Epididymitis - views/thoughts?

I am two weeks off of Antibiotics and the pain appears to be gone after an agonizing 4 months. either Bactrim or Erythromycin did the trick. I was on them on and off for 4 months, the pain got better after stopping this last time. However the first three times the pain would increase after stopping ABX. So this time the pain has not returned and its been 16 days. I am very optimistic it will not return again however there are some cases here where the pain returned months later. I am still very glad the pain isnt the same as it was when I initially gotten this. Which was horrific. Keep taking your ABX if its working, even if not curing you completely, if you see improvement continue taking it, it can get better when you stop. Eventually your bodys own immune system will take over once you stop.

Well I know why the meds didn't work. They misdiagnosed me very bad. Ready for this it wasn't Epididymitis at all. That's why meds didn't work so It ended up being a BIG A$$ blood clot going from my hip area down all the way past my lower knee. Some of it broke off and went into my lungs also. Soafb Been at hospital for 5 days, can't walk (left leg) without a walker, wheelchair or something. Need to take blood thinners for the next year. Wow some doctors suck. That's way off. Even the doctors don't know how I got this so bad at 31 years old. They said it's super rare for my age. I admit I smoke, but they said that's bad but that wouldn't have done this at this extent. So please be careful guys. I wish you guys the best. We need a tri Corder (star trek) lol

take apple cider vinager

Thanks for sharing all your going through. I am 63, got epididymitis 9 months ago. I am 100% sure got it from heavy lifting and also one day I missed a step and came down hard on my left leg. Have had 3-4 rounds of antibiotics and two ultrasounds. Lots of Advil etc. I exercise a lot (treadmill, table tennis, golf etc). I can still do treadmill but no more jogging and definitely no lifting anything heavy. It felt better recently then I had my FIRST beer in three weeks and next morning it REALLY acted up bad. I am really wondering if the beer made it worse , seems like how can one beer do that? Starting physical therapy Wednesday to try and build up my strength again. Has diet helped you? How are u feeling these days? Appreciate any info and hope you are better

That’s interest.. Mine got worse after a beer a week ago?.. I’m wondering if it’s possible got something to do with yeast?

Worth consideration?

I am the wife of a man that has suffered for many years of and on with the diagnosis of epydimits. He has seen many urologists and used many antibiotics with no relief. Do your selves a huge favor and google pelvic floor pain!!!

I was diagnosed with chronic epididymitis and now I am almost pain free. I was in pain 99% of the time, now it’s around 10%.

I had to write this after the pain that I suffered and if I can help one person it will be worth it.

I am not selling anything and I am not in the drug industry (as I think a lot of people on these forums are). My cure(s) have nothing to do with drugs and are all mainly free.

I will give you a bit of a background in case any of the symptoms are familiar. Skip to the below steps if you do not want to read this but it may help. I will try and reply to as many of you as I can.

Background:

I am in the UK and I am 24 years old. I live a relatively healthy lifestyle, going to the gym most days, eating well but enjoying the occasional drinking binge.

In January 2017 I was lying in bed. I hadn’t done anything to aggravate my testicles. But, all of a sudden, I felt a pain as if I may have twisted one. I went to sleep and woke up a few hours later in excruciating pain. I was so confused and the first thing I did was check Google – the advice from most was to get to the hospital. While there, torsion was ruled out. I was given painkillers and sent on my way.

The pain got worse and I returned the next day for further scans etc. Although I had NO signs of swelling in the testicles, I was diagnosed with acute epididymitis. I was told to rest and was given antibiotics. Although I’ve never been diagnosed with an STI the medical staff seemed determined it could have been that. I was not convinced at all.

8 days passed and that pain had not gone. If anything it was worse and I couldn’t even get out of bed with the painkillers not even touching the side. I went back to hospital. Further (and the same as previously) checks were carried out and I was prescribed doxycycline. Two more weeks (the most painful, depressing and mentally draining of my life) passed and these started to work.

I went back to work after 4 weeks of resting and the pain returned. Took the antibiotics and the pain rescinded. I repeated this for about 6 months until I decided I had to give them up and try something else.


MY CURE(S):

1) Listen to the doctor.

Because there is no quick fix, you may start to think the Doctor is wrong – I did. The truth is that this is one of the more complex parts of the body for diagnosing. The Doctors may take a while to get there but they are giving you medical advice for a reason.

I read forums about pills, herbs etc. and was ready to try most of them. But I stuck it out and trusted the professionals. Do exactly what they are telling you.

However, like me, if something isn’t working and your body isn’t responding, tell them. They will either change it or tell you to stick with it – listen to them. Be patient – time can be the healer of epididymitis unfortunately.


2) Rest

The first few weeks will be critical. Get some rest. Take it off work or work from home (if your mind can take it). I would suggest at least 3 weeks off completely then one or two from home. If you are in those stages, don’t lose faith as most cases will disappear in this time with the right medication. If you are past this stage and in pain then don’t give up.


3) Do not give up


I had to put this one here. I’ve never felt like I did during that time and if you are reading this it is likely that you’re going through the same. Seriously, one way or another, things will get better.

A lot is physiological and if you give up, the pain will get worse. Do things to keep you occupied and don’t exclude yourself from loved ones. Meditation will help and try meditation for pain.


4) Be aware of private healthcare

I know.

The first thing I thought of was going private. Take your time and make the right decision.

I’m fortunate to have the NHS. I also have private cover and thought about going private every single minute of every single day.

However, I spoke to a senior urologist and his advice was not to, yet. They can have a tendency to operate before exploring alternative means. Horrible I know. But, think twice before going under the knife to expensive operations. My urologist came clean to me and asked me to wait it out and let the NHS do their job – that they would try everything not to let me down.

In that time he also explained the further implications of going under the knife and in many cases it has made it worse. So make this your last resort if possible. Remember, you are in charge of your own healthcare.

Operating became my last resort and I wanted to try everything else.


5) Food and purified water

Get this right. Try to avoid sugary drinks and coffee. Stick to healthy teas and bottled water if possible, but don’t drink too much. Give up alcohol during the rest period.

I was drinking too much fluid and this was a potential cause – putting too much pressure on the bladder. So stick to 2L of water a day plus a couple of cups of tea. If you drink under 2L a day, then your body needs more. Google the health benefits of drinking purified water.

Your diet can work wonders for your body. Find healthy recipes and make sure you’re getting enough antioxidants to fight your condition. Cut out saturated fat and eat healthy, fresh and colourful food. Not only will it give your body everything it needs to fight, it will perk you up, make you feel physically and mentally energised to carry on.


6) See a physiotherapist

This, for me has been the most effective. I was referred to one as a last resort from my urologist. I was so skeptical and almost considered not going. But I gave it a try and thank god I did.

I work a job where I am predominantly sit at a desk. When you do, all of your body tightens and the pain can even be felt in the testes. I was so inflexible that it was causing my anal canal and the muscles in my arse to become tight.

I was given some basic stretches to do including; letting your belly go when exhaling and making sure you are not sucking it in, squatting to the floor as far as possible and holding, and various other leg/arse stretches.

This worked a miracle for me. I couldn’t believe it. I took everything my physic told me seriously and done a routine of stretches daily. Never missed them.

I went back and was given more stretches. I now incorporate these into my life and I can feel the pain coming back if I don’t.

Google glutes and hamstring stretches. Do these regularly and get your breathing right. Not saying that this will help everyone but it is definitely worth a try.

I also had pain in the top of my penis and in my right testicle. Diagnosed with non bacterial prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome. Look it up. It’s the cause of these symptoms.

Thanks everyone for all the info out there. I just want to keep this thread alive as there are so many of us suffering from this same stupid affliction. I feel like my body is working it out. The pain was pretty bad at times and my stress and constant worrying seemed to make it worse. I took one round of Cipro initially and have really changed my diet. I am eating much healthier and taking cranberry and turmeric supplements. The pain is more of a dull ache in place of sharp/burning sensation. I'm really hoping that better diet and attitude will really help to minimize the suffering. I also need to start exercising regularly again but will take it extremely slow early on. Stay strong folks.

I suffered with pain from this for about 18 months.
Antibiotics helped with inflammation but didn’t fix the problem and it soon got worse when I stopped them
I still feel a dull ache occasionally but I found apple cider vinegar with the mother seemed to help me. I order Bragg’s Apple cider vinegar from amazon.

I take a shot glass diluted with water daily and that seems to have kept it away.
I also left a very stressful job. I think stress was a big factor for me.

I really hope this helps someone out there.

Bro does it causes infertility????!!! Im diagnosed with this hell last month. Medications are not working at all and it just comes and goes mysteriously!!

Thank you for sharing such an useful piece of info. I wanted to know that does sleeping positions matter in this condition?? Im having this problem for a month and usually i feel dull pain after waking up in the morning!! hope u will help by replying. : )

Hi I experienced what I thought was Epididymitis. A ache in my left testical and swelling. Also a week later I had pink seaman and a dull ache. I started to panic as is swelled a lot and I was reading stuff on the internet which did not help. This was in the run up to Christmas so I was so depressed and I was told to take a std test and had to wait till new year for the results. I did not cheat but because online it says that Epididymitis in under 30s men is most often a std I started to think has my wife. Thankfully I got the all please and a scan shows my vein has grown dramatically and is not serious and I was so relieved. Mentally for two months the hardest time of my like. Do not read the internet on what it probable is trust me. It may be something silly but unfortunately there is only one way to be sure. Be safe.

Almost 5 years dealing with this and prostitus off and on I'm only 24 and now it's back for me it causes anxiety panic attacks and depression also with pain and swelling if I didn't have my wife beside me to whole time I couldn't make it.

Any updates from any of you guys out there? Just trying to keep hope and this thread alive for newly diagnosed individuals. My issues seem to continue but are much less severe than they were initially. Dull aching in my left testicle and pelvis on occasion. My diet has improved a lot and I am taking vitamin c omega 3 and a multi currently. I tried the turmeric but it seemed to upset my stomach. Thanks so much to all of you out there for providing info and experiences.