Each and every pelvic pain recovery journey is unique. There is no single path of recovery suitable for every single patient. Instead it is about identifying the right causative factors and unravelling them. Scott was no exception. This is the story of Scott’s successful recovery from pelvic pain.
Meet Scott
Scott was in his early 40’s when his journey began. He was in a long term relationship and worked as a design director. He had no history of other health issues but was entering a turning point in his life.
“2017 was an extremely stressful period of my life. Failed IVF treatment with complications, the opening of a new business, relationship problems, evictions from a rental, the purchasing of a new house that fell through and left my partner and I homeless, combined with a full-time high pressured job, all meant I was maxed out.
At the the time, I felt that I was dealing with it all very well, in fact I took great pleasure in telling all how busy I was, and how much I was achieving and thriving through this complicated period. By the end of 2017, we finally bought and moved into our new flat, only to be hit by a wave of fatigue that I thought would pass in a week or two, but never left me. No Matter how much I tried to rest, even a 2 week holiday in Sri Lanka failed to restore my energy. I was arguing consistently with my partner at the time, drink had become a huge issue that was creating a wedge between us. It felt as though all the energy had been drained out of the tank. The perfect storm had been created, for a whole new set of problems”
The onset of pelvic pain
There are multiple factors that contribute to the onset of pelvic pain. We often use ‘single string theory’ when trying to understand catalysts. This method focuses on one single causative factor. The reality is that even something clear and obvious has multiple factors to it. Instead I prefer the ‘perfect storm’ analogy that Scott mentions above
“As a Design Director I spend a great deal of time sitting down, and suddenly in October 2018 I began to feel pain in my testicles and pelvic area, which became persistent. 4 Trips to the Doctors and various appointments at the hospital, I became concerned that I had something seriously wrong with me, all test came back negative, but still I was in pain. I researched like crazy and took some time off work, but things seemed to get worse, and I felt I was going towards a chronic illness.”
Hope and recovery from pelvic pain
“I stumbled across Karl in my research and made contact. Karl quickly became the hope that I needed. He understood the holistic nature of my issue and listened. Knowledge is power and truly can heal. With his guidance and sense of belief that I could get this under control, I carried out my own measures as well as those recommenced by Karl and began to see results very quickly. My pains began to subside and can I say now, that I’ve made a full recovery, but am also in a better position to understand how to take care of myself to avoid any future flare-ups. It’s important to be open to ideas that may not seem like a quick fix, but will improve life overall for the better. I’m very grateful for finding him.”
I first met Scott at one of my CPPS/CP Support groups in September 2018. His symptoms included pain in the following areas:
- Tip of the penis – dull and cold every other day
- Urethra – daily
- Left and right testicles – dull, weekly
- Perineum – daily
- Bladder – hot, daily
- After urination – raw, daily
- After ejaculation – raw, daily
- Inner thighs – hot and cold, daily
- Left arm – hot and cold, daily
- Increased pain oil sitting
- Reduced erectile function
And the following outcome measures scores:
- PCS score of 23
- Significantly reduced PSE scores (1-5)
- NIH-CPSI score of 19
- GAD7 score of 13
We had 3 sessions including the initial Skype session from December 2018 to May 2019 . I took a great deal of time with Scott to create a personalised self care recovery plan. Each patient is the expert in their own body and therefore their recovery. Through a strong therapeutic alliance I am able to create successful programs. Patients identify meaningful and poignant activities in their life and together we create a recovery plan. These plans include movement/stretches/exercise, relaxation/calming/soothing techniques, lifestyle/stress management. I couple all of this with bitesize chunks of pain science and understanding around causative factors, flare up management and what pelvic pain is. To read more please click here
To read more satires of patients recovery please see here