Can anyone describe exactly what plaque looks like?

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LightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel

Hi guys. Ive been on here as a guest the past couple months but decided to join and share my story since this forum has helped me a great deal. I'll try my best to give you the cliff notes of my story.

December 2016 - Started experiencing slight discomfort during masturbation but nothing serious enough to prevent me from having sex or masturbating.  

February 2017 - Discomfort turned to pain. I also noticed slight hourglassing and indentation mid-way on the left side of my shaft. I began to see what i could only describe as a slightly raised vein forming below the area of the indentation near the base which i had never noticed before. Quickly went to see a urologist who completely dismissed my claims without even looking at my penis.

By March 2017 the pain became severe and it was becoming extremely difficult to maintain a firm erection. I could notice the indentation getting much worse and i was noticing new veins popping up that hadnt been there before as i heard others mention, and i felt like the shape of my penis was changing for the worst. Also noticed another vein like plaque

At the beginning of last month i finally had enough and sought out a urologist who specializes in  peyronies at Boston Medical Center. I went in to have an ultrasound and i told the doctor where i felt the pain as well as the location in which i noticed the 'plaque'. He said he didnt feel anything and then induced an erection using a shot into my penis. They never warned me before hand thats what was going to happen, and i really wish they had at least let me try to obtain an erection on my own first because it hurt like a bastard and all i could think about was the fact that i just got a needle shot into my dick and it made it extremely difficult to become fully aroused. The ultrasound results came back completly normal and i left the office feeling like i had dodged a major bullet. The doctor prescribed me pentox and cialis and told me to make a follow up 6 months down the road. In the back of my head I still felt like something wasnt quite right due to the fact i was still seeing changes in shape and was still in constant pain even when flacid. I also began to think... if everything is normal then why the hell would this doctor prescribe me anti-inflamatory and ED pills?

I kept doing research online and came across this forum. My heart immediately dropped when i read several posts from members saying doppler ultrasounds are not always accurate and even though docotrs told them everything was normal they were eventually diagnosed with peyronies months later. Would anyone be able to confirm if there is any truth to that? I almost feel like its worse that the doctor told me everything is completely normal because in my head i began to think im fine when the reality there really is serious damage in my penis that they are not detecting.


And now for the main reason i created this post. I have been taking the pentox for about three weeks and i didnt see much improvement in terms of shape or pain level. It took me a while to get the cialis since it wasnt covered by my insurance but i have been taking that for about a week. I immediately noticed improvements in my erection quality and pain levels the first day taking cialis. By the fourth day I was felt minimal discomfort, the hourglassing began to improve, my erections were much stronger and i was getting spontaneous hard on's for the first time in months. I felt amazing like i was finally turning the corner on whatever had been damaging my penis, and the suddenly today it all changed and i feel like i had a major setback. The intense pain returned. I also noticed two new plaques, both on the right side of the penis this time but in similar locations to those on the left. They look like veins color wise, but they definitly were not there before and I have noticed a slight indentation at the sight of one of the plaques on the right side similar to how the hourglassing looked in the early stages when I first discovered it on the left side. They looked like new veins that are emerging and causing sort of a visible lump that comes off the side of the penis like a bulging vein. It seems like the size and shape of my penis is constantly changing. Its growing all sorts of new lumps, bumps, and indents and I am now officially in full panic mode. I am petrified i am going to get hourglassing on both sides of the base, lose all my girth, and have a deformed ugly dick for the rest of my life. What woman would want to marry that?

My main question is how do i differentiate between a new vein thats formed or a peyronies plaque. My largest one feels slightly hard and i have read that is how you know, but are there any other ways to know for sure? Could we possibly get a photo gallery going of guys suffering from Peyronies Disease who have visible plaque that they could show the rest of us for reference. Just a thought. I would really appreciate any and all feedback.




LWillisjr

The rare times I have heard of a wrong diagnosis is when the person was going to a doctor who was NOT a Peyronies specialist. IF the doctor is not a specialist why would I expect him/her to properly diagnose or not.

Sounds like the person you are going to at least knows something about treating Peyronies. They prescribed you Pentox/Cialis which is more inline with what we would expect. Sounds like you have pain and no curvature, or at least you didn't infer any curvature. I think for now I would tend to believe your doctor.

And... I have posted this many times... you cannot 'see' plaque. If you think you can then you don't quite understand what it is or the way plaque interacts with the erection process to create curvature.
Developed peyronies 2007 - 70 degree dorsal curve
Traction/MEDs/Injections/Surgery 2008 16 years Peyronies free now
My History

LightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel

Hey LWilliSjr

Thanks for the quick response. When you say " They prescribed you Pentox/Cialis which is more inline with what we would expect" what do you mean by that? More in line with what you would expect from someone who is suffering peyronies? Just curious if you could elaborate more on that. I really want to trust my doctor and I know he has experience dealing with peyronies patients, it just really scared me to read that others had ultrasounds that came back completely normal but months later found out the ultrasound was unable to detect early signs of plaque. Do you think those people are just misinformed?


And also I do have curvature. The doctor said he didnt notice any significant curve, but I clearly notice an hourglassing on the left side that was not there previously and it is in the exact same area where i feel the intense pain as i mentioned in my first post. So under no circumstances is the plaque ever visible? I see a raised lump that feels slightly hard in the exact area that i feel pain and where I see the hourglassing occuring. I'm noticing more and more of these popping up. I know its not all in my head as there are clearly visible changes to my penis over the past few months. Any possibilty they are just veins?  

rjl88

Quote from: Ih8peyronies on June 12, 2017, 04:32:11 AM
visible lump that comes off the side of the penis like a bulging vein.
maybe that there could be mondors disease?

LWillisjr

Years ago most doctors would say "wait and see" or would prescribe varapamil cream which I believe does nothing. Most Peyronies specialists will now prescribe Pentox to help with pain and to improve blood flow to the penis. And if you have curvature will also suggest Xiaflex injections and the use of traction and/or VED. So since  you were prescribed Pentox is why I say is more inline with what I would expect from someone who is more knowledgeable of how to treat Peyronies.
Developed peyronies 2007 - 70 degree dorsal curve
Traction/MEDs/Injections/Surgery 2008 16 years Peyronies free now
My History

LightAtTheEndOfTheTunnel

What do you think these lumps could be? It looks like new raised veins have appeared all over my penis that bulge out to the side. Im positivee they were not there this time last year. I have one that is particularly large near the base, its not easily found, but when i move my penis to the right i can clearly see it. Its hard to the touch and right above the lump is where i see the most prominant indentation. Since it is right near the base my penis now jets out to the side as if there is a lump there. I know youre not a doctor but it sounds as if you have cured yourself and been without peyronies for 8 years. Id love to know your process if you dont mind.  

Tychy

@Ih8peyronies:
The scar tissue is compressing your veins. Either directly by being around a vein or by compressing it at an angle. As inflow pressure remains the same, the other veins will dilate more to compensate. Therefore they are also hard to the touch.  

NeoV

Even specialists can rarely see plaque on an ultrasound. The Japanese urologists actually think it's impossible. Tom Lue pioneered the ultrasound diagnostic but even he mistook one of our member's problem to be Peyronie's and later said it was mondor's. The literature will tell you that it's quite difficult to differentiate between veins, lymph vessels, and scarring. Use your fingers to pronounce the vein-like stuctures and a flashlight. If they are bluish, they are lymphatic vessels or major veins. Thrombosis can last years. I had it for two full years and it took weeks or abstinence to really diminish.

The urologist was smart to treat it like Peyronie's. If you have any bending, you better treat it like Peyronie's. I highly recommend the physical therapies along with the drugs and CoQ10. I also highly recommend complete abstinence for a week. Zero erection checking and no porn usage. You may have a lot of inflammation and now hypoxia in the damaged areas of your penis. The drugs should be helping so don't lose hope. Lue somewhere stated that it takes 9 months or more to see results from Pentox. This disease is a long term serious issue, so look far far into the future and try your best to treat yourself well. We're here for you man.

JayGould

NeoV were you cured from abstaining? Did you end up with scar tissue anyway?

NeoV

I'll never be cured in the sense that I'll always have to combat the disease with my diet and daily habits. My primary bend is greatly diminished and nearly unnoticeable, and a newer bend that resulted from an injury during sex is slowly smoothing out with traction. I can't feel any scar on my primary bend but the new site of injury may have a palpable scar. It's very hard to tell. Abstaining simply improved my penile health, making it more elastic when flaccid and much harder during sex or when I did masturbate.

Tychy

@NeoV: my urologist was able to see a thickening in the tunica on Doppler when he was perpendicular to the injury site. It was even recognizable to me when looking on the screen. But you are right, actual scar tissue is only likely to show up if it has severe calcification.