Protocol to regain size/prevent further size loss & COPING

[Ineedtosleep]

Hello all,

This will be fairly long, but please consider reading the whole thing for context. Otherwise, please skip to the bottom part where I propose my protocol. I'd really appreciate your insight and advice because I am at a crossroads in my journey. Thank you very much in advance.

I took Finasteride for a few months and, among many more horrific side effects, developed Peyronies Disease  during that time. I have made great strides in resolving many of the side effects from my fallout with Finasteride, and I would consider myself 100% recovered if I had my old penis back. I'm here on this forum now to try and mitigate any further damage to my penis, as well as (hopefully) regain some lost size.

My current profile is as follows:

History:
Developed Erectile Dysfunction while on the drug, which worsened for months after discontinuing. No NTE/MW for months, no spontaneous erections or libido.
Developed the fabled hourglass about a month after discontinuation. Most prominent during semi erection.
Slowly, and imperceptibly at first, lost overall size, primarily girth. I lost around .25" in length, .5" in girth (.7" near site of Peyronies Disease).
Noticed slight indentations, like a ribbed penis, on the lower third, left side of my erection, that have progressively hardened and become 'deeper'. The hardness and deepness is actually fairly variable, dependent on EQ and good days/bad days, but they are always present. Not palpable while flaccid or even semi erect. Significant girth loss at base in this area.
Hard flaccid for months, now penis is longer and skinnier when flaccid. This is also variable, but generally the case now.

Currently:
I no longer have Erectile Dysfunction. I am able to achieve a hard erection, albeit through manual stimulation. I can achieve somewhat of an erection through mental stimulation, but not a full one. I can maintain an erection in all positions, even standing.
I would say that I have NTEs almost every night, and MW more frequently than not. These are generally not as strong as they were prior to Fin though. I do occasionally have spontaneous erections during the day, but nowhere near as many as the amount I would have everyday prior to Finasteride.
I do not have the hourglass effect anymore; however, I do not know if this is due to size loss and it's really still there, or if it was actually corrected.
I'm able to have sex without pain, although I am careful.
Left side indents are still there and more prominent than before; I've developed similar indentations/ribs on the right side in the exact same area fairly recently.
I'm extremely insecure about my current size, even though I am still above average. I miss my old girth, and it causes me a lot of psychological distress. I'm working on accepting this and letting go, and is very much why I'm reaching out to the forum today.

Protocol:

In short, I'd like to add a VED, traction, and pelvic floor exercises to my routine. Specifically, the SOMA and RestoreX.

I attempted to use the bathmate in the past; however, it was difficult to use and I overpumped. Afterwards, I started to develop new indentations on the right side of my shaft (exactly the same as on the left) and I'm worried that they are progressing in much the same way as the ones on my left. I'm hesitant to start using a VED again after this experience. It seems to me a very sharp double edged sword with the potential to improve and worsen my situation. The SOMA seems like a more gentle, nuanced VED than the bathmate, which is why I'm considering it, but I have read that people have had similar issues with it all the same.

Traction, I am not as sure. I have read that traction has made some user's conditions worse as well, especially ones with similar indentations/ribbing like mine, or even caused new indentiations/issues. That being said, there are many more positive experiences with traction on this forum and others, so I'm leaning towards trying it out. I would be using it for improving my overall penile health, primarily. I do not have any significant bending of the penis. It hinges left, starting at the top of the site of my indentations, but it's very slight and does not cause me any distress. Like I said, the benefits I'm looking to gain from traction are increased penis elasticity, health, and any ancillary length gain.

MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR ME:

Through my journey, I have recognized and learned many things, one of them being the value and power of acceptance. There was a long period of my life where my mental faculties and other areas of health were so bad that I did not care about my penis or sex life. At some points, I told myself that I would live the rest of my life as a eunich as long as I could have my mind back. I have almost all of it back now, and I'm extremely grateful and try to practice gratitude every day. I do not take my health for granted any longer.

Furthermore, while my penis is not the same as it once was, it is still functional and capable. I can engage in sex, its pleasurable for my partners, its pleasurable for me, it's straight, it's sensitive, it's painless.

Which is why I wonder if this is worth it? I know that improving my penis in size and function will make me feel 10x better; I know that harming it and making it worse at my own hand will make me feel 100x worse. I experienced this with the bathmate. I've experienced this with many other things, F^@$!ng around with supplements and otherwise in order to heal from Finasteride.

That said, I also don't want to sit around and watch it regress further on it's own, questioning whether or not I should have done something to combat further deterioration and progression of Peyronies Disease. Taking action feels good to me, knowing that I'm doing something, anything, is better than nothing.

This wasn't as succinct or as put together as I'd like, but it's a start. I'll be around to interact with anyone who responds to this thread. Please let me know what your thoughts are, any suggestions, or if you have any further questions.

All the best to you all.

[Mikel7]

Welcome to the forum Ineedtosleep.  It appears that you have filled out your signature line somewhat.  You might want to add your age and a few other details about your situation. If you havnnot read the survival guide then here it is -->https://www.peyroniesforum.net/index.php/topic,3180.msg44057.html#msg44057 . The info there is very helpful and can give you some direction.

Have you been evaluated by a Dr? Any ultrasounds ?  I am not familiar with the Bathmate and the degree of vacuum that is being directed on the penis. The VED protocol suggested here in the forum should not induce any more damage. It should only help duplicate the normal route of an erection.

The traction listed here also helps a lot of us guys. Now I say traction with the word "gentle" and not strong. When guys are in the acute stage and try different treatments they usually account their new injury to the therapy.  Peyronies is a mysterious monster that can change sometimes overnight for some.  The key is consistency and gentle.  This is a marathon and not a sprint.

Now on Finasteride. In my opinion it is a nasty drug and can mess you up for a long time and some men have had to go on HRT for life because of it.  I know some men do just fine on it - but I would never take it. I have been on HRT now for 17 years and know quite a bit about it. You maybe need your free T levels checked along with your DHT and E2 estrogen to see where you are at now.  I read your intro post and you are 25?  For a young man like yourself your T levels should be in the upper range.

It also sounds like you have put this disease in perspective and have not let it get a hold of you emotionally.  This is a big part of success for a lot of us. Our mind can take us down a very dark path if you let it. You seem to have accepted this and are trying to deal with this from a healthy emotional perspective.  That is 1/2 of the battle!

I also had some pelvic floor issues because of me injuring my tailbone. I had to go through pelvic floor therapy doing stretches and exercises to re-stabilize everything down there. It takes time. Proper VED and traction should provide you with some benefit.  You are young enough that you should heal faster than us older gents here.  Good luck    Mikel7

[Ineedtosleep]

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post @Mikel7. I cannot agree with you more re: Finasteride - it is an extremely powerful drug that should only be reserved as a last line of treatment, and it's risks should, at the very least, be more acknowledged in the medical community and communicated to patients who are prescribed it. I don't think it should be available as a treatment for hairloss at all. To anyone else who is reading this - I would recommend that you stay clear of Finasteride and all potent 5ar inhibitors, even natural ones like Saw Palmetto.

I have had extensive testing done due to my fallout w/ Finasteride. Initially, when I was at my worst, I had an extremely poor and volatile hormonal profile. Total T in the 100s, Free T below 7. I'm not going to provide ranges, because most people who are familiar will recognize those numbers. As I've recovered over the past few years, my total T has climbed into the 700s, and my Free T was on the high end of the range around 19. E2 stabilized around 22-25. I generally feel 1000x better today, and it's coincided with a generally healthier penis, but not so much an improvement in my Peyronies Disease.

I also did receive an ultrasound that did come back normal, with no detectable plaque or fibrosis. I had to show my urologist pictures of my erect penis to receive this, and she did acknowledge the hourglassing and indentations, but these did not show. Weird stuff. I have heard many stories of similar experiences though, and I know that fibrosis and plaque can be detected via other methods like elastographies.

I am going to pull the trigger on the RestoreX and the SOMA and take it very slow. My plan is to perform one or the other in the morning when my penis typically feels the healthiest. I'm going to warm up via rice sock as well. Would anyone recommend against a cold shower afterwards? I take one every morning; however, studies show that cold exposure can blunt some of the benefits conferred by exercise by reducing the inflammation response (a healthy one necessary to the breakdown and repair of muscles). Obviously we're not truly 'working out here', and controlling inflammation is key, but I have also read about many men who claim that 'warming down' has really helped as well, so I'm not sure if going fromm hot to cold instantly is a great idea. I don't want to get lost in the minutia here though.

Also, has anyone ever performed traction in an infrared sauna? I feel like it would be the perfect environment to perform traction or any other rehabilitative exercises, due to the temperature, heightened vascular response, and free 30 minutes of time to just sit, etc. I could also see it being very difficult, as you are dripping sweat and your penis could slip out Looking for anecdotal experiences here.

Otherwise, on the subject of HRT, I have used DHT prohormones in the past to help resolve and overcome my fallout with Finasteride (dubbed PFS). They were topical androsterone and epiandrosterone, and these helped improve my recovery tremendously. While I did not regain any size, I did see an improvement in my EQ and NTE/MW. I do plan on running a few more cycles and will keep this board updated with any notable consequences as they pertain to Peyronies Disease and my general penis health. I am not condoning the use of these compounds for the treatment of Peyronies Disease; however, DHT is an amazing molecule and imperative to so many functions in the male body, especially as it pertains to penile health and regulation. The second I tanked mine to zero was when I developed Peyronies Disease. It's obviously a million times more complicated than this, but if I see any acute changes that I believe are attributable to these compounds, I will let you know here.

[Mikel7]

Your hormone levels look pretty good. I would say to try and keep your own natural Testosterone production.  You do not want to go on HRT for life. Your own system will shut down and you may never get it back.  Your Free T is good and your E2 s perfect.  Yes Finasteride is a monster, many men on the hormone forum I am on can attest to that fact. DHT levels are responsible for a healthy penis and reducing inflammation.  The downside is that if you are prone to male pattern baldness as you age you can loose hair.

Traction in the sauna could be productive as long as the device doesn't slip off, I would give it a try.   Cold showers could be counterproductive for your penis but are great for your body otherwise and invigorating - I use to take short cold showers in the morning.

The hourglassing and indentations you have may be alleviated through traction and VED. Just remember to use the protocol here. You may also try some exercising/walking light weightlifting etc...  You. are young and may just rcover fine from this.

I would attribute your injury to the finasteride screwing up your hormones.  Levels in the low 100's are bad.  When I was placed on HRT my total T was 101 and the Dr's were puzzled and I was not using any other drugs. You are gonna pull through this!