I'm 43, and about a year and a half ago I came down with what was diagnosed
as acute prostatitis. In that instance, the problem started with a steadily
increasing post-urination dribble problem over a period of time that I was
too embarrassed to discuss with anyone, then suddenly wham, temperature went
through the roof and I was off work and spending my time hobbling to and fro
between bed and toilet. Treatment consisted simply of a course of powerful
antibiotics over what seemed an awful long time (maybe ten weeks or so).
Anyway, at a certain point the doctor gave me the green light and I thought
hopefully "that's that". But now over the last few months I have a set of
new symptoms which the GP thinks are due to BPH. These are: (very) smelly
urine; erection problems; weak urine flow (it feels "blocked", though not as
badly as when I had the prostatitis attack) and a general mild sensation of
heaviness and slight discomfort in lower back almost all the time. Lately,
perhaps unrelatedly, have also been having sleeping problems and waking up
in morning with a few decimals of fever. As I say, GP said "BPH" and booked
me for some sort of scan for which there is a long waiting list (due to come
up in July) but I'm wondering if I should be doing anything meanwhile to at
least alleviate symptoms a bit. Other things that interest me and which my
(female) GP seems unwilling to discuss:

Could some of this stuff (erection problems) be due simply to aging? Is 43
around the sort of age when sexual performance drops noticeably?
I am following a low-calorie diet owing to having put on some weight since
stopping smoking ten months ago. So far it's going quite well, I have lost
14 kilos in about seven weeks and approaching a reasonable weight, but the
diet means I eat only salads, a bit of fruit and canned fish, might this be
bad for the prostate in some way?
I drink far too much coffee (to stay awake at work owing to sleeping
problems), could this be worsening the problem?

Any advice re: diet supplements or non-prescription medication would be
useful. It's been a bad year for me (also suffered from anal fissure,
requiring frequent doctor visits) so trying to keep dr visits down to a
minimum, as this is not looking too good at work.

Pissed Off of Barcelona