Hi everyone, I’ve recently discovered this forum through the posts of ezer on the pudendal hope forums. I always knew there was a strong mental component to my pain, but recently began to believe it after a sharp return of pain due to an increase in stress and emotional issues after a few days of almost absent pain.
My journey started at the beginning of February this year. I began experiencing burning with urinating. After a few days of this symptom not going away, as well as testicular pain, I began to panic about the possibility of having an STD. I went to the doctor for testing and was given antibiotics. All tests came back normal. The pain did not subside. After a couple of days, my girlfriend sat on my lap and I felt a sharp pain in my groin area. This pain gradually increased to severe levels. I made an appointment with a urologist who tested me for kidney stones. All tests came back fine and I was told that pelvic pain just happens for no particular reason and I would just need to deal with it. This caused me intense worry. I eventually made my way to a sports medicine doctor who diagnosed me with pubic symphysis after noticing pain near my pubic bone. I had an MRI done which showed only minor inflammation in the area. His treatment plan was to try core physical therapy. Around this time I also started with the addition of some pain with sitting in the perineum area and tailbone. I knew that this sort of therapy would not address these issues, so I sought out a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Physical therapy has consisted of various treatment methodologies such as trigger point release, skin rolling, and dry needling. My groin pain almost completely disappeared after my first 2 sessions, but I began with more severe tailbone pain. In one session this was treated using dry needling and I experienced an almost complete reduction of pain in that area. A few visits later during one physical therapy session, she worked on an area where I previously had surgery to fix an anal fistula, which left me with a scar in my perineum. When she worked this area I felt a lot of pain. She reasoned that the scar tissue could be an influencing factor and we began to focus on this area, as well as the obturator internus muscle, which was very painful to palpation. Previously, I haven’t had any pain with the scar tissue area, only maybe occasional sensitivity. The pain has continued since then and progressed, at least 2-3 months now. The pain is a dull ache mostly when sitting and walking and also a raw feeling at the surface. There have been times where sitting is very painful and I have to avoid it, which is hard with an office job. I have had temporary relief, mostly from the dry needling. I have had days where I was occupied and in a very good mood and noticed almost no pain, as well as days where I experienced a lot of emotional issues and stress where the pain returned severe. I also have pain that shoots into my leg from sitting and walking.
I am beginning to see that the pain is highly related to my emotional state. Throughout my life I have had issues with severe anxiety and panic attacks, as well as some obsessive-compulsive behaviors. My personality type is being a perfectionist and always nonconfrontational in public. I can see factors that emotionally may have contributed to the start of my symptoms and their worsening. After the breakup with my serious relationship with my girlfriend, I started with a large increase of severe pain. This subsided as I worked on my anxiety through neurofeedback. I had several days with very little pain. She recently reentered my life as a friend and I struggled with anxiety and feelings that I still have for her, which aligns with the recent increase in my pain.
The only fears I have now are of the nature of my pain. I still fear that my scar could be the cause for my pain, perhaps the scar tissue affecting the pudendal nerve and surrounding muscles. I fear that my pain will get worse by discontinuing physical therapy or seeking out other medical professionals. I am scared that by exercising or continuing to sit I am damaging a nerve or structure that is painful. I counter this with the knowledge that I went almost 10 years since my surgery with no pain in that area until now, so my nerve is likely not entrapped and only now becoming painful. But it is still difficult to move past the idea of a severe physical cause that may increase.
I had read Dr. Sarno’s The Mindbody Prescription and have started on the structured education program and Alan Gordon’s program. I have also ordered Dr. Schubiner’s Unlearn your Pain and began journaling. Any other pelvic pain sufferers (or prior sufferers) have any advice on beginning this process?
My journey started at the beginning of February this year. I began experiencing burning with urinating. After a few days of this symptom not going away, as well as testicular pain, I began to panic about the possibility of having an STD. I went to the doctor for testing and was given antibiotics. All tests came back normal. The pain did not subside. After a couple of days, my girlfriend sat on my lap and I felt a sharp pain in my groin area. This pain gradually increased to severe levels. I made an appointment with a urologist who tested me for kidney stones. All tests came back fine and I was told that pelvic pain just happens for no particular reason and I would just need to deal with it. This caused me intense worry. I eventually made my way to a sports medicine doctor who diagnosed me with pubic symphysis after noticing pain near my pubic bone. I had an MRI done which showed only minor inflammation in the area. His treatment plan was to try core physical therapy. Around this time I also started with the addition of some pain with sitting in the perineum area and tailbone. I knew that this sort of therapy would not address these issues, so I sought out a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Physical therapy has consisted of various treatment methodologies such as trigger point release, skin rolling, and dry needling. My groin pain almost completely disappeared after my first 2 sessions, but I began with more severe tailbone pain. In one session this was treated using dry needling and I experienced an almost complete reduction of pain in that area. A few visits later during one physical therapy session, she worked on an area where I previously had surgery to fix an anal fistula, which left me with a scar in my perineum. When she worked this area I felt a lot of pain. She reasoned that the scar tissue could be an influencing factor and we began to focus on this area, as well as the obturator internus muscle, which was very painful to palpation. Previously, I haven’t had any pain with the scar tissue area, only maybe occasional sensitivity. The pain has continued since then and progressed, at least 2-3 months now. The pain is a dull ache mostly when sitting and walking and also a raw feeling at the surface. There have been times where sitting is very painful and I have to avoid it, which is hard with an office job. I have had temporary relief, mostly from the dry needling. I have had days where I was occupied and in a very good mood and noticed almost no pain, as well as days where I experienced a lot of emotional issues and stress where the pain returned severe. I also have pain that shoots into my leg from sitting and walking.
I am beginning to see that the pain is highly related to my emotional state. Throughout my life I have had issues with severe anxiety and panic attacks, as well as some obsessive-compulsive behaviors. My personality type is being a perfectionist and always nonconfrontational in public. I can see factors that emotionally may have contributed to the start of my symptoms and their worsening. After the breakup with my serious relationship with my girlfriend, I started with a large increase of severe pain. This subsided as I worked on my anxiety through neurofeedback. I had several days with very little pain. She recently reentered my life as a friend and I struggled with anxiety and feelings that I still have for her, which aligns with the recent increase in my pain.
The only fears I have now are of the nature of my pain. I still fear that my scar could be the cause for my pain, perhaps the scar tissue affecting the pudendal nerve and surrounding muscles. I fear that my pain will get worse by discontinuing physical therapy or seeking out other medical professionals. I am scared that by exercising or continuing to sit I am damaging a nerve or structure that is painful. I counter this with the knowledge that I went almost 10 years since my surgery with no pain in that area until now, so my nerve is likely not entrapped and only now becoming painful. But it is still difficult to move past the idea of a severe physical cause that may increase.
I had read Dr. Sarno’s The Mindbody Prescription and have started on the structured education program and Alan Gordon’s program. I have also ordered Dr. Schubiner’s Unlearn your Pain and began journaling. Any other pelvic pain sufferers (or prior sufferers) have any advice on beginning this process?
