[ ARC forum 2 ]

The culprit no doubt!

Written by Paul B. at 23 Mar 2003 11:23:48:

As an answer to: Re: Betamethasone in the UK written by Val at 21 Mar 2003 12:25:56:

>> Suggest you try using a miconazole (Daktarin) cream instead
> Thanks. I went this morning to have it prescribed and am starting the treatment today. I seriously hope it works!

In conjunction with the comment below, I certainly think it should, but incidentally, these products are non-prescription (required). Does the UK NHS still provide them free if you go to the doctor?

>> and make sure you are not putting soap on it at all
> See, that is probably one of the main things I got wrong. I assumed good hygiene could only help and I was washing the area several times a day. But isn't there any product that I can use when washing? Should I just use water?

Yes, you should use just water. The thing is, your understanding of "hygiene" is perhaps simplistic, indeed the question is: what would make you think that your body would require any "product" in this area?

I keep using this argument, but it remains particularly relevant: What do women do in this area? Well, they sometimes need to use "thrush" treatments, but this is largely a result of extremely bad hygiene practices, the most notable of which is wearing pants, particularly jeans, slacks, and synthetic underwear. Considering just how disgustingly absurdly they treat their genitals in this respect, infections are not so surprising.

And indeed, the sort of presentations doctors see in women, notably chronic irritation (vulvitis) are quite often due to the use of soap (or worse! By way of aside: we received a reply from one gynaecologist who had solved a puzzle my wife could not manage - a woman with a persistent irritation and discharge. On detailed questioning, he discovered she had been douching with "Dettol"!).

So, believe it! Your troubles are almost certainly due to improper use of a foreign substance: Soap! No wonder it has been a problem for so long!

> It's just that I posted these pictures to get an opinion about my condition and now I fail to see the purpose of them remaining where they are considering that there seems to be some uncertainty as to what should be the proper course of action for me to take.

My point is that everything is important - to others. We need things to which people can compare and pick details. That's why I make frequent use of foreskin.org. Sure, you may get your problem sorted out and off you go, but (we trust) you are but one of hundreds or thousands who come here to learn something, and if your pictures are gone, how will they ever know whether their problem might have been similar to yours?

> It feels like their main effect will be that of "freaking people out" and that isn't exactly what I set out to do when I posted them.

To the extent that it does, is it not useful that they have something about which to say, "well, I certainly don't have that problem"?

> When the annoying infection is gone, I'll consult a urologist about the adhesions and will refer back to the list as to what they will suggest.

Very well. If you can find a doctor (and in my neck of the woods, although I do trust our local urologists, I don't necessarily think one has to go specifically to a urologist for such matters) who will attend specifically to the adhesions without looking for a more profitable procedure to "sell" you, then that may be an option.

On older men, I have found these adhesions can be quite difficult to deal with (surgically) due to a tendency to re-form, but (or perhaps because of this,) I do think you can with due persistence, achieve adequate functional (if not cosmetic) correction of these with stretching.


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