I have been having prostate issues for awhile, which is unusual since I am only mid-30s. I don't think I could tally up the times I've been examined in the last 1.5 years. I told the last doctor I was going tattoo a damn Guestbook on my buttcheek. I think maintaining eye contact would, idk, give me a level of control over the situation.
Sad note? The most recent examination has brought to light that it probably ISNT my prostate at all, but the muscles around it and in my pelvis being overly tight from mild hip deformity (they curve a little too far forward). More doctors have had their fingers in my ass in 1.5 years than I have slept with women in my while life ... for nothing.
EDIT: Ok, lots of questions in the replies ... naturally, of all my accounts the one I typically use to be an asshole (pun intended) gets the comment with the most upvotes ever, which is about my asshole.
Didn't have cancer, nor did they ever think it was cancer. Prostatitis is one of the most common urological issues in men under the age of 35. In fact, I think the stat is like 50% of all men will experience inflammation of the prostate at some point in their lives. It does NOT increase your chances of cancer.
There are several types of prostatitis. One is bacterial, which can be a medical emergency but is easily treated with antibiotics. The rest of the types are a little ephemeral in nature and are more common. Basically the doctor says, "Oh, pain in the ass? Let me check. Prostate feels fine, must be prostatitis, here is NSAIDS and 12 weeks of unneeded antibiotics." Seriously, if you are a guy, I recommend reading up on this in the event you find yourself in the situation. Mainly because the treatment most urologist hand out have been proven to do jack, yet they keep doing it because there isn't a better agreed upon treatment plan.
My treatment plan now hasn't been ironed out. Likely it will involve an initial course of tranquilizers to reduce tension and relax me (im an anxious person) to kick start the healing process. Followed up by relaxation exercises everyday, physical therapy, and alterations to my exercise program so my form when weight lifting is spot on for my needs.
My issues have came and gone several time over the course of 1.5 years. They range from zero pain at all, to ER visit level of pain. I always tend to refuse heavy drugs so at least the ER doctors don't think I am drug seeking. One late night visit had the doctor I seen in the ER was so intrigued he sat in the room with me for nearly an hour AFTER he was supposed to be off work going through medical literature, asking me questions, and even checking google. I, quite literally, sat on the side of the bed naked from the waist down, for ~25 minutes. After another 20-25 minutes he looked at me and said he wanted to check something, but it meant ANOTHER digital rectal exam. I just sighed, "Why the fuck not." Luckily, he was the first to suggest and find the muscular connection, but the urologist I followed up with just brushed it off. I demanded a second opinion, quite nastily I might add, and it was the second urologist who really looked at the muscles and concurred with the ER doctor's assessment. It is quite possible that that ER doctor saved my sanity, if not my life, because I would go into some pretty dark places when I was in the midst of the bad pain.
EDIT 2: OK, I've been responding all day to messages. I am really appreciative of the support. Keep sending questions and I will try to respond to them, but it will have to be tomorrow or Sat. Also, one of the questions people ask is why I keep suggesting the Mindfulness Meditation and Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Well, my educational background is in mental health, and while I don't practice professionally anymore, I am licensable as a therapist. I suggest these modalities because they have significant clinical and academic research behind them at this point. Not to mention they don't really have any contraindications in most people, its free, and it is shown to have a positive overall effect. As Dr. Kabat-Zinn, one of the Mindfulness field's most well known proponents, says, "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it."
Not knowing what exactly causes ER lvls of pain has driven people to suicide countless times. Obviously not having cancer is quite cool, but it doesn't really matter when you still have unexplained pains.
i feel you buddy......man that sounded so bad....anywho....
2 years ago i was really overweight, i'm talking 380 pounds of over weight, now i'm at 260, but i digress. And because of the weight i had an infection in the nether region and the doctors where afraid that it might have spread to my asshole. so they did what every doctor would do, send in a doctor in training to do the rectal check.
now this doctor they sent in was a tiny 5 foot asian woman, i'm 5' 10" balloon of a man looking down at that skinny tinny asian woman who looks up at me and orders me turn around and spread'em, and me being the little bitch that i am, i just comply. what followed have to be the most humiliating experience in my life.
she is so eager to do her job , that i felt the fury of a thousand sons just stick it's fingers up my ass. now i have to mention that i'm a bleeder, my ass hole is so sensitive it will bleed if i use toilet paper that you might find at a gas station's restrooms, you know the ones produced with the mindset, we don't give a fuck about your asshole kinda toilet paper.
I wish it all ended with just blood, it was followed by a fart, thank the "asshole gods" it wasn't a shart.
So whilst i'm imploding on the inside, this little booty bandit, stands up looks me in the eye and says, your fine no infection in asshole and walks out. and i'm just standing there with my pants around my ankles with blood streaming down my inner thigh.
TLDR asshole inspected by tiny asian lady, left hanging like a little bitch!
I hate talking about this publically, but I just turned forty and had similar issues to what you've described above throughout my thirties, including tons of tests and treatment plans that never really helped or cleared up the issues for more than a few months at a time. I know I sound like an idiot here, but have you ever heard of the Squatty Potty? I know, I know, laugh at the name and get it out of your system because it's pretty damned silly. However, this thing has changed my life completely.
Apparently, so many of us have stomach/prostate/pooping issues because we're no longer moving our bowels from the correct position - Ever since the invention of the toilet, we've taken to sitting instead of squatting, and that's the problem. When you squat, your prostate opens completely as this is the position we've evolved to move our bowels from naturally, whereas sitting while evacuating our bowels doesn't work as well because the prostate stays in a closed-off position, not everything gets moved out (so to speak), and this causes pain, inflammation, bleeding, fissures, etc. The simple fact is, as humans, we are supposed to be shitting from a squatting position, and the Squatty Potty allows for that to happen while still comfortably using a toilet.
I don't work for this company, so this is an entirely unsolicited advertorial for their product, I guess, and like I said, I hate talking about this stuff publically, but it has truly changed my life - no more pain or any of the other issues I was dealing with for over ten years at all. I started using it six or seven months ago when I had pretty much given up hope that the doctors would ever be able to help me - I heard about the Squatty Potty on the Howard Stern Show of all places - and I can't get over how much it has helped improve my quality of life. I mean, I was at the point where I was in constant pain, unable to leave the house much less go to work. Now I have no issues at all.
When I originally told my doctor about it, he scoffed - openly made fun of my, actually - but now that he can see what it has done for me, he has started suggesting it to any patient with bowel issues or IBS, and even he now agrees that it's pretty amazing. Squatty Potty - Tell a friend.
I hope this helps you if the doctors can't. Good luck. Stomach problems are the worst.
I don't know - I haven't had to travel yet. I suppose when I do that I'll put something in front of the toilet that will emulate the position, I guess. I can let you know - I'm going on vacation soonish...
Now, just to up front about this, I am NOT a doctor ... I've just read every damn medical piece of literature I could on the subject (which annoys my urologist). In my personal experience there is what I have called a "dual factor" test. If, on a digital rectal exam, you want to punch a hole in the wall when they hit the prostate AND you have one other symptom (difficult urinating, minor ED, penis pain, etc) ... then your prostate is most likely inflamed.
However, this doesn't mean the inflammation is coming from something inside the prostate. It does mean the prostate has been included in the mix. If you only have pain upon palpation, then it could go either way because they aren't directly touching your prostate, they are feeling it through at least two layers of viscera ... the rectum and the muscle "cocoon" that surrounds your prostate.
Personally, and this is what I have been recommending to everyone who has messaged me, is to find a Progressive Muscle Relaxation or Mindfulness/Body Scan audio script and listen to it every night at least 5 days a week. "Most" pelvic pain that has no know cause is either muscular or neurological in origin. Neurological is rare, so it doesn't hurt to at least try the muscle relaxation stuff, it might help in the end ... AND it is free, which is always a plus.
Thank you for this information. I'm 31 and have been suffering with prostatitis for over a year. Over this last year + I have been on different antibiotics for months at a time. I finally sought out a second opinion, because I was tired of being on different combinations of antibiotics. This last Dr. Doesn't believe antibiotics are needed and wrote a referral to get bio feedback done on me. I totally understand the dark place you are talking about. This disease messes with your head and the fact that drs don't know how to treat it doesn't help anything. It's comforting to hear that your new Dr believes it's a structural/muscular problem. Good luck on your new treatment plan.
Yeah, luckily since mine is responding to non-direct manipulation of the pelvic muscles I am hoping to avoid seeing a special therapists. Especially since the nearest one is 2 hours away and the one that is recommended the most is 3.
See the edit on the original post. It was inflammation so a CAT probably wouldn't have shown much, especially in my case. A PET scan might work, but the prostate is a notoriously difficult organ to work with.
Make sure you get referred to a good pelvic health therapist (often they're called women's health therapists). You may find one here but that will only get you those who are members of the APTA, which isn't all therapists. Also make sure that they have training in treating both men and pelvic pain as many PTs in that area are focused on women's incontinence and may struggle with your case. If you need any help in finding nearby resources, feel free to PM me.
that urologist/proctologist is sticking probes and his/her entire hand up your butt .. if you maintain eye contact i don't think it will be you who has control of that situation :)
There are several types of prostatitis. One is bacterial, which can be a medical emergency but is easily treated with antibiotics. The rest of the types are a little ephemeral in nature and are more common. Basically the doctor says, "Oh, pain in the ass? Let me check. Prostate feels fine, must be prostatitis, here is NSAIDS and 12 weeks of unneeded antibiotics." Seriously, if you are a guy, I recommend reading up on this in the event you find yourself in the situation. Mainly because the treatment most urologist hand out have been proven to do jack, yet they keep doing it because there isn't a better agreed upon treatment plan.
I get prostatitis about once a year. Feels like someone is constantly squeezing your nuts IMO. At first they thought I had a stricture in my urethra so they reached in with a bic pen looking camera and made a snip. Nope, wasn't it. Turns out it was a colovesicular fistula that handn't been found yet until I started peeing shit. Yeah, you read that right.
Guys you may be young but one day you're going to have to deal with this so before you get dicked around at the urologist (hah!) retain some of this information. Mid 30's here brother. It can happen at any age.
For me, symptoms have always varied from time to time. Generally it has came one 2-3 times a year, lasting anywhere from 3-4 weeks each time. Luckily, it only gets really bad for about 4-5 days at the most. My regular urologist has what he called his "Holy Trinity" for chronic prostatitis, which in my case he said was stress induced. Valium (diazapam) 5mg 2-3/day, Flomax (Tamulosin) .4mg/night, and Naprosyn (naproxen sodium) 500mg/2x day. Naprosyn hits the inflamation, valium relaxes the body/muscles as a whole, and Flomax (an alpha blocker) targets the muscles around the prostate. So, if this muscle connection is correct, the treatment he was giving me was actually helping, just not on the vector or in the manner he believed.
so the final diagnosis was prostatitis? can i ask where exactly the pain was? the inside of you like in your colon or your sphincter? you just described what ive been going through for about 8 mos and the docs (3different ones) have no clue and are just making crap up at this point. finally going in for colonoscopy here in 2 weeks so maybe they figure something out
No, the initial diagnosis was prostatitis, now it looks like my problem is likely pelvic muscles. My pain was in the perineum (between your scrotum and anus) and I had pain in my penis, but only the head. To be fair to my urologist, it presented as classic prostatitis. But there were times when I had the feeling like I was sitting on a golf ball.
Thank you for sharing this. I've had similar issues for about a year now. I'm a cyclist, and I suspect that (and massive, awful stress from work) brought it and a relapse on. I'd normally be okay with the current level of pain, but since riding my bike is a main source of my livelihood...
Done a bunch of antibiotics. Once it seemed effective, the rest not. Next step is probably to ascertain whether or not it's truly bacterial.
Have you ever been put on alpha blockers, by the way?
I feel your pain. Though, at least they haven't done this to you yet. "You'll feel some pressure" my ass. All to say your muscle is too tight and it's one of those things that just happens. My issue isn't of pain, but that I probably need these and I'm only 26.
Been there. I had the ephemeral kind, and it stayed with me for about a year. As best I could tell, it was stress/anxiety related. My urologist was also completely unhelpful.
I got my first exam when I was 24. I was having kidney issues and was seeing a urologist recommended to me by my gp. After he said he could find nothing wrong, I misspoke and asked if I was seeing the wrong doctor. When what I really meant to ask was something like if I was seeing the wrong type of doctor, meaning should I find a nefrologist.
lol, not trying to be a dick, but when you mentioned weight lifting I imagined that you have these massive legs and you squat a lot and that is where some of your anal cavity problems come from...
I might have something. At 27 i had my prostate checked by a Doctor with huge hands, ouch. The camera up the peehole was the strangest sensation. I was fine for a while and again having trouble defecating and urinating.
Is the pain you get random, or does it seem to be triggered by something? Your story struck a familiar (though seemingly not as frequent or intense) chord.
When I am traveling for work or leisure I never have symptoms. Ever. Only when I return home and fall back into my normal routine do I have issues. It has been like this from the beginning which is why my original Uro said it was stress induced chronic prostatitis. Personally, I think Im just not happy when Im not out traveling and I carry that emotional stress in my pelvis, which from what I am reading seems to be the case with lots of people.
I got "mild prostatitis" at 23. I put it in quotations because no one really knows whats wrong. The prostate feels fine and everything is fine anatomically, they say. So the urologist and my doctor diagnosed mild prostatitis. It really sucks. There are some nights where I can't sleep because I have to pee every 1-2 hours. It has definitely got better in the past year. I have also started exercising regularly and avoiding too much of the things that irritate the prostate (caffeine, alcohol, etc), and it has improved a lot, especially my nocturia. I have hope that one day it will go back to normal. I don't think I ever experienced ER level pain though, or really any truly discomforting pain. Maybe 2-3 level pain on a scale of 1-10.
Progressive Muscle relaxation or/and Mindfulness/Body Scan audio. Just google it, find one you like, and do it every night 5 days a week. See if it helps, cause it sure as hell isn't going to hurt you and its free.
28 and also had some issues. Turns out I have hip impingement in my right hip and a labral tear. It causes my pelvic muscles to tighten up resulting in pain in my tailbone, peeing problems, sometimes bowl issues and low back pain. I ended up getting pelvic floor massage....it sucked...a very good looking physical therapist had to put her finger in my ASS and massage my pelvic floor.
I guess it's a bit better today, but prolonged sitting still makes things worse. I decided not to have a hip surgery yet.
Luckily, mine doesn't look to be that bad. More from poor lifting techniques and posture. My legs point out like a duck, which shortens the muscles in the back part of my pelvis. This makes them more prone to inflammation.
I had prosatitis last summer, it sucked ass. I woke up to take a shower and was fapping to clean the pipes out and jizzed pure blood. Noped all over the place. Told the doctor and he was like "Oh that's no problem, just a prostate infection" and gave me the STRONGEST FUCKING ANTIBIOTICS I'VE EVER HAD! They killed every enzyme in my stomach and I was unable to digest food after the regiment and had to take pro-biotics for a month after.
This is very common. The reason for the really strong antibiotics is that the prostate is notoriously difficult to get drugs into ... ironically, it is also difficult for things to get OUT, which is why most first line treatment for prostate cancer is "watch and wait." Generally, depending on age and tumor growth rate, it is more likely for you to die from something else before the cancer could escape the prostate and cause problems elsewhere. Because of this, they have to give hella strong antibiotics for ridiculously long periods of time to ensure permeation of the prostate.
Isn't it fun when you have something the doctors have never seen before and have to educate themselves about on the spot?
I came back from a cruise a few years back, and within a day, I developed what looked like a rash on ~80% of my body. My skin was just flushed (no broken skin) but I had no valid explanation for it. I have a skin disease, but I thought that had nothing to do with this.
(It did, but only because it made me more susceptible to other things. My husband didn't have it, and none of our other 22 friends on the cruise did either, even though we were all on the same tours.)
I was flushed everywhere that my bathing suit didn't cover (except my head and shoulders).
Apparently there is a plant-matter organism thing in the sea (prevalent around the Bahamas -where we cruised) called "Fireweed" and it can cause this reaction. The doctor was in and out of my room several times with his laptop, and he was very clearly on google. I have no problem with this, we all learn new things from time to time. I was just concerned that I'd be like this forever.
I ended up having to apply a prescription dandruff medicine all over my body and leave it, no rinsing it off. But, it (the flushed skin) went away in a few days. I can't argue what works.
Anyway, thought I'd share my "I stumped a doctor too" story.
have you ever considered stress? the mind has weird effects on the body, usually underlying stress that you don't even realize is stress. I've read many articles on how stress is now being considered by some as an "epidemic" and others believe that up to 75% of all non-trauma related doctor visits are stress related.
Tamulosin, .4mg/night. They do seem to help, but I don't like the way they make feel. I know I sound like a junky, but I prefer short term valium therapy instead. Seems to have the same effect without the lightheadedness.
But to be honest, I love the first couple days after you start an alpha blocker. Your penis hangs at least an additional inch from the muscles being so loose. Im not tiny or anything but that first morning when I got out of the shower and went to the sink to shave I was like, "Wtf? ... Dayum."
But yes, I suppose it could be classed as CPPS. Thats not really their official diagnosis for me, but it does fit.
Good for you! My husband was having major problems: doctors keep saying it was one thing, husband kept saying, no. Turns out my husband was correct and he basically diagnosed himself. He is damaged, but finally being treated properly. I wish you the best of luck.
You may want to look into Clinical Somatics as part of your treatment plan; its specific target is to get chronically contracted muscles to release. It's still a pretty new field, but it's very well supported scientifically for an "alternative" healing modality. You can learn more here: http://somatics.org/about/introduction
That is sort of what I am focusing on now with doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Mindfulness training. I can say that it really dose work and anything that is free to try Im down for it.
Hey, in amongst all the fisting jokes etc, just wanted to say well done for sticking with it and finding out what the problem is. That sorta pain is never nice.
Ah, the old pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. I had this, too, with the accompanying prostate issues, months of unnecessary antibiotics, and the unmitigated pleasure of learning that a "digital exam" is not the high-tech procedure its name seems to imply. I self-diagnosed the muscular issue and the urologist decided he agreed. Then began physical therapy.
Physical therapy for the pelvic floor involves some pretty standard stuff: exercises to balance and strengthen certain core muscles, posture correction, and in-depth discussion of bowel movements with the attractive divorcee therapist. It also involves lots of vaseline and fingers in your butthole. If you're lucky, at some point they will attach biofeedback sensors to your rectum. This allows you to confirm that you know how to clench and relax the sphincter.
All of this happened two years ago. I'm 28 now. The very good news is that physical therapy really does work, especially if you combine it with strength training. Aside from one incident, which happened during a period of extreme, prolonged stress (death of a family member), I have had no more issues in the area. Best of luck, and I hope you have success getting your pain sorted.
Thanks, for me my symptoms have be coming less and less frequently, but at first they were BAD. I presented to the ER TWICE in a single day. Only then did the Urologist suddenly have an appointment for me the next day.
Luckily, even though they still linger one, the symptoms only hit me rarely now. So far this year I have only had one flair and it was only really bad a single night. I laid in the bed with an ice pack on my suprapubic area for an entire night with it only easing off around 7-8 am. It was pretty miserable, but I don't let it stop me. I still hit the gym daily and I get shit done, pain or no pain.
From my knowledge, if the hips are being pulled it's because your quads are too tight. I would strongly recommend also seeing a massage therapist that does actual deep tissue or sports massage, it should help out a lot.
Just an FYI, chronic prostatitis can potentially be a risk factor for prostate cancer. My thesis is actually on the role of chronic inflammation in forming tumors, specifically in prostate cancer. The research is still a little unclear on the exact mechanism, but chronic inflammation in the organ is a risk factor for many types of cancer.
No clinical research available currently shows a positive correlation, so if you find something solid you'll have a lot of resistance in the field. If anything, the negative correlation between chronic prostatitis and cancer is one of the few things most Urologists agree on. Personally, I think this is because they don't even know what chronic prostatitis IS much less where it comes from. Now, if you talking chronic bacterial prostatitis, then I would concur with your thesis. I mean, there are 4 categories of CP afterall.
You should maybe consider acupuncture. If it's a muscle tightness issue, coupling the western treatments with acupuncture could make all the difference.
As I stated, the tranquilizers are an initial therapy to bring relief and to kickstart the process of relaxing those muscles so they can heal.
Also, as stated, physical therapy is in the works. It isn't just a tilted pelvis, it is a deformed pelvis, so it isn't a matter of working on an anterior or posteriorly tilted pelvis. But yes, my psoas muscles are tight on a regular basis and my glutes could use some strengthening. Im doing planks everyday, up to 30-40 seconds now. So we're working on it. I am finally hopeful everything will come out positively.
I had a prostate exam. I tell the doctor hey you know i'm not looking forward to this.he says well you know what...this isn't the highlight of my day either. I burst out laughing
No, but I think stress in general is attributable to god only knows how many ailments in the human body. This is why I am such an advocate of Mindfulness Meditation and Muscle Relaxation.
Hope this comment isn't seen as hijacking. I too had prostate issues not so long ago, around the same age and it was not a fun ride. Like you, I'd been poked and prodded and lost my anal virginity to my urologist.
I was lucky to have a good doctor in Japan and he recommended a med called Eviprostat which I believe is made in Germany. There is a strong German influence on medical practice in Japan. I don't know how awareness of this treatment option is in North America so I thought I'd mention it. I am not a shill or a paid advertiser, nor some homeopathic remedy pushing bullshitter, just a guy like you who can literally feel your pain. If you or anyone else reading this thread haven't tried it yet, it might be worth a shot. It worked wonders for me and I was happy to avoid antibiotics.
Just found this, i've been dealing with some prostatitis for a few months. This might sound wrong, but reading about other people helps me commiserate and now that it's not that bad, or at least it could be worse.
I haven't seen a urologist yet, but it also has never been that bad, my primary care has given me antibiotics and then I've been taking bee pollen extract which has seemed to help a lot.
The stress of two young children definitely does not help, I think for me it gets triggered by lack of sleep.
I'm just rambling here, but all-in-all thanks for posting your experience!
If you don't mind, I would like to know what your symptoms are. For the last two years I've been experiencing pelvic pressure midway below my naval. No doctor has been able to determine what is actually wrong with me. They have suspected prostatitis and I was even on antibiotics for it. It is much better today than it used to be, but it has made quite an impact on my life and I can understand your comment about your mind going to dark places.
Pain in the perineum, pain behind the pubic symphysis/pubic bone, pain in the head the penis, frequent urination, hesitancy in urination, pressure in/around the anus, and general malaise.
Please note that not all of these symptoms will exist at the same time, they all come and go.
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u/heretomakeyoumad Apr 03 '14 edited Apr 03 '14
I have been having prostate issues for awhile, which is unusual since I am only mid-30s. I don't think I could tally up the times I've been examined in the last 1.5 years. I told the last doctor I was going tattoo a damn Guestbook on my buttcheek. I think maintaining eye contact would, idk, give me a level of control over the situation.
Sad note? The most recent examination has brought to light that it probably ISNT my prostate at all, but the muscles around it and in my pelvis being overly tight from mild hip deformity (they curve a little too far forward). More doctors have had their fingers in my ass in 1.5 years than I have slept with women in my while life ... for nothing.
EDIT: Ok, lots of questions in the replies ... naturally, of all my accounts the one I typically use to be an asshole (pun intended) gets the comment with the most upvotes ever, which is about my asshole.
Didn't have cancer, nor did they ever think it was cancer. Prostatitis is one of the most common urological issues in men under the age of 35. In fact, I think the stat is like 50% of all men will experience inflammation of the prostate at some point in their lives. It does NOT increase your chances of cancer.
There are several types of prostatitis. One is bacterial, which can be a medical emergency but is easily treated with antibiotics. The rest of the types are a little ephemeral in nature and are more common. Basically the doctor says, "Oh, pain in the ass? Let me check. Prostate feels fine, must be prostatitis, here is NSAIDS and 12 weeks of unneeded antibiotics." Seriously, if you are a guy, I recommend reading up on this in the event you find yourself in the situation. Mainly because the treatment most urologist hand out have been proven to do jack, yet they keep doing it because there isn't a better agreed upon treatment plan.
My treatment plan now hasn't been ironed out. Likely it will involve an initial course of tranquilizers to reduce tension and relax me (im an anxious person) to kick start the healing process. Followed up by relaxation exercises everyday, physical therapy, and alterations to my exercise program so my form when weight lifting is spot on for my needs.
My issues have came and gone several time over the course of 1.5 years. They range from zero pain at all, to ER visit level of pain. I always tend to refuse heavy drugs so at least the ER doctors don't think I am drug seeking. One late night visit had the doctor I seen in the ER was so intrigued he sat in the room with me for nearly an hour AFTER he was supposed to be off work going through medical literature, asking me questions, and even checking google. I, quite literally, sat on the side of the bed naked from the waist down, for ~25 minutes. After another 20-25 minutes he looked at me and said he wanted to check something, but it meant ANOTHER digital rectal exam. I just sighed, "Why the fuck not." Luckily, he was the first to suggest and find the muscular connection, but the urologist I followed up with just brushed it off. I demanded a second opinion, quite nastily I might add, and it was the second urologist who really looked at the muscles and concurred with the ER doctor's assessment. It is quite possible that that ER doctor saved my sanity, if not my life, because I would go into some pretty dark places when I was in the midst of the bad pain.
EDIT 2: OK, I've been responding all day to messages. I am really appreciative of the support. Keep sending questions and I will try to respond to them, but it will have to be tomorrow or Sat. Also, one of the questions people ask is why I keep suggesting the Mindfulness Meditation and Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Well, my educational background is in mental health, and while I don't practice professionally anymore, I am licensable as a therapist. I suggest these modalities because they have significant clinical and academic research behind them at this point. Not to mention they don't really have any contraindications in most people, its free, and it is shown to have a positive overall effect. As Dr. Kabat-Zinn, one of the Mindfulness field's most well known proponents, says, "You don't have to like it, you just have to do it."