A bit about me and my gentleman's area...

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peyronies_dave

[takes deep breath]

Hi everyone, here's a little about who I am and why I'm here.

I'm a 54 year old journalist who is based in the UK (West Yorkshire) with a complex medical history, aren't they all? I'll stick to the things involving my gentleman's area. A few years ago I had mesh surgery on a large inguinal hernia (surgeon commented it was one of the largest he had seen) which left me with damage to the genitofemoral nerve and pain so severe that I was left on morphine for 18 months.

Obviously, sex was out of the question during this period as an erection hurt like you wouldn't believe. After two years I was finally discharged from the pain clinic, off of all pain meds and with only some residual change of sensation around the scar area.

Courtesy of avoiding sexual arousal, combined with the pain I was having in the general groin and penis area, I had failed to spot that I had also started to develop a curve to my penis. Only when I was off the meds did I realise that it was painful as anything to hold my penis for a wee, and when my partner and I were intimate the combination of tenderness/pain and bend of the penis stopped us before we got going.

Anyway, I got a referral on the NHS here in the UK to see a consultant urologist who diagnosed Peyronie's and put me on Potaba powders for six months which made no difference and the curve became more severe. I was then put onto a vacuum pump for six months with similar (negative) results. My last consultation with the urologist would have ended with him suggesting we leave it a year to see how it goes, were it not for my complaining about how depressed I was and the impact this was having on my relationship even though my partner is incredibly supportive.

I ended up being referred to 'a specialist in Leeds' - which turned out to be the Paul Sykes Centre at St James's University Hospital. I was first seen by a registrar who took my Peyronie's much more seriously then the first chap. She explained the various options I was facing, all surgical. I was also put onto Sildenafil (Viagra) for me to gauge how good my erections actually were, having explained I could get a 'semi' but couldn't do anything with it! When I returned to the clinic with the photographs of my erect penis, I saw the consultancy surgeon, Mr Oliver Kayes. He turned out to be equally nice, very friendly and very straightforward.

To cut a long story short, I was diagnosed with 'complex Peyronie's disease' with a left-lateral curvature of 45 degrees and a dorsal curvature of 80 degrees, plus erectile dysfunction. I got a decent erection with the Viagra, but could not maintain it for longer than a couple of minutes.

We went through all the various surgical options, and ended up agreeing that grafting/reconstruction and at the same time a penile implant fitted would be best for me. The consultant, who is also a senior lecturer at the teaching hospital group, confided if he had what I had this is what he would want for himself. Essentially, my history meant that grafting alone would likely not help the ED in the short or long term, and the risks of further dysfunction as a result of the dorsal grafting procedure meant it could get worse. The combined surgery gives me the opportunity of having a functional penis immediately post-recovery.

So, now I'm waiting for my pre-surgical assessment and counselling session with specialist nurses in September, after which I will get a date for surgery. When that date will be I cannot say, as this is the NHS and not private. I'm currently still in the 'shitting myself about it all' phase, aided by the most supportive partner possible (who has sat in on all the consultations with me) and reading through the experiences of folks who have been there and done that both here and on FT. I suspect, given my naturally gobby nature, I'll be asking questions and posting updates in the relevant forums in the weeks and months to come...
UK-based, mid-fifties, 'complex' peyronie's with ED, awaiting graft + implant surgery on NHS

Thomas2

hi Dave, welcome to the forum. Best wishes for your upcoming operation!
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