Re: Misdiagnosed STD & Balanitis triggering Phimosis?

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Written by R J Knight at 25 Oct 2000 00:14:38:

As an answer to: Misdiagnosed STD & Balanitis triggering Phimosis? written by SR at 31 Aug 2000 09:43:47:

SR, I hope your problem's been helped by now, but if it's still giving you hell, there are a couple of things you might do: first, see whether your foreskin will stay retracted behind the glans when you leave it that way. If it will, it would be a good idea to keep it retracted for several days--a week or more--to give it a chance to dry out thoroughly, a condition not friendly to yeast cell's survival. (Don't worry about the effect on your feeling; sensitivity should be as good as ever.) Second, if the foreskin won't stay "skinned back", you definitely need to go to the doctor & ask him/her about the possibility of a dorsal slit. (This is sometimes called the "French cut" because Frenchmen are said to prefer it to circumcision, which most of them just hate.) This slit need not be too long, but it should be long enough to let air reach the glans and dry out any yeast cells that may be lurking there. You might think the d.s. is a drastic treatment, but most folks who've had it done find it heals well within a few days and has no disadvantages unless you don't like the looks of a loose foreskin that is open at the top. (This doesn't bother many people.) Hope your problem's already been fixed; if not, you might consider these 2 suggestions! Best wishes, RJK.
>I've been through hell over the last two months due to some misdiagnosed issues. My girlfriend had a yeast infection and the resulting infection I caught was diagnosed as an STD, leading to pills, a urethra smear (total horror show), subsequent urethra infection (the smear got infected), heavy duty codeine (at one point I could barely urinate....and I was at a friend's wedding with an open bar, which really sucked since I didn't want to consume any liquids whatsoever). Anyway, all of the blood and urine STD tests came back negative (for me and her -- we'd simply shared a yeast infection). Now, as you can imagine I'm loath to go through that again but I've developed something that looks like Balanitis and this has led to a Phimosis ring developing.
>Unlike other discussions of Phimosis here, mine is slightly different. The tight ring is there about 1cm below the tip of the foreskin, but the skin at the Phimosis ring is a little "brittle" when fully stretched. When I retract it over the glans it "cracks" and small cuts appear (they don't bleed or anything -- although they are painful). The foreskin simply doesn't have its usual elasticity at the Phimosis ring.
>To top it all off I appear to have Balanitis (red blotchy speckled shading on the glans). I'm applying the cream I was prescribed for the yeast and it seems to be helping, but the brittle foreskin business isn't going anywhere.
>Some questions for you:
>1. Is Phimosis typically characterized by the foreskin ring being incredibly sensitive to stretching and occasionally splitting (slightly) when retracted)? (As you can imagine I ain't doin' this too often.)
>2. Can Balanitis (via a yeast infection) trigger Phimosis?
>My girlfriend is heading back to the doctor tomorrow and she suspects she has another yeast infection. I thought I'd try the 'Net for comments before another visit....
>Stats: 35, uncircumcised, no history of Phimosis.