My Circumcision Story

RolfHarris

Day Four

Afternoon all. I'm not sure (a) if anyone is still reading this thread or (b) isn't just scrolling through these posts, but this thread is a rare example of a really good resource on circumcision so I want to give as detailed a diary as possible for people who are thinking of plucking up the courage and going for the cut.

I sat around all of yesterday with my stuff resting on the waistband of my tracksuit bottoms. It's a good way of keeping the glans in the freshair without it touching any cloth and without needing to be naked. The autumn weather has kicked in! It was pretty boring to be honest, and I'd advise anyone going for the operation to stock up on as much food as possible for light grazing throughout the day during the first days of imprisonment at home. My flat has never been so tidy!

At night, I did the usual routine of smearing some gauze in vaseline and wrapping it around the cut, held in place with some tape then fairly tight trunks. I took another painkiller, more for the way the codeine knocks me out than anything else. Again, I slept in a foetal position and woke this morning with another semi, which didn't hurt at all.

Today, it's clear the swelling is beginning to go down and the whole thing is much less impressive than yesterday Keeping the head exposed to the air since Saturday evening has helped a lot. There's still some weird fleshy bulging beside the head and a small blister on the actual glans, which must have come from a knock during the night. I guess both the bulging and the blister will sort themselves out. The head is less red than in previous days and the underneath (the frenulum area) is less mangled than before.

This morning I had a shower as per instructions and wrapped it again in vaseline gauze and tape, and tight boxers (and other clothes, obviously) for a slow stroll to the corner shop. It felt totally pain free althogh I took it so slow, an old man on two walking sticks overtook me on the pavement!

Now - some advice from old hands - the head is still sensitive but I can just about cope with it touching tight shorts. Should I keep it in the open air, or in my shorts with tracksuit over the top?

As ever, PM me if you've any questions. In a weird way, I'm quite enjoying this process, boring though it now is.

LegacyUser

Hello, before you begin reading this just know that I'm not takin the piss, I just read over my post before posting and nearly cried laughin, I didnt really do a good job of puttin this together but you'll get the picture.

I'm 27, male and for as long as I can remember my forskin has been very tight. When erect, I can pull it back but it is uncomfortable and it feels like its really restricting the head. Getting the forskin back again, I have to weight till I'm less erect and then push it back. Most of the time I just dont bother pullin it back when havin sex. Basicly I know that a normal forskin goes back and forth with absolutly no problem what so ever and mine dosent, maybe this is due to not pullin it back regularly enough and that it just needs to be pulled back more regularly to loosin it up, but I doubt that.

Anyway, not looking for any medical advice as I know ye can't give that out here, just looking for maybe similar storiers and what people did about it. I heard of this guy that basicly couldnt pull back his forskin at all and he just had a circumsition which apparently when your older is a bit a big deal. I also heard that sometimes a vist to your GP is enough, that he/she can actually do something minor there and then, like a small snip to make it looser if its just a little tight.

I dunno, any info would be great.

Otis Driftwood

Its not as uncommon as you may think mate.Circumscision is a fairly routine procedure nowadays.

Here is a good thread with lots of information on it and the problem you are having.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054899493

LegacyUser

Ya know what, I've just been reading articles on the net about this.

So if you have a tight foreskin the only solutions are stretches or circumsition. There is no "little snip" like I thought that a doc can go for ya in their gp office, you have to get a full circumsition, am I right there?

Anyway, as for the snip, ok it makes the penis more attractive looking to women and cleaner and might make ya last longer but it is directly related to reducing mans pleasure from sex and it makes sense when ya think about it.

The head is sensitive and the forskin keeps it that way, when ya remove it, it will just become less sensitive with time and sex wont be as good in years to come.

I dont wanna be robbed of that so I think ill just give the stretches a go, havent done them yet anyway. Circumsition might be an old procedure but it just aint the way the body is supposed to be I guess.

BankMan

RolfHarris wrote: »

Day Four

Afternoon all. I'm not sure (a) if anyone is still reading this thread or (b) isn't just scrolling through these posts, but this thread is a rare example of a really good resource on circumcision so I want to give as detailed a diary as possible for people who are thinking of plucking up the courage and going for the cut.

I sat around all of yesterday with my stuff resting on the waistband of my tracksuit bottoms. It's a good way of keeping the glans in the freshair without it touching any cloth and without needing to be naked. The autumn weather has kicked in! It was pretty boring to be honest, and I'd advise anyone going for the operation to stock up on as much food as possible for light grazing throughout the day during the first days of imprisonment at home. My flat has never been so tidy!

At night, I did the usual routine of smearing some gauze in vaseline and wrapping it around the cut, held in place with some tape then fairly tight trunks. I took another painkiller, more for the way the codeine knocks me out than anything else. Again, I slept in a foetal position and woke this morning with another semi, which didn't hurt at all.

Today, it's clear the swelling is beginning to go down and the whole thing is much less impressive than yesterday Keeping the head exposed to the air since Saturday evening has helped a lot. There's still some weird fleshy bulging beside the head and a small blister on the actual glans, which must have come from a knock during the night. I guess both the bulging and the blister will sort themselves out. The head is less red than in previous days and the underneath (the frenulum area) is less mangled than before.

This morning I had a shower as per instructions and wrapped it again in vaseline gauze and tape, and tight boxers (and other clothes, obviously) for a slow stroll to the corner shop. It felt totally pain free althogh I took it so slow, an old man on two walking sticks overtook me on the pavement!

Now - some advice from old hands - the head is still sensitive but I can just about cope with it touching tight shorts. Should I keep it in the open air, or in my shorts with tracksuit over the top?

As ever, PM me if you've any questions. In a weird way, I'm quite enjoying this process, boring though it now is.

My advice is to keep it exposed to air as much as possible. This will help with the hypersensitivity. You'll have no problem with it touching shorts in about 2/3 weeks if you're anything like me. I understand where you're coming from re: frustration with being sore etc, but don't let it get to you, you really will be back on your feet in no time. I was semi circ'd on July 14th, and I've totally forgotten all about it already. After about 3 weeks, I considered myself totally healed. Chin up!

tbh

***$*** wrote: »

Ya know what, I've just been reading articles on the net about this
So if you have a tight foreskin the only solutions are stretches or circumsition. There is no "little snip" like I thought that a doc can go for ya in their gp office, you have to get a full circumsition, am I right there?

I think there is something like that man, you should talk to your doctor.

Anyway, as for the snip, ok it makes the penis more attractive looking to women and cleaner and might make ya last longer but it is directly related to reducing mans pleasure from sex and it makes sense when ya think about it.

The head is sensitive and the forskin keeps it that way, when ya remove it, it will just become less sensitive with time and sex wont be as good in years to come.

that's not my experience in fairness

[quote[
I dont wanna be robbed of that so I think ill just give the stretches a go, havent done them yet anyway. Circumsition might be an old procedure but it just aint the way the body is supposed to be I guess.[/QUOTE]

neither is gangrene, I'd have no problem getting me hand chopped off if I had it tho It's not for everyone, that's true, and anything you can do to avoid surgery, you should do it. But if that doesn't work, a circ isn't as bad as you think.

RolfHarris

My advice is to keep it exposed to air as much as possible. This will help with the hypersensitivity. You'll have no problem with it touching shorts in about 2/3 weeks if you're anything like me.

Thanks BankMan

It was such a relief to be able to wear proper trunk-boxers and real trousers again, so I got dressed for a few hours yesterday and then spent the evening with it exposed. It actually wasn't too bad and any pain from the head moving against the cloth is just it toughening up. It helps to take a second to understand why it hurts, I think.

I did my usual trick of the vaseline, gauze and tape to sleep last night, but I think the vaseline is stopping the air getting to it at night and this morning it all seems a bit wetter. So, it'll just be gauze tonight. It's too early to spend the whole night with just tight boxers, and today I'll see if I can avoid putting it away for the day.

RolfHarris

There is no "little snip" like I thought that a doc can go for ya in their gp office, you have to get a full circumsition, am I right there?

The only way to find out is to ask your GP, and maybe get a second opinion. If you hear of anything do take the information when you see him/her and see what they say.

That said, from reading this thread and others, a lot of people who go for a minor procedure find that it doesn't work properly and they end up getting the whole snip sometime in the future.

Anyway, as for the snip, ok it makes the penis more attractive looking to women and cleaner and might make ya last longer but it is directly related to reducing mans pleasure from sex and it makes sense when ya think about it.

The head is sensitive and the forskin keeps it that way, when ya remove it, it will just become less sensitive with time and sex wont be as good in years to come.

I'm not sure about this really. I mean OK I spent 32 years with a foreskin and five days without one so maybe I can comment on which looks and feels better in the future, but I can't go back and try a foreskin again to remind me what it was like.

Circumsition might be an old procedure but it just aint the way the body is supposed to be I guess.

So as tbh has said a few times, the hierarchy of best outcomes is:

1. a fully functioning foreskin
2. a fully functioning penis
3. a non-functioning foreskin which gets sorted through stretching and maybe a minor procedure
4. a circumcision
5. a non-functioning foreskin

The body is supposed to be in group (1). It's supposed to work and there's no need to do anything, but not all of us fall into group (1).

So everyone on this thread found themselves in group (5) because their foreskin doesn't work properly and wanted to sort it so chose option (4) to resolve it. And now we're not in pain and in group (2).

If you're not in group (1) then try (3) and (4). If you are in group (1) and have a fully functioning foreskin ,leave it alone!!

BankMan

Don't forget the dorsal procedure (my choice) I retained roughly half of the foreskin.

tbh

BankMan wrote: »

Don't forget the dorsal procedure (my choice) I retained roughly half of the foreskin.

that was the thing I was trying to think of, thanks dude. I knew it had something to do with dolphins

RolfHarris

Good morning men

Day Five
(I think)

I spent most of the day with my penis exposed to the increasingly autumnal Dublin air. (Now, if that's not a good opening sentence to a novel, I don't know what is).

The blisters on the head have burst and the whole area is now pretty sensitive and sore. I'm coming to the end of my antibiotics, which I've been taking since the operation on Friday so I know it's not infected, but it's pretty gungy and sore.

Hopefully another day in the exposed air will help dry it all up.

Yesterday, I packaged myself up in tight shorts, trackie and wandered to a mate's house a few doors away for a coffee. It was soooooo good to get out of the house and the pain was minimal. Just a bit uncomfortable.

Sleeping, I decided not to use the vaseline on the gauze because I think it was preventing it drying out, so just used gauze held with tape then pretty tight boxers to stop nocturnal movement.

This morning the gauze had stuck to the head in some places and removing it made me wince a couple of times.

Some random observations:

• My hand hurt yesterday and I couldn't work out how I'd bruised it. It was like I'd punched something. Then I had a closer look and realised there was some bruising around where the needle had gone into the back of my hand during the operation. It made me realise that if the injection site was only now bruising and sore, and the site of the operation was major, I shouldn't be expecting miricles down below, so soon.
• Don't drink anything for a couple of hours before going to bed, empty your bladder and take something containing codeine. I've been sleeping - uninterrupted - for eight hours solid. I'm usually a very light sleeper but the last week has been some of my best sleeping ever. It has meant I've been lying fairly still on my side in a foetal position and waking up in pretty much the same position hours later.
• If anyone claims they've been able to knock one out within five days of a circumcision they're either lying or they're my hero. I'm still sore enough to ask the Guards to put a cordon around my waist.
• Do not google search images of circumcised penises.

As ever, any questions, drop me a line.

BankMan

RolfHarris wrote: »

Good morning men

Day Five
(I think)

I spent most of the day with my penis exposed to the increasingly autumnal Dublin air. (Now, if that's not a good opening sentence to a novel, I don't know what is).

The blisters on the head have burst and the whole area is now pretty sensitive and sore. I'm coming to the end of my antibiotics, which I've been taking since the operation on Friday so I know it's not infected, but it's pretty gungy and sore.

Hopefully another day in the exposed air will help dry it all up.

Yesterday, I packaged myself up in tight shorts, trackie and wandered to a mate's house a few doors away for a coffee. It was soooooo good to get out of the house and the pain was minimal. Just a bit uncomfortable.

Sleeping, I decided not to use the vaseline on the gauze because I think it was preventing it drying out, so just used gauze held with tape then pretty tight boxers to stop nocturnal movement.

This morning the gauze had stuck to the head in some places and removing it made me wince a couple of times.

Some random observations:

• My hand hurt yesterday and I couldn't work out how I'd bruised it. It was like I'd punched something. Then I had a closer look and realised there was some bruising around where the needle had gone into the back of my hand during the operation. It made me realise that if the injection site was only now bruising and sore, and the site of the operation was major, I shouldn't be expecting miricles down below, so soon.
• Don't drink anything for a couple of hours before going to bed, empty your bladder and take something containing codeine. I've been sleeping - uninterrupted - for eight hours solid. I'm usually a very light sleeper but the last week has been some of my best sleeping ever. It has meant I've been lying fairly still on my side in a foetal position and waking up in pretty much the same position hours later.
• If anyone claims they've been able to knock one out within five days of a circumcision they're either lying or they're my hero. I'm still sore enough to ask the Guards to put a cordon around my waist.
• Do not google search images of circumcised penises.

As ever, any questions, drop me a line.

Had the dorsal slit on a tuesday (same level of stitching as full circ), and knocked one off on the saturday. I'm not entirely sure if that's something to be proud of !

Morf

I think i attempted self lovage roughly two weeks after the op.

It was not a pleasant experience.

It gets better with time though! Time and getting used to the new mechanics of things.

RolfHarris

Blimey. The idea of trying anything like that with the stitches in makes me eyes involuntarily roll back in my head.

Morf

RolfHarris wrote: »

Blimey. The idea of trying anything like that with the stitches in makes me eyes involuntarily roll back in my head.

Take your sweet time.

I was far less sedate after my op. I did take to wearing underpants instead of boxer shorts and i've maintained that trend.

RolfHarris

Day Six

Morning all. I thought I'd do another diary entry because I've been getting a few PMs about dealing with circumcisions.

There's really very little to report. During the day I keep the head exposed to the air in order to dry it out and toughen it up, and it seems to be working.

Last night I wrapped it in a dry gauze to stop the head from brushing against bedclothes too much but the gauze seems to have stuck to a lot of the head especially where it hadn't fully dried during the day. It's drying again now, but nighttimes seem to set the drying out process back a bit every day.

Any thoughts?

Apart from that, there's no pain apart from some sensitivity and the swelling is going down. I've an appointment with my GP tomorrow - just to check how things are going and assess the state of the stitches. The urologist said that they would start to come out after a week, but that's a bit quick, I feel.

Anyway, another day letting it all dry out. Any questions, please do PM me and I'll get back to you.

RolfHarris

One Week

Afternoon all.

Well, I've survived the first week and just been to my GP to see how things are going. The scar is doing well, but the gungy stuff on the head is a mild infection for which he has given me some antibiotic ointment to use twice a day. It does explain why the drying out process seemed so slow and why it looked so weird.

Anyway, I walked to the GP's surgery and back with no problems, but I did get overtaken by an old man in a wheelchair.

He reckons the stitches will dissolve naturally and if I apply the antibiotics twice a day the healing should re-commence.

While sitting in the waiting room I was trying to work out how many people have seen my penis in the last month. More than during my entire time at university, I reckon. There are probably enough of them to justify a facebook group!

tbh

Great to hear you're doing well, but this comment must be explained:

RolfHarris wrote: »

I was trying to work out how many people have seen my penis in the last month. More than during my entire time at university, I reckon.

:pac:

RolfHarris

University was a bit of a bare patch for me sex-wise. More people have asked me to get my pants off in the last month than throughout those wilderness years.

That doesn't include all the friends and family of the surgery team last week, who I think were invited in to watch (and possibly point and laugh) the operation while I was knocked out.

BankMan

With regard to the gunge around the head, I suffered from this quite badly. I took to filling a pint glass with fairly warm/hot water & loads of salt. Stick yer lad in and leave it for 10/15 minutes. Make sure you can bear the temperature of the water first ! The salt really attacks the gunge and cleans it very nicely. Then put on your lotion. I used a sort of Vitamin E cream which seem to keep things moving along.

RolfHarris

Thanks Bankman. What vitamin E lotion did you use?

My GP gave me some Fucidin ointment so yesterday I dipped the old fella in warm salt water, dabbed it dry and put the lotion on. Last night after doing that I covered it with a gauze when I slept and it has made a big difference.

It's much less gungy this morning. I think it's an antibiotic and anti-bacterial lotion. It's a bit fruastrating because the cut itself is totally pain free and doing really well, and the rest of the glans which isn't infected is now a nice pink colour.

The frenulum area is still a big black blob, but I think it's looking after itself and from what others have said, I'm better off leaving it alone and letting it heal at its own pace.

BankMan

I used kelkin natural vitamin E creeam. I defo reckon the salt water contributed a lot towards the healing tho.

RolfHarris

Cool. I'll try to hunt that down for when the antibiotics have got rid of the gunk. It's quite disgusting really, but getting better.

I cannot wait to leave the house and actually do something more than hobble to the shop and back.

Morf

RolfHarris wrote: »

Cool. I'll try to hunt that down for when the antibiotics have got rid of the gunk. It's quite disgusting really, but getting better.

I cannot wait to leave the house and actually do something more than hobble to the shop and back.

I don't want to offend but is it really that bad that you're house-bound for a week? Perhaps i was just more adventurous!

RolfHarris

No, it's not that bad really. I was doing pretty well until the gungy stuff developed because of an infection and made it a bit more sensitive for a while. Just sort of pushed back the recovery by a few days.

LegacyUser

Hi guys...

Just a quick one, I'm what you'd call a grower, not a shower:) I'm just a little worried that this could cause problems post op (or even for the op itself?) Can anyone relate to this and what was your experience?

Also, I have VHI and wondering what private hospitals in Dublin do this procedure?

RolfHarris

Anyway, Day Nine

Ages ago, tbh said that healing was quite strange - for days there seemed to be no change, then suddenly your body gets its act together and BAM the healing process kicks in.

Well, I think I'm well into that stage. The area around the stitches is now quite pink and healthy, and I reckon they will start to fall out/dissolve pretty soon - the urologist reckoned it'd be between day eight and day ten, so we're on track there.

The head is recovering really well thanks to the antibiotic/antibacterial ointment, salt water and lots of air. I think the infection set back the hardening/drying process but it's massively less sensitive than it was. I'm still walking like John Wayne but after nine days that's not bad.

The salt water has made an enormous difference to keeping the whole area clean and disinfected. My urologist's advice has been quite hopeless really, compared to the far superior advice on this thread, for which I'm greateful.

Given that the stitches are in place and the frenulum area is still a black scar I'm still nervous about erections (which, thanks to the healing process, have returned massively) but they come and go without any bleeding and only a little soreness - it's just a general dull ache but that agin could be because the head is still recovering.

I could go back to work tomorrow - I have a desk job, but I'd booked off two weeks so unlike last week which was largely spent lying on the sofa with my dick hanging out, fast-forwarding the sex scenes in my "Rome" box-set, I'm going to enjoy this week.

As ever, PM me if you've any questions.

RolfHarris

I'll leave it to others to answer the first part of your question

Also, I have VHI and wondering what private hospitals in Dublin do this procedure?

I think it depends on which urologist you go to. They all work out of different private hospitals so it might be worth checking with him/her where the operation is likely to take place.

Your GP will refer you to a urologist - I'm not sure if it's possible to decide to go to a different one from the person named by your GP?

Check which VHI scheme you're on and how long you've had it. I'm on the most basic package and had to pay an excess of €300. My urologist's fees were totally covered, but not all VHI schemes will do that.

You don't want to have the operation and then suddenly get hit for a bill you weren't expecting.

BankMan

You can go to any surgeon you choose. You don't have to go to a urologist either, any general surgeon will do it, it's a fairly basic procedure. You don't necessarily need a GP referral either. The bloke who did my semi circ was a general surgeon, although he was familiar with urologist related issues.

With regard to your grower / shower comment, I really wouldn't worry. I was in the same situation and have had no problems. I think I was worried that I might lose too much, but I needn't have worried. ( as I've said before tho, I didn't have the full circ).

Mr Benevolent

Holy zombie Jesus. Just read the first few pages of this thread with crossed legs. Thank feck I was circumcised at 4. Good luck to all those who get it done.