Is it Pelvic Floor Dysfunction or some sort of IBS flare??
Hey all. I'll try to be as concise as possible.
History:
- 51 years old - Male
- IBS since I was 5
- A couple of bladder infections when I was a kid
- A partially duplicated something or another from my left kidney
- On CT scans of my abdomen and pelvis over the years, I've been told I have bowel wall thickening, and sometimes they see a misty mesentery. I had my first colonoscopy when I was 32, and there was no evidence of IBD.
- Two inguinal hernias for over 15 years.
- 2018 - microscopic hematuria found on a routine urinalysis after I was complaining about feeling like I had to pee all the time.
- DRE - Normal
- CT Urogram - Normal aside from finding the duplicated thingy above and a very tiny punctate in my left kidney and scattered diverticula.
- 2019 - Lifting a couch by myself - felt something pop. A week or so later, I started feeling like I had to pee all the time. My urine stream was weak, had an odd ache in my left testicle, and then my right testicle. Felt like I was sitting on a ball. Eventually, maybe after a few weeks, it just went away.
- Minus the couch, I had this same thing happen a few more times. I went to a urologist and my family doctor who couldn't find anything odd. The microscopic hematuria is there and then it's not. Seems to be random. It's been 7 years now.
- Also - I'm not a coffee drinker. When I do it causes all kinds of stomach issues for me.
- I mention the coffee thing because I do go through phases where I crave coffee. In May of this year and the first week in June was one of those times. I started having my normal stomach issues and decided to stop. That was June 11th.
- June 10th I played pickleball for 6 hours - one tournament and one cross club league. In the 5th hour when stretching for a ball I felt something "pop" in my pelvis where my quad attaches. It hurt but then didn't. I kept playing.
- June 14th, went to the beach with family.
- June 15th, played 3 hours of competitive pickleball
- Very dehydrated
- June 16th - had coffee and drank alcohol
- June 17th - had coffee and drank alcohol
- June 18th started having my urinary problems. Weak stream, Felt like I had to go often - very weak at the end. Stingy in the shaft and tip at random times and would feel the urge to urinate there instead of my bladder.
- Very bloated in the entire abdomen at this point. Symptoms of gastritis. Still having stomach issues. Pain in lower left abdomen. Pain in upper pelvis in the mornings relieved when i pee.
- June 25th - Everything was getting better aside from the the stingy feeling and weak stream.
- July 5th - Played pickleball for 4 hours and now my stream is weak at the end and I feel like I have to go often.
- That area I hurt playing pickleball on June 10th was aching.
- The last thing I'll add is that I have a very high ANA (1:2560) but no diagnosis yet. Family history is off the charts with autoimmune diseases.
So what do you think? Pelvic Floor issue? IBS? Some sort of systemic inflammation caused by an autoimmune disease. It's incredibly frustrating!
Thanks for the thoughts!
Posted Jul 8, 2025, 4:45 PM UTC
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