First of all, welcome to yet *another* Bill to the board...!

I'm really sorry to hear about your diagnosis, and the worry in your "voice" comes through loud and clear in your post. Just to let you know, you're among friends here who can definitely sympathize with your plight.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid we can't give you any quick, easy answers to your questions though. Epididymitis is kind of a catch-all phrase for scrotal pain which can have lots of different causes, durations, and outcomes. Some guys get over it in just a couple weeks, others have to manage the pain for years on end. As you mentioned in your post, the medical community doesn't have a lot to offer once the condition becomes chronic. You'll find that a lot of guys here (including myself) have given up on traditional allopathic medicine and have been seeking other alternatives, including herbs, chiropractic, etc.

The hard part is knowing whether you still have an active infection, or whether the pain is being caused by something else. I can tell you from my own experience, looking back in hindsight now after a few months, that I believe the actual infection really *was* killed by the first couple courses of antibiotics I took. Unfortunately, the pain has continued, leading me to believe it's being caused by nerve damage that resulted from all the inflammation that occurred during the infection. There can be lots of other causes too. (See the thread I started below with a post called "Some thoughts...") You can really learn a lot from reading the archives of previous posts here on the board.

Just try to keep in mind that the pain of chronic epididymitis is not fatal, and there are lots of diseases out there that could be a lot worse. I definitely understand your concern over how it affects your ability to work. I had to quit my job at the end of January and have had to rely on others for support ever since.

Just try to hang in there, and remember you're not alone with this. If you want to talk privately, feel free to email me...

Bill