PMP quick update

[MacMathuna]

I've been doing PMP almost two months now. I'm only usually managing around 3 hours a day, but occasionally I'll get in up to six.

I have pea-sized plaques just behind my glans, on either size, and I notice that, just after removing the PMP, these plaques are softer or more diffuse, especially on the right side. Sometimes, I can't even feel the plaque on the right side. The tissue around the plaques feels spongy and maybe sort of veinous.

Anyway, the plaques are palpable again after a number of minutes. No discernible permanent change yet, but I guess I know that the PMP is definitely stretching the plaques.

Also, not worried about breaking my dick so much anymore. It feels a little more pliant during sex... less uncomfortably rigid when erect. I feel like maybe traction has helped with that.

[Mr man]

Well done. Considering where the plaques are located. Your doing a fantastic job. Traction will usually always help. It's helped me and many on this site.

[MacMathuna]

Thanks guys.
Feeling really frustrated and sad today.

I still don't think I've had any persistent improvements on the plaques behind my glans. Do you think I should just do more hours? I'm unemployed during COVID, so F~@< it, I've got the time.
Feels depressing to wear this thing every day though. I usually do PMP sitting down because I get a better stretch with my pubic bone pressing against the base of the PMP. But I don't want to have to sit around all day. Ugh, I'm just complaining.

I've also got a pretty rigid, flat plaque on the dorsal side right behind my glans, that I can only palpate when I'm doing the stretch. I think it tucks under my glans the when my penis isn't stretched out. I haven't noticed that it's reacting to the stretch though.

There's also flat, diffuse plaque on both sides of my penis, but especially the left side. There's also a cord-shaped plaque running up both sides of my penis. I haven't noticed much of anything with these. I don't have much sexual sensation wherever I've got plaque and that's the part that's really been F^@$!ng me up.

I haven't noticed much of anything with the curve, but my girlfriend says she thinks it looks a little bit better.

I might have noticed a little improvement in distal hourglassing when erect. The distal part of my penis is much skinnier than the base when flaccid, and I haven't noticed that this has gotten any better.

I have an ventral and distal indentation that is only apparent when erect. I haven't noticed that this has improved at all.

I'm just feeling hopeless about it all today. Yesterday I was feeling more optimistic, but it just wears you down having to put so many hours into getting rid of this and any improvements are super incremental...
 

[MacMathuna]

@Mr man

If you could share a more detailed account of your experience/improvements with traction, or link me to a thread where you talk about it... I could use the encouragement right now.  

[DarthPronius]

I recently ordered a PMP and have been using it regularly for 3 weeks now. I haven't seen the kind of improvement I would like to see yet, but I have noticed the kinds of things you've mentioned though - temporary softening of the plaques, and lengthening when flaccid. I hope that over time, these temporary improvements will become longer lasting.

I've noticed some of my plaques "dissolving", or disappearing, which was sort of surprising. Not sure which of the things I'm doing has contributed to it. At one point, I had these nodules at the base, halfway up and 2/3's of the way up the shaft on the dorsal side that were 3 - 8 mm in diameter, and the one at the base was more like a cord that was almost an inch long. These were the first nodules I noticed about a year and a half ago, but now I can no longer feel the two smaller plaques on the shaft, and the large one at the base seems to have shrunk & gotten softer. Unfortunately (possibly because of overly aggressive VED), there were two more plaques that formed on either side toward the end, behind the glans. These have caused  narrowing up at the top 1/3 of the shaft and these are my focus now. BUT, there seems to be evidence from my own experience that plaques can shrink and/or disappear, so I'm hoping that these two new plaques can also be made to get softer and shrink.

In addition to PMP I'm also doing some light VED and a pile of supplements. I went to see a uro and got an Rx for pentoxifylline and sildenafil (generic viagra). I don't know if those have helped, but I can say that some of my plaques have sort of dissolved. I think some inflammation has gone away - I don't know which of these treatments were the most helpful but SOMETHING seems to be helping.

If this helps your current regimen at all, I am using the strap attachment to the PMP, which lets me use the PMP while walking around and doing other stuff. I have a watch with a timer, and right now I time it so I do 3 hours to the right and 3 hours to the left with about an hour break (helps that I'm unemployed now). I'm managing 6 hours per day now without being forced to sit or stay immobile.

I wish I had more experience to share at this point, but this is all I have for now. I know it's really a challenge to stay positive and optimistic, so I wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this struggle and best of luck!

[MacMathuna]

Thanks, Darthpronius.

I do feel that traction is helping with some things for sure.

I think I prefer the rod system just because you can tell just how much tension you're applying. With the strap, I never know if I'm applying enough tension, and I feel that the tension can change suddenly if you bump it or jostle it so I'm reluctant to wear the strap very much. I've tried it a few times.
Mostly I just read while I've got the device on, so it's not so bad as long as covid's going on and I have the time. I don't feel like i'd be up for doing much else than sit around if I had the strap on anyway.  

[DarthPronius]

That's true, I can't tell how much tension I'm applying and sometimes it feels like too much. My penis feels fatigued some days and I wonder if I am making things worse. I have plaques on either side that seem to vary in size and hardness from day to day. What I find encouraging is that some of the older plaques that I had seem to have gone away or receded. But I'm not sure what exactly is causing this- my supplements, traction/ VED, or just time??

[MacMathuna]

@DarthPronius

Ok, dude.
So, you've experienced temporary softening of plaques from traction?
Sometimes when I take off the PMP some of my plaques are a lot smaller feeling and softer.

So, I recently had a (free) video consult with Dr. Trost at the Male Fertility and Peyronie's Clinic. And he's telling me that, based on my description of my symptoms, the "plaque" behind my glans is likely not plaque at all. He thinks that what I'm experiencing is "hypercontractile smoothe muscle tone" which is sort of what it sounds like--the smoothe muscle tissue in my penis is contracted or bunched up creating a nodule.
He also thinks that my dorsal plaque behind my glans has something to do with the ligaments that connect my cavernosi to my spongiosum (these ligaments start on the dorsal side of the penis).

ANYWAY, the "hypercontractile smoothe muscle tone" theory makes sense to me because traction has been able to stretch out this tensed/bunched up tissue so that there is less palpable nodularity, but then the nodules reform pretty quickly. I don't believe that a plaque or scar would behave like this, so I think it's pretty likely that this is what's going on.
Unfortunately traction, while stretching out the tissue, doesn't actually do anything to permanently resolve this problem, and may even make it worse.
I'm going to continue with traction anyway, since I know I have some minor calcifications further down my shaft.
Dr. Trost thinks that the HCSMT is caused b/c my body is producing too much adrenaline. He's not sure I can SOLVE this problem, but I'm going to ramp up my self care--meditation, yoga, deep breathing, massage (not of the plaques--don't touch the plaques), etc.

Since you seem to be experiencing a similar thing with how traction effects your "plaques", I thought you might be interested in this, and might even consider reaching out to the Male Fertility and Peyronie's Clinic for a free consult to see what kind of insight they might have on your situation. It's FREE.
They only do video consults if you're in the US, and only in certain states (but I'm not in one of those states and I just filled out the consult request form without telling them where I was, and it was fine.)

I really think you should talk to them and see what you can learn.

[DarthPronius]

@MacMathuna

That is really interesting, thanks! Good to know that there might be other types of "plaque" / tissue problems at play here and they're not necessarily all the same.

My "plaques" right now, whatever they are, feel like they're actually IN the cavernosa, or actually ARE the cavernosa being clumped-up on either side in the top 1/3rd of the penis, causing narrowing/hourglassing rather than curvature.

The self-care routine you've described seems like a good idea and it's one that I'm trying to do also now. I think I'm going to take a little break from the PMP, and focus on preventing hard-flaccid, making sure it's all "hanging loose" down there as often as possible with good circulation. So, trying to focus on fitness, full-body stretching, breathing, etc, the same stuff you've described. I'm going to try to cut out anything I can that is associated with "hard-flaccid" or poor circulation down there, even if that includes COFFEE.  

Looking at all of the different "cures" or regimes that people used, in the other thread "Improvement - Accounts of improvements in deformity or erection" I've noticed that the more holistic treatments are mentioned as often, if not more often, than traction or VED. These "holistic" treatments are things like exercise, diet (fasting being a big one), pelvic floor relaxation, heat-packs, living in a warm place, and in general promoting good circulation down in the pelvic area.

All of these things that focus on overall health are going to be my focus for the next month. I feel like once I can fix my "hard-flaccid" circulation issues, then I can graduate to mechanical traction and VED, but not before. I feel like the PMP traction routine has been too harsh lately, when I start using the PMP while circulation is not good down there. Sometimes it's a little painful and overall i dont feel like my penis is "breathing" as well when I have the PMP on. I think I'll start using that and the VED once I can improve circulation naturally first.

Thanks for the info and I'll keep that in mind re: Dr. Trost. In the meantime, I appreciate the updates and hope to hear about progress and/or things that have helped, will do the same.

[MacMathuna]

@DarthPronius

Great!
Let me know how your penis is feeling with the new regiment.
(Dr. Trost tells me that VED and Traction are bad for the whole "hypercontractile smoothe muscle tissue". I'm curious if your hard flaccid gets any better while you're taking a break from these modalities.)

Be on touch if you do end up doing a video consult at the Male Fertility and Peyronie's Clinic.
And let me know if anything is working for you.

Thanks

[terrafirma13]

hi mate - same problem... hourglassing right near the glans, and zero sensation even though i can get erect. how you managing that? would be great to stay in touch  -  i have a feeking that the plaque is hitting up against the NVB and destrying any sensation. so, i ahd a consult with dr kuehhas in austria and he will take a look. also gonna check with dr levine if he is willing to do the surgery. i did 4 injections of xiaflex and plaque has gotten bigger....i went to dr valenzuela who thinks its too dangerous to do surgery... ive been dealing with this 6 years  - 10 international doctors noone can solve... its a freakling joke
all the best