Thank you so much for your help. Is balanitis always LSA? I thought it might be candida.
I live in the U.S.
I can certainly keep my foreskin back -- it stays behind the glans without any difficulty (though it would be impossible to keep it fully retracted without tape). But, won't this increase the risk of paraphimosis? I don't want to wake up with a necrotic glans!
If I try to retract the foreskin while masturbating I don't feel any pain, but the scar tissue on the frenular band (particularly on the dorsal side of the penis) widen and turn red. Later in the day, those reddened areas will sting a bit. What does this indicate?
Is the frenulum strained more when the foreskin is retracted or when the foreskin is pulled over the glans?
Bongo
>Dear Bongo,
>Thanks for telling us your experience.
>Answers are: LSA (or balanitis) is likely to reccur at some stage but I feel one could happily wait till it does reccur before a precautionary circumcision. It is important to realise that such infections occur because of the humid atmosphere between the foreskin and the glans, therefore by wearing the foreskin in the retracted position, the risk of this can be greatly decreased. Also a partial circumcision could be a better solution. In order to keep the foreskin in the retracted position (or experiment with this idea) it might help to actually tape it back, with sticky tape ...
>An operation on the frenulum will address some forms of phimosis and it is normal practice as specific operation for frenulum breve. I am afraid I must suggest that your Urologist is behind the times, (and this is I am sure so also in Canada - I believe you live in Canada due to the ER) . ... You say that sex isnt painful. Therefore during intercourse your frenulum isnt being pressured to this limit, you could when masturbating merely attempt to pull the foreskin back and tell us if this causes pain. In which case yes this is aquired frenulum breve. However I believe that time may well allow the swelling to subside and then you will have no problem and you can hopefully live happily ever after.
>good luck - tell us what happens -
>Robin
>>I am an intact male, aged 29. I have had a healthy sex life and have never experienced pain during intercourse. Recently, I developed a yeast infection on my penis. The yeast infection, balanatis, did not respond to topical anti-fungals and my foreskin (which had never previously been a problem) swelled considerably, particularly in the frenular band. In fact, that band developed about a dozen small lesions, which would smart badly when I tried to retract the foreskin. My foreskin swelled to the point that I could not retract it far enough to see my glans. Concerned that I would no longer be able to urinate, I went to the ER. They diagnosed a secondary bacterial infection and put me on an antibiotic.
>>The antibiotic worked wonders. Within 5 days, I was able to retract my foreskin far enough to urinate freely. Two days after that, I was able to retract all the way. The one problem was that my frenulum was in distress. It and the surrounding area were red and slightly swollen. Some of the lesions around the frenulum did not heal, although the lesions on the rest of the band healed leaving only thin scars as reminders. Fully retracting the foreskin caused the frenulum to bend the glans and shaft down significantly. And, when I released the foreskin, the foreskin would bounce back and bunch up behind the glans.
>>My urologist recommended a circumcission because he felt that the balanitis and phimosis were likely to recur. However, he said there was no emergency and I could return to having sex and biking. I have indeed returned to having sex and biking, but I am concerned that the frenulum area remains swollen (some days are worse than others). Sex is not painful. But during the day -- particularly after sitting for long periods of time -- I sometimes feel like my foreskin is pinching the tip of my penis. And the underside of my glans is sometimes grayish though still sensitive to the touch. Occasionally, there is a faint, semicircular indentation across the top of the penis.
>>Here are my questions. Is this acquired Frenulum Breve? If so, will it correct itself when the swelling goes down? In fact, will the swelling ever go down, and what can I do to expedite the healing? Do I need to be concerned about the pressure on the glans? ( My urologist says everything looks fine and I'm becoming obsessed). Will the swelling ultimately lead to the rest of the band cracking and swelling like it did before?
>>My urologist says that he won't perform any operation other than a full circumcission. He says that cutting the frenulum will not address the phimosis. Any thoughts?
>>I am really disinclined to have circumcission because I am afraid that it will reduce sensitivity in the glans and sex will be less pleasurable. Is this a reasonable fear?
