I am new to PMP and this forum, and after reading several threads I've already gotten some helpful information.
I thought it might be helpful to new forum readers to have more of an "experiential" perspective, so that others who are just starting their Peyronies journey would have more of an idea of what to expect in the coming months.
I'll be posting every couple of weeks, or when there's a relevant bit of news.
First, a bit of background: I'm a 65 year old USA guy who has been experiencing mild Peyronies for about 15 years. The main symptoms are really frustrating: shrinkage, and a bit of pain during sexual activity, due to plaque development throughout the shaft. Over the years, I have lost easily 30% of my not-so-hot length and some girth as well. My penis was always a "grower", and I suspect that this made it more susceptible to plaque. My urologist 15 years ago said "nothing you can really do about it" other than take vitamin E. Did that, and the shrinkage gradually increased. I went recently to a different urologist to explore the newer treatments, and he said "about the only thing you can do about it is a PMP" -- so I bought that and started taking 5 grams of L-citrulline a day (the powder tastes really nasty, but if you are able to get it right in the middle of your tongue you won't taste it). The vitamin E and the citrulline both help with blood flow, hopefully to promote healing of the tissues.
Got the PMP from Germany, and initially found it very frustrating, as it would not draw in the glans. Interacted with their customer support who had me investigate all kinds of wild-goose-chases...I discovered entirely on my own that the sluice had a pin-hole in it that prevented development of a proper vacuum. This is how it came, straight from the factory: obviously, not a great QA experience for me. Their support folks said, "great, glad it's working" -- didn't offer to send a replacement sluice or anything else to compensate for their slip up. Not a great support experience, either (although---in the category of "what do you expect from a flunkie...").
I found the user manual to be not all that helpful, although it has a reasonable amount of info in it. The PMP videos were also helpful, but could be better.
My urologist had said to wear it for as long a period as could be tolerated, at a low pull level: he indicated that best results would be overnight. That's not in the cards for me, so I wear it in the daytime. I tend to go for 3-hour sessions with less than 500 g of traction. This may not be enough, but I certainly don't want to risk any additional damage. After the first 20 minutes, I use the adjustment screws to keep the traction up.
Initial results -- I don't really notice any, even temporary, but I've been at it only for 4 days. Given my age and the amount of plaque, it's probably going to take a long time.
I tend to split the time between facing downward and facing up -- to improve circulation and effectiveness. If your pants have an elastic waist, you can do this when sitting or walking around.
Hi davodavo,
Welcome. I think you are taking the right approach. Slow and steady, and listen to your body.
I've been using the PMP pretty regularly (4-6 hours/day) since August, but I've had to change things several times throughout. Just keep adapting and see it thru is my advice. My goal is to do this for a year at least and see if I notice any positive changes and also ward off Peyronies as I don't have a firm diagnosis yet (and not planning on it either, I hope!).
I found it crazy that some MDs are recommending wearing any stretching device while someone sleeps. I've heard of stories other MDs recommending on here. I think that is way too risky. Definitely something one would have to work up to if they were planning on doing it. Too risky though to me, because of possibly cutting off all circulation and then cell death. Besides that for me personally it seems I run marathons in my sleep (I move around way too much) so not sure that I could keep in the right positions anyway. ;D
Just wanted to say good luck, you are in the right place. And again slow and steady and listen to your body.
After using PMP daily for a while now, a few discoveries:
- For me, going more than 3 hours at a stretch (so to speak) borders on pain. Aside from the obvious issues of walking around in public, needing to pee, and needing to adjust things, a bit of pain develops in the shaft with longer intervals. The sensation is, when touched, a slight burning. I assume this is plaque cells complaining.
- Due to the above, seems that sexual activity is borderline painful if I've used the PMP for any length of time that day. Means you have to plan date-night, and do longer PMP sessions on days when your partner is pissed off.
- The angle of dangle is important. Many of the pictures/videos I've seen show the penis pointed down...which makes for good concealment. But I find I get the best results dividing the time between pointing down, pointing up (belt-line helps keep things steady, and pointing out. That third position generally means sitting down and keeping pants pulled down.
- First 20 minutes or so should be at fairly low tension. Gradually increase tension every 30 minutes after that...my upper limit seems to be around 750 g, which is nearly 2 lbs. The result under tension is about 3/4" stretch (which of course doesn't last). YMMV--I can imagine someone with a really long member would see twice that (but don't actually try for that! injury could be just around the corner)
You will find what works for you. I have been using the PMP for a year now and have seen improvement in length /girth and a slight curvature reduction. Slow and steady wins the race. Peyronies is a mysterious beast at times. Great post!
After a couple more weeks:
- In my previous post, I indicated that over the course of 3 hours there was a significant temporary lengthening. That's a bit misleading...because in the first 30 minutes there is a settling-in period where the skin just below the corona leaves the PMP's glans chamber and is totally outside the device, being stretched. The actual stretch over the 3 hours is thus hard to measure...and no matter what, you do not want to apply so much traction that you cause injury! At any moment in time, for me the difference between essentially no traction and 750g will be around 1/2"...but that's not a measure of lengthening. The difference in length between 500g of traction and the maximum is almost nil.
- The sensation of mild internal burning after long use that I mentioned in my previous post is essentially gone. The sensation after 3 hours is slightly uncomfortable and slightly pleasant at the same time. My previous indication that sexual activity on the same day as a PMP session seems less true now...although a really long session (>5 hrs) would still not be a good precursor, IMO.
- Blood flow into the penis is important for the healing process. I'm not at all sure whether getting a partial erection with the PMP on is a good thing or not, but other people's posts indicate a full erection is a bad idea. The sensation of mild internal burning after long use that I mentioned in my previous post is essentially gone now. The sensation after 3 hours is slightly uncomfortable and slightly pleasant at the same time.
Three weeks' more experience:
- Have done some before/after measurements of erection, as that's the only thing that really matters to me. After 3 hours' use, seems like it's 3/8" longer than beforehand. Not sure how quickly it subsides, but it has to be only a few hours. Long term lengthening evidently takes months.
- During the traction session, the larger "lengthening" is actually the "seating" of the penis in the apparatus, and the slippage of the suction system.
These are great posts – thank you! I've been struggling to use my PMP at all, it's been collecting dust for the last 3 months. Every time I try something seemingly goes wrong and I just end up anxious and worried I did damage. Posts like these are informative and help. I hope you gain another 3/8ths buddy.
So it's been another two months, but I've had two setbacks. The first was a broken ankle, which tended to cramp my style and made wearing the PMP a bit of a problem. The second was more serious: penis started to hurt, particularly in the first inch or so of the shaft. The pain was directly below the skin, mostly on the sides but a bit on the top...and I suspect that some of my plaque tissue got upset. So, completely off PMP for several weeks until Mr. Happy was happy again. Of course, I was then sort of starting over when it came to lengthening, curvature.
I've been doing the following...not sure if it's right or wrong:
- Put on the PMP while standing up, penis goes almost directly horizontal. After 5 minutes, things loosen up enough that it falls to nearly vertical. Increase spring tension to around the 1 kG mark, that makes it so the penis will stay straight horizontal. After maybe 15 more minutes, it loosens up again and I increase tension again.
- At that point, I sit down (very loose-fitting pants) and arrange things so the penis is pointing straight down my leg. Every 30 minutes or so, I flip the penis so it's pointing up my stomach. I continue alternating between pointing up, pointing out, and pointing down.
- I typically go for more than 3 hours per session, sometimes as long as 6. Depends on how long I can go without urinating. Sometimes I'll do two 3-hour sessions in a day.
- This week, the PMP developed a small leak and wouldn't hold on for long. Thoroughly cleaned everything and replaced the sluice. Note that all the latex stuff is color-coded...not sure what would happen if I were to use the sizes that I'm not. While I was at it, I put in one of the diameter-reducing rings so that everything would be a tighter fit, as my glans was getting partially out of the chamber during long sessions, and it took on a weird shape.
Results--well, I know I have to be patient. For me, what's immediately noticeable is an increase in girth and decreased tendency of shrinking when flaccid. While both of these are nice, my real concern is fully-erect length (as my Peyrone's and age have significantly shortened things)...and I can't say there's much in the way of results.
I'm interested in this - please keep updating. I just started restorex but am considering buying a PMP to add for straight traction and recovering length.
Are you finding the device comfortable?
hi, any updates?
Due to work and social obligations, I've found it difficult to wear the PMP more than 20 hours a week. Typically, this will be four 5-hour sessions...almost certainly not ideal. During my sessions, the first 30 minutes are standing up, with the penis more or less horizontal. During that period, I gradually increase the length adjustment to maximum. After that, I divide my time between penis straight up and straight down, cycling maybe every 45 minutes. Almost always, my penis remains flaccid...but if I get some Bright Idea, erection will persist for quite a while as the sensation of the PMP is pleasant.
I am amazed by people who indicate they're wearing it 6 hours or more a day, nearly every day. With a wife and a job, essentially impossible for me.
Results? Well, don't want to repeat what I've said above, and it sure feels like I've plateau'd. Length -- which is my primary goal -- maybe 1/2" Of course, the shrinkage I've experienced has taken decades, so any kind of recovery probably has to be calibrated in years. Sigh.