About 18 months ago I went to GP with discomfort above the pelvic area. Not severe, but seemed like what I would think a bladder problem would feel like. Was put on Cipro and that did not solve the problem. After a few months of slowly getting worse, I went back. The doctor thought that although the pain was not in the classic location he diagnosed prostatitis and put me back on Cipro for 2 months. Still did not solve the issue. Was then sent to a urologist who examined and felt a "mass" in my prostate and detected blood in my urine. Because I was 56 years old he felt it surely a prostate problem. Had ultrasound, scope, and biopsy. All were normal and was told I must have non-bacterial prostatitis and sent away to deal with it. This doctor sent me home with 3 weeks of Rapiflow, which because I had no flow issues, I did not take. All this time I had never had symptoms like an enlarged prostate, higher PSA, impaired or frequent urination, just slowly increasing pain that would come and go somewhat.
I also had what I described as a change in urine to a consistent darker color. Like being dehydrated even when I was not. Was always told to that the urine color was unrelated and to just drink more water. At about the 12 or 14 month point I went back to my GP as the pain had slowly progressed to the point where I was miserable all the time. Still deep inside in my front abdomen just above the pelvic hair. I was sent to a 2nd urologist who could not figure out anything other than to say the pain was not in the classic prostatitis location. Blood in urine was very little and he said many people just have a benign, small amount of blood occasionally.
About 3 weeks after that visit, the symptoms went away for 2 or 3 weeks. Then the pain came back with a vengeance, now in a different location. I felt like I had a pin cushion down low in the typical prostatitis location, with the pins pointing out. I could hardly sit down, squat down, or bend over. I also was almost unable to urinate. Was not totally blocked, but it would take 10 to 15 minutes of dribbling to empty my bladder. Urologist had me come back for an ultrasound to make sure that although urination was impeded, I was not retaining urine. Bladder was emptying to less than 200, whatever that means, so I was OK as far as retention went. It just took forever to pee and it hurt like bloody hell while peeing. Since the pain and symptoms now seemed more like prostatitis, I decided on my own to take the Rapiflow.
I took it for over two weeks, all the time suffering in misery. It did not help the urine flow at all so I was not going to continue the last few days. Then, while standing at a plastic Port-a-Potty urinal trying to empty my bladder, there was a rush of urine and what I thought sounded like a rock pinged off the back of the urinal, rolled around and down the hole. I got a quick look at what looked like a piece of granola about the size of a chili bean. Instantaneously all pain and urination problems were gone.
I went back to the urologist and told him what happened and he told me it was a kidney stone that must have originally been lodged high in or just above the prostate, and then moved down and became lodged at the bottom of the prostate. He said Rapiflow can sometimes help get out a kidney stone and that must have been what happened. First time anyone had thought that might be the problem. He said that was probably the end of it and just to drink more water. I have since learned that kidney stones often return.
Thing is that I have always drunk 1 or 2 liters of water a day and eat a high water content, almost all vegetable diet. It has been two months since the stone came out and I have had no further symptoms other than the darker than normal, (for me), urine. I have increased my water intake to 3 or 4, sometimes more, liters per day. Of course I pee at least 1/2 of that out, but it does lighten my urine. If I go even a couple hours without a lot of water though, the urine gets dark again. I never had that happen for the first 55 years of my life. I have also developed what I would say is an abnormal feeling of thirst all the time, even if my belly is full of water.
That thirst, the urine color, and the kidney stone make me suspicious that something is going on that should be addressed. Urologist however thinks otherwise and says just keep drinking lots of water and if I get another stone, he will order a CT scan and deal with it then.