My Circumcision Story

LegacyUser

Haven't posted in a few days now so I thought I would. This is Day 15 post surgery for a partial circumcision.

I've been back to work for about a week and a half now and everything is going well. The tip ofh penis is still quite sensitive and I've been continuing with the dressings really only to protest the head from rubbing off the underwear. There's virtually no bleeding now.

The stitches are rapidly disappearing, there are a few left around but I'd imagine in another few days they will all have gone.

I attempted my first real masturbation last night. I've had night erections regularly since the surgery but this was my first proper time. This is completely new to me as a partially circumcised man so it was very much trial and error. It was strange for me to see the whole shaft of my penis exposed when erect I must say I was very impressed with how it looked!

The only thing of note for me was the when the skin retracted, there was a pink rim of skin positioned behind the shaft. I could see the trace of where the stitches were/are positioned just behind this rim of pink skin. I'm presuming in time that this will sort itself out but everything is just new to me right now.

What does concern me is that the remaining foreskin doesn't retract back over the glans itself when the erection is gone, I have to push this over the shaft myself after the erection is gone. Is this normal?

My doctor said I have to train this new foreskin over the coming days and weeks ahead so I'm hoping this is just part of an ongoing process. He recommends I masturabte regularly in order to maximise the training of the remaining foreskin.
I'll see how it goes.

I'm still bathing in Epsom salts and warm water, and will do so for another while.

I'm going to try to wean myself off from wearing the dresses over the next few days. I'll see how it goes. Tip is quite sensitive but this too shall pass.

So I'm still very much getting used to my new penis, no doubt the next couple of weeks will be a learning curve too. Just looking forward to when everything has settled down completely and can just have a normal sex life.

BigProblem

My Turn wrote: »

Hi BigProblem and UhOhhh...

Yep, not knowing what's 'normal' is difficult alright, as you don't know whether everything's healing as it should or not. And your bits do end up looking *very* swollen and discoloured and basically a mess, so that's quite disconcerting.

I also think the consultants can tend to be a bit relaxed about it, and you're sent home without really knowing what to do or what to expect. A previous poster who was getting texts from his consultant and able to send pictures etc. was very lucky, if only they were all like that.

All you can do is keep on bathing, keep on resting, and if you think it's getting worse, not better, or if you're unsure about anything, contact your Doctor or the hospital.

But it will all start looking better soon...

Hi My Turn

its a week today since the circ, I have been feeling better each day, there is one thing that is bothering me, it is red in one place where the stitching is it is kinda sore/itchy at times - its not constant or unbearable - it is worrying me that it is infected but I'm not sure if it is - the swelling and that has gone down so not sure. is the above symptom similar to you? I might leave it a few days and see how it is before going to the doctor.

I have been daily showering the wound (no shower gel) - nurse told me not to bathe in salt water (just shower normally) so kinda regretting not doing that now :mad: I am now going to bathe it for a few days see how that goes...

how are you getting on UhOhhh?

UhOhhh

Hi BigProblem,

I'm not getting on too bad I think except for there's a part on the stitches under my glans that doesn't look great. It's like a swollen piece of skin in between two stitches that is kind of in a little ball shape. It bled for a little bit the other day (nothing major, it stopped after a minute or so), but I have noticed when I clean it there's a bit of green coming off it. I've read that this could just be the stitches dissolving but I'm going to my GP this afternoon to get him to have a look at it just to be sure. The rest of the wound seems to be healing nicely.

Re: the salt - Crazy how many different opinions there are around. One place I read said to use antiseptic in the bath - but others said that slows down skin growth and to to use salt instead. When I rang the hospital they told me to use salt so I've been doing that so I think you're fine that you have been too.

Nightime erections are still giving me hell though. I haven't had a proper nights sleep in a week as I instantly get one when I fall asleep so I wake up every hour trying to make it go away. Then I fall asleep again and it happens again. I'm exhausted so going to take a few more days off work.

It's still kind of painful to walk around, but I think it's more the sensitivity of the glans more than anything else. The skin on the glans is starting to dry up a bit (kind of looks like it will start peeling eventually), and I've read that this is normal and is the start of the sensitivity going down.

All in all, still not great - but I feel a whole lot better than I did a few days ago! Looking forward to next week when all of the stitches should start falling out

LegacyUser

Hi there,

Regarding infection, it's kinda hard to tell really, as some of the signs (redness, swelling, fluid etc.) are kinda what happens anyhow after the operation. I did read that an infection is more of a puss than a fluid, but to be honest I don't think the difference is that obvious.

When it comes down to it, if you're not sure, or you think it's getting worse (swelling increasing again etc.), just go to your Doctor to find out for sure, you'll get peace of mind if nothing else! How did you get on with your GP UhOhhh?

The erections can be so annoying alright, and not a lot you can do about it, it just gets better over time. I did wear one of my cotton strips during the night too, which I felt helped a little.

I'm now 5 weeks (and a day) post Op. I'm doing a lot better now, there's pretty much no swelling and from the outside it all looks normal. If I go poking around I can see that part of the scar isn't fully healed yet, but it's clearly getting better each day, and it will get there. I'm no longer using cotton strips and don't really have any sensitivity issues, half the time I'm not even aware of my bits, just like it used to be!

My only remaining issue really now is erections and sex/masturbation. The one time I am aware/uncomfortable is if I get an erection during the day, as the head pushes against my underwear and I might need to 'arrange' myself. And because my scar isn't fully healed yet, it's still a little sore around that area, which takes some of the pleasure out of it. Apart from being a little sore, what used to work to make me climax doesn't work anymore for obvious reasons, and I haven't yet figured out/got used to a new way, so it's all still a bit frustrating! But I think I'll get there (well, I bloody hope I will!), it'll just take time, especially once the slightly sore area heals.

LegacyUser

Hi MyTurn,

I'll be 3 weeks post op tomorrow. All my stitches are gone and the sensitivity is still there but is easing. Very happy with how things have gone so far.

I share in your sentiments with masturbation. I've done this a few times now over the last week or so and haven't worked myself into a climax yet. It's all still very new to me, so what worked before the surgery doesn't work for me now. No doubt this will be sorted in time but it is a bit frustrating.

As I've had a partial circumcision, I suppose masturbation will be different for me. The remaining skin retracts no problem when I masturbate and I can see the shaft in all its glory, however, when it retracts it forms a kind of pink skin behind the head of the shaft. This is a bit sore to touch so it's affecting the quality of my sessions. I'm basically in an ongoing process of training the new skin, so it's still all new to me. I have to stretch the skin with the eventual aim that the skin will be able to retract over the flaccid glans.

The only thing of concern to me would be that the skin doesn't seem to go back over the shaft post masturbation when the penis becomes soft. It stays behind the shaft making my penis look all wrinkly. When I place it in warm water, I'm able to pull the skin back over the shaft and it goes back into place. Not sure if this is just a temporary thing while the new skin is being trained, so I'll keep an eye on it.

BigProblem

My Turn wrote: »

Hi there,

Regarding infection, it's kinda hard to tell really, as some of the signs (redness, swelling, fluid etc.) are kinda what happens anyhow after the operation. I did read that an infection is more of a puss than a fluid, but to be honest I don't think the difference is that obvious.

When it comes down to it, if you're not sure, or you think it's getting worse (swelling increasing again etc.), just go to your Doctor to find out for sure, you'll get peace of mind if nothing else! How did you get on with your GP UhOhhh?

The erections can be so annoying alright, and not a lot you can do about it, it just gets better over time. I did wear one of my cotton strips during the night too, which I felt helped a little.

I'm now 5 weeks (and a day) post Op. I'm doing a lot better now, there's pretty much no swelling and from the outside it all looks normal. If I go poking around I can see that part of the scar isn't fully healed yet, but it's clearly getting better each day, and it will get there. I'm no longer using cotton strips and don't really have any sensitivity issues, half the time I'm not even aware of my bits, just like it used to be!

My only remaining issue really now is erections and sex/masturbation. The one time I am aware/uncomfortable is if I get an erection during the day, as the head pushes against my underwear and I might need to 'arrange' myself. And because my scar isn't fully healed yet, it's still a little sore around that area, which takes some of the pleasure out of it. Apart from being a little sore, what used to work to make me climax doesn't work anymore for obvious reasons, and I haven't yet figured out/got used to a new way, so it's all still a bit frustrating! But I think I'll get there (well, I bloody hope I will!), it'll just take time, especially once the slightly sore area heals.

Hi MyTurn

I went to the doctor and I have an infection, he gave me some cream and antibiotics so that is a pain :mad: which I presume will slow up my healing.

UhOhhh

Hi All,

Just an update. I went to my GP at the start of the week and he said it was slightly infected so I was put on oral antibiotics and an anti inflammatory. I still have the lump underneath where my frenulum is/used to be (I cant really tell yet - I think it's still there and that's whats swollen) which he said will go down by itself in a few weeks time. I rang the hospital and they confirmed the same. It's not hurting, but it's just a little unsightly so that's why I was worried that it wasn't going to go away! From looking online I've found others with pictures that look exactly like what I have and these guys also confirmed theirs went away after about a month.

It has been 10 days now and I still have all of my stitches, but they have loosened up quite a bit which is a delight because the dreaded night time erections are no longer giving me any trouble which is probably the part I found the hardest . I'm still bathing the wound in a bowl of warm water with epsom salts daily while giving it a clean. I have tiny spots of blood and some discharge, not bad or smelly, just the stuff that forms scabs from what I can tell. I clear most of this away when I clean it. It's no longer inflamed and the swelling and bruising has all but gone bar on the underside which takes the longest to heal.

There is a small section on the side about 1cm long where it doesn't look like the skin seems to be fusing. It's not an open wound or anything, it just seems there's a bit of a gap compared to the rest of it so hopefully this heals ok. My sensitivity is actually not too bad. I can walk around now with my boxers rubbing off the glans without too much trouble. The head is drying up and peeling so I'd say I'll have another phase of sensitivity when it does fully peel.

I'm horny as feck, but I'm going to leave masturbation for at least another week - or until most of the stitches start to fall out. Will they just dissolve themselves and fall out or do I have to give them a helping hand by rubbing them when cleaning?

All in all I'm happy enough with how things are going, and I'll be delighted if this "bubble" on my frenulum goes away. The last thing I want to go is have to back in a couple of months to get it removed and start the whole healing process all over again!

LegacyUser

Hi there...

Sorry to hear you both got infections, it's pretty crappy isn't it! At least the antibiotics will get you both back on the road to recovery again. Try not to think of the antibiotics as slowing the healing down, it would slow down a lot more without them!

UhOhhh... I had a section not fusing as well, and it'll be fine, it'll just be slower than the rest, but it will heal and 'fuse'. As for sensitivity, I was able to do a 10k run yesterday and I was fine in my shorts, so after 5 weeks or so that's kinda me sorted with sensitivity I think, apart from the occasional 'jolt' I may get sometimes. As for the stitches, I tended to pull at each one *very* gently to see if it would come away or not, and if it didn't I left it alone. I definitely didn't 'rub' at them.

Yep, masturbation is going to be a long slow learning road I think, basically trying to learn something new after doing it for years a certain way. It's weird to have to learn it again, and rather frustrating, in many ways!

Gael23

You just need plenty of lubricant to masturbate. The more you use the easier your hand glides along the shaft

BigProblem

My Turn wrote: »

Hi there...

Sorry to hear you both got infections, it's pretty crappy isn't it! At least the antibiotics will get you both back on the road to recovery again. Try not to think of the antibiotics as slowing the healing down, it would slow down a lot more without them!

UhOhhh... I had a section not fusing as well, and it'll be fine, it'll just be slower than the rest, but it will heal and 'fuse'. As for sensitivity, I was able to do a 10k run yesterday and I was fine in my shorts, so after 5 weeks or so that's kinda me sorted with sensitivity I think, apart from the occasional 'jolt' I may get sometimes. As for the stitches, I tended to pull at each one *very* gently to see if it would come away or not, and if it didn't I left it alone. I definitely didn't 'rub' at them.

Yep, masturbation is going to be a long slow learning road I think, basically trying to learn something new after doing it for years a certain way. It's weird to have to learn it again, and rather frustrating, in many ways!

thanks my turn - will the foreskin eventually move further down the top of my penis eventually over the coming month or will the top part always be as exposed?

LegacyUser

Hi BigProblem,

I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean will the scar become less exposed over time, or do you mean will the head of your penis become less exposed over time? Or do you mean something else?

Obviously, with a circumcision the head of your penis is going to be exposed, though it can vary a lot, depending on the circumcision. You can read online about high and low cuts, and tight and loose cuts. I don't know exactly how your circumcision looks, but mine has the scar just behind the head, and there's enough skin left to cover the scar and 'rest' up against the head. Sometimes the skin might cover the bottom of the head slightly, and sometimes it's just against the bottom of the head. That's all when I'm flaccid of course, when I'm erect the head is fully exposed.

While the shape etc. changed a lot when I was still swollen and healing, it's now settled down and I don't expect it to change much any more.

Hope that makes some sense?

UhOhhh

MyTurn, just curious but did you get a say in what style you wanted? I got a low cut too, and didn't even know there was an option to get a high cut and keep most of the inner foreskin until I googled it after the procedure. I'm a bit pissed off they never even talked to me about it.

LegacyUser

Hi Uhohhh...

I didn't really have a choice, no. I had looked into the different options etc., and when I brought it up with my surgeon he was a little dismissive of it, saying it was an 'American' thing to choose stuff like that. He basically said that he'd take enough off to solve the problem and not leave my penis looking like a 'cauliflower', but not too much off to leave so little skin left that it would be too tight. That sounded ok to me, so I went with it, and I am happy with the result. I don't know what would have happened had I insisted on a particular style though.

BigProblem

My Turn wrote: »

Hi BigProblem,

I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean will the scar become less exposed over time, or do you mean will the head of your penis become less exposed over time? Or do you mean something else?

Obviously, with a circumcision the head of your penis is going to be exposed, though it can vary a lot, depending on the circumcision. You can read online about high and low cuts, and tight and loose cuts. I don't know exactly how your circumcision looks, but mine has the scar just behind the head, and there's enough skin left to cover the scar and 'rest' up against the head. Sometimes the skin might cover the bottom of the head slightly, and sometimes it's just against the bottom of the head. That's all when I'm flaccid of course, when I'm erect the head is fully exposed.

While the shape etc. changed a lot when I was still swollen and healing, it's now settled down and I don't expect it to change much any more.

Hope that makes some sense?

I meant the head of my penis would be less exposed after time. I feel now that the head is very exposed and my foreskin no where near the head - I kinda thought over time the foreskin will become looser and will move over part of the head. hope that makes sense to you. I also never discussed what type of cut I was getting with my consultant.

UhOhhh

Tried masturbating today. Didn't happen. All of my stitches are still in so I can't stroke it properly. It's killing me, I'm about to burst!

LegacyUser

Hi BigProblem,

It does sound like your cut is 'higher' than mine, as my foreskin was up against the base of the head pretty much from the evening of the operation onwards. Obviously it changed a bit with the swelling etc., but in general it hasn't moved much. Like I said, when I'm flaccid the foreskin sometimes covers the base of the head, but that's about it. Obviously I'm no expert but I'd be surprised if the position of the foreskin changes that much for you a few weeks after the Op. You could always ask your Doctor/Surgeon about it, see if they think it will change or not.

UhOhhh, I know what the frustration is like (believe me!) but you're a brave man to be trying it while the stitches are still in! I waited 'til they were out, I'd be too worried about them tearing, and anyhow it was still too sore/tender to enjoy it. In fact, it's still a little too tender to enjoy it, and that's one of the reasons why it's so annoying. I know, as Gael23 said, that lubricant helps, but it also feels a bit weird as I never needed that before, so that's still something different. I guess, when it comes down to it, I'm not used to masturbation feeling different! But I also guess I'll get used to it over time.

UhOhhh

Yeah it probably wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had. Couldn't help myself though!

In other news I started back work yesterday and today while in work I went to the bathroom and had a little nasty surprise! The underside of my wound had been bleeding... A lot! Thick blood all over my boxers. Didn't look that bad at first as my boxers were black but when I tried to clean them with tissue it was soaked through with blood. Naturally panic set in and I tried to clean it up as much as I could before running out to my boss to tell her I had to go.

Went to A&E and thankfully triage rang directly to my surgeons team to ask for a member of their team to come down and see me so I didn't have to queue like everyone else. Was still there for 2 hours, but I can imagine I would have been there for a lot longer if I was waiting to get seen by a regular nurse.

The doctor had a look anyway and said it looked fine. The slight infection I had last week is completely gone and the bleeding had stopped completely when she was looking at it. She said she could put another stitch in where I was bleeding but didn't think it was necessary and would probably make it bleed even more. So she just bandaged him up and told me to take it off tomorrow night.

My work trousers have been giving me a fair bit of discomfort so I'd say they're the culprit. Should probably wear tracksuit bottoms in, but I'm in an office environment so I would end up getting a lot of unwanted questions so not sure what to do.

BigProblem

UhOhhh wrote: »

Yeah it probably wasn't the greatest idea I've ever had. Couldn't help myself though!

In other news I started back work yesterday and today while in work I went to the bathroom and had a little nasty surprise! The underside of my wound had been bleeding... A lot! Thick blood all over my boxers. Didn't look that bad at first as my boxers were black but when I tried to clean them with tissue it was soaked through with blood. Naturally panic set in and I tried to clean it up as much as I could before running out to my boss to tell her I had to go.

Went to A&E and thankfully triage rang directly to my surgeons team to ask for a member of their team to come down and see me so I didn't have to queue like everyone else. Was still there for 2 hours, but I can imagine I would have been there for a lot longer if I was waiting to get seen by a regular nurse.

The doctor had a look anyway and said it looked fine. The slight infection I had last week is completely gone and the bleeding had stopped completely when she was looking at it. She said she could put another stitch in where I was bleeding but didn't think it was necessary and would probably make it bleed even more. So she just bandaged him up and told me to take it off tomorrow night.

My work trousers have been giving me a fair bit of discomfort so I'd say they're the culprit. Should probably wear tracksuit bottoms in, but I'm in an office environment so I would end up getting a lot of unwanted questions so not sure what to do.

that is a shocker man - horror story - bad enough going through the operation but having to go through that too. I'm not due back to work next week myself so will be wearing the work trousers too.

UhOhhh

BigProblem wrote: »

that is a shocker man - horror story - bad enough going through the operation but having to go through that too. I'm not due back to work next week myself so will be wearing the work trousers too.

Yeah, was a bit of a shock alright. But the doctor assured me it looked fine so I calmed down then.

I'm going to bandage it up for the rest of the week while in work and then take it off in the evenings. Just until the weekend and then I'll see how things look and maybe buy some oversized trousers if I need to. All the ones I have are pretty slim fit.

Would love another week off to be honest!

Gael23

You really need to try and avoid masturbation until the stitches have come out, you don't want to damage the wound or get an infection. I know how hard it is but it's for your own benefit!
I never do it without lubricant,I was cut before I hit puberty so I don't know any different but without it it takes ages for anything to happen and is far less enjoyable, but that's just what I think.

BigProblem

My turn wrote: »

Hi BigProblem,

It does sound like your cut is 'higher' than mine, as my foreskin was up against the base of the head pretty much from the evening of the operation onwards. Obviously it changed a bit with the swelling etc., but in general it hasn't moved much. Like I said, when I'm flaccid the foreskin sometimes covers the base of the head, but that's about it. Obviously I'm no expert but I'd be surprised if the position of the foreskin changes that much for you a few weeks after the Op. You could always ask your Doctor/Surgeon about it, see if they think it will change or not.

UhOhhh, I know what the frustration is like (believe me!) but you're a brave man to be trying it while the stitches are still in! I waited 'til they were out, I'd be too worried about them tearing, and anyhow it was still too sore/tender to enjoy it. In fact, it's still a little too tender to enjoy it, and that's one of the reasons why it's so annoying. I know, as Gael23 said, that lubricant helps, but it also feels a bit weird as I never needed that before, so that's still something different. I guess, when it comes down to it, I'm not used to masturbation feeling different! But I also guess I'll get used to it over time.

thanks myturn - regarding cleaning under the foreskin below the head - have you done this yet or cleaned the wound? I have only showered with water and not used any shower gel yet. I noticed under the head when I move the foreskin back there is blue coloured gunk or something (hard to describe what it is).

LegacyUser

UhOhhh.... Sorry to hear you had to go through that! I can't help but wonder if trying to masturbate with the stitches in might have led to that bleed as well, some of them could have worked loose or something? No matter what trousers you're wearing, don't forget the cotton strips, they will help with these issues!

BigProblem... I'd be little concerned about 'blue' gunk, unless maybe your stitches are blue, or you're wearing blue underwear and it's fluff from that? As for cleaning, I did clean a little under the foreskin, just very gently, and only using water from the shower, or the salt baths, which I did for a couple of weeks at least. Now that I'm just over 6 weeks post Op, I'm cleaning it as normal no problem.

BigProblem

My Turn wrote: »

UhOhhh.... Sorry to hear you had to go through that! I can't help but wonder if trying to masturbate with the stitches in might have led to that bleed as well, some of them could have worked loose or something? No matter what trousers you're wearing, don't forget the cotton strips, they will help with these issues!

BigProblem... I'd be little concerned about 'blue' gunk, unless maybe your stitches are blue, or you're wearing blue underwear and it's fluff from that? As for cleaning, I did clean a little under the foreskin, just very gently, and only using water from the shower, or the salt baths, which I did for a couple of weeks at least. Now that I'm just over 6 weeks post Op, I'm cleaning it as normal no problem.

thanks myturn - sorry for all the questions - I was wearing blue boxers so I think it is fluff from that. there is white stuff under the foreskin which I am not sure if they are the stitches or not. I haven't cleaned under the foreskin I would be worried about doing damage - I will be three weeks post op on Monday.

LegacyUser

Don't be apologising for asking questions BigProblem, that's what the thread is for! Just remember that all I can go on is my experience, and I'm no expert!

If you're 2.5 weeks Post Op now, you could expect the stitches to be getting to the stage where they might start coming out. The white stuff could be the stitches, mine were white and were always obviously a stitch until I poked at them a bit and teased out the 'stitch' shape of them, if that makes sense.

By 2.5 weeks I was definitely cleaning (gently) the wound with water, and I was also gently pulling at a stitch here and there to see if it would come away. Very gently pull though, you don't want to tear skin if the stitch is still strong!

UhOhhh

Just a question on stitches. I'm at day 18 now and only about 4 of the approx 18 stitches have fallen out. Should I think about cutting them out so they don't leave tunnels?

LegacyUser

Hi UhOhh...

At 18 days I'd definitely be helping the stitches along a bit. I don't know about cutting them, but I would tease them a little. I used to get a small tweezers or something, just to separate the 'strands' of the stitches so I could see each one clearly. Then I'd very gently pull at each one. I'd know quick enough if I thought it was going to pull away, or if it wasn't. In general, if it immediately hurts then it's probably not going to pull away, and I definitely wouldn't try to force it! Just work at each one gently and you might get one or two to pull away. In the end, after about 3 weeks, in one session I got about 8 or 9 of them, and that was all of them gone.

Hope it goes well for you...

Gael23

I think MyTurn is right, go very gentle and if they dont come easily then leave them be. Also be sure to sterilise the tweezers or whatever you use first with antiseptic and possibly even your penis after you do it. You dont want to get an infection in the cut.

UhOhhh

Thanks guys. I got the majority of them out over the past few days. 2 stragglers still left at the front, and a couple underneath

I'm still not liking the look of that area though. It's 3 weeks tomorrow and it looks like they made a mess of the frenulum area. I know it takes the longest to heal but i still have the horrible bubble sticking out. The whole area looks like it was cut really poorly and there's about 5 stitches all on top of each other in the one area as if they were desperate to get it all to stay together. I suspect I'm going to have a mass of scar tissue there. The doctor assured me it would all go down as it was still inflamed, but I really don't know.

LegacyUser

Lads any recommendations on where to get it done over the last 9 months the tip of the skin has gotten real tight went to the docs got a cream hasnt really done much any advice would be helpful

Raging_Ninja

DreadingtheOp wrote: »

Lads any recommendations on where to get it done over the last 9 months the tip of the skin has gotten real tight went to the docs got a cream hasnt really done much any advice would be helpful

Go to your GP - they are the gatekeeper and all future treatments will go through them.