August 2008

My awakening: Starting my foreskin restoration journey

by Tally on August 23, 2008

Up until I was 52, I thought I was normal. I knew I was circumcised, but I really did not know what that meant. I knew I did not have a foreskin, but I've never seen one on another guy, and I had no idea what a foreskin was.

That changed on Saturday, August 9, 2008.  I was suffering from a severe case of acute bacterial prostatitus (ABP).  My urologist recommended surgery. Having a healthy dose of skepticism and wishing to be an informed patient, I began researching ABP and my options, both surgical and non-surgical. That Saturday I learned about male genital mutilation, commonly called circumcision. Until that day, I never realized what had been done to me when I was born. I was appalled and I finally understood the reason for some of the irritation and pains that I experienced with my penis. Read more . . .

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Prostate surgery

by Tally on August 19, 2008

As noted in my last blog, I was scheduled for prostate surgery. I was told to be at the hospital at 1:30 that afternoon. The surgery was as an outpatient and I was supposed to be able to go home in a few hours. I could eat and drink only up until midnight the night before. I got to the hospital nervous and hungry. Thirsty, too.

The surgery was to start at 4:30 that afternoon. Talking to the check-in nurse, I found out that my urologist had several patients before me that he was operating on. I was to be the last. I hoped he was not going to be too tired. But, I thought, he should have lots of practice by the time he gets to me. My wife and I waited in the waiting room for about an hour before they called us back. Read more . . .

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Getting ready for prostate surgery

by Tally on August 10, 2008

My urologist gave me the options for fixing my BPH: surgery or drugs, and he did not thing the drugs were a good option.  My prostate was 50 grams and myurethra was almost completely blocked. Antibiotics were no help in opening up my urethra. So, if I wanted to use drugs like Avodart or Proscar, I would have to wear the catheter for several months until the prostate shrunk enough. Ugh. That was not a good option.

Then there is surgery. I asked about the less invasive laser treatments, such as the green laser. My urologist said those laser treatments would require me to continue wearing the catheter until my prostate shrunk enough from the laser treat. He said that the laser destroyed the inside of the prostate and that the prostate would collapse on itself, making my urethral opening larger. But, that takes time.

My doctor's first choice was TURP - trans-urethral resection of prostate. TURP requires an overnight hospital stay. It also has a 2 to 4 month recovery period.

The other option was HoLAP - Holmium Laser Ablation of the Prostate. My urologist was not too optimistic about HoLAP, considering the size of my prostate. At 50 grams he said I was on the high end of the range for it. Read more . . .

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