I was stimulated by a private message to reply to this comment, as it might help others. This reply has been posted to another thread of mine on the same subject.Maybe it will be of help to fellow sufferers,
I did return to the hospital specialists, they simply did more urine sample analysis tests and of course found nothing. They were incredibly dismissive and cold-hearted, effectively I was told to stop wasting their time. I was at a low point, I had fluctuating mild chronic testicular pain and stinging in the urethra. Interestingly I had never had both symptoms at once.
I turned to every quack cure on the internet: silver solution, cranberry juice, cranberry powder capsules, omega 3 oils, zinc. I did healthy diets, eliminating alcohol. This cost me a lot of money and reduced my enjoyment of life, but no real reduction in symptoms occurred.
However, I did find that the Prosta-Q supplement (based on quercetin) had a slight alleviating effect. So I persevered with that, the results weren't eye catching or immediate, but as the months passed there was a gradual improvement. After 2 years the symptoms had more or less subsided and were the exception to my day rather than the rule. I then stopped taking the Prosta-Q and nothing bad happened.
I had a flare up in 2011, lasting around 6 weeks. I ordered the Prosta-Q and it went away. The symptoms disappeared and I was finally confident enough to throw away my remaining Prosta-Q. Then another flare up about a year later. More Prosta-Q ordered and the symptoms disappeared within 2-3 weeks. It's the end of 2014 and nothing bad has happened since.
My specialist suspected that the chronic pain was due to nerve damage caused by the initial epididymitis inflammation. Nerve damage takes a long time to heel. Arguably it was this slow healing process which was taking place and the Prosta-Q was merely a psychological aid. However, I believe that prolonged administration of Prosta-Q does have some kind of positive effect.
There is hope people !
It takes a long time for tests here ! The urine culture tests have been negative. No antibiotics have been taken for a while because the urologist sees little point in administering antibiotics when the bacterial cause is not known.
The epididymitis (EP) pain has decreased from a level of 7/10 before the Levofloxacin to levels of 1/10 to 3/10 - improvement is noticed but very slow, its now nearly 4 weeks since the EP started. An ultrasound scan revealed healthy testicles with good homogeneity, except for a minor accumulation of fluid.
The urinary tract infection doesn't want to go away however, I'm no in the middle of my third infection, it comes and goes in 10 day cycles.
Erection and ejaculation causes throbbing/burning in the left testicle region where the EP is, even now.
Would it be fair to say that the EP is a complication of an underlying chronic UTI ? Or could prostitis be an issue ? I've felt occasional perineal and groin pains, but nothing too serious, these could be caused by bad posture on my office chair.
What sort of a timeframe are we talking about complete recovery from EP ? 1-3 months ? Longer ?
At present I'm waiting for urine culture results for possible Staph. aureus and Candida albicans infection, perhaps urologist is clutching at straws already.
Hi,
Continue to comply with your medications.It is best to complete this to ascertain if you are really responding well or not.Your physician initiated an empirical therapy of antibiotics to manage your condition.The results of your urine culture will guide treatment and given your response to the medication, your physician may change it to another set of antibiotics.
For the meantime, refrain from any sexual activities. Let us wait for the urine culture results and see if the antibiotic is the right one for you.
I forgot to add, the dosage of Levofloxacin is 250 mg, once per day.
Thanks for the reply ! I had and still have no pain in the area between the rectum and testicles, a second doctor has diagnosed epididymitis and prescribed Levofloxacin.
The effect was almost immediate, reducing swelling, pain and burning considerably within 10 hours, after 2 days the condition was down to minor discomfort and by 3 days I would describe the condition as merely an irritation. Yesterday I was almost euphoric but today, half-way through my antibiotic course, things seem to have quickly regressed considerably, I'm back to the same levels of discomfort just 24-36h after starting the antibiotic course. What does this indicate ? Is this normal for antibiotics ?
My urine culture results are not due until the end of the week. I can't comment on the sexual response changes as my girlfriend won't let me anywhere near her for the time being !
Hi,
Was a prostatic evaluation done? A digital rectal exam done to evaluate the prostate? During urination was the prostate milked for a culture?
Chronic epididymitis may still be a differential .Another thing to consider is urethral syndrome and prostatodynia. Urethral syndrome may present with urinary frequency and pain in urination without signs of bacteria in the urine. Prostatodynia may present with testicular or groin pain but there is absence of bacteria in prostatic samples.In the absence of lumps, swelling , redness in the scrotum , an acute epididymitis may not be likely.However, it is important to note any changes in sexual response such as pain in ejaculation and blood in the semen. The urine culture should be able to guide treatment.