[Victor]

Originally Posted by InFront

banjo string

The frenelum - the piece of skin that holds the foreskin to the glans.

You also have two frenelums holding your lips to your jaws.

I had this done when I was 19 or 20. From my early teens I was unable to retract my my foreskin very far at all, like only a mm or two and it was very, very painful to this.

Was given steroid cream from GP. Had no success with it. Was referred to a urologist and had the surgery a little later on.

As regards to the surgery. It wasn't too bad. As mentioned before, the couple of days following the surgery are pretty uncomfortable. Waking up the morning after with a solid erection was less than plesant On the plus side however, the swelling made it look huge for a few days.

It healed up pretty quickly though. I had it done on the friday and was back at college on the following monday, although I may have had a slight limp for a day or two after that

Personally, I'm very glad I had it done. It was always something I was very embarressed about at the time. I would not shower in public, avoided relationships so I would not have to explain why I could not retract it etc, etc. My only regret is that I did not have it done sooner.

Good luck.

got it done yesterday! gassed etc and i'm fine now, just in a bit of pain when the head brushes off anything!! and the skin is very tender and sensitive @ the moment but i was given a gel to use which helps A LOT!!! Just going to have to use normal painkillers now but kinda hoping I'll be ok by Mon/Tues cos I'll have to go back to work soon!!
Oh and if you're embarassed about telling anybody, you can always lie and say you have a cist on your leg, it'll look the exact same if you know what I mean!! I'll fill ye in on more over the next few days.

[dr.bollocko]

CONGRATULATIONS MAN!!
Wahey.
In other news I have just discovered this thread right now.
And thanks to your talk of ripped.... banjo-strings, i am now very very light-headed, slightly upset and horrified and I really want my mommy.
My hands might as well be glued to my groin, they are down there now just in case someone within a mile of me is holding something sharp.
Cant be too careful.

[Tar.Aldarion]

What's the name of the gel? What does it do, just help you with sensitivity?
I know ine is WAY too sensitive. I have to be very careful or I hit the roof when 'intimate'. Need to get that sorted at some stage.


Congrats.

Originally Posted by Tar.Aldarion

What's the name of the gel? What does it do, just help you with sensitivity?
I know ine is WAY too sensitive. I have to be very careful or I hit the roof when 'intimate'. Need to get that sorted at some stage.


Congrats.

I don't have the name of it right now, it's Installagel or something like that. I'll get the name for you asap (will probably post tomorrow for you) I'm not sure if you have to get a prescription or not. But seriously even if it's sensitive see the GP! I'm in pain now but I'm really hoping it pays off. Just hope it swells soon cos I want a speedy recovery. 100s of men have it done they just don't mention it!

[johnsmith]

Originally Posted by dr.bollocko

And thanks to your talk of ripped.... banjo-strings, i am now very very light-headed, slightly upset and horrified and I really want my mommy.

It's not that bad actually, it sounds more painful than it is. I've had it rip on me twice, the first time I felt a weird sensation but I kept going at it. It was only afterwards that I realised what had happened. Afterwards it is a bit painful but I wasn't in much pain as it happened.

The second time was worse, I realised what happened so I withdrew, my girlfriend was a bit freaked out by the blood. I wrapped the fella in tissue paper and went all fetal for a few minutes.

Abstaining from sex seems to be the best cure for a ripped frenulum, it seems to be alright now but if it rips again then I'll go to the GP.

checked the name for you, it's Instillagel. Feels so good when you put it on! You'll need a dressing for it too and just be careful when putting it on. If you're fairly hairy it's going to be a bit more awkward for you!

[smiles]

Originally Posted by Tar.Aldarion

What's the name of the gel? What does it do, just help you with sensitivity?
I know ine is WAY too sensitive. I have to be very careful or I hit the roof when 'intimate'. Need to get that sorted at some stage.


Congrats.

Durex Performa contain a local anastetic (sp?) that help to reduce sensitivity and delay the inevitable....

*nerd*

[Tar.Aldarion]

Originally Posted by andanotherone!

I don't have the name of it right now, it's Installagel or something like that. I'll get the name for you asap (will probably post tomorrow for you) I'm not sure if you have to get a prescription or not. But seriously even if it's sensitive see the GP! I'm in pain now but I'm really hoping it pays off. Just hope it swells soon cos I want a speedy recovery. 100s of men have it done they just don't mention it!

Thanks, I look forward to your post. (:

Originally Posted by smiles

Durex Performa contain a local anastetic (sp?) that help to reduce sensitivity and delay the inevitable....

*nerd*

Thanks, I use them. *nerdsex*
It's not the delaying the inevitable I'm worried about, more the sudden pain.

[Laslo]

A lot of irresponsible misinformation on here.

Firstly, you're perfectly sensitive after the operation. Maybe less so, I don't know as I was circumcised as a baby, but still perfectly functional.

Secondly, a circumcised penis is cleaner than an uncircumcised one. Smegma and all that other crap doesn't build up under the foreskin. My ex-girlfriend said it was a joy giving me oral sex due to the fact that I was circumcised... which was a bonus

[Aard]

Laslo, smegma doesn't build up under the foreskin if you wash daily.

same thing happened to me as happened Jackie Chan....except my missus thought she was having "them" 2 weeks early. we were having sex and my "banjo string" ripped at the end. very very sore for a few days but since then has been grand.

Well done andanotherone, and thanks very much for your blog of sorts - it is proving most helpful and is much appreciated. Can I ask what age you are?

Also, why go for a circumcision. What was the problem, a frenulum brieve (short 'banjo string'), a too-small foreskin, or the foreskin excessively attached to the head? Was circimcision the only option in your case?

I'm in pretty much the same boat, though it's a frenulum breve here - the string is simply waaay too short for any level of contraction other than the top of the head being barely visible through the top circle of the foreskin. I'm 22, and have simply never really thought about it up till recently. It's always been not so much painful, as the head simply being uber-sensitive, to the extent I hit the roof if it comes in contact with anything. Presumably this has come about by the head being 'shielded' permanently all its life - the notion of having an exposed head is completely alien, not to mention horrifying to me, at the notion of how sensitive it would be!

I don't plan getting anything done until I leave home in the next couple of years when I can get it dealt with discreetly, even if it means losing out on my parent's VHI family plan!

But really I have to say this issue makes me apoplectic with rage at how it is brushed under the carpet. It’s estimated that 10% of men suffer from some degree of phimosis (foreskin difficulty), with many of these having severe levels of it. If this was a female issue it would be completely out in the open and discussed, including between parent and child. Of course men by their stoical nature are partially to blame, but if the child/person, i.e. someone like me isn't even aware of the problem till later in life (I've never had anything to compare it to!), then you suffer needlessly for years. I've read some excellent material on this matter and this is a major problem, and can even affect people psychologically - a child/teenager can go about for years unchecked and in pain, simply believing the physical sexual experience to be as limiting, unpleasant or as painful as it is for them, also leading to the avoidance of relationships etc. It’s one thing to keep putting a procedure off, but not to even know you have a fixable problem in the first instance is grossly unfair to the individual.

If nothing else, fathers should check with their teenage sons as to any difficulties they may have, regardless of how embarrassing it may be; two minutes of mental torture is a heck of a lot better than ten years of physical pain, with other possible side-effects too. Indeed the longer you leave it, the more likely you are to leave it be for the rest of your life, or single life at least – just like getting injections as an infant, you thank your parents for being cruel to be kind later in life.

I'm 18, still young but I actually found out almost a year back. I had no clue until I was about to have sex and was informed about the whole thing. How lucky I was because it could've ended up being VERY painful and embarassing!!

The problem was my penis was too big for the skin (I take it as a compliment ) and wouldn't retract. Also, the head was very sensitive and getting head wasn't very pleasuring because of it! Go see your GP anyway if you're any bit concerned. You say it's because you still live with your parents that you're putting this off? Well, I still live at home and got the operation done and my parents have no idea!! Of course I'm in a fair level of pain but I'm glad I got it done!! And it's costing me because I said I hadn't got health cover so that my dad wouldn't get a letter from the insurance company but it's worth it trust me!!

So far most of the stitches have dissolved but a few are still there and I just have to be careful when they brush up against something!! The head has actually hardened a bit only a few days on and the banjo string is still attached!! I think for a few weeks inconvenience it's worth it. It feels much better than the months of worrying I can assure you!! Best of luck and let me know how you're getting on. I'll keep you posted on how it's going for me!