Re: new to prostatitis--looking for positive reinforcement
From: NorthernSpy1 (northernspy1_at_aol.com)
Date: 12/17/04
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Date: 17 Dec 2004 02:48:33 GMT
> was little in the way I could do about it other than
> addressing the symptoms
Yes, prostatitis is a big mystery, and sometimes docs find bacteria and kill it
and there's a cure; but sometimes killing the bacteria doesn't end the illness,
and sometimes (usally) no bacteria is detected.
But there *are* guidelines --- a list of what can be causing your condition,
and steps to try to identify the cause (and thereby hopefully the solution).
Your doctor is not following them, and gave up wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too soon.
Your big hope is you have an infection: something nice and treatable. The
great majority of uros (in the USA, anyway) will automatically prescribe a
broad spectrum antibiotic (a quinolone like Tequin or Levaquin, sometimes
combined with Doxycycline) for at least a month, and then if there is
improvement for much longer (2 months or much more).
Then if those fail, many uros say "go home" which is terrible advice. Levaquin
(etc.) does kill a lot of stuff, but it does NOT kill everything. For example,
the drug of choice against enterococci faecalis (which can cause your problem)
is Ampicillin, which may work when the others do not.
So here's what you do:
[1] Buck up. The internet is populated by a lot of guys who never got
antibiotics or got the wrong ones -- unlike you they were not lucky enough to
learn the guidelines. The success stories disappear.
[2] Another reason to buck up: there is a veiw that prostate problems
accompanied by urinary symptoms are almost always caused by infection. I
question that wisdom, because my urinary problems took 10 months to arrive; but
in any event your odds of success start off really great.
[3] Check out the guidelines (see below). They are not a complete statement
about the curable causes of your condition, but they provide useful places to
start.
[4] CHANGE YOUR URO NOW. Most of them will at least give you some sort of
antibiotic; and look deeper into the possible causes than a simple urine test.
[5] Try to get a (A) urine culture (not test); and (B) semen culture which
often reveal infection when simpler tests do not. Some docs do an "EPS" test
or culture.
[6] Check out this guy's website -- which will give you the idea that sometimes
there is not straight road out, but there is a road.
http://www.geocities.com/bill3320/
[7] If you are a distance bicyclist or avid weight lifter, consider stopping
for awhile.
[8] Get a better pain killer than Advil if pain is a problem for you. Enduring
pain for long periods is not good, or necessary.
G'luck!
- Carlos
========= GUIDELINES ==================
http://herkules.oulu.fi/isbn9514265068/html/x552.html
=== OTHER LINKS =======================
http://www.drmirkin.com/men/M156.html
CDC GUIDELINES FOR EPIDIDYMITIS
http://www.epididymitisfoundation.org/cdcguidelines.php
http://www.prostatitis.org/itworksforme.html
=======================================
http://www.urologyhealth.org/adult/index.cfm?cat=09&topic=115
How is prostatitis diagnosed?
The correct diagnosis is very important because the treatment is different for
the different types of prostatitis syndromes. In addition, it is extremely
important to make sure that the symptoms are not caused by urethritis,
cystitis, an enlarged prostate or cancer. To help make an accurate diagnosis,
several types of examinations are useful.
To examine the prostate gland, the physician will perform a digital rectal
examination (DRE). This is a simple examination in which the doctor will pass a
lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum. Because the prostate is located just
in front of the rectum, it can be easily pressed. The physician will be able to
determine whether the prostate is enlarged or tender. Lumps or firm areas can
suggest the presence of prostate cancer. The physician will also assess the
degree of pain or discomfort the patient experiences as he presses the muscles
and ligaments of the pelvic floor and perineum. If a man has prostatitis, this
examination may produce momentary pain or discomfort but it causes neither
damage nor significant prolonged pain.
If the physician requires a closer look at the prostate gland or decides that a
biopsy is necessary, he may order a transrectal ultrasound, which allows him to
visualize the prostate gland. If you are at risk for cancer, your physician
will consider ordering a PSA test.
If your physician suspects that you have prostatitis or one of the other
prostate problems, he may refer you to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in
diseases of the urinary tract and male reproductive system, to confirm the
diagnosis.
The urologist will repeat some of the examinations already performed by the
first physician. The urologist will also assess the degree of pain or
discomfort the patient experiences as he presses the prostate as well as the
muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor and perineum. The urologist may
analyze various urine specimens as well as a specimen of prostatic fluid
obtained by massaging the prostate gland during DRE. The various urine
specimens and prostatic fluid will be analyzed for signs of inflammation and
infection. These samples may help the urologist determine whether your problem
is inflammation or infection and whether the problem is in the urethra, bladder
or prostate.
Other tests the urologist may consider employing include cystoscopy in which a
small telescope is passed through the urethra into the bladder permitting
examination of the urethra, prostate and bladder. The urologist may also order
urine flow studies, which help measure the strength of your urine flow and any
obstruction caused by the prostate, urethra or pelvic muscles.
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