My Introduction- Young Peyronies Patient

[Soma]

I've come here because I can't seem to find a single other living soul other than a doctor who has heard of this disease, let alone relate to the pain and confusion it has brought into my life. I hope that my presence here will clear things up for me to some extent, and perhaps help others cope as well.
For starters, I am 22 years old, which my doctor tells me is unusually young for peyronies disease. I would appreciate talking to anyone else who is a particularly young patient. It isn't easy finding other men to speak to about my condition in my general age group. My doctor has concluded that I have peyronies disease and would benefit from traction device therapy as the most important type of treatment. He is not ruling out the possibility of other treatments, but I won't be using them for now. I have not yet begun using traction. I plan to begin next week.
I've had my symptoms for 6 weeks now, and I am hoping that pursuing a doctor early in this process helps my chances for improvement. However my biggest worry is that there is some underlying cause, or hormonal deficiency that has contributed to the onset of this disease. (Any information on this is something I'd like to speak about.)
When I first noticed my symptoms- I noticed a very alarming curvature near the area of my circumcision (going to the left direction.) Pain soon followed. Manageable, but relatively intense pain during erections and especially after sex. I have had a slight loss of libido but maintain sexual activity as I always have with a very understanding, compassionate lady-friend.
My mindset as of now is to remember to trust my doctors, maintain a positive attitude, and remember that while this hurts my penis- I've still got testicles and I plan to act as such. This of course, includes a bit of stubbornness on my part to give up sex. It's important in my life and I'm going to go at it whenever possible because it's still possible to use my penis, so I'm going to use it. I have no erectile dysfunction symptoms as of now. It gets hard. Rigidly hard, but still hard. And when it does I do what I've always done about it- have sex.
I would like to know, first and foremost, if there are any men I can speak to who have used traction devices? Have they been successful in treating any of your symptoms? How much did they cost you? How did you integrate this into your life? Do you still use it, or was it something you used to use and then stopped using?
I have a lot of questions regarding traction and it would be nice to hear from people who have experience with it. I don't want to talk about extremely speculative vitamins or exaggerated advertisements, and would prefer honest, grounded conversation about this disease from fellow men suffering the condition.
I hope everyone can engage this men's health problem with a realistic mindset and that our conversation will be productive.

[Hawk]

I am pretty interested that you found a doctor that recommended traction.  That is a rarity and may be a sign your doctor may be well informed.

I am going to leave most of the interaction to other men since I am on the road.  I will tell you that you may get a variety of opinions here but you will get no advertisements or profit making schemes.  This forum is run by and for men and women affected by Peyronies Disease in their lives.  It is funded out of my pocket and run through the donated hours of effort by our moderators.  Since we allow a lot if free expression, you may find a few crackpot views but they are the vast minority.

I have used traction.  It is a chore and a commitment but it works to restore a lot of lost length and will reduce curve.  It should be worn at least 4 hours a day on average.  A decent unit will cost about $300.  X4labs, fast size, and a few other brands are basically the same unit design.

Read the traction board and especially the "highlights" at the top of all boards.

Good luck

Hawk

[Skjaldborg]

Hi Soma,

I got this at age 29, now I'm 33 so I understand the frustration of getting this at a young age. I wouldn't worry too much about hormone imbalances or whatnot, I was perfectly healthy when I got it from a very slight injury during sex. These things happen. It is most likely that some men, perhaps us, are more susceptible to Peyronie's than others. In fact, it has been suggested that men who are from northern Europe (or have ancestors from there) are more likely to develop Peyronie's in their lifetimes than men not from that region. My family is Danish, Dutch and English so go figure.

As for treatment, I suggest asking your doctor for a prescription to a drug called Pentoxifylline (known as pentox or Trental). I took it for 8 months and it completely got rid of my pain in a matter of weeks and in a about a year my deformities (indentations) had improved somewhat. It is not a cure, but studies have shown this drug to be useful. Print out the studies found here and show them to your doctor if he is reluctant to prescribe: Pentox - Dr. Lue Case Study / Levine mentions his use of Pentox - Peyronies Society Forums

Pain means that you are in the acute phase of the disease, this means that your body may be producing additional scar tissue right now so getting treatment now is essential. Motrin and other NSAIDs can be helpful for pain in the short term since Pentox takes time to work. Try to get yourself in the best shape you can. If you smoke, quit. If you drink too much, cut down. Whatever exercise you do, do more of it. Sexual activity and erections are good since they bring blood, oxygen and nutrients to the penile tissues. Just be careful and no reverse cowgirl or any positions that can bend your penis.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions.

Best,

Skjaldborg