Please find below a personal blog about Chris’s successful recovery from Prostatitis. Huge thanks to Chris for being open and honest about his struggles and path to recovery

The Onset of Prostatitis Symptoms

In 2015 I fell off my bicycle and fractured my tailbone, and like most blokes thought little of it other than ‘must just be a nasty bruise’ and didn’t get it checked out (despite the fact I couldn’t sit comfortably for weeks afterwards). I also carried on cycling figuring mother nature would work her usual wonders. Not so. A month or so afterwards I suffered a nasty bout of prostatitis after a long bike ride which happened to coincide with a particularly stressful house move. From there began a constant and nagging pain in my pelvic region that reached right down to my testicles, which ached constantly. It hurt to pee, it hurt to ejaculate and on any given day either of my testicles was twice its normal size. My GP was sympathetic but concerned that pains in that region could be pointing to something darker and sent me off for a series of tests. At the age of 38 and a father of two all I could think about was how I was going to deal with this if it turned out to be life threatening. 3 months and a whole series of tests (including a prostatic examination – not pleasant) revealed nothing. My urologist was supportive but could do nothing further, and referred me to an anaesthetist for pain management. I was prescribed anti depressants – a total anathema to someone who has always had a positive, can do approach to life – why did I need them, I wasn’t depressed?!

Treatment

I refused to lead a life on medication and was desperate to get back to the outdoor lifestyle I had enjoyed some much. I continued to search for answers by reading articles online and talking to physiotherapists; I also threw away my medication. The more I read the more I wondered if my constant pain may be linked to pelvic floor dysfunction. It was then that I came across Karl’s practice and from the moment we exchanged histories a wave of relief washed over me – here was someone who had also battled this condition and was now a practitioner helping others. We talked about the importance of stretching (Karl recommended an excellent book by Amy Stein – How to Heal Pelvic Pain), breathing exercises & relaxation techniques, and I began a daily routine of stretching and then strengthening exercises. Karl’s sensitive and mindful approach as well a consistent positive encouragement was a massive tonic and helped me understand that this was something that I could manage and recover from. Recovery from Prostatitis With the help of Karl’s guidance and drawing on other sources of self help I managed to make further progress – and about a year and half on from the initial symptoms I was 90% pain free most days. It wasn’t an easy journey: I gave up caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods all of which seemed to adversely affect my condition – the first few weeks were tough but I lost weight, slept better and slowly but surely my pain began to subside. Peppermint oil (taken orally) also had a strangely calming effect on my symptoms. I eased my way back in to running and cycling but I could no longer use a traditional saddle. Fortunately, some bright folks in Canada had already come up with a solution for the many men with symptoms like mine (www.spiderflex.com) – this was a revolution. I also reached out to a friend, Duncan McGechie, who practises acupuncture and had managed to help others with similar symptoms (http://www.acubody.net/) and with his help managed to make further progress. I’m now living (and loving) life pain free – I still need to be attentive to situations that can cause a flare up – stress, lack of sleep, too much physical exertion etc. and I still stretch every night. I remain indebted to the team, not least Karl, who supported me during this difficult period. My message to anyone out there with these symptoms: Don’t give up hope, you can heal yourself. In the early days I never thought I would be writing this, but here I am – living proof that you can beat this. ……. If you liked what you read here why don’t you check out some of the other success stories to come out of The Pelvic Pain Clinic here

Read Howard’s successful recovery from Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome here Check out Adam’s successful recovery from Pelvic Pain here Follow Robbie’s successful recovery from CPPS here Learn about Tommy’s successful recovery from Prostatitis here See Ben’s successful recovery from Pelvic Pain here Discover Chris’s successful recovery from Prostatitis here Find out how Jamie got back on his bike again after recovering from Pelvic Pain here 6 months on and Anthony still has no pelvic pain here Tony is now able to sit pain free. He is back working, driving and travelling here Mark suffered for over 10 years with pelvic pain here Read David’s recovery from 8 years of pelvic pain here Read Brian’s account of his recovery here

……..

Karl Monahan is the owner of The Pelvic Pain Clinic, London. He has been successfully treating male pelvic pain since 2009. His depth of knowledge and personal experience on the subject provides his patients with a compassionate approach that is rarely found. His holistic approach to treating male pelvic pain addresses, lifestyle, diet, exercise, stress management and therapeutic movement. The clinics approach is very much aimed at empowering the patient, teaching them the tools and techniques to manage and reduce their own symptoms allowing them to be the driver in their own recovery and not just a passenger. www.thepelvicpainclinic.co.uk