Practical advice for prostatitis

That’s been my main symptom for over 25 years. Here is my advice...

Drink tons of water

Relax- the stress of the whole situation can feed the discomfort. 2mg Valium broke in half can work.

Avoid- spicy foods, alcohol and any type of caffeine.

For me personally- sex/orgasm is not a good idea when really flared up. Others may say different. Just trying to get that area to calm down requires rest.

A flare up for me can last a day or weeks. It’s really up to me. I force myself to relax, interrmitent fast and drink tons of water.  As far as the Valium, a 2mg Valium split half is basically just enough to take the edge off...no other side effects. Of course I only take for a few days. Perhaps you can find something else that accomplish the same thing. 

I am on month 4 of an antibiotic resistant mycoplasma hominis I picked up from a massage chick BJ with no condom (stupid). On doxycycline right now to keep symptoms at a bearable state and just wrapping up several weeks of Cirpo (which has not done my body any good). I am going to just go for the Doxy for a few more weeks then switch to an antibiotic called minocycline which is the one AB that still works on it...I hope. 

Right now I am taking Turmeric supplement and something called "AlphaRise" from Amazon which seems to have great reviews. No coffee, no alcohol, and I have replaced those with pomegranate juice. Also, I am taking a probiotic supplement to make sure I don't destroy my stomach and intestines with all of these antibiotics.

I am also taking someone's advice here and 30 minutes after taking my ABs I rub one out to flush the prostate 2x a week. Not sure if it helps or not.  

Hi Gareth, I sympathise fully with how you're feeling mentally. I've had prostatitis  - see https://patient.info/forums/discuss/bladder-neck-incision-and-prostatitis-610875 - and I too had need to urinate urgently. My uro never found any bacteria, but he thought that urine getting forced in the prostate due to a tight bladder neck might be the cause of my problems.

I found rest is essential in dealing with prostatitis. The relaxation CD I mention in the link above did help a lot and I often fell asleep using it! Another thing I found helpful was keeping a diary of how I felt each day, scoring the pain between 1 and 10. In my case, I realised that whilst I did have really bad days, some days were better and others even good. It I hadn't have done that, I'd just have felt as if I was plagued with the problem 24/7. It just gave me some cause for optimism and hope!

You're not alone, as you will have realised trawling through this site, but many get better. Sadly, those stories aren't always reported as men are just glad to see the back of it! However, I've got better from prostatitis twice. My uro told me to keep ejaculating (2-3 times a week) which made sense (though my wife thought I was making that up!), and I just tried to eat well and keep off meds where possible - hoping the body would heal itself eventually. 

Your problems with urinating frequently was also a big problem for me last year, but the bladder neck op I had thankfully sorted that out, albeit it took 3 months to fully recover after the op.

Not sure if this has been much help, but I wish you luck in getting things sorted.

A lot or your present symptoms may actually be caused by the Cipro.  If you read the packet leaflet you'll see that insomnia and anxiety are listed as side effects.  This may well be why your mental health has taken a battering.

It will also have a bad effect on your gut as it kills off all the good bacteria that you need as well as the bad ones in your prostate.  Take extra probiotics while you're taking any antibiotics and for some weeks after.

You say the Cipro didn't work anyway and you're now on Trimethoprim.  Just be aware that the Cipro can cause delayed reactions and if you feel any aches or pains in your joints or legs in the next few months do take care.  I'm not kidding, some people have had a lot of problems start months after they finished the Cipro - it's powerful stuff. 

Also beware of taking Ibuprofen or other NSAIDs or steroids for a few months - these can make the delayed reactions start up.  Check out the fluoroquinolone discussions on this site for more information.

The main thing is to keep positive as stress makes any inflammation worse.  Also check out some probiotics -your gut will thank you.

 

Gareth,

I am taking a probiotic that has to be refrigerated. Not sure if it is better than the dry-store ones but why muck about. Also, Green Tea. I find it really does help.

Also, while not for everyone, my personal sordid affair has brought me back to the bible from a medical perspective. It's very interesting, but I have a theory that Job may have been afflicted with prostatitis: " He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare;he poureth out my gall upon the ground," and most certainly King David was as Psalm 38 talks about it: "For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.

I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart."

(King David and Job both fully recovered, so we have that going for us.)

Hi Gareth,

There are no particular tips for probiotics.  If you go down the yoghurt route remember it has to be live (many flavoured ones are pasteurised) so check the label.  Organics and rachels and yeo are live, I'm not much into danone especially low or no fat as I think they put 'stuff' in them!  There is also kefir, which is like a yoghurt drink (and had different bugs) and also sauerkraut is good, we use it like a chutney!  These are best kept in the fridge of course. 

The capsules from health food shops are also good - look for ones with a good variety of bugs, you're looking to improve the diversity in your gut.  Not much will have survived the Cipro (and other ABs) and a healthy gut needs a good selection of flora - so maybe mix and match!

I am no fan of green tea as I find it very bitter.  The trick apparently is to make it at 80 degrees rather than boiling and only let it brew for a couple of minutes. Some of the ones with added stuff are quite nice (I can just about manage it with lemon!).

I don't know what the pain in your right flank is caused by but I know of others who are badly affected by Cipro complaining of the same thing.  It might be your liver having a struggle as it will be under a great deal of stress trying to deal with the toxins while at the same time it may be slowed down by the toxins (a double whammy).  It's wise to give your liver as little to do as possible for a few weeks so stay away from alcohol and anything else that might be bothersome such as food with chemicals and preservatives (i.e. junk food!).  Try to eat as cleanly and healthily as possible - and cut out sugary food while you're at it as sugar is technically a poison that needs to be dealt with.  It's worth bearing in mind that things like chicken, pork and farmed fish and prawns may have been treated with Cipro or other quinolones so perhaps avoid things like this (clean and healthy!).

Sorry if this all seems a bit prescriptive.  It is only guidance and I'm not a doctor - but, sadly, not many doctors know much about how Cipro etc. can affect people.  There are many on the prostate threads who wish they'd never taken it and many, many more on the fluoroquinolone pages. 

Take care.