Chronic Prostatitis (CPPS) and Claiming benefits (UK)

Not sure. Are you in an area where Universal Credit has been rolled out? You can go online and use  The  Citizens Advice Bureau checker / calculator. If not,  could you go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau office? - they should be able to tell you.

Hiya mate ,

I don't doubt You're having a problem mate.But when doctors shrug their shoulders, which I've had in the past ,then maybe it isn't so much of a doctor fix problem but a self correction problem .

After 60 years and having had peeing problems since I was very young (and errectile dysfunction as well).

I started to have a serious look at my diet .Primarily sugar .I definitely think it's worth backing away from .Maybe It's not the answer but then , maybe it is.

There's obviously nothing clinically repairable with you (not unless you have a crap doctor).but There is something wrong .So rather than add to your intake i.e medication etc ,then try to deduct things from your intake .

It's only an opinion bruv, but worth having a think about .

Hope my words help .good luck with it.

I had stubborn bouts of prostatitis until my 40's and then it seemed to go away for the most part. You've done a lot, maybe just give things a rest for awhile and treat symptons. I found sitz (hot water) baths helpful.

Jim

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it.

I think you are both right. I really do need to start looking at my intake if things are going to change. I drink way too much coffee and crap foods. I have just signed up to a gym to get my fitness back on track, it has just been so hard since being diagnosed as depression and anxiety has stopped me from doing anything. But now I guess it has to be on me.

Only time will tell I guess. It has just been a horrible time which I am sure you all have experienced. Having 2 under 2s hasn't helped my sleep or stress levels too now that I think about It!

But thanks again. Now to get this diet and natural pain remedies research in check!

Take care

Danny

Hi Danny, I posted on this subject a while back- https://patient.info/forums/discuss/bladder-neck-incision-and-prostatitis-610875 - and some if it might be relevant to you. I too felt like I would have to take time off work and I also, like you, reduced my hours - easier for me as I'm self employed. My current uro has been great but I have often wondered when he was going to tell me he's done all he can! The bladder neck incision I had last autumn seems to have really helped. Apart from relieving a tight bladder neck, my uro thought urine was getting forced into the prostate and irritating the bladder. Antibiotics never worked for me at all. My symptoms now have pretty much disappeared after almost 2 and a half years. Had prostatitis in my early twenties too and eventually it went for 15 years!! In my other post I've linked to above, I mention a relaxation CD. I found this helped quite a bit as prostatitis can be exhausting to deal with. I downloaded it from a pelvic floor relaxation website in Australia and I've used it dozens of times. I'm sure too that quercetin and bromelain helped, plus pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto. Also, my uro did a prostate massage under a general anesthetic and that gave some relief. Hang in there. As another reply has suggested, often trying things yourself can eventually sort the problem. There are endless things to try - pretty much anyway - so I just kept reading and searching the Internet to see what might be worth pursuing next. Regular ejaculation is also something my uro recommended and I can see the logic in that! Luckily I have a very sympathetic wife! Good luck mate - I hope some of these suggestions might help.

 

I was told to live with it too Danny by many uros I saw when I had prostatitis in my twenties. One uro refused to see me anymore!! Don't live with it - just leave no stone unturned and something will eventually help. Most uros do agree it eventually burns itself out anyway. Re the music, search for patricia neumann. I downloaded it for about ten quid. Make sure you get the one for men as there's one for women too! You want pelvic floor muscle relaxation for men. I was sceptical at first but I used if midday before I headed off for work. As you probably know - there's a lot of people saying non-bacterial prostatitis can be at least exacerbated, if not caused, but problems with pelvic floor muscles. My uro has told be stress makes prostatitis far worse, so trying to relax can really help. Hope you get some relief! Re the herbal items I mentioned, no names allowed on here, but I used ones that start with swan and end in son! You need to get a reputable make and a decent strength. I've just been taking them again for a tescticular pain I've been having for the past five months, along with pumpkin seed oil. It may be a coincidence but a month later, I'm feeling a lot better. I've also joined the local gym as I read some research recently saying that men with prostatitis who used the gym regularly for 3 months felt significant improvement - some 50%+ of them anyway. All ideas, but, as i said, there's so many things you can try so there's always hope! Don't believe the uros who say you'll just have to live with it!! All they're saying is, they personally don't have a clue what to do next!

Hi Daniel,  I hope you don't mind a female joining in.  All these replies seem to be saying the same thing, which I fully agree with, that exercise is probably the way to go. Not at the gym but special exercises for pelvic pain.  A study showed that just 6 days of these exercises eased CPPS in most of the men who took part.  It is a fact that stress and tension in men often shows up as pelvic pain rather than as headaches in women (something to do with the location of the brain?!!). 

Search for these exercise.  There's videos on the pelvic pain clinic in London (I can't give any links).

You say you took a lot of antibiotics - so can I guess you had 4 weeks or so of Ciprofloxacin?  If so, is your pain only in the pelvic area or do you get anything else?  If you look in these forums, especially at the fluoroquinolone antibiotic pages, you'll see that, if you've already had lots of Cipro, you really should never take any any more (or any other fluoroquinolone) ever again as you may get hit by a range of side effects you've never imagined possible.  This is a fact - not a scare tactic!

Do you take any pain killers?  Make sure they are not Ibuprofen or any other NSAID also don't take steroids.  If you've had Cipro but no side effects yet, Ibuprofen can just kick things off - up to several months later! 

If you haven't had Cipro, all well and good - but maybe don't take it in the future then.  Stay safe people, these are dangerous chemotherapy drugs, not really antibiotics at all!

Just a quick update. I have been to doctors about enlarged spleen and they tell me my recent blood tests have come back with a 'weak positive' for antinuclear immune disease. I haven't a clue what this means but am waiting to be referred to haematology. My spleen is 3 times the normal size. GP states that my enlarged spleen and Prostatitis are unrelated. So the doom and gloom gets worse I guess.

Danny

Hi Daniel,. Take some probiotics. Cipro kills your gut bacteria.

Hi Danny,

I did look up about the antinuclear immune disease bit and it's a test that may suggest the beginnings of things like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis - things where the immune system starts to attack your own body.  Apparently some medications can give these weak positives and it's probably nothing to worry about as you've had a lot of meds.  The haematology people will probably test it again - I am willing to bet the enlarged spleen and this will be connected.