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My Circumcision Story

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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.


  • Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 35,943 Mod ✭✭✭✭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.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭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. :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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!


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 44 johnsmith


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,648 ✭✭✭smiles


    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*


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    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. (:
    smiles wrote:
    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. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 831 ✭✭✭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 :D


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


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


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    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! :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Thanks for that andanotherone - I hope you're not in too much pain! It must feel very stange having the head exposed after so long covered up, what's it like? Is it a bit draughty at all? :D
    How do you urinate, is it painful and do you have to replace bandaging every time? If you were in college or working, could you go about your business the next day or day after that?

    Also out of curiosity, in eh, what 'state' did the GP examine you, i.e. flacid or otherwise? Do you have to be standing to attention for it to be examined? And you say the problem was the foreskin was too tight - did you consider having a slight cut made in the foreskin, known as a dorsal slit, or other form of partial circumcision? Not that I'm trying to medically research via somebody else - just curious as to whether you had any choice!

    For me, paying for it isn't a problem; indeed I'm very surprised it only cost you €60 to go public, plus the doctor - is that all?!
    It's just getting to a hospital etc for me, and not in a million years would I touch my local with a bargepole - one of the worst hospitals in the country. So it would have to be the major Drogheda or a Dublin hospital, which proves difficult for the time being! Ah I'll get it sorted soon - just a matter of timing. It seems to be a combination of frenulum breve and a good old fashioned fecker of a tight foreskin - not sure. Perhaps stretching might help in the meantime, though I doubt it at this late stage. An excellent link here of a person's stretching experience for anyone interested:

    http://www.foreskin.org/phi-once.htm

    Overall though, you do feel such an idiot for not knowing there was a problem for all those years once you find out, especially after 20! In my case I was certainly aware that something was up, and thought that a doctor had cut away too much when I was a baby as the most likely reason, thinking that the foreskin was designed to cover the glans when erect! Of course I was never touched - but until you research these things, you just accept matters as they are, never having known any different. It's quite a shock when you find out!

    Thanks again andanotherone!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    I imagine you have to be giving a standing ovation during the inspection?


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    I have recently gotten circumcised too.i went to the docotrs back in march after having a read through this thread. it hink i have always known that i needed to get it done. Went to the doc's he had a look and said yep definite circumcission.This was done while flacid no Attention standing needed.(i think it would of been difficult anyways given the circumstanes..lol)

    Went in 3 weeks ago to get it done under a local.thats was grand was in at 8am went for the circumcission at 11am that took about 30-45 mins. and was on my way home at 2pm.they bandanged me up and i hobbled out.Spent most of that day in bed.

    Woke up the next morning with a bit of a shock the mornign glory had appeared and it flet like the stiches where bursting open took a few mins to get rid of it.this happened a lot over the next few days theres nothing you can do about it.

    while it was fairly uncomfortable it didnt really bother me the sensitivity and swelling where just a bit of a annoyance.but i had noticed that one side seemed a bit more swollen that the other.which i wasnt that concerned about.That was until i was in unbeliveable pain one night while trying to sleep when i finally got up the next day i had a blood blister on my shaft which was fairly large.panic set in so i rang my gp's they said we can fit you in in 3 days..i thought sure i 'll see how it goes. went to havea shower and cool down.


    the blister burst panic set in again starigh back on to the gp who fitted me in.
    A bandange and a few anti botics and pain killers later all was fine.

    its my 3rd week now after getting it done and even after the pain and the unexpected blister i have no regrets..


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    If it is done when yu are flacid, how can they tell with any sort of accuracy if a circumcision or alternative method is needed?


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Well i was diagnosed with paraphimosis i could retract my foreskin when flacid never mind when erect.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Ah, a bad case then. A lot would not be near as bad though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 30,123 ✭✭✭✭Star Lord


    I had it done when I was 4 so I can't relate to a lot of the problems you guys had, I only remember it being really sore before hand, and kinda stingy after.

    The only real pain I had was one night shortly after the bandage came off when I was sleeping and I woke up with the sheet stuck to me!!! :eek:

    As regards "hardening" and "lack of sensitivity" I gotta say its definately a little harder, but pretty much like the skin on any other sensitive area of your body. Its still pretty damn sensitive, but just not to the extent that its uncomfortable for it to touch anything.

    And I've been told it looks a lot better than the ones with the "hoodies" ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9 JD2000


    This thread has me wondering, my foreskin doesn't retract when I get an erection, this I took no notice for years as I am an only child so had no comparisons, my first gf was a virgin as well so she never commented we have had sex numerous times no issue I did notice my foreskin pulling back over the head if she was forceful at hand relief it was very sensitive (felt weird more than sore)always pulled it back over immediately.... sex with a condom no issue whatsoever, recently we began having sex without and an issue arose in that it wasnt very pleasureable for me as the foreskin retracts, if I enetered her in missionary it was okay after it retracted however I have been too terrified to let her go on top and try..... once it is retracted I am fine, When I am alone I can pull the forceskin back over the head while erect however at this point it feels tight when flacid I can pull it back no problems at all.......my question is and I know this is not a medical board is whether I have a problem or not.....any help would be greatly appreciated


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Hi Guys,

    I've just come back from the urologist, so thought I'd update ye. Thanks a million to all those that posted their stories, it really helped to set my mind at ease to be honest, I'm not worried at all about now.

    Sor first off, some people were asking if they have the same problem. My problem was that the opening at the top of the foreskin was too small to allow it roll back easily. it was like the skin wasn't elastic enough and it would tear quite easily - obviously that was a problem for me. Also, it's quite difficult to keep clean, and it got itchy a lot. So, if that's the type of thing that's happening to you, it sounds like you've the same thing I have (I wasn't always like this, it's been getting worse for a few years). Best thing is to go see your doctor.

    I went to my local GP, who referred me to a urologist, who will do the op, and that's where I was today, for a consultation. GP Visit: a bit awkward, but over in five mins, literally. went in, explained what was happening (which helped to calm me, because the doc. reacted exactly as he should have done, professionally and putting me at my ease). The doc asked me to lower the pants and sit on the table, I did, he looked (he didn't touch me, and i certainly wasn't "standing to attention"! The room was cold!) and said "you need to get a circumcision, here is the guy to call".

    Today, I went in to the urologist, he had a look (I lay back, he retracted the foreskin (mine!!) and that was it) and asked a few general questions (blood pressure etc) and that was it. I was probably only in for 10 mins, and it was €150. (that's for info, I'm not giving out - quite the reverse actually).

    The op will be in late september. I have diabetes, so I have to stay the night before. Other than that, it sounds similar to what the other lads have posted.

    Take it from me lads, don't be embarrasssed. I thought I'd be mortified but honestly, the lingering memory I have of today was how hard it was to get parking. It was obviously a much bigger deal to me than it was to either doc, in the case of the urologist, mine was probably the first in a long line he'd have to look at today!

    I'll be back after the op to let you know how it went. The biggest step was going to the GP, just can't wait to be free of it now!


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Thanks for that andanotherone - I hope you're not in too much pain! It must feel very stange having the head exposed after so long covered up, what's it like? Is it a bit draughty at all? :D
    How do you urinate, is it painful and do you have to replace bandaging every time? If you were in college or working, could you go about your business the next day or day after that?

    Also out of curiosity, in eh, what 'state' did the GP examine you, i.e. flacid or otherwise? Do you have to be standing to attention for it to be examined? And you say the problem was the foreskin was too tight - did you consider having a slight cut made in the foreskin, known as a dorsal slit, or other form of partial circumcision? Not that I'm trying to medically research via somebody else - just curious as to whether you had any choice!

    For me, paying for it isn't a problem; indeed I'm very surprised it only cost you €60 to go public, plus the doctor - is that all?!
    It's just getting to a hospital etc for me, and not in a million years would I touch my local with a bargepole - one of the worst hospitals in the country. So it would have to be the major Drogheda or a Dublin hospital, which proves difficult for the time being! Ah I'll get it sorted soon - just a matter of timing. It seems to be a combination of frenulum breve and a good old fashioned fecker of a tight foreskin - not sure. Perhaps stretching might help in the meantime, though I doubt it at this late stage. An excellent link here of a person's stretching experience for anyone interested:

    http://www.foreskin.org/phi-once.htm

    Overall though, you do feel such an idiot for not knowing there was a problem for all those years once you find out, especially after 20! In my case I was certainly aware that something was up, and thought that a doctor had cut away too much when I was a baby as the most likely reason, thinking that the foreskin was designed to cover the glans when erect! Of course I was never touched - but until you research these things, you just accept matters as they are, never having known any different. It's quite a shock when you find out!

    Thanks again andanotherone!

    I thought I was the only one in the world with that problem! :( I realised there was something wrong about 3 or 4 years ago, as I'd seen a porn movie and wondered why I couldn't do the same with my penis. Last year I was searching on the net and found out about frenulum breve. I was quite relieved but I was also really concerned as the glans is extremely sensitive (in a bad way) and I thought that it was an irreversable (sp?) problem. I got really depressed about it and I seriously thought I'd never be able to have sex. I am 17 now so I am obviously going to have to wait a few years to get it sorted. There's no way I could tell my parents about it. I'm just so relieved to find out there are others with this problem


  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    It's a massively common problem relieved - and one that certainly doesn't always need to be solved by circumcision. Indeed evidence suggests that most doctors in the UK aren't even trained to tell the difference between an unretractable foreskin you've had from birth, and an unretractable foreskin that has been acquired over the years. I don't know if this is the same in Ireland. The former can be difficult to treat as it is caused by a disease, but this comprises only something like 2% of cases. 98% however is acquired phimosis of which it is claimed the vast vast majority can be treated with creams or other conservative methods - we're talking 85%+ here.

    These are very broad stats and it's well worth investigating things for yourself, but undoubtedly there is a tradion in the US, UK and Ireland (though less outside the US) of treatting these conditions in a blanket way with circumcision when it is so often not medically required. Many doctors simply prefer to easily solve the problem by making 'the cut', rather than investigate the specific causes underlying your condition. In this respect it is well worth getting a second opinion if you are unhappy.

    I know exactly what you're going through re sensitivity relieved - I've been in the same boat for years and it's no barrel of laughs as we know only too well. If you're going to college soon, then is an ideal time to get it seen to, if you're moving away from home - only when you're ready though. I'm regretting not availing of that opportunity of 'cover', now that I've left college and am back at home!

    Best of luck with what happens in the future :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,849 ✭✭✭condra


    Dude just one thing. Incase you didnt realise it, LOADS of guys are circumsized and girls dont care. Just incase you were anxious about that side of things.

    I love being circumcized coz when I get naked I can tell chicks Im a jew, then I laugh and say "nah I hate jews" then they get shocked, then I say, "Im just kiddin Im an atheist, I love jews" then they laugh and we make love. works every time.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 757 ✭✭✭milod


    womoma wrote:
    I love being circumcized coz when I get naked I can tell chicks Im a jew, then I laugh and say "nah I hate jews" then they get shocked, then I say, "Im just kiddin Im an atheist, I love jews" then they laugh and we make love. works every time.

    What a cheesy line! oh hang on, it can't be, you're circumsized...


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,076 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Frankly, I would feel weird getting a circumcision, I would miss that part of me. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20 Delta_Golf


    I too believe I may need a circumcision! I have been worried about it now for years. At first I thought there was something wrong with me as I knew my penis looked and behaved differently to what I saw in a porn!

    Putting a condom on is very uncomfortable. I now avoid it and even avoid getting intimiate with women over it. It has led to depression and loss of sex drive and a case of Mr. Floppy.

    I dread, with horror, having to go to the doctor and pull my pants down. Even reading through some of the previous posts makes me squirm. I couldn't even finish some of them.

    :(


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  • Registered Users Posts: 166,026 ✭✭✭✭LegacyUser


    Jaysus lads, this has been bothering me a long time, cant believe so many othe fellas are in the same boat. I'm now 25 and am very apprehensive about the whole thing even though I know it'd best.

    I've always kind of put it off cos I wasnt gettin much nookie, however like Dublin Bus,waiting for ages and nothing, then all of a sudden, chicks are queing up!! Last Monday had very drunken sex and the same oul problem, foreskin too tight to completely roll back but manged as usual. I'm just thinking how much better it'd be if I got the chop. I'm just too scared of the pain!!

    So seriously, how sore is it after the operation and for how long do you dread touching the newly exposed head off anything?

    I remember after a mammoth sex session a while ago, my cock hurt so bad cos the skin had finally loosened up and pulled back so it was fullly exposed for the first time. The next morn we'd to meet a load of friends for brunch and I was walking like Johyn Wayne and couldnt move from my seat.

    Anway that pain is still in my mind? Will it be that bad if I get a circumcision?

    Fook it lads, I'm off to the doc to sign up. If anyone could comfort me by saying the pain isnt that bad and you'll be grand in a day or two, please be encouraging!!!!!


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