A warning to people who are considering this, especially if they're too wimpy to actually discuss stuff like this with their doctor (I'm working on being more open, really I am, but I still tend to try and avoid bringing up things that are embarrassing or may lead to attention being paid to my more personal regions):
BE VERY CAREFUL. I don't think I caused any damage, but I could have. Even if "chronic" is being thrown around it really isn't ONLY chronic if you're having a flare up. Wait for the antibiotics to do their job, and if you absolutely feel the need to try alternative stuff clear it with your doctor. If your doctor won't approve it there's probably a reason.
The details: After thinking "oh, it's chronic, not acute, and I want this gone NOW" I tried almost immediately throwing in prostate massage to "break up any biofilm and aid antibiotic penetration." It hurt, which should have been a big stop sign, but I continued (dumb thing number, what, 64,948?) It hurt a lot, and for a while afterwards, and then I had a fever. Not a huge one, but I hadn't had one before. The only plus side of that was that it was confirmation that the doctor and I were on the right track with the antibiotics. The lucky break was that it didn't get worse - it could have turned into a form of gangrene in a worst-case-scenario.
Dumb thing number 64,949 of course was - wait for it - "oh, I guess I should wait a couple of days before I try again." Well, not as bad, but it still hurt and still hurts. I think I might be finally "waking up," but knowing myself I wouldn't count on it.
I doubt there are too many people out there as _____ (fill in the blank) as me, but if there are here it is again:
DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR HEALTH. Get a doctor you trust and can work with, work WITH them, and respect their advice, especially if something happens. There's something to all those years of medical school and experience that can't be replaced with PubMed, or even PubMed + a friend with access who will pass you the full articles + a few clues of how to evaluate research.
I'm not saying prostate massage doesn't help in any case, and I will be looking into it. What I am saying is be careful and definitely wait until it doesn't hurt unless you doctor specifically OKs it.
Now I just need to bookmark this and make sure I read it about once a month.