{"id":45535,"date":"2026-04-09T08:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45535"},"modified":"2026-04-09T08:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:02:17","slug":"john-struggled-for-seven-years-with-embarrassing-accidents-and-pain-when-peeing-all-the-tests-came-back-clear-before-doctors-discovered-he-had-this-very-common-problem-thats-so-often-ignored-in-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=45535","title":{"rendered":"John struggled for seven years with embarrassing accidents and pain when peeing. All the tests came back clear… before doctors discovered he had this very common problem that’s so often ignored in men"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When John Isaacs catches a train these days, he settles comfortably back into his seat to enjoy the journey.<\/p>\n

This may sound unremarkable, but it\u2019s something John was completely unable to do until just over a month ago \u2013 because he constantly worried he wouldn\u2019t make it to the loo in time, due to his chronic cystitis.<\/p>\n

\u2018It was so bad at times that I lived in constant fear of wetting myself,\u2019 recalls John, 56, a DJ from Bournemouth, Dorset.<\/p>\n

\u2018Even if I did make it to the loo, the pain I suffered when urinating was often eye-watering.\u2019<\/p>\n

Cystitis is essentially an inflammation of the bladder. It often occurs when bacteria find their way into the tube that carries urine out of the body (the urethra) and travel to the bladder, causing infection and irritation.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often thought of as a women\u2019s disease \u2013 one in two will get it at some point in their lives, according to the NHS<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 yet men get it, too. It\u2019s estimated that as many as one in seven men will have cystitis in their lifetime.<\/p>\n

Symptoms include a burning, stinging sensation when peeing; needing to go more frequently; urine that is dark, cloudy or smelly; and pain in the lower stomach.<\/p>\n

The most common cause is a bacterial infection\u00a0\u2013 often caused when E.coli from the bowel travel into the urethra.<\/p>\n

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John Isaacs\u00a0constantly worried he wouldn\u2019t make it to the loo in time, due to his chronic cystitis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bacteria are naturally present in and around the anus and the perineum (the sensitive tissue between the scrotum and anus in men, and between the vagina and anus in women)\u00a0\u2013 but can sometimes penetrate the tissue and travel up the urethra to the bladder.<\/p>\n

The reason it\u2019s more common in women is down to anatomy, explains Anthony Noah, a consultant urological surgeon at University College Hospital in London.<\/p>\n

\u2018The female urethra is much shorter than the male urethra\u00a0\u2013 around 3-4cm compared with 20cm\u00a0\u2013 and is therefore much closer to the anus, which harbours bacteria,\u2019 he told the Mail.<\/p>\n

\u2018Meanwhile, the male urethra is longer and most of it is in the penis\u00a0\u2013 so it sits further away from the anus.\u2019<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s causes include changes in hormones.<\/p>\n

For both sexes, triggers include holding urine in for too long, which allows bacteria to multiply (stagnant urine can contain bacteria), and blockages that can cause poor emptying.<\/p>\n

Kidney stones can obstruct the urine flow higher in the urinary tract, leading to urinary retention.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, bladder stones can form directly in the bladder and irritate its lining or block the urethra outflow.<\/p>\n

\u2018Over time, this irritation can lead to ongoing inflammation and repeated infections,\u2019 says Jeremy Ockrim, a consultant urological surgeon at London Urology Specialists private clinic.<\/p>\n

Other causes of cystitis not related to infections include certain medications, such as diuretics, antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs; radiotherapy treatment for cancer; as well as recreational drugs such as ketamine\u00a0\u2013 all of which can irritate the bladder, says Mr Noah.<\/p>\n

He adds: \u2018Ketamine abuse causes problems in the urinary tract, particularly the bladder. Ketamine abusers end up with scarred, shrunken and very painful bladders.\u2019<\/p>\n

Confusing the picture is that chronic prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland) can mimic cystitis symptoms, including painful urination in men, says Mr Ockrim.<\/p>\n

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\"Triggers <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Triggers include holding urine in for too long, which allows bacteria to multiply (stagnant urine can contain bacteria), and blockages that can cause poor emptying<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But the fact that cystitis is less common in men can often lead to missed or delayed diagnosis\u00a0\u2013 GPs see it less often, so many are not looking out for it, he explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018A recent study in France emphasised that GPs have limited experience with male cystitis, leading to delays in diagnosis and inconsistent treatment\u00a0\u2013 these challenges are the same in the UK,\u2019 says Mr Ockrim.<\/p>\n

In John\u2019s case, it took seven years before he finally got the treatment he needed.<\/p>\n

His problems began in 2019 when he started getting \u2018pain and stinging when weeing\u2019, he recalls.<\/p>\n

He was confident that this was not due to a sexually transmitted disease\u00a0\u2013 which can cause similar symptoms\u00a0\u2013 as he was in a monogamous relationship at the time, but his GP tested for this: the results were negative.<\/p>\n

Urine tests for infections also came back negative\u00a0\u2013 \u2018the GP seemed to think all was well and that was that\u2019, John recalls.<\/p>\n

But it got worse over the coming days.<\/p>\n

\u2018It really stung when I went to the loo and sometimes it would be a very urgent feeling to go,\u2019 he recalls.<\/p>\n

\u2018Sometimes I would feel I wasn\u2019t emptying my bladder fully and would have to go back to the loo minutes later.\u2019<\/p>\n

This carried on for weeks\u00a0\u2013 with John continually visiting his GP, who also tested his prostate to check it was not enlarged. This is a common condition in men over 40 and can put pressure on the bladder, causing increased urination.<\/p>\n

These tests also came back clear\u00a0\u2013 so John \u2018decided to live with it\u2019, as he puts it.<\/p>\n

Eventually the problem cleared up on its own.<\/p>\n

Months passed and although John had some flare-ups that would last for days at a time, he could often manage these by drinking plenty of water\u00a0\u2013 and his symptoms would go away again.<\/p>\n

But by 2024 it was getting worse: \u2018It got so bad that on car journeys if I needed the loo I\u2019d have to stop the car and literally pass urine at the side of the road, in stinging agony,’ he recalls.<\/p>\n

On one occasion, during a night out, he had to go to the loo twice in a very short space of time while out at a club. \u2018I was accused of taking drugs in the bathroom cubicle\u00a0\u2013 but all I was doing was trying to wee!\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

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\"The <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The fact that cystitis is less common in men can often lead to missed or delayed diagnosis \u2013 GPs see it less often, so many are not looking out for it, explains Jeremy Ockrim<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cystitis is typically diagnosed through a combination of symptoms and urine tests, checking the urine for white blood cells, red blood cells, bacteria and nitrites that signal infection.<\/p>\n

Why John\u2019s urine test came back negative was, he says, never explained to him.<\/p>\n

But John\u2019s GP did not regard his symptoms as warranting more investigation\u00a0\u2013 telling him that as there were no signs of infection he could go home.<\/p>\n

And without a diagnosis and treatment, his symptoms worsened.<\/p>\n

On occasions he would even wet himself because the nerves in his bladder were so irritated he lost control.<\/p>\n

John says: \u2018And the pain got worse, such stinging and agony. Only a tiny bit of wee would come out. It was hell.\u2019<\/p>\n

Finally, last year he begged his GP to be referred to a specialist.<\/p>\n

John was tested for bladder cancer, but then the urologist explained that he had cystitis\u00a0\u2013 and had had it for so long that his urethra had become \u2018clogged\u2019 with calcium deposits, infections and old urine.<\/p>\n

As a result, little urine was able to escape, so was causing further infections.<\/p>\n

\u2018This was the first time anyone had ever mentioned cystitis,\u2019 says John. \u2018I thought it was a women\u2019s thing myself.\u2019<\/p>\n

In fact, the consultant explained that John had a shorter urethra than normal for men\u00a0\u2013 and this was potentially the cause of his recurrent infections and cystitis.<\/p>\n

This in turn had led to urethral stricture\u00a0\u2013 where scar tissue causes narrowing of the urethra\u00a0\u2013 and then a vicious circle of incomplete bladder emptying and subsequent urinary tract infections and cystitis.<\/p>\n

\u2018All I cared about was that someone was finally listening to me,\u2019 says John.<\/p>\n

His surgeon recommended urethral dilation (known as urethrotomy), where a small camera is passed through the urethra to locate the scar tissue, after which the surgeon either stretches the narrowing using dilators, or makes a precise cut to restore a wider channel for urine to flow.<\/p>\n

A temporary catheter may be placed afterwards to keep the urethra open while it heals.<\/p>\n

For some men, a single procedure is enough. But scar tissue can recur, and further options exist.<\/p>\n

These include self-dilation, where men are taught to pass a catheter themselves at regular intervals.<\/p>\n

In a newer technique, a chemotherapy drug called paclitaxel is delivered to the area via a long thin \u2018balloon\u2019 that also helps widen the stricture, to inhibit new scar tissue formation\u00a0\u2013 in urethroplasty, a more complex surgical repair, the narrowed segment is removed and rebuilt, sometimes using a small graft of tissue taken from the inside of the cheek.<\/p>\n

Urethroplasty carries higher long-term success rates and is often recommended for recurrent or severe cases.<\/p>\n

\u2018While these procedures aren\u2019t common, they\u2019re highly effective,\u2019 says Mr Ockrim.<\/p>\n

\u2018For men who have spent years struggling with urinary infections or the inability to empty their bladder properly, correcting a stricture can be life-changing.\u2019<\/p>\n

John had his urethral dilation in February and opted for a general anaesthetic.<\/p>\n

He says: \u2018I was scared and it sounded awful, but I knew I couldn\u2019t live this way anymore.\u2019 He had the operation as a day case and when he came round, he was able to urinate fully and without pain for the first time in seven years.<\/p>\n

\u2018I am telling my story so other men do not suffer as I did,\u2019 says John. \u2018Cystitis is not just a women\u2019s issue \u2013 and GPs need to be more aware it can happen to men, too.\u2019<\/p>\n

Mr Noah agrees: \u2018Anyone who does not feel they are being listened to\u00a0\u2013 please seek a second opinion if you are concerned.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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