Your story sounds familiar. I went through it. (Remember me? I just pop in here once in a while for old time's sake.)

Glad you're off the Cipro. I was on Levaquin and it put me in a wheelchair. Took a year of PT to walk normally again. Dx of bacterial infection was pure BS. Urologists are useless, or whatever three steps down from useless might be.

I won't rehash everything I learned about prostatitis and fluoroquinolones. But LJ gave you some good highlights in that article. On the prostatitis: There is growing belief that many cases of "chronic prostatitis" are CPPS, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, caused by spasms in the pelvic floor muscles. Google it, there's good info. Also, quercetin has shown some good results. On the Cipro: Fluoroquinolones can cause permanent neuropathy. Not a good choice for you. Watch your tendons, especially your Achilles which is poorly vascularized and especially vulnerable. I suggest you read the Cipro insert and take all the supplements it tells you not to take. This is a strategy used by many people who have been "floxed"--suffered a terrible adverse event from a fluoroquinolone--because these substances bind with the abx molecules and take them out of the body. In fact, that's why you're not supposed to take them during your course, they render the Cipro inert.

Good luck!

Yes, it's true and I'd forgotten, that men get pelvic pain too, and often it's from the back. I go to a pelvic Physical Therapy Clinic, and there are plenty of men in there as well as women, something I'd not expected to find. They help tremendously with bladder pain by working on muscles buried deep in the abdomen, but along the spine.

I can't see a reason to take antibiotics, at all, when there's no bacteria. makes no sense to me, but Septra is way safer than Cipro.

In terms of becoming 25: I have a friend who swears by a product from Vitamin Shop, called....gee, I can't remember, will have to ask. He says it makes him function like a kid, and is not a drug like Viagra. And of course, for prostate itself there's that herb....but I can't recall it's name iether. I'm sure you already take that one. I think the key ingredients in herbal products for male youth are arginine, yohimbine, and ginseng. But I'll get the names of what my friend uses if you're interested.

Hope you feel better, pelvic pain of any sort is drag.

Oh, if it hurts to pee, take pyridium. It's over the counter and cheap and provides local numbing in the bladder area so it doesn't hurt.

I took it with an anti-b for 6 months [for a UTI] to no effect ages ago. ONE 5 day course of penicillin clone knocked it out after that torture. IF you do not take lots of Anti-b's, or often, it should not be a problem. Discuss this w/your docs... Also, it would depend on what, if anything the cultures reveal. They are key to helping knock out the irritating buggers. LizaJane has advised you well in this quarter.
I don't know about where you live? But my local 'Vitamin Shoppe' not only has the supplements, but a lending-info library of various supplement publications. Where I go I've got an ex-nurse who has a post-grad degree in biology who has spent more time on me, for free, than my docs do? This person has been 95% on target on every single issue! It's worth a try, no?
Hope you feel better and soon! This kind of thing is NOT fun - so I hope you find the best solutions and soon. - j

Great information. Thanks Steve. Regarding pelvic neurological symptoms, I hope that's not it! Obvious PN symptoms are pretty much below my knees, but I realize that there can be compression induced neuropathy anywhere, especially further down the spine.

I don't think my tendons are in great danger. One of the reason my PN has gotten better over the years is miles of daily walking and hiking and daily stretching, ignoring the incredible pain early on. My leg tendons and ligaments should be very strong from all that hiking, including rock scrambling.

***********************

Now for an update. The PN symptoms resolved about a week after stopping the Cipro. I'm back to slight constant achiness below the knees and occasional twitches of pain (about 2-3 on the 0-10 scale), the hypersensitivity of the skin surface above my toes is gone, and I have about 40% sensation in my feet. To put that into perspective, I had almost total numbness except for the inappropriate pain for years...I once put my shoes on after a yoga class and walked about 1/2 block before being aware that my wristwatch was stuffed into the toe of my right shoe.

A little intestinal upset is the only obvious side effect of the Septra HD. The bladder spasms seem much improved, although I still can feel my prostate when urinating.

LizaJane, even if the root cause of the prostatitis is not infectious, I'll finish the course of Septra because I don't want to create my own resident antibiotic resistant bacteria. I'll check out the pyridium.

Again, this forum is amazing. You have my deep appreciation. I should have checked here before seeing the urologist.

I intend to spend some time here each week, to look for things I can contribute. If nothing else, people who are in a panic like I was need to hear that PN can improve, and that they are not helpless in the face of this devastating turn their life has taken. They also need to hear that doctors aren't the only resource in dealing with PN, and that doctors sometimes harm far more than help. Knowledge is power, and this forum is an incredible font of knowledge and wisdom.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All! Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Good Kwanza, and y'all have a Happy and Healthier New Year.

Thank you for staying around! You are a great resource here.

David, Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome isn't a neuropathy. It's a muscle dysfunction, and can be cured with a little work.

This thread sure caught my eye. I also suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction that has gone in and out of remission since 2003. When it came back last year, I was in agony! I went to a female gyn. pain specialist at Stanford who said it seemed to definitely be muscle related and recommended pelvic floor rehab. I went to a great rehab center in San Francisco, and after three months, the pain was almost gone. I am always on the look out though for a relapse. I can't tell you how devastating it was to go through an agonizing condition like that and get so much better, only to be stricken with PN afterwards.