New to board, thanks, and a couple questions

[Impromptu]

First, thanks to all of you who take time to offer advice and information on this forum. It's very generous what you are doing.

Here's my personal story & a few questions:

First symptoms appeared 4 years ago when I was 33. I was having very frequent, vigorous sex that likely incurred trauma. First manifestation was significant pain radiating from base of my penis. This aching pain and sensitivity in the area recurred continually, not just during sex, but made any sort of impactful sex impossibly painful. A urologist diagnosed me with Peyronies Disease and identified 1-2 plaques at the base of my penis. He did not prescribe medication, only advised I avoid any activities that caused pain.

After 3 months or so the acute pain subsided and I resumed sex. For the next few years I avoided any impactful or grinding sex that would set off the pain at the base of my penis. I noticed some slight deformation: my penis hangs now to the left a few degrees (the worse plaque is located at the base on the left), the head is a bit more slender, girth is reduced a bit, erections are less solid. But I was still basically able to have sex if I avoided impact. I had a lot of trouble climaxing during sex, but it wasn't impossible. I counted myself lucky to have avoided major distortion.

A couple weeks ago I started a new sexual relationship and after a few days of ill-advised, vigorous sex found myself with most acute symptoms I had originally – aching for days, great sensitivity at base of my penis, inability to do any sort of impactful sex. I also think that I've noticed some decreased girth, at least one small dent at the head, and plaque on the right seems worse/more painful.

I visited a new Urologist who prescribed Pentox, which I'm now taking. I am considering all the supplements advised here.

All in all, I'd estimate, maybe 10% reduced girth and length and a little hinging and angling at base of my penis. *By far my main complaint is pain at base on left and right side stopping me from having impactful sex*, though of course I'm concerned about the risk of further distortion.

My questions to you all:
1) Does anyone have a Peyronies Disease-specialist to recommend in the San Francisco Bay Area?
2) Regarding the recommended supplements - CO Q10, Acetyl L-Carnitine, and L-argnine – is it advisable to start taking all those and Pentox all at the same time?
3) Am I candidate for VED or traction if I don't have a major bend or loss of length? If yes, is traction the first step?

[Skjaldborg]

Impromptu,

Welcome to the forum and sorry you have to be here. My story is somewhat similar to yours in that I got Peyronie's from an injury during sex at the relatively young age of 29 (I'm now 35).

To answer your questions:
1) Does anyone have a Peyronies Disease-specialist to recommend in the San Francisco Bay Area?
One of the best male sexual health urologists is Dr. Tom Lue, at UCSF. He is well regarded on this forum, respected among other urologists and having seen him myself, can vouch that he is an excellent doctor. He is a specialist and requires that you have an existing diagnosis of Peyronie's from another urologist (which it sounds like you do) and you will have to fill out a detailed form. Dr. Lue is one of the best Peyronie's urologists in the US and in the world.  

2) Regarding the recommended supplements - CO Q10, Acetyl L-Carnitine, and L-argnine – is it advisable to start taking all those and Pentox all at the same time? A number of forum members here have discussed their use of supplements. It would be better for you to consult with a doctor about what supplements to take with Pentox, if at all. I do know that most urologists will not recommend taking vitamin E with pentox due to both drugs having strong blood thinning properties.

3) Am I candidate for VED or traction if I don't have a major bend or loss of length? If yes, is traction the first step? Many forum members here have used VED (I have not). I suggest you read up on VEDs here: Vacuum Erection Devices (VEDs) for Peyronie's Disease - PDS - Peyronies Society Forums. The main theme when using VED is go slow and go gentle so as not to re-injure yourself. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Good luck!

-Skjald

[UrsusMinor]

Hi, Impromptu. VEDs and traction both offer benefits, and both have been shown to result in some straightening and lengthening. And both have their advocates here.

At the risk of overgeneralizing, traction appears to be more effective in a shorter time span for lengthening and straightening--although logically it is hard to compare, since traction is typically done for 2-8 hours per day, while VEDs are usually done for about 30 minutes a day.

On the other hand, VEDs are excellent for increasing blood flow and expanding the penis in terms of girth. (Traction, on the other hand, somewhat constricts blood flow in the areas where the device is attached.) I would say you are definitely a candidate for VED. Increased blood flow is always a good thing.

There are some suggestions from animal experiments that using both traction and VED may be optimal https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,5057.0.html .

I had a lot of rough, impactful sex over many decades, and never noticed anything more that a little soreness. Now that I have Peyronie's, I wouldn't go back to that kind of sex even if I were cured tomorrow; I'm too conscious of how surprisingly delicate the penis can be. So I'd advise you to rethink your desire to get back to high-impact sex.

Then one day--not after sex, not really after anything in particular other than a restless night--I woke up with a severe curve in my penis. The injury theory is popular, and there are definitely people who get Peyronie's from acute trauma. But the truth is that a lot of us here have no idea how this happened to us!

[Impromptu]

Skjaldborg: thanks a lot for your thoughtful response. I'll follow your advice and try to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lue.

UrsusMinor: thanks also for your feedback. This is really helpful stuff. Discretion is the better part of valor I suppose.