I'm 45 years old and first started noticing a small, painful "knot" in the base of my penis about 2 years ago.  I visited a urologist who told me it wasn't cancer (relief) but that it was most likely Peyronies and that there wasn't much that could be done about it.  The pain increased with time and I began to experience difficulty achieving erections.  Over time the ED got worse as I lost sensitivity. My wife suggested that I visit another urologist, and I did.  He told me that it was definitely PS and that the only treatment was surgery, and that was only for the worst cases.  He told me that if I wanted to feel better about it I should look at pictures of some of the severe cases on the internet. The pain has finally receded but I have a curve to the left when I can manage an erection and I have an area at the base of my penis that is constricted like an hourglass.

As bad as the physical symptoms are, the emotional issues are killing me.  When two doctors told me there was nothing I could do I guess I just tried to pretend it wasn't  a problem.  I know that's not a good strategy but I didn't know how else to cope.  Thing is, I haven't been able to perform very well sexually and I guess I have slowly retreated from sex over time.  My wife is frustrated and getting impatient with me and we fight constantly.  It seems pretty hopeless!  I've  sort of disconnected from life and I just go through the motions at work.  I guess I've kind of bottomed out and I am hoping some of you can help me.  I want to save my marriage and find a way out of this depression I've been in.  I want to believe there is something that can be done I guess.  Are there any treatments besides surgery that work?  I don't trust the doctors anymore and the products I read about on the internet seem like snake oil.  What can I do?

Freddy:

Don't take no for an answer about some form of therapy! Sorry to hear that you have not been able to get a good diagnosis and some advice on how to treat your Peyronies Disease. First, let me say that there are no two cases of Peyronies Disease alike. Some are similar, but not exactly the same. Each one has to be treated differently. There is no set rule of thumb on how to treat each individual case. Each case requires a different method of therapy. I had my first bout of Peyronies Disease (and later ED) at the age of 24 years old, now over 86!! I had many therapies done over those intervening years. One just has to keep trying different approaches for therapy.

I strongly suggest that you look long and hard (no pun intended!) at all the links/posts about the Peyronies Disease subject. There are many posts from many members relating their histories and how they treated their individual cases of Peyronies Disease. So, do some research among all the topics and threads/posts that are listed in the home page when you log in.

As I said above, I have been a Peyronies Disease patient since the age of 24/25, now 86 plus, and have gone through many episodes of different symptoms. First suggestion is to ''get your wife on board'' with any therapy/treatment you can find to help with your symptoms. In my case, the VED therapy listed in the VED board section was the only therapy that worked to get rid of my Peyronies Disease symptoms. So, do some research on the VED board section and try to find postings that resemble your symptoms to study and ask questions about.

Suggestion for getting your wife of board with your case: See if she will work with you by reading posts on the forum where men/women explain their individual case of Peyronies Disease, how they treated it, plus posts from men who have had success (like myself since the age of 24/25) by using several different approaches to a good therapy which worked.

Finally, do some research on the main forum among all the posts that appear in the VED section of the home page index.

Let me know if I can be of any help. I am one of two members on the main forum that have the title of senior member which means that there only the two of us who have had many years of experience with therapy for Peyronies Disease and/or ED. So feel free to ask any and all questions to us. The other senior member is JackP. At the moment he is in poor health, but will take the time to help any and all who ask for his help.

Regards, Old Man

FreddyG,

I can only echo what OldMan has stated already. You are no different than many of us on this forum. The reason you feel things are hopeless is because you are now having to deal with something that you know nothing about, and therefore don't know what to do. I had NEVER heard of Peyronies Disease until I had it, and was in as much shock as you are in. And you have dealt with some typical urologists who also did not know how to help you.

There is a lot of information here.... to the point of being overwhelming. Just know you are not alone, arm yourself with information, and set your mind to beating this. There is no quick fix, but you can do something, and your wife can support you through it. Don't give up.

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Freddy,
Don't lose hope. It is important to keep a positive outlook. I can only reiterate what Old Man and LWillis are saying. The approach I take with any doctor is I am the manager of my body and the doctor works for me. If you aren't getting the kind of response you are looking for, seek another doctor out. I get mental thing and the relationship struggle. My wife has been pretty good about the disease process as she is a DNP in women's health so that isn't much of an issue; however, she is very frugal and she is so wedded to the typical medical model she doesn't support supplements even if they show benefit. I would suggest that your wife get on the forum in the women's section and have her talk with Stabler. She is awesome and she may be able to help your wife help you.

Thank you, guys!  I'm so glad I found this forum!  Just reading some of the posts here has given me hope. I've been going through the forum, and there's a ton of info I couldn't find anywhere else.  I'm going to talk to my wife about joining the forum as you've suggested, and I'm going to find a doctor who will treat me.  As hard as this is, knowing that there is hope and that I'm not alone in this has made me feel much better.  Thank you again for your encouragement.  

Freddy;

First step is to find another urologist! The one you've seen is hopeless!  There is a list on this site, hopefully one will be near you. You need to know what stage the disease is at. A Doppler ultrasound will determine the extent off the plaque and if there is any calcification.

Read the sections on oral meds, traction, VED. There a good place to start. As Old Man says, what works for,one may not work for another.

Don't despair!  If all else fails, in most cases Xiaflex or even surgery ( I had mine done via the Egydio technique) will, in the vast majority of cases, give you back the penis you used to have.