and experienced relief for a few days until it was time to board the
plane again to go home. The symptoms returned and have remained ever
since.

I still have to urinate rather frequently (though I can control it so
that I don't have to go as often) and I now experience an annoying
burning at the tip of my penis--not awful, but certainly distracting
and upsetting. It never hurts to urinate, but I feel that I have to
constantly whether or not there's a trickle or a great stream. Advil
and Alieve did not seem to help this condition.

I phoned the urologist to let him know my progress. He said since
there was no bacteria or virus found in my sample they could only treat
the symptoms and he prescribed Celebrex for my "pains," since Advil was
ineffective. I asked him if I would be stuck with this forever and he
honestly told me he couldn't say with any degree of certainty.
Comforting, no? The Celebrex seems to deal with the pain fairly well,
but I do have bouts where I'm extremely uncomfortable.

I should add that I have abstained from both liquor and coffee/caffeine
(except a piece of chocolate now and again) since the second bout. I'm
not overweight, nor do I have any other health problems. I have been
avoiding spicy foods. A heating pad and hot sitz baths (though never
at the same time ;)! ) seem to help for a period of time, and sex
alleviates the discomfort for a time, as well.

The idea of suffering from this potentially indefinitely has upset me a
great deal, which has, in turn, worsened my symptoms--not to mention
depressed me. At this point, I'm unsure what to do next. I note that
I tend to hold stress by tensing my pelvic area and I've made a
conscious attempt to relax this area, which has helped me deal with the
constant discomfort somewhat. I have also purchased Dr. Wise's book "A
Headache in the Pelvis" to see if perhaps this is my issue. I haven't
received it yet, though.

It upsets me to read about so many chronic cases and yet see few
success stories on the internet. Must I worry about this discomfort (I
hesitate to call it pain) for years to come? Any success stories or
helpful advice are appreciated.

Best, and thanks for reading,

Brian B.

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