Anyone care to share their own stories ??? I was told by a urologist that once the olde prostate gets "prostatitis" - you can never fully lose the base infection... Something about the tissues swelling and cutting their own blood supply enough that the immune system can't finish the job... And, the anti-bacterial (anti-biotic) therapies are reserved for the severe flare-ups...
Meanwhile - I was "told" that Saw Palmetto acts to retard the production of Estrogen (which theoretically adds to the problem)...
In my case, when my bowels fill, I experience quite a degree of prostatic discomfort. My HMO provided PCP tends to regard it as more of a pain in HIS sphincter.
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My husband swears that having more sex makes the problem less severe. I had surgery and we were not able to have sex for several weeks. He talked about feeling the pressure in the rectum too. He took saw palmetto for a while but could really tell no difference. His just flares up once in a while and it first started about 3 years ago. Seems to be a chronic problem that never really goes away like you say. He took antibiotics the first time and really only twice has had it bad enough to feel that he needed to be seen for it.
I've never heard of permanent prostatitis infection. Prostatitis is a generic condition that basically means any kind of inflammation of the prostate. A bacterial prostatitis is treatable by antibiotics, and it usuaully returns to a healthy non-inflammed state.
There is a non-bacterial prostatitis that occurs in all men gradually over time. Testosterone causes the prostate to enlarge as we get older. Its a never ending process. At some point, the prostate gets large enough that its considered prostatitis, usually when it starts to cause complications such as frequent urination or difficulty urinating, pain or irritation, impotence, etc.
That Prostate "Thing"... 
