Hello – thanks so much for the interest
My story:
Firstly, I am unsure if I have a prostate issue that spread to the epi or if I simply have an epi issue: much more likely I have two issues originally stemming from prostate issues or perhaps one big complicated issue.
Secondly: I take paxil for 16 years too. Sever depression in family – still on it – works great! I am very physically active and happy for the most part BUT I wonder if Paxil complicates my issue….
Thirdly, I reap what I sow. I am ashamed to admit this but for many years I engaged in risky sexual behavior combined with excessive drug use. There were many many experiences where I would wake up the next day and my prostate would ache and be infected by the abuse I put it through – NOTE: I never engaged in homosexual behaviors. However, the drugs and extended periods sex – and forcing sex when I was unable to perform due to the drugs made for a very traumatic experience on my UT, Prostate etc. Ultimately, I have reaped what I sowed. I am responsible for my pain in many ways. But I have changed. I received counselling and began a relationship with God who forgave. I want to live a happy life and this issue is quite bothersome.
FOURTH: I HAVE HOPE. I am learning so much from this site – please read the chronic prostatitis link and pay attention to ‘I will be cured” – his posts are by far the most educated and HOPEFUL!!! – I may not get 100% back but I will do much better – at the end is my plan!
This was 14 years ago!!!! That’s how long I had been living with sporadic bouts of UTI’s prostate flare ups, frequent urination, very little urine passing etc. But for the most part, the symptoms came and went and they ware no big deal. I would simply get an AB and the symptoms would subside from an 8 back to down to the 2 or three where I was in no real pain. Sex was still normal…though I have a history of yellowish semen with clumps and sometimes an awful odor from my urine / semen but other times not so much…so this began in 2003!!! I was young 22 years old and always able to bounce back from a bad episode with 7 to 14 days of AB…..
So fourteen years ago I experienced my first sign of discomfort. I continued a bad lifestyle for another 6 years before getting help. Again, I saddened by my foolishness and wickedness and what it has cost me. I need no sympathy…However, by the grace of God I will beat this thing or at least feel better~
Now, here’s another sad chapter. About two years ago, I relapsed for a weekend….very bad time in my life – no excuse. I knew better and I believe the Lord dealt with me in a way…a few days after I had a strange sort of heaviness / sensation / weirdness in the RIGHT EPI ONLY…no real discomfort per se but a strange feeling accompanied by a UTI …it caused me a lot of mental stress A LOT – the idea of a testicle issue really scared me. So my doctor (great guy) says epi – even though my epi is not sore to the touch it still feels funny down there…so things are OK down there for the first year – strange feeling but no big deal – I take some AB’s (Cipro..Forget the other two) things get better then go back to being funny feeling……
Then things worsen. I start to itch a lot in the right epi- its hot, sticky, uncomfortable when I am in jeans…then my testicle becomes tender – SCARY!! Two more weeks of cipro – things are better then they go back…ironically symptoms would often subside on their own BUT always come back worse:
MY MAIN SYMPTOMS
Slight tenderness in right EPI
Tender right TESTE – on and off but more present than not
Burning itching discomfort on right epi – ALWYS HAVE NEED TO scratch
Right testicle pulls up towards my body a lot more BUT this seems at least partly due to Inability to relax the muscles that pull them up because I can consciously release tension and testicle falls down again.
Sometimes fevers, chills, bedridden sickness – this is when I get an AB
Need lots of ibuprofen
Always have frequent urination – sometimes I urinate with normal powerful comfortable stream BUT most times I have to force it out and is never a relaxed experience – very weak stream most time and a lot of dribble and after dribble
I have had no prostate pain for years – it all seems to be tender RIGHT testicle and right EPI issues – itchy uncomfortable in pants / tender etc…..
But things gave gotten worse. I just tri sulfa – trim – worked great for a week but gave me major depression – had to stop
Cipro did OK
Doxcycline for 6 weeks – helped somewhat – no side effects
Recently got such a throbbing pain in right testicle that I was very scared – feared the worst so I started on Levofloxacin – 1 per day for 14 days – it took 7 days for the testicle pain to go away – ibuprofen helped a lot too – makes me wonder about the levo…..perhaps the IBU was more important
NOTE: my story is jumbled and hard to follow. BOTTOM LINE – I have been going through this for a long time and it is getting very miserable and uncomfortable – very depressed at times VERY DEPRESSED
So I finally decided to make this a priority and beat it; HOW?
Education – read “I will be cured” posts – I have been reading the entire prostatitis 94 page discussion and categorizing every option on an excel spread sheet and saving all the studies – this will help me with my doctor.
There are so many options from AB to herbs to anti-inflammatory (turmeric) to anti-fungal / bacterial (allimax) to massages to stretches to supplements that help AB’s work better (Bromelain) to injections PLUS Candida diet or anti-fungal diet must be maintained for 6 months minimum BUT don’t worry it gets easier after the initial sugar withdrawal and want to kill myself because I can no longer feed sweet tooth or meet emotional needs through food haha…
THERE is HOPE BUT it takes time months and months to get back on your feet –takes an entire lifestyle change – I am EXCITED and SCARED
I will be chronicling it all here!!
Thank you ALL for sharing your ideas – lets beat this together!!!
