Worried after using a pump and constriction ring

[robotunicorn]

About 6 days ago, I tried using a pump to see what effect it would have. It didn't seem to be working. Every time I pumped, it would get very slightly more erect, then immediately deflate. I assumed there was a leak in the cylinder or something like that since the gauge wasn't going above zero. I was using this silicone TPR sleeve that came with the pump, and it was around an inch in diameter. I should have known this was too small, but it came with the pump. I kept pumping anyway, probably 20-30 times over the course of a minute or less. But I never reached my normal erect size, and I didn't get an erection. Then I gave up and took it off.

After that I tried putting on this constriction ring that came with the pump. In hindsight , it was also way too tight. It's a silicone ring so it's pretty stretchy, but it's only around 3/4 of an inch wide. Even my flaccid size is (or was) double that. I only had the ring on for a few seconds and immediately took it off.

Since then, it's been very shriveled and desensitized (but still sore), and also slightly cold and discolored/pale. It feels lifeless and empty, and when it shrivels up, it sometimes seems to get narrower at the base. I've also noticed a slight burning sensation and itchiness in that area sometimes. I JO'd shortly after it happened since I was worried and wanted to check if it worked, and it was softer than normal but it kind of worked that time. Nothing after though. I've been using cialis and citrulline, and it's not working. I couldn't even force an erection if I tried ( I won't). CiaLis also has some bad side effects for me (digestive and it makes me feel exhausted), so I'm hestitant to continue using it.

This is giving me a lot of anxiety. I'm worried that I'll have permanent Erectile Dysfunction and it's never going to heal. Is there any chance this is temporary and it will get better if I just leave it alone? Has anyone here ever healed from an injury like this?

[Pfract]

Welcome to the forum! I understand your concern. I would be too! If you were able to masturbate right after it is a good thing. As for not being able to force an erection, you might be so nervous that it won't work.

I would say 100% leave it alone for now. If you did not have any swelling, bruising, blood spots or massive pain, chances are you are fine! Give it two weeks rest for starters.

[robotunicorn]

Thank you. There is some slight pain around the base, but I wouldn't describe it as massive, and it's not constant. It does feel tender and a bit puffy, but it's not swollen. I don't see any blood spots either. I think it's slowly starting to improve.  

[Pfract]

Those are great news! Give it time!

[robotunicorn]

I went to the urologist. He said he didn't feel any plaque or scarring. I don't know if this is normal, but he grabbed the tip and pulled on it pretty hard, stretching it while it was flaccid. He also insisted it was purely psychological (which I don't believe is true) and said I shouldn't need to refrain from being sexually active. So I went home and tried using it, and now it seems to have gotten worse. Maybe it would've gotten worse anyway, not really sure. But the burning sensation has gotten more noticeable all around the base and it's even sore further up on the shaft. I could sometimes feel it radiate to the pelvic and rectal area. And the tissue feels very tight and constricted like it can't expand normally.  It goes beyond just nervousness, the tissue feels different. I have a bad feeling that this is the beginning of corporal fibrosis and/or peyronie's. Is it really possible that a temporary tissue injury could feel like this and it would heal? Should I be taking any medication?

[giancolo]

Stop using pump and constriction ring, and let your penis rest. Inflammation can be also an inflammed vein. You should let your penis rest for 30-40 days, after these 30-40 days you should gently touch your penis to see if you have still pain or not. If after 30-40 days, touching your penis you don't feel sore or pain, it's much likely that you have not caused any trauma, and that was only a vein inflammed.  

[robotunicorn]

I haven't used them since that first time. Threw them in the trash. Should I be taking anything to help with the recovery?

[Pfract]

By the symptoms you describe and what your urologist told you, there is nothing to do but rest at this point. In my opinion. You mentioned great anxiety over this and i think that could be playing a major part. Try to leave it alone for the time being and see how long you can go until you are back again having spontaneous erections!

[robotunicorn]

Is it at all common for symptoms like this to improve and return to normal or even semi-normal functionality? They seem pretty extreme to me. The fact that the tissue feels much less flexible at the base, that it feels empty and narrow in that area when it shrivels up, that the pain seems to be increasing and radiating to the perineum and rectum, and that it feels puffy and hot is all alarming to me. To me it seems likely that the cavernosum are damaged in some way. I just hope you're right and this is temporary.
I am taking 2.5mg Cialis/day and ibuprofen but otherwise I'm leaving it alone for the foreseeable future.  

[robotunicorn]

I will say, the pain and tightness and overall empty/dead feeling in the area is definitely giving me anxiety. Whenever I feel it, it's like I get a burst of adrenaline. Very difficult to relax, especially since I honestly don't believe this is ever going to get better. I can't believe I did this to myself.
I also noticed this morning that my urine stream was noticeably weaker than usual.

[LWillisjr]

I think you are over thinking this and that it will heal. What you described in using the VED since you did not over pump then there shouldn't be any damage. I'm curious as to what is your original symptoms and why did you try the pump in the first place??
 

[robotunicorn]

I think you are over thinking this and that it will heal. What you described in using the VED since you did not over pump then there shouldn't be any damage. I'm curious as to what is your original symptoms and why did you try the pump in the first place??

I originally had ED, it would take some effort at times to get fully hard, it would require almost constant stimulation, and it would go down pretty quickly. I wanted to see if I could get fully hard and stay hard with VED. Now I get no erections at all.

Yeah, I'm not sure why there's an injury. I assume it's either because the ring or sleeve were too tight, or because of the repeated rapid pressurization and depressurization (from a leak or improper seal).

I'm not exactly sure what the damage is. But the fact that I haven't seen any improvement over nearly a month even with daily cialis seems like a bad sign to me. I also noticed that when I worked out a few days ago, I started to feel sick. I actually felt nauseous exercising from the pain and tightness in the area and had to go sit down for a while. My only guess is that was caused by blood getting diverted away from the already weak supply in the pelvic area to the rest of the body.

[robotunicorn]

It feels completely numb, shrunken, and hard while flaccid. My flaccid size is at least an inch shorter now. There's red dots all over the glans. The skin feels clammy and loose. I've noticed a strange sweet smelling body odor that seems to be coming from the area. I really think the tissue is infected and could be dying from lack of circulation/hypoxia. I think I need emergency treatment but all of the competent surgeons in the area are booked a month out. And even then, I'm sure they would want to do tests before operating. At this point I'm not sure if it could even be helped. I've been to two urologists and two hospitals and none of them would do any testing. I don't know what to do. I feel like this won't get taken seriously by a doctor unless it turns blue and it's falling off, which may be coming soon. I've been trying all month to get help while my condition has gotten progressively worse. I guess I'm just screwed now.

[robotunicorn]

I'm seriously getting gangrene. Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do? I got turned away from two hospitals. Do they all just want to wait until it's past the point of no return to make their jobs easier?

[robotunicorn]

Does anyone have an idea of what I could do? I'm thinking it's already past the point of no return and it's completely lost the ability to expand and is becoming necrotic. But if I wanted a chance at getting immediate urgent treatment tomorrow in the NJ/NYC area? Is there anyone or anywhere that might help?

[Hawk]

I too think you are freaking out and way overestimating potential damage.  What would cause the damage??  You did not over inflate it or leave it inflated too long.  Your brief use of the ring could not cause

[robotunicorn]

I can't say I know for sure why I was injured. I'm guessing it has something to do with the unusual way I used the pump (instead of pumping and holding, I pumped repeatedly and rapidly) or the rubber sleeve at the entrance of the cylinder being too tight and clamping down on blood vessels and nerves while I was pumping. All I know is that I can see and feel the damage. I can't get it up no matter what I do, it looks pale and lifeless, and if I go without anti-inflammatories, it immediately gets swollen. Now the skin has gotten sticky and very thin. I'm guessing the skin will start breaking off soon barring a miracle.

[Hawk]

But the urologist thinks there is no problem???

Refresh my memory, didn't you see more than one doctor?

I used a VED for 10 years under all kinds of circumstances and protocols, including along with retention rings and high-pressure clamps on traction devices.  I still can't see how what you did could have caused damage.

There is no doubt that few men could get an erection if they speculate every time they look at their penis that it might fall off.  If you are convinced of damage, you have no choice except to go to another urologist and then another one until you find one who will take you seriously.

[robotunicorn]

No one has done any testing. The most that's been done is a quick visual inspection of the outside. They have no baseline and they don't know about its ability to become erect other than what I've reported to them, which apparently doesn't matter. They don't take this kind of thing remotely seriously unless there are very obvious visual indicators on the outside. If it starts turning blue they might see it as urgent but by then it's probably too late.
I know that there's damage because it shrunk, it's numb, it's discolored, it can't get hard, and the skin has gotten thin and sticky.
I can't keep taking PDE5s because of possible complications.
I think the only thing that might possibly help at this point is an implant, but I don't know if it's even possible to get that done anywhere on short notice. I'm desperate for some kind of help. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

[DaneS89]

Hi robotunicorn,

I have read through your posts with interest. I'm not exactly sure what to say that could help you right now. I can try though, and start by saying that I'm sorry to hear what you're going through. You are clearly very distressed at the moment and battling with some big emotions. I can empathise to a degree. At times throughout my peyronies journey, I have had the same or very similar worries. Concerns specifically about blood supply and absolutely petrified that my penis would fall off. 16 months on and it still hasn't. It's still there, firmly attached and getting better even. There were many times it went numb and pale, cold even. But the blow flow would invariably return and the sensation came back.

I guess what I'm saying is that those specific symptoms can be transient and resolve with time. Try not to catastrophise or assume it is a medical emergency. Don't assume it would stay that way forever. Your anxiety and runaway thoughts are probably making this much worse an ordeal than it needs to be. Your worried thoughts by themselves could be making your penis feel numb and prevent erections. If you associate it with pain and discomfort and fear, then...of course it isn't going to want to play. Hawk pointed out something similar.

This next bit might just be supposition on my part, but I think as men, when we think we have injured our penis, it is instinct and/or reflex to try and protect it, and in doing so we retract it and tighten up. Hence why pelvic floor issues are often associated with peyronies and erectile dysfunction. That could be something to work on and see if it makes a difference - pelvic floor relaxation and diaphragmatic breathing. What I found helpful was imagining "dropping the bucket" (with my pelvic floor muscles) and also the thought of relaxing my penis into a warm bath. It's kind of amazing how much it loosens things up down there.

Anyway, hold in there mate, breathe, try taking a step back from your worries and just give it some time.

[robotunicorn]

I appreciate the kind words. I try to relax the pelvic floor when I notice I'm feeling tense. However some of these symptoms really seem indicative of structural damage, vascular damage, and possibly a soft tissue infection. Numb and pale are one thing. But I think swollen, hard while flaccid, sore to touch, and thin, sticky skin are a far worse level of severity. I think the blood vessels are severely damaged and the medication helps by dilating the vessels just enough to slightly compensate for the leaks and slow down the process of tissue destruction. All the symptoms intensify if I stop taking medication for a while, but I feel like it's also unhealthy to be taking so much medication. But if I don't, then everything starts to hurt more. Probably hypoxia induced damage.

One of the most unnerving part for me has been waking up with what should be a morning erection after taking a Viagra at night, but it's just very slight engorgement that's limp and mostly numb but with a dull ache. It feels completely detached from my body. It's so unnatural. It feels like the blood just pools and gets stuck in there at night in a very weak soft priapism and doesn't circulate in or out. A few times it's even felt cold. So I wake up feeling panicked. I really want to be more optimistic about this but it seems to only be going in one direction, and I think the damage is progressive and accumulating.
Unfortunately I can't ever really relax or think about anything else in life for too long because I have to be constantly aware of the symptoms in the hope that I'll keep it from getting too severe so that maybe a doctor can eventually get around to helping (although there's probably nothing they can do to help). I definitely notice when I've waited too long to take medication. This is too much for me psychologically.

[DaneS89]

Yeah I understand and can relate to that feeling of panic and urgency. It would be hard to relax if you're seeing those changes and believe it's a sign of active decay. It just might not be, and probably isn't, is what I'm saying.

Given your current state of mind, you wouldn't be getting erections, with or without PDE5's. Your brain is sending signals to your body that are actively shutting down the processes that facilitate an erection. So not getting erections, even during sleep, is not necessarily proof that the PDE5's can't or won't work, or that the mechanical structures in the penis by which they work through are broken. If you're waking up in a panic about your penis, then as if it's going to get or stay hard.

There have been times where I believed Cialis had stopped working for me, days or weeks even where NTE's were absent. It had me worried that my penis was damaged to an extent that it wouldn't respond to medications. Almost always those episodes coincided with increased anxiety about my peyronies and worsening depression as a result. When that abated, the medication started working again and so did my penis. It would go from no erections, to frequent and sustained, sometimes even inappropriate erections. Maybe that's not ideal either, but what it showed/proved to me is that in those times where my penis went...dormant...it was mostly, if not entirely due what was happening with my mind, not my penis. Kind of like with panic attacks, the more of them you have and survive, you realise over time that the cause is phsychological and not a physical problem, even if the symptoms themselves are physical.

I wouldn't concern myself too much with taking those medications - they are appropriate to treat the symptoms you have described. Cialis is a very safe medication and can be taken long term. Many are on it indefinitely. Ibuprofen is safe also, although long term use is advised against. But if it is working to reduce the inflammation and swelling which are your primary concerns, then maybe on balance it is of benefit? I'm not sure. The concern with Ibuprofen is stomach ulcers with long term use, and if I was worried about what you're worried about, then I wouldn't go into a tailspin about that particular risk.

Perhaps the damage you suspect is superficial - limited to the skin itself. You describe the skin as thin and sticky? Swollen? Even if there is a vascular issue, can you be sure it's the same vasculature that supplies the internal structures of the penis with blood? My urologists pointed that out to me once, when I presented to him with similar concerns about veins and discolouration - that there is a distinction, apparently, and that the two issues (or suspected issues) are not one in the same.

I can't be sure of any of this, I'm not a doctor, and have not seen your penis. But if a few already have, and they not concerned in the same way you are, then maybe...the excessive worry is needless.

Where are you located? Is it cost prohibitive there to see multiple doctors, or even the same doctor on regular basis? Even if its just for the timebeing while you're having these particular issues and concerns and would benefit from that reassurance.
 

[robotunicorn]

Yeah I understand and can relate to that feeling of panic and urgency. It would be hard to relax if you're seeing those changes and believe it's a sign of active decay. It just might not be, and probably isn't, is what I'm saying.

Where are you located? Is it cost prohibitive there to see multiple doctors, or even the same doctor on regular basis? Even if its just for the time being while you're having these particular issues and concerns and would benefit from that reassurance.

I'm not really concerned about not getting an erection some mornings in and of itself. There's always been mornings when that didn't happen. It's the big picture taken in totality.

Sadly I don't think this is about stress and anxiety. When I take viagra at night, the expansion isn't entirely absent. I do get some engorgement so my brain does seem to be sending the signal, but it's not able to fill up and become erect. The tissue just doesn't seem to have the capacity to do it anymore. It just feels like a soft limp (but slightly larger) bag of blood lying there. It's very disturbing to feel that when you wake up in the morning, but it's probably even more disturbing to wake up to it looking like it's shriveled to nothing, cold and empty, hiding in a big bag of loose skin, which is what happens when I don't take a pill at night. The fact that I can see such a big difference so quickly is horrifying to me. It's hard to sleep at night because I don't know what I'll see when I wake up.

The sticky, thin skin worries me because it fits dry gangrene, which can take a while to develop.
I don't think the damage is limited to the skin because the whole thing has gotten noticeably smaller. I'm talking an inch in flaccid size. And it feels fragile, empty, and puffy. I could tell that the structure of it has changed. In addition, it's lost all pleasurable sensation. At most, I just feel soreness when I touch it. And I think if it wasn't damaged, I would have at least gotten some fluke full erections. I never get any.

I'm in northeastern US. I've been trying to find other doctors, but it's kind of tiring. I already had depression before this happened. I don't have much money. The one I'm going to right now is only partially covered by my insurance. I'm supposed to be getting an MRI soon and I still don't even know if my insurance will cover it or if I'll be saddled with a big bill.

I've gone to so many appointments already. I wonder if the process of getting help wasn't dragged out so much, and if I wasn't denied early testing, if I could've gotten a better outcome. It's crazy to me that I still don't really know, over a month later. I could have gotten a minor fracture or some kind of infection that started small and spread to the whole thing. Who knows?

When I try calling a new doctor and they say the next opening is a month out, it just seems pointless. I have made a telehealth appointment with an expert surgeon in Texas who takes my insurance later in the month to get his opinion though. I don't even really believe this can be helped anymore, I just don't feel like I have a choice but to keep trying. Even if it's still possible for me to get an implant with the state of the tissue (I have serious doubts because it feels like mush), I think a damaged vascular system in this area will always be a major problem. I don't expect it to ever feel the same again if it survives.  But I'm more than likely going to have to find acceptance in permanently losing my dick. Or I might die from this.
Sorry for all the negativity but I think I'm being realistic. I appreciate that you're trying to reassure me during a crappy  time.

[DaneS89]

Okay man. I don't want to come across as doubting of your experience or dissmissive of your concerns. I'm just trying to point out what else could be going on and/or making it worse. Just keep in mind that the same physchological factors that (can) cause or contribute to ED could also manifest as partial erections. There isn't that much of a difference between the two problems. If you are not sleeping well then it interferes with the sleep cycles during which NTE's occur and disrupts the proccess through which they happen. Tight pelvic floor could be causing hard flaccid and also explain the rectal pain and weaker urine stream you report. The issue you described earlier in the thread about what happens when you exercise  - that is not all that uncommon or abnormal - the body shunts blood away from the penis during physical exersion or stress. That reflex action I spoke of earlier of wanting to try and protect it could also come into play there too. Keep us updated after your next doctor's appointment. Take care, take it easy and all the best until then.
 

[robotunicorn]

If circulation to the entire pelvic area including scrotum is being restricted due to venous issues, is there any hope? Any procedures that can help? My testosterone levels since the injury have dropped to below 200.

[robotunicorn]

Okay man. I don't want to come across as doubting of your experience or dissmissive of your concerns. I'm just trying to point out what else could be going on and/or making it worse. Just keep in mind that the same physchological factors that (can) cause or contribute to ED could also manifest as partial erections. There isn't that much of a difference between the two problems. If you are not sleeping well then it interferes with the sleep cycles during which NTE's occur and disrupts the proccess through which they happen. Tight pelvic floor could be causing hard flaccid and also explain the rectal pain and weaker urine stream you report. The issue you described earlier in the thread about what happens when you exercise  - that is not all that uncommon or abnormal - the body shunts blood away from the penis during physical exersion or stress. That reflex action I spoke of earlier of wanting to try and protect it could also come into play there too. Keep us updated after your next doctor's appointment. Take care, take it easy and all the best until then.

I know you're not trying to be dismissive. It can just be frustrating when you know deep down that you have a serious physical problem because you know your own body, but then you get told it's nothing serious by medical professionals who just quickly glance at it and write it off as psychological. You just know that they don't want to look into it further because they want their appointments to be as short as possible. And you have to keep waiting and hoping for a miracle, living in constant fear of the decay you know has been happening. The longer I go without medication, the darker the skin gets, and the more it hurts. Like I said, I sadly don't think the circulatory and nerve issues can be helped even if it's possible for me to get an implant, which would mean my life from now on is probably going to be pretty rough. I think if you were experiencing this, you would probably agree that there's damage to the arteries, tissue, and nerves.

I can see why it would seem like there are other possibilities here, and trust me I would love to believe it. I know a tight pelvic floor could cause hard flaccid, but what about the swelling in that area, and why would it improve with anti-inflammatories? To me, it just seems like there was damage to the blood vessels in the pelvic floor (or they're obstructed by scarring) and that it's choking out my entire genital area. I will keep you updated with the doctor's appointments though. I'm still trying to hold on to hope that I'll be able to get an implant and get some level of functionality. But i think the longer it takes to get a doctor who would perform the procedure, the worse the odds of it happening.

[Hawk]

I have to just say it.  This is one of the most over-the-top topics I have read in twenty years.  To suggest or even be looking up symptoms of dry gangrene because you used a VED for a few minutes is incredible (meaning not credible).  I think any trained medical person would recognize clear hypochondria, body dysmorphia, major depressive episodes, or OCD.

Also, the fact that you get semi-erected with Viagra does NOT dismiss psychological ED.  Stress, anxiety, fear, and similar emotions constantly pump out excessive adrenalin.  Adrenalin attaches to the very receptors that nitric oxide activates, so it blocks a large portion of the very action that PDE5 inhibitors target.

If you seriously think that you have a better understanding of what is going on with your penis than a series of urologists, you are misguided.  If you have had 3 reasonably competent urologists dismiss your concerns, it is time to consider a very good psychologist.

None of this suggests we are not concerned or that we blame you.  Our goal is to help, and sometimes that requires honest disagreement.  Best Wishes!