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[CW: Medical, TMI] Well-Wishes Still Needed: An Update
4 years ago
It's been a month and a half since my last journal so I figured I'm due for an update on everything I wrote in it. Let's go into each item I wrote in the tl;dr.
The Remnants Of A Foot Thing, which started in mid-January
This is now completely (or almost completely) gone. My feet don't keep me up at night anymore.
a Junk Thing, which started in late February/early March
I got a new urologist, who agrees that this is nothing to be concerned about. Good, I guess.
an Achilles Tendons Thing, which started earlier [that] week
This was either a psychosomatic thing about the antibiotic I was taking, or it's just plain better now that I've stopped taking it. No worries about it.
a Heart Thing, which has been plaguing me for a couple years now but finally has a name
Turns out my fast heart rate was because of the meds I was taking. I discontinued one and was cut down on another, and now my heart's all better!
a Prostate Infection Of Some Sort(?) (may or may not be connected to Junk Thing), which started on March 15 or 16,
This is the heavy shit. I was dissatisfied with my first urologist, so I managed to get a second opinion on what's wrong. Turns out, this one has a name for it. Prostatitis. Inflammation of the prostate. The relief of knowing what it's called is balanced out by the implications. First, I was told that the recovery timescale on this is weeks to months. Yikes, and I'm supposed to be figuring out how to move on with my life in this time, too. Second, is what I'm prescribed to make it better, in terms of advice and medications. First, the advice.:
- No caffeine/alcohol (most of my liquid intake is Diet Coke)
- No spicy food (most of my food comes with BBQ sauce, some form of pepper, or garlic)
- No sex (I'm a furry, so half my time I spend masturbating)
- Minimize sitting (I'm a furry, so the other half of my time I spend seated at my computer)
Then, the medication. The first is meloxicam, an NSAID that's supposed to replace ibuprofen. Since I'm stopping the ibuprofen and starting on the new one, and these things can take some time to work, I'm back at square one for the time being, with all the pain and GI havoc that that brings. I should be better by the time I'm a week into this, hopefully. The other is tamsulosin, which I haven't started taking yet because of a side effect. This side effect is quite possibly what got me here in the first place, and I don't trust myself to not jerk off for the whole 180 day course to avoid it. I've asked my uro if it's really necessary, and if there's an alternative. I'm awaiting a response.
I'm anxious, and I'm depressed. One of my biggest fears has always been losing my ability to jerk off as much as I used to, and now that's real. I knew it was coming eventually, but I expected this to come closer to 62, not 26. For the coming weeks to months, this is my new life. I look at porn and I feel not arousal, but envy. Envy at other men for having prostates that don't feel like Satan's balled up his fist and stuck it between their asshole and their bladder. Envy to just enjoy life without thinking about this specific pain.
Overall, on the other side of this (assuming there is another side, the possibility of there not being one being a huge source of anxiety) I feel like I'm gonna be healthier, not just my prostate but all of me.
It's getting there that's the hard part.
Take care of yourself.
The Remnants Of A Foot Thing, which started in mid-January
This is now completely (or almost completely) gone. My feet don't keep me up at night anymore.
a Junk Thing, which started in late February/early March
I got a new urologist, who agrees that this is nothing to be concerned about. Good, I guess.
an Achilles Tendons Thing, which started earlier [that] week
This was either a psychosomatic thing about the antibiotic I was taking, or it's just plain better now that I've stopped taking it. No worries about it.
a Heart Thing, which has been plaguing me for a couple years now but finally has a name
Turns out my fast heart rate was because of the meds I was taking. I discontinued one and was cut down on another, and now my heart's all better!
a Prostate Infection Of Some Sort(?) (may or may not be connected to Junk Thing), which started on March 15 or 16,
This is the heavy shit. I was dissatisfied with my first urologist, so I managed to get a second opinion on what's wrong. Turns out, this one has a name for it. Prostatitis. Inflammation of the prostate. The relief of knowing what it's called is balanced out by the implications. First, I was told that the recovery timescale on this is weeks to months. Yikes, and I'm supposed to be figuring out how to move on with my life in this time, too. Second, is what I'm prescribed to make it better, in terms of advice and medications. First, the advice.:
- No caffeine/alcohol (most of my liquid intake is Diet Coke)
- No spicy food (most of my food comes with BBQ sauce, some form of pepper, or garlic)
- No sex (I'm a furry, so half my time I spend masturbating)
- Minimize sitting (I'm a furry, so the other half of my time I spend seated at my computer)
Then, the medication. The first is meloxicam, an NSAID that's supposed to replace ibuprofen. Since I'm stopping the ibuprofen and starting on the new one, and these things can take some time to work, I'm back at square one for the time being, with all the pain and GI havoc that that brings. I should be better by the time I'm a week into this, hopefully. The other is tamsulosin, which I haven't started taking yet because of a side effect. This side effect is quite possibly what got me here in the first place, and I don't trust myself to not jerk off for the whole 180 day course to avoid it. I've asked my uro if it's really necessary, and if there's an alternative. I'm awaiting a response.
I'm anxious, and I'm depressed. One of my biggest fears has always been losing my ability to jerk off as much as I used to, and now that's real. I knew it was coming eventually, but I expected this to come closer to 62, not 26. For the coming weeks to months, this is my new life. I look at porn and I feel not arousal, but envy. Envy at other men for having prostates that don't feel like Satan's balled up his fist and stuck it between their asshole and their bladder. Envy to just enjoy life without thinking about this specific pain.
Overall, on the other side of this (assuming there is another side, the possibility of there not being one being a huge source of anxiety) I feel like I'm gonna be healthier, not just my prostate but all of me.
It's getting there that's the hard part.
Take care of yourself.
Yikes. I hope things get better for you ssoon. Also, caffiene withdrawal sucks. All you can do is take aspirin or Tylenol, drink lots of juice, and endure. Fortunately it's only teoor three days.
Omnyx
~omnyx
OP
Thanks, Dale!
