Hello everyone, so I am still severely swollen 8 days post circumcision. As you can see in the pic (pic is from the frenulum side), my shaft is severely swollen. Also, anyone know if that black stuff is just stitches or an infection I should be worrying about? I had a scrotoplasty (penis-scrotal webbing removal) along with my circumcision, so stitches were made along the shaft of my penis as well. Any help would be appreciated...
The only reason I can think of for my swelling to be this bad on my shaft is because the shaft of the penis was also stitched due to the scrotoplasty. Any ideas?
I am really concerned...
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j_flow230
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Hello, the black skin is necrosis-essentially it is dead skin. This happened because of lack of adequate bloodflow or damage to that area of the skin. I would check with your doctor again as the fluid around the wound does look slightly concerning, although the penis is below the heart and gets extra bloodflow because of that reason may be partly to blame for the swelling and secretions. Wishing you a speedy recovery!
I am hoping this skin is going to go away? Is it just going to shed away eventually as any other normal skin? My urologist said the swelling will take some time to go away, but I am very concerned still because it is now 9 days post op and the swelling hasn't reduced even a single bit yet.
Your penis has been through a trauma, it is normal for swelling to last quite a while. As for the necrosis-essentially I cannot tell how deep it is from the picture. If it is deep then your body may heal itself naturally- just let it heal and don't try to pick at the scabbing! If it is a light necrosis it is essentially a thick scab. Either way I see scarring in that area. Only time will tell.
Thank you for your help! Yes, there is tan colored liquid still coming out of the wound 9 days post op, it is not as much as before, but every time I change gauze, I still see some of that blood/tan colored fluid. It is mostly coming out of the frenulum side that is shown.
I had my circumcision done on Spring break in my hometown, but I am back in college so I cannot see my urologist that did the procedure for a while. I am seeing another urologist tomorrow because I am concerned about maybe an infection or something.
The picture from this post is mine 3 days post op, and it still looks about the same as far as swelling goes. Does everything look normal, besides that fluid you were talking about?
Yes sir, everything looks as normal as can be in it's situation. I personally had a lot of health issues in college. I had my eppididymis removed (pre malignant tumor)and made my testicle the size of a baseball for 6 months! Not only that but my poor little scrotum was black and blue! The body does an outstanding job at healing itself. All you have to do is keep away from sickness and stay healthy and it'll do the rest.
Any tips on how to get this swelling down (besides time lol)? I tried taking ibuprofen as some suggested, epsom baths, and ice on it, but doesn't seem to be helping much. Even if there was a little improvement, I would be so much more optimistic about the recovery. But it seems like the swelling of the shaft hasn't reduced at all since day 1. I am more concerned with the shaft swelling more than the ring swelling. It sucks cause for most people, the shaft swelling went down within a few days.
One more question (sorry!)... do you know what type of antibiotic I probably need for an infection of the stitch line? My urologist prescribed me cipro today, but I feel like that is for usually UTIs. I don't believe I have a UTI. I am more concerned about the skin infection.
For swelling I would definitely try resting as much as possible. Standing and walking should be kept to a minimum but don't forget to get up and walk around every now and then as moving the extremeties reduces the affect if gravity. When resting lay on your back to keep it above heart level. Try not to eat so much sodium . Try alternating between cold and warm temperature.
Because, when it's above the heart gravity isn't such a burden in keeping the swelling down. More bloodflow means more swelling. When you keep swelling at bay you usually experience a better healing time, less pain and a more pleasant healing experience
Well since your penis underwent an extensive operation, it is normal to expect that you will have a bigger "reaction" to it. Swelling after an operation is normal. What you can try is to apply ice (or frozen peas) to the area to help the swelling go down. You could also try to take anti-inflammatory medication to get the swelling down a little.
I would most likely think that the "black" area is merely dried out blood. The penis is very well supplied by blood. It is highly unlikely that merely that small part of it would suffer from lack of blood flow to it. That same kind of blackness can be sometimes seen around the circumcision area and is most of the time caused by dried blood.
As for the liquid, on day 8 its still pretty normal. There can be instances when that yellowish liquid is part of healing. If you had an infection, you would have redness, pain, foul smell and possibly fever to accompany that as infections usually come with multiple symptoms and not just one.
The swelling could be also caused as a reaction to the application of local anaesthetic.
Anyway, I don't think anything said on these forums will be able to put your mind at ease. If you want to be 100% sure, see the doc that performed the operation to show him the current state and see what he has to say.
I have a question for those who have experienced a circumcision. Is it more common to remove the frenulum, or part of it (as mine was) or leave it in place?
The black line is normal healing scan. There are no signs of infection in the picture you are showing. As during the night we get a number of erections that we might not be aware of you can possibly find some blood and serum stains in your underwear. This might be accompanied by pain or stinging in your suture line. Swelling is the last thing that passes and might race even months. The application of ice might be of help. Never apply ice directly to the skin just pack some ice in a towel and apply it 3 times daily. Never use any form of treatment unless it was prescribed for you by your Dr. What is good for one person does not mean that it is good for another. If you have further questions either post here or pm.
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