Hello - I've made a few posts earlier and am looking for any support as my Urologist has basically shrugged his shoulders as to why i'm still having chronic pain (burning and feeling like someone is slicing the underside of my penis) right where the frenulum was removed.
I had my surgery in February for a tight frenulum. I had torn it a few times and the scar tissue that built up left the skin very tight so that I could not have sex. The surgeon looked at my frenulum and agreed that there was a lot of scar tissue, but my frenulum didn't really protrude enough so there was not much for him to work with. I agreed to go ahead with the surgery and he removed about 0.75 cm of my frenulum. The healing process was brutal as I had throbbing pain for weeks. Right where the frenulum was removed was now an open wound with some foreskin attached still to the left side. After 6 weeks i saw the surgeon again and he said it looked like some scar tissue was forming so he gave be Triaderm a corticosteroid to loosen things up. I've used it for the past 4 weeks but I'm having the worse burning pain at night when I wake up with an erection. I also can't pull the foreskin all the way back as it feels like the skin near the wound is going to tear off.
I went to the surgeon again this week, feeling depressed because it has been 2.5 months and there hasn't been much improvement. I'm still in pain, especially at night and it hurts even worse when I get an erection. He said that there is no sign of infection and it looks normal so he doesn't understand why it hurts. When he peeled back my foreskin I told him to stop as it felt like the skin was going to tear near the wound. He gave be Viaderm, another cream to fight any fungal infection, inflammation etc which I am using now.
If I had know it was going to be like this I never would have had the surgery. I can't help feeling that I'm going to be this 1/500 statistic that has chronic pain going forward. I've been good in the healing process (no touching, masturbation etc).
Is there anyone here that took longer to heal from this? Any other forum posts has people healing in 4-8 weeks. I want to keep hope that it will just take longer and everything will be ok. My partner is also very concerned because she sees how this is affecting my mental health. I've attached a photo where you can see the white line near the head. Where it ends is where the 0.75 cm was removed and it's a bit red on the right side. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as after seeing the doctor, I feel alone in all of this.
Thanks everyone
Written by
Lucasash
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Hi. I am not sure that anyone can guarantee the results of any surgery. All surgery comes with risks as I know from my right partial nephrectomy.
All you can do is hope that things will improve and continue to seek medical help. That help may not be from your surgeon. You may need to speak to someone who specialises in nerve damage.
If your mental health deteriorates, please talk to a mental health professional or one of the charities such as Mind. Do not let things go on too long before you do that. Take care.
Thanks for the reply. Yes it’s what I’m afraid of. There is nerve damage and an erection will be permanently painful. I’m trying to just keep positive that the damage will just take longer to heal. Given the sensitivity of the frenulum area I know it can take longer.
Hi Lucasash, it looks like your frenulum is still connected with a thick part to the head of your penis, after my frenuloplasty this was e very small connection. Maybe this causes your pain? Not sure but i had no problems at all after the surgery and mine looks different now.
Yeah the highest part of the frenelum is still there because there was no scar tissue there. The picture isn't the greatest but where the line disappears is where the frenelum was removed. The frenulum then continues about 0.75 cm down the shaft.
Where the frenelum is removed there was an open wound shaped like a triangle. It has healed mostly that is the area that is giving me pain. Especially on the bottom right side of the would where there is a small part of the foreskin still attached to the shaft (It feels like it is going to tear). It's the worst at night when it isn't hanging and in a resting position. What I think is that the surgery went deeper and there were more nerves cut out. I'm hoping that this will just take a longer time to heal. Is there anyone here that had a frenuloplasty/frenulectomy that took a good 5+ months to heal?
Hi Lucasash
I too tore my frenulum and the scar tissue was too brittle so kept tearing. I had surgery 20 months ago and was assured a frenuloplasty would fix the issue and not affect sexual sensations or function (I now consider this a lie). I was also assured by the urologist that it would be pain-free, just uncomfortable for a couple of weeks. It has been established by chronic pain specialists that I do have nerve damage though two urologists insist this is all in my head. I've been trialled on antidepressants and antiepiletic drugs as these also work for nueropathic pain but all so far have had hideous side effects so are unsafe for me to take. This issue has left me mentally unwell but my wife and family have supported me through this - they have been a real blessing. I would recommend asking your GP for instillagel local anaesthesia. I tend to get flares of pain that literally floor me (as you say, pain manifests as intense burning or nauseating slicing sensation. Mine trigger fight or flight response triggering panic attacks. Also mine are made worse by standing up or being in a car). Instillagel is what gets me through it. Don't let a mental health problem fester. That is the last thing you need in addition. Ask your GP for a counselling referral. I've done an anonymous CBT course and stress control course which had helpful elements and I've also had counselling and psychosexual counselling to deal with the changes in sexual sensation and function- climax takes a lot longer to happen since the frenuloplasty, sometimes way too long - or never. I've had to adopt different techniques since to achieve orgasm. I still have all the rich sensations the rolling foreskin provides but my glans is almost numb. Look up the Canadian foreskin project and "frengasm". This was a game changer for me once i was physically healed enough (after 4 months). I guess I've had to find new ways to enjoy it rather than fret that I'm stuck with a painful mutilation. I had wondered whether a circumcision would help but the second urologist stated that it was a good thing I have not been circumcised (as the scar would be bigger - greater area for pain) and now even if I develop a condition which indicated circumcision I would not be offered one due to the issues now with my glans and scar. Hearing that has made me feel safer. My frenuloplasty was done under local anaesthesia and scared the hell out of me. I don't feel the anesthetic masked more than 40% of the pain and I knew exactly what was happening throughout. I had to be held down so they could finish and was left in shock. I found it violating and felt mutilated afterwards - still do. But it was a necessary operation... I would do it again but under GA and with the expectation that life will be different. However, I'm about to start PTSD treatment. Hopefully this will help me mentally. As for the pain, it is still a big issue that limits what I can do and is reflected in my mood, but as my mental health gets better, I find I can cope better with it. Remember no penile operation/recovery is simple or quick despite what doctors indicate. No penile operation is to be taken lightly. It is your most vulnerable and erodgenous tissue. And as all men know - how your penis feels affects how your whole body feels, including your mind, and the mind can be a complicated ruminating mess. The severity of my pain has become more manageable as my mental health has improved. My sexual function has been restored by the operation. But the nightmares and intrusive thoughts of self harm coupled with loss of sexual sensation are a real blow that still challenge me and are (I have been told) likely to remain. Vaseline was recomended by the surgeon, and something I relied on for about a year. It really helped the wound become supple and allow me to touch it.
I hope this recount of my experience helps you. It was horrific for me, but it is becoming less so. It has made me focus on important issues in my life and made me fight and value things differently. Once I wanted nothing but an end to it - death; and couldn't imagine ever feeling any other way. But now that seems a lifetime ago. I want life again, but I have to pace myself, stay sat down when possible, stay away from cars and limit how much I do. I think I've become a different person as a result of the frenuloplasty but not a bad one and life can be good. Life is often exhausting, but I'm learning to be kind to myself and enjoy the good days. Feeling alone in all this has not helped. It's not like you can compare scars with mates over a pint. Its not like female partners can fully understand. Get counselling. Get pain meds. Learn your physical limitations. If by chance you're Christian download the "you version" bible app and do some of the bible studies about pain, stress, healing, peace, etc... its a wise book.
Remember, you're not alone; your sexual relationship elements aren't your only relationships. As catastrophic as it can feel now, things will get better, but you may need to put yourself in the right places for that to happen. If you need to seek reassurance that the operation doesn't need revision. Seek help mentally. Look after yourself and feel safe. Tell a friend if you can bare to.
2 months is early days, but don't delay asking your GP for referrals to psych and chronic pain services. Also ask for Instillagel local anaesthesia. The quicker you can get help the better. My pain has not resolved (doesn't mean you won't have better luck), and I understand never likely to resolve. Its all about management now for me = anaesthesia and stress control.
Reading is bizarrely beneficial as apparently it uses the same part of the brain that processes pain and our brains are notoriously bad at multi tasking. It does help as a distraction.
If I have any breakthroughs after my next pain clinic appointment I will update
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UPDATE - SURGERY of my lump/bump in my penis shaft
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