First-Timer

[Catch22]

 Hi, Guys!
 First of all, i would just like to thank you in advance for the great work you're doing here, the forum is great!  
 
 So, i'm 32, smoker, not in great shape (some nasty belly fat), and i drink a bit too much on weekends.
 A few months ago, maybe a year or so, i realised my erections were getting weaker, having trouble to have an erection in the first place and losing my ability to mantain an erection long enough to have intercourse or even masturbate.
 Also, i started to feel some disconfort, both in my flaccid and erect state. I first attributed to overuse, but as i refrained from both sex and masturbating for a while and the pain continued, i started getting worried.
I also realised a small pea like bump just under the dorsal vein, right below the glans. I have not noticed any curvature by now, nor indentation, but my ED is pretty bad, i only had a few decent erections since last year....
I finally decided to take an appointment with an Uro, wich will take place tomorrow, but i'm scared he'll discard my symptoms, since i have no curvature at all...I'll post the outcome here as soon as i can.
In the meantime, i have a few questions that i was hoping some of you could answer:

 1. Can you tell the difference between fibrous tissue and plaque just by touching it?

 2. As far as you can tell, is there usually an improvement in ED if the size of the plaque is reduced?

 3. Is it possible that the plaque disappears completly after a said treatment? And if it does, does it mean the person is cured and the other symtpoms will also disappear?

 4. And the other way around, is it possible to regain fully my erectile function, even if the plaque doesn't resolve? The idea of being pill dependent or worse for life trully scares me...

 5. If my self diagnose is confirmed, i was thinking of asking my Uro to start a treatment of Pentox, Cialis, L-Arginine and Vitamine E. Do you think i should also add Verapamil, or Xiaflex maybe? Or just wait a few months and see where it is going?

 6. About Xiaflex, i read somewhere that it was only recomended to people with a curvature bigger than 30ª. As i stated above, my curvature is congenital and really small, so i was wodering if it still could help in eliminating the plaque and if the recomendation is just because that was how the original trial was performed

 7.I've read a lot about good results on traction and VED, but again, i have no significant curvature. Do you think it could help anyway in reducing the plaque and regaining my erectile function?

 Sorry for the looooooong post, but i have my mind all over the place with this, and sorry of any bad english, i honestly tried my best,
 
 Looking forward to ear from you,
 Best regards.


 

 

[NeoV]

Welcome to the boards!

1. You cannot easily tell the difference between scar tissue, veins, or lymphatic tissue,
but by holding a very bright light to the area of concern, you may be able to notice a blueish tint which may indicate it is not plaque. You can also watch for blood flow by watching for movement of the bulge.

This is not a good way to test what it is though, and an ultrasound done by a specialist is the way to go.

2. In general yes, but plaque tends to replace healthy tissue and generally results from overall fibrosis of the entire penis, which comes from oxidative stress, injury, poor vascular health, and a genetic link which causes scar formation, so even if said plaque is removed by something magical, your penis may not be much better off until its general health is improved and a variety of treatments are combined.

3. There are no well documented cases of the plaque ever disappearing entirely with any treatment. Ultrasounds are only so good at identifying plaque. Complete resolutions of symptoms as reported in some studies are outliers, and there is no good data on them. A better mindset would be that your penis health and Peyronie's are linked, just as your own health is linked to your penis's health. If your own health does not improve (think arteries), then your penile health cannot improve. Vitamin E is outdated for Peyronie's but may still help. Look into CoQ10 and things such as citrulline and acetyl-l-carnitine.

4. Yes, many men improve their penile function from when they first noticed symptoms to after treatment, all the while plaque remains there, maybe shrinks, or softens.

5. See a specialist before thinking about any kind of injection. Pentox, low dose cialis, is a wise choice to prevent further fibrosis and improve the health of your penile tissue.

6. I don't think Xiaflex will be recommended for your case, but let a specialist confirm that.

7. Yes, VED is excellent as improving penile health since it pulls oxygen fresh blood in and out of the penis into hard to fill regions of the tissue. Even after one usage, a study showed it improved oxygen saturation in the penis by something like 80%. Somehow this seems to be different than having regular erections, and just one usage often makes men have firmer erections or more stable ones, including myself. Be very careful and research the VED protocol, as well as injuries that may come from its usage. There also may be reason to believe that traction improves penile health by reducing inflammation where it is trapped, and reducing certain fibrotic markers in the penile tissue.

Lastly, I have to say that quitting smoking should be your number 1 priority. When there is damage to the penis and fibrosis, there is an increase in inflammatory markers as well as a large increase in reactive oxygen species in the penile tissue. A lot of us go to great lengths to reduce the oxidative stress on the penis from having this disease, I can only imagine the double havoc smoking would have on that aspect of it. Also, penile arterial health is key for beating fibrosis and ED. Your arteries must be clean or at least improve to see any improvement. I know this is no easy thing, but perhaps your penis is telling you it's time for some change! : )