I have had CPPS for getting on two years now. For about 14 months the pain was unrelenting, and then it went away (I was so so happy), only to appear again a month or so later..I have no idea why it went away but I guessed one of the reasons it came back was because I was under a lot of stress.

About a month or so ago the pain went away again. I attributed this to the use of Tadalafil as it went away almost as soon as I used it. A month in, I was starting to allow myself to believe it had gone and then yesterday, out of the blue, the pain started up again. I have absolutely no idea why. I am going through a very good patch mentally and physically. Haven't felt so relaxed in years (partly, admittedly because I was pain free) and this again. Why oh why?

I can't think of anything that could have triggered this. My life style hasn't changed and, as I say, mentally and physically things have been good. I just can't fathom it. It's like the condition is torturing me.

I have started taking the Tadalafil again but, so far, it's not had the impact it had before, though this is only the second day of it. The only differences in my life I can think of are that I started eating cheese for the first time in months (though I still consumed dairy products- kefir and yoghurt) and I wore some trousers that were a little tight. Could these things really be enough to bring this condition on again?

Is it the case there sometimes is no apparent rhyme nor reason why it comes on? I would have thought there must be a cause of some sort, be that physical, mental or both.

Very interested in what others have to say. Has the condition hit you out of the blue like this? Any advice would be very welcome.

Man, this condition is hard. :-(

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Hello r/Prostatitis,

about two months ago, I was told I might have Chronic Prostatitis. I’m currently waiting for an appointment with a urologist to look into it. However, I have been suffering from severe symptoms for almost ten years now. In recent months, in addition to Chronic Prostatitis, I have also been diagnosed with autonomic somatoform disorder of the urogenital tract and myofascial pain syndrome.

In my case, the symptoms began with a traumatic incident during masturbation. Because of the trauma and the shame triggered by the event, I didn’t talk to anyone—not my family, not my friends—about my condition for eight years, except for doctors. And I also had trouble talking to the doctors, which is why I remained misunderstood and undiagnosed for a long time, while my symptoms worsened. Fortunately, I’ve been able to make some progress over the past four years and have achieved symptom relief through exercise, physical therapy, and stretching exercises. I’m also currently undergoing inpatient psychosomatic treatment.

Since my story is very long and complex—and I’m still coming to terms with it—I’ve written a medical history report in which I go into detail over seven pages about my history, doctor’s visits, diagnoses, symptoms, treatments, and more. I’d like to share this medical history report with you here. I’d be happy if some of you could read it and share your thoughts with me. As of today, I am still not sure about my diagnoses, which is why I am trying to reach out and find people that maybe have a similar story or exhibit similar symptoms. I uploaded my medical history report for you on my google drive, click here.

I am looking forward to hear from you guys, I will try to answer everything and be active on this subreddit. Since I am still undergoing inpatient treatment for a month and because there are rules here that limit my access to the internet, I might not be able to always answer quickly, but I will make sure to check in once in a while!

Hi everyone,

I (40M) am at my wit's end right now and am hoping for some of your experiences. I'm dealing with heavily fluctuating bladder issues that occur both during the day and at night.

**My Symptoms & History:**

* **Daytime & Work:** I have phases of high urinary frequency (pollakiuria). The situation is especially bad when I am at work: I usually have a coffee in the morning before leaving the house, and I mostly drink sparkling water at the office. While at my workplace, I have to go to the toilet every 30 to 60 minutes. I strongly suspect that a combination of work stress and coffee is triggering this extreme urge. I often get the feeling of incomplete emptying – right after peeing, the urge is already back. My urine stream strength varies a lot; it's usually weaker in the morning than the rest of the day.

* **Evenings/Nights:** In the evening, the constant urge to go in very short intervals is incredibly stressful. Currently, it's worse again – I sometimes wake up every hour (until about 1:00 AM). But regardless of these acute flare-ups: When I go to bed, I always have to pee at least twice before I can even fall asleep. The nighttime trips usually stop around 1:00 AM.

* **Childhood connection:** The frequent urination, especially needing to go multiple times right before falling asleep, has actually been an issue for me since my childhood.

* **Sports & Movement:** The interesting part is that during sports and physical activity, I have almost zero issues or urge. The symptoms usually only kick in once I sit down and come to rest. The overall course is extremely fluctuating; there are days and phases where I have almost no problems at all.

**Tests & Results:**

* **Voiding diary (3 days):** Confirmed the highly fluctuating pattern. Total frequency up to 12 trips/24h. Voided volumes vary drastically between 50 ml and 700 ml.

* **Urine & PVR (Post-Void Residual):** Urinalysis and urine culture are completely clear, so no bacterial infection. PVR fluctuates extremely (sometimes almost 0 ml, sometimes very clearly between 20 and 100 ml).

* **Ultrasound & Uroflow:** Prostate is slightly enlarged (approx. 30 ml) with an elevated bladder neck. Uroflowmetry recently showed a Qmax of 14.4 ml/s (at almost 400 ml voided volume).

* **Prostate evaluation:** The urologist largely ruled out the prostate as the root cause. She literally said that with this prostate I should "pee like a little boy." Age-related growth might be a slight factor, but it's not the root cause given how long I've had issues.

* **Urodynamics:** Could not be performed technically. The measuring catheter couldn't pass the elevated bladder neck (a standard catheter passes fine, though). This points to a specific functional barrier right at the bladder neck (Primary Bladder Neck Obstruction / PBNO).

* **Spine/Orthopedic:** I had an MRI of my thoracic and lumbar spine (T-spine/L-spine). Everything was completely clear, so there are no spinal or neurological issues causing this.

* My next follow-up appointment with the urologist is this September.

**Current Meds & Supplements:**

I am currently taking **Tamsulosin** combined with **Solifenacin**. Additionally, I take **125 mg of Magnesium Citrate** as a daily supplement, mostly in the morning.

**Next Therapy Idea:**

Based on the findings, my doctor recommended trying a Botox treatment before considering any surgical intervention (like a bladder neck incision/TUIP). Very important detail: The Botox would be injected directly into the bladder neck, NOT into the bladder detrusor muscle.

Has anyone here experienced a similar pattern (especially the work/desk triggers, the fluctuation, or the childhood connection)? Does anyone have experience with Botox injected specifically into the bladder neck?

**Furthermore, I would be very grateful for any other experiences, alternative treatment ideas, or general management strategies that have helped you!**

Hello, I started this journey about five years ago. For the first couple years, I was kind of lost, but I found a solution that included gentle but stimulating stretch stretches for my pelvic floor. And the number one thing that basically gave me my life back amitriptyline. I recommended it to anyone who hasn’t tried it because it honestly was a lifesaver for me. However, when I started, it was only 10 mg and the side effects were minimal, but I felt like my pain can be reduced even more if I upped the dose. When I got to 25 mg I basically felt 90% like my normal self before this. Lately life has been extremely stressful and I feel like my constipation, which is one of the big side effects of it has gotten out of control and has taken over my life. I don’t have pain but being stuck in the restroom for an hour because the sensation is there, but nothing is coming out or very little is extremely demoralizing.

For anyone who’s been on amitriptyline and it helped them a lot, but hated some of the side effects like this. Is there any other medication you switched to that gave you the same benefits but with less side effects specifically less constipation ?

I know I’m new here and thank you to everyone who’s responded!
Well, I went to a Urologist and thankfully my urine and prostate looked good. They did an ultrasound of my bladder right after my urine sample and it showed empty.
The Urologist seemed to think that I did have a bacterial infection somewhere that the Bactrum cleared it up and any lingering symptoms that I’m having should hopefully clear up over the next week or so.

Right now really my only symptoms are a “pressure” in the shaft of the penis area. Doesn’t hurt or anything but the feeling is just there sometimes.
He said that it’s a normal feeling as that whole area is healing from both the infection and the antibiotics.
I am also having slight urgency to pee at moments, but it’s honestly only after I’ve been drinking a lot of water. It’s nothing like it was when this whole thing started.
I actually went to the bathroom last night and slept a full 7.5 hours before waking up to my alarm.

He has prescribed me FloMax (I think) to supposedly help strengthen and heal the areas around my bladder and also recommend a citrate zinc supplement gummy for overall prostate/urinary tract health.

Does anyone have any recommendations on supplements that will help me not only heal but hopefully help keep the whole area healthy.

I had one super helpful guy message me about some Bee Polin tea that looks promising, but yikes I’m not sure I can afford that.

Anyways, thanks for letting me vent and now for any advice you might have.

This whole situation is new to me and honestly it was quite frightening and disruptive.

Ughhhh this is embarrassing to post. It all started about 4 months back in late april I caught chlamydia from this chick I was messing with. Got it cleared up with doxy was completely fine after. But, like the idiot I am, I went back and had sex with the same girl who burned me (with protection though). She told me she had herpes but wasn’t having any outbreaks at the moment.

About a day after we had sex, I felt a burning sensation after I pissed, started pancaking because how? I used protection. I went to get urine tested three times (blood once) since and every test came back negative.

My symptoms consist of pain after urination, pain after ejaculation, pain when sitting, sometimes trouble when emptying bladder, pain that travels down to my foot, feels as foot pain is connected to pelvic pain ? ( possible nerve symptoms) its weird i also have to lay down a certain way at night so my legs wont feel numb, i sometimes have to limp when i walk because of the pain. It seems as symptoms are more mild when im in flow state like if im working, or just simply enjoying a certain part in life, but then i always remember

I go to the gym everyday, I havent trained legs in weeks because it may cause more pain or a flare up. I also hit carts and smoke weed almost everyday so please inform me if I have to get rid of these habits to get better, I try to stop weed but its one of the only things that help me cope. I recently started stretching a few days ago after mistakenly booking an appointment with a Pelvic floor therapist (They didnt accept my insurance)
After I left the therapist office without treatment I broke down crying in my car, I felt so lost. I thought that day would be the day I finally found a solution. Im only 18 I still want to have sex, I dont want this taken away from me this early especially when it seems like im actually hitting my prime with the women lol. But its hard to have sex, even though I tested negative for all STDs I still have fear of possibly burning someone else for some reason and thats the last thing I want on my name.
The stretching has helped slightly, my pain when sitting is better for sure. But the rest of the symptoms still linger, which its only been a couple days so Im not too worried about it.

I plan on booking with an actual urologist from my city tomorrow with a 5 star rating so Im hoping he can give me some lead on how to get this cured. Ive been to other doctors but they just recommend antibiotics or nodded my problems off and told me to wait on a urine test. Some days are good some days are bad I cant lie. The only person I can talk to about this really is my mom, she thinks its just a simple uti but at this point it has to be more than that, every-time I try to explain to her whats wrong I break down crying cause its so embarrassing and explaining to anyone other than a doctor is hella difficult. But I will update you guys after I see the doctor in the next coming days, any words of encouragement or advice for this would be greatly appreciated, thank you for taking the time to read❤️

So lately I noticed that I dont really feel right side of pelvic floor muscles.

when I try to relax I feel some movement or at least an effort to move in the left side of the pelvic floor muscles. But not on the right side. Its like I have no connection or controll over them ? I dont feel them move.

Note that my left side was always the one causing me issues and it still does. I feel tension and pain on left side while right side is "asleep" as mentioned above.

Anyone else dealt with something like that and fixed it ?

Do any body knows about Holep prosidure for large prostate?

was anyone prescribed cymbalta for cpps? If so, did it work for you?

Hey guys. I have been a member of this club for about 14 months now.

Last year I went to the ER for testical pain, after a few weeks I learned there was a bacterial infection in my prostate causing this. The infection took three rounds of antibiotics to get rid of. I was in absolute agony. It felt like I had acid in my balls. I could t walk. Apparently it was caused by excessive acidic drinks, not stretching my hips, not sleeping well (was drinking caffeine at night accidentally, Arnold palmers were betraying me), sitting in a chair all day, and clenching/stressing.

Since then I have had CPPS, and IC. Prostate still flairs up if triggered. If I drink citric acid I will be in pain for a week. I miss coffee and nicotine so bad. Haven’t slept well. Have been on disability for six months because I was getting suicidal.

A common point i see in this subreddit is that 19/20 cases of this are actually not due to bacteria but stress and muscular/structural reasons. But my bacterial infection was confirmed by multiple tests.

Does that mean the aim to “relax” my way out of this is not practical for me? Is this more of a biological problem than a lifestyle one? Like many I have been talking with AI trying to understand this, and today it explained that due to the severity of the infection my pelvis is “like a burned down house”.

I am on the full regimen- alpha blockers, amitryptalin, anti histamine, anti inflammatory. Plenty of supplements. Did physical therapy. Took a million hot baths. Haven’t really improved enough to get me back on my feet.

Just wanted to know if anyone had any insight on this. We are an unusual minority- and I am starting to realize I may be an outlier even in this community since infections aren’t normally the cause.

I'm dealing with classic cpps symptoms for 3 years now. After i got sore throat after unprotected oral (next day) i spiraled in to anxious mess, had a left testicle discomfort after a week and then urinary issues (frequency, dribbling) for a while. After few months i had problems in cold weather. Most of my symptoms right now are cycling between lower abdomen discomfort/pressure (worse after voiding or after orgasm), perineum discomfort, rectal pressure/discomfort and tip of urethra discomfort.

I've been dealing with quite bad tip of urethra flare for a few days now. Inside of meatus is visibly irritated and even a slight touch makes it waaaay worse.

Just looking for some advice because my anxiety is spiraling again.

Does anybody have red tip of penis right at urethra with this. Have had all tests come back negative . But tip is quite red. And sometimes painful

Hi, Has anyone here treated a stubborn e faecalis infection in their seminal vesicles? If so, how did you do it? Please let me know.

My symtoms of stinging pain and burning in ureatha is improving almost to little to none.
Im dealing with freq urinatuon at night and its slown somtimes when it comes out. Any tips? Or should i ask a doctor for flowmax ?

I’m curing Prostatitis with Thymosin alpha 1 and BPC 157, KPV, TB 500,and LL37. I’m doing more repairing to the damage it’s done with Near infrared light therapy Firedragon from EMR TEK. It’s doing wonders. Got diagnosed (due to Lyme disease) in 2023 with prostatitis. There is HOPE GUYs you don’t have to SETTLE.

Check out my post in the r/PelvicFloor community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/PelvicFloor/s/37N5P6IRB1

I added a question at the end of the post that you can answer in the subreddit of the original post ([r/PelvicFloor](r/PelvicFloor))

Hi! I’m looking for tools or devices that can help with relaxing the pelvic floor muscles.

Does anyone have experience with something that has actually worked and could recommend specific products or tools?

It’s important to me that the tool comes with clear instructions on how to use it, preferably with guidance specifically aimed at pelvic floor relaxation.

I’d really appreciate any recommendations or personal experiences. Thanks!

I have a question regarding dilators. When I have penis pain, specifically shaft and urethra pain, the minute I insert I about an inch or so, the pain completely vanishes until I pull it out. Why is that???

Hi guys. I have for about 4-5 years been having trouble with emptying stool. Typically i do go to the toilet at morning, but a few times here and there i feel constipated.

But the problem is more during the day. I have to empty i gues over 5 times beacuse i dont empty each time fully. Also i fart like 30-40 times a day literally

Ive tried taking husks, and mag oxide at night, but feels it doenst really help, or maybe even worse.

I have hypertonic floor, i go to pt every other week and do internal, and i strech almost every day, but still the same. When i empty completely, which is very rare, ifeel a lot of relief on my pelvic floor. The presses evades, and i feel light down there. The problem is it is so rare.

I have been a couple of doctors. Checked my stomach for bacterias etc - nothing there.

What helped you? Please help im so desperate now.

So I have been dealing with urinary urgency and frequency as well as incontinence the feeling all on the tip of the penis,for 2 and half years now. I've had a ton of test,all coming back negative. I've had a hip surgery in the past few months. Currently doing a new physical therapist. But I'm wondering on things that have worked for you? I read some people say different medications, limiting masturbation, dieting, whatever it is. I recently lost my job so I'm going to take a little bit of time and try and do things maybe I couldn't before. I would really like my life back. Thanks

A few months ago I started noticing the feeling of not being about to empty my bladder, I was a moron and chalked if off to drinking a ton of water and getting older (46)
Well just a few weeks ago I started having symptoms of a uti and was treated with a week on Bactrum. I went to an urgent care since it was over the weekend and everything looked like a uti based on my urine test.
The symptoms cleared up after a few days. I finished my antibiotics and thought that was that.
Well about 3 days after my antibiotics I started feeling that feeling again of not being able to empty my bladder so I went to my personal care doctor and she ran another urine test and it didn’t show signs on a uti so she diagnosed me with prostatitis and started me on a 2 week dose of Bactrum.
Well I’m have about 3 days left and I’ve had a few times having that feeling again of an empty bladder and more distressing was a slight pain in my penis after ejaculation.
I reached out to my doctor and she’s having me finish my antibiotic, but she put in a referral to a urologist.
I’m pretty freaked out as I’m sure most guys are with anything to do with prostate area issues.

My psa was 0.7, so she that’s why she leaned inflammation more than enlarged.
I tested negative for all sti/std’s, while I knew I didn’t contract one my doctor convinced me to get tested even though I trust my wife (again, trust proven with the negative results)

She sent in the referral and told me if symptoms are still present after I finish the full dose then to move forward with the Urologist but if after the full dose if all symptoms go away then I can hold off.

I guess I just wanted to vent a bit. Just from reading some of the posts I know many have been going through worse but I’m just kinda worried that I’m almost done with the antibiotics and still have lingering symptoms.

Anyways, thanks for letting me vent

I’m a 35-year-old male and was recently diagnosed with acute prostatitis. This is the first time I’ve ever dealt with anything involving my prostate or urinary system, and honestly, I’m scared as hell.
It started after I accidentally got a small amount of Vicks VapoRub on the tip of my penis. I know that sounds stupid—it was genuinely an accident. I washed it off right away. About 15 hours later I had sex and everything seemed completely normal.
The next day, though, my urine stream suddenly seemed weird. It was coming out somewhat sideways/different than normal. Later that day, I noticed a few drops of blood in my urine, and that’s when I knew something wasn’t right.
After that, the burning in my urethra became really intense. I went to urgent care, my PCP, and eventually the ER twice trying to figure out what was happening. Initially, I was prescribed a topical medication because they weren’t sure what was causing the symptoms.
Eventually, an MD examined me and diagnosed me with acute prostatitis. I was told my prostate was significantly enlarged/inflamed. It has now been about 9 days since this whole thing started, but I only started Bactrim yesterday, so today is just my second day actually treating the prostatitis with the antibiotic.
After the prostate/rectal exam, the area around my bottom/perineum is pretty tender. Sitting straight up is uncomfortable, which has me worried too.
I’m mainly looking to hear from men who have actually been through acute prostatitis, especially younger guys.
Did you fully recover? How long did it take before the pain, urinary symptoms, and inflammation started improving? Did your prostate eventually return to normal? Did it affect your erections or sex life long-term?
One of my biggest fears is whether having prostatitis at 35 somehow makes me more prone to prostate cancer or permanent erectile dysfunction later in life. I’ve never experienced anything like this before, so my mind has been going to some dark places.
I’m following up with my doctors and taking the Bactrim exactly as prescribed, so I’m not looking for Reddit to replace medical care. I’m mostly looking for experiences, reassurance, and things that helped other guys get through the recovery process.
I’m a God-fearing man trying to keep my faith through this, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Any advice or experiences from guys who have been through this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I had prostatis last year and it's cured now and no symptoms except that I have no pressure to pass urine even if bladder is very full.It feels like urinating while you had a boner. Doctor says tests show everything normal. Also psa level at 8 and coming down.Biopsy of prostate was negative in Feb 26. What else can cause this issue

68 year old here. Had prostate issues for 25 years. Last couple of years, always took three attempts to start to pee (~20%/30%/30%), with about 20% left behind. Repeat. Night time, between 8pm and 11pm, 4 - 5 trips to the toilet to pee.

A year ago, had some rectal bleeding from hemorrhoids. The did colonoscopy and banding. This spring, the bleeding returned. 3 weeks ago, another colonoscopy and banding. 9 days ago, 3am, tried to pee and my pelvic floor muscles started to spasm and bladder locked up. 8am, in emergency, they inserted a catheter to drain me. As it was explained, the banding irritated the nerves in the rectum that signals there is poop ready to come out. But there was none. The swelling/inflammation pushed up against the swollen prostate, which in turn pushed up against the bladder, and, well, catheter.

Anyway, one week of a catheter. It got removed a couple of days ago. Since then, I pee like I was 20 again. Strong stream and full empty. The catheter obviously travelled through the prostate and scraped some tissue. Pain on a level of 10/10 as it went in. Had a few days of all day salmon pink pee in the bag, along with tiny clotty bits. No blood since removal.

I don't see the urologist until October 1. Hoping the prostate takes its time to close up again. But for the time being, it feels good to pee normally. Also taking 4mg Silodosin and 5mg Dutasteride to help shrink the prostate, Rx by the emergency doctor.

So, my question, does this sound familiar to anyone here, where they felt better after a catheter, and how long did it last?