In early 2006, I was diagnosed as having chronic pelvic pain syndrome, or prostatodynia. The diagnosis was just a label without a cause, a hope of treatment, or a cure. I had continual, sometimes intense pain in my thighs, hips, pelvic floor, genitals, buttocks, and low back, and I had a urinary dribbling problem. I could not sit in a car for more than 10 or 20 minutes. I rode the bus standing up. At work, I propped my keyboard and mouse atop printer toner boxes so I didn't have to sit.

I spent the entire year trying to find some way to handle this situation. I underwent a spermatocelectomy. I took Flomax and large doses of ibuprofen, and then salsalate, a more powerful anti-inflammatory. I bought special chair cushions. I had healing touch treatments.

Finally, toward the end of the year, two things happened that opened the door to better health. I realized that maybe my body might start to heal itself if I quit trying to do things to it to make it better. And, I finally found a doctor who seemed to understand what I was going through and could offer some hope.

I'd been continuing my daily yoga routine, my daily walks, my habit of climbing the five flights of stairs at work instead of using the elevator, my morning dose of vitamin supplements. I chucked all of that and focused on relaxing, letting go of anything that smacked of self-improvement and self-discipline. I did continue my daily meditation sessions, on my back instead of sitting.

The doctor, a neurologist, diagnosed me with piriformis syndrome and ischiogluteal bursitis, but more importantly, he referred me to physical therapy and to an anaesthesiologist. The P. T. stretching regimen seemed to help, or at least did no harm, and the ultrasound treatments to my external hip rotators provided real relief. The anaesthesiologist gave me two steroid injections over the space of a couple of months, the first treatment I'd encountered that resolved the urinary symptoms for any length of time. There was hope, after all.

I'd bought the book A Headache in the Pelvis early on, but now I reread the section on trigger point massage and began doing massage on my own. Gradually, it became clear that trigger point massage really worked. I sorted through the P. T. stretching routine, keeping what worked and discarding anything that didn't. More importantly, I began stretching very gently, listening intently to my body and easing off at the first hint of discomfort. As my muscles released, I realized that I'd been much too aggressive with my yoga routine in the past, but gentle, passive stretching was extremely healing.

Another piece of the puzzle came from my meditation routine and a mindfulness-based stress reduction class I took at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Meditation and mindfulness helped me accept pain when it occurred, instead of fighting it, which usually leads to more pain. And I also began to see how my body reacted to stress and tension in ways that aggravated my condition. I began to learn how to prevent pain before it occurred.

Lately, I've been working with Rachelle Tsachor, a movement therapist.  She's been giving me good suggestions about ergonomics and stretching, and she's helping me learn how to mindfully move and use my body in a more healthy way.

Now I'm relatively pain free and have no urological annoyances. When pain does flare up, I'm confident that I now have the tools to deal with it.