prostate or prostrate

as i sat waiting for a dear friend to meet me for a delicious, refreshing trippel at the equinox brewery, i overheard three gentlemen very openly discussing prostatitis.  now, of course i thought i had misheard them, so i began to listen more intently.  sure enough, "i had prostatitis, too!" was clearly sung above the ambient music cascading through the speakers.

according to mayoclinic.com:
"Prostatitis, a disease of the prostate gland, can cause pain in the groin, painful urination, difficulty urinating and related symptoms. The prostate gland produces components of semen, the fluid that helps support and transport sperm. The gland, about the size and shape of a walnut, sits directly below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube that transports both semen and urine to the penis."

these men, two of which had kids in tow, were complaining of these exact symptoms.  they relayed tales of pain when sitting, pain when urinating, and difficulty ejaculating.  i had to wonder if they meant to speak this openly with the whole bar audience.  the thing i found interesting was that they were not complaining of inflammation because i have learned that "-itis" is a suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation.

but then according to urbandictionary.com:
"Itis is the drowsy or sleepy effect linked to digesting large meals, usually high in fat or salt content."

so i didn't know what to think because urban dictionary is so accurate and reliable.

further research unveiled that the reason prostatitis is painful and causes difficulty with nether functions is because of inflammation of the prostate gland.  below is an image that shows how the urethra passes through the prostate, and how any swelling of the prostate can affect urination.

as quickly as the conversation started, it stopped.  and they moved onto man's best friend.  sadly, one of their dogs has stage 4 interstitial fasciitis.  clearly, the inflammation of fascia.  perhaps the topic for another blog...