MY XIAFLEX EXPERIENCE: 1ST ROUND OF INJECTIONSHi guys-
So after six months of insurance limbo (only to learn that I had to pay up front for the vials and get reimbursed later) I've finally completed my first round of injections. I had my modeling session yesterday, so it's too early to see any results. But I wanted to share the experience. The guys who shared before me really helped me to prepare for the treatment, both mentally and physically.
Let me first refresh you on my stats. 3 years + with peyronies. Diagnosed by a uro who sort of understood the disease. After exhausting options with that doctor I became a patient of Dr. Tom Lue's, well know on this board. In January, after a year of being treated by Dr. Lue and with
xiaflex recently approved, he referred me to Dr. Martin Gelbard in Burbank, Ca. This was merely out of convenience as I live in Los Angeles. But it was a win win because Lue trusted Gelbard and Gelbard treated more patients in the trials than any other doctor.
Based on pictures, Dr. Gelbard measured my upward curve at 84 degrees. I lost a little size but in the three years since diagnosis I've regained some
girth and length and my erections have gotten harder. Also, and I think a lot of guys will be interested in knowing this, I have calcified plaques. Dr. Lue was able to reduce the size with treatment, but I still have some. The only upside is that the calcification is in pieces not one solid mass. And so if injected correctly, the
xiaflex needle will be able to break through the
plaque.
So last Friday I went in for the first injection. I stopped taking cialis,
pentox and all supplements except for vitamin k2 and coq10 7 days prior to the first injection. Dr. Gelbard gave me an injection to induce an erection. He left the room and I remained standing for about 15 minutes, time allowed for the erection to come about. Once erect, he took measurements and I have an 80 degree upward curve. So already the curve decreased by 4 degrees! Thanks,
Xiaflex! He also took a measurement from the tip of my glans to where my bend is. He made a green dot to indicate the largest point of bend. He then gave me a shot of something (I forget the name) to get rid of the erection. They will not inject an erect penis.
After another 10-15 minutes to allow for the erection to come down, he gave me a shot of lidocaine in my penis to numb it. I was lying down at this point and after 10 more minutes to let the lidocaine kick in it was time for the
xiaflex shot. I was told that because I have calcified plaques it may take a few tries to find a spot. Dr. Gelbard and an assistant stretched my penis and used the measurements from my erection to confirm that the green dot was at the site of the
plaque, then injected the
xiaflex and luckily the needle went right in. Again, the calcification was decreasing as of last October and I've been on
pentox since Dec. 2012, so they may have continued to soften. I felt a little pressure from the
xiaflex, but I was numb so it wasn't bad at all. The other injections stung a little, but even they weren't that bad.
Dr. Gelbard doesn't wrap up his patient's afterwards in bandages. He also doesn't recommend ice, he believes it can break up the enzyme. And I had plans to see a concert that night and he said it was fine to go out, even drink. Oh, and I asked about marijuana and he said it might even help with the pain. Some of us may differ on the pros and cons of these vices, but I'm fine with my choices. I just want to make sure I share my total experience.
The appointment took a long time, longer than expected. It was in the afternoon and so I had to go back to work. And while my erection went down for the injection, as soon as I stood up it came back. I had to deal with an erection for two hours at work. Luckily I had an untucked shirt and desk to sit at.
The post injection erection was by far the worst part and caused me the most discomfort. It was making me feel the pain in my penis after the lidocaine wore off. Surprisingly, the bruising that appeared first was from the injections giving and taking away the erection. But that puffiness subsided by night time. The main side effects I experienced were black and blue bruising along the shaft and testicles, ballooned foreskin (similar to when I used long hold times with
VED) and a blood blister. The blood blister appeared a few hours after the injection and above the injection site. Some
xiaflex must have seeped out of the injection site causing the blister.
Let me just say that while my penis looked pretty beat up it was not scary. It's exactly what I expected after reading other members' postings. The worst of the bruising and swelling came the next day on Saturday. But by Sunday it started going down. Someone here mentioned that their doctor said the swelling indicates the
xiaflex is working. It might just be a theory but this is an aggressive and strong drug. I can believe that in its wake and as it works toward breaking down the
plaque it leaves its mark. That's just my two cents.
On Monday, I had my second injection. Dr. Gelbard said the bruising and swelling was normal and the blood blister wasn't something to worry about. I only had the lidocaine to numb and the
xiaflex shot this time. The lidocaine hurt a little more due to the swelling, but the
xiaflex (after a ten minute wait) didn't hurt at all. In the process of injection Dr. Gelbard popped the blood blister.
The bruising and swelling after the second shot wasn't as bad. I didn't get any more blisters and if anything the soreness stayed at the same level Tuesday that it was on Monday prior to the injection. I will say the soreness can extend up into the base of the shaft and higher. The Dr. asked about it without me saying anything so he's obviously seen it before.
On Tuesday I had the modeling. The shot of lidocaine hurt the most that day out of the three sessions because the doctor really wanted to make sure I was numb. After reading the posts here I wanted to make sure I was numb as well. I didn't feel a thing. His technique was basically the stretching exercises. He stretches out the shaft, and then using a finger under my shaft as a fulcrum, he bends the penis down in the opposite direction of the curve. He did this three times, holding for 30 seconds each. He was aggressive but not dangerously so.
I am to do these stretches 3 times daily. I started after the modeling session. I was told not to do any until after modeling. I am to keep doing the stretches for six weeks, until my next round begins. And if I get an erection spontaneously I should try bending the curve straight, but not to the point of any pain and discomfort. And I should only do it once a day. Also, he recommended doing
traction 1-2 hours a day if I can stand it. He recommended
traction over
VED because of my degree of curvature.
And that's it. I'm still a little sore, but able to do the stretches without any real pain. And each day the swelling continues to go down. I don't have any real fears of a
penile fracture now having gone through this. As long as you don't have sex and don't masturbate you should be fine. It's not like
xiaflex turns her penis into glass.
I'm hopeful for some real results but also know that I'm not likely to see much improvement until the 2nd or 3rd round.
My apologies for the long post. But I figure the more detail I can give the more helpful it will be to other guys. And the more posts written showing consistent experiences and methods being used, the more comfortable other guys might feel about doing this. I never imagined being okay with several needles being pushed into my dick. But it's not as bad as you think.
Roy
Author
Topic: Results from my Xiaflex injections (Read 36986 times)
April 09, 2022, 10:26:09 PM