My Circumcision Story

North of 32 · 30-12-2019 10:17pm

ccarr wrote: »

I'm 30 year's of age, month ago I went to my gp and she recommended I get circumcision, due to discomfort having sex and infection.
I am on the waiting with conolloy hostipal, but the list is over 10 months.
I don't have health insurance. Is it possible to pay to see consultant privately then go back on to the public.

I did this in 2014. I did not have health insurance and consulted with a urologist at the Beacon Hospital privately. He was a little reluctant to do it at first without insurance. I was utterly committed to just getting it done.The turnaround was very quick, less than a month. The procedure itself - the surgery and anaesthetist fees - were relatively inexpensive I thought. However, the consultancy fees and the hospital room were wildly expensive.

ccarr · 30-12-2019 10:42pm

North of 32 wrote: »

I did this in 2014. I did not have health insurance and consulted with a urologist at the Beacon Hospital privately. He was a little reluctant to do it at first without insurance. I was utterly committed to just getting it done.The turnaround was very quick, less than a month. The procedure itself - the surgery and anaesthetist fees - were relatively inexpensive I thought. However, the consultancy fees and the hospital room were wildly expensive.

Do you mind me asking how much in cost in total?
Did he give you option of going back on the public list

North of 32 · 01-01-2020 11:46am

ccarr wrote: »

Do you mind me asking how much in cost in total?
Did he give you option of going back on the public list

I don't remember exactly but the breakdown was approx:

Surgeon's fee for the op: 160
Anesthetist: 260
Consultancy fees: 450
Hospital room: 999

So I guess when you add in the initial GP visit, the bus trips to Dublin and the overnight in the hotel on the evening prior it was approx 2500.

I was actually still on the public waiting list throughout. About 12 - 18 months after getting the procedure completed I was called by my local hospital to inform me a slot was opening up.

Gael23 · 01-01-2020 11:37pm

wes77 wrote: »

I can do it perfectly well, lots of guys are cut quite tightly and there is little or no movement of the shaft skin when hard, this makes it difficult to masturbate and they need to use lube!

Gave it another try and has success by rubbing the back of my penis just where the shaft and head join, there’s probably a name for the area. It’s a different technique and took longer to get to point of ejaculation but it doesn’t work

wes77 · 02-01-2020 12:25pm

Gael23 wrote: »

Gave it another try and has success by rubbing the back of my penis just where the shaft and head join, there’s probably a name for the area. It’s a different technique and took longer to get to point of ejaculation but it doesn’t work

I guess you will just have to use your own technique! I have heard several guys complain about the same issue! Two guys I know who are cut said they need to use lube also. I dont know why they do the procedure so tightly, mine is very loose and I have lots of free play in the shaft skin and I can even cover the head when soft so I've never had any issues with masturbating but most cut guys cant do this.

Gael23 · 02-01-2020 2:33pm

wes77 wrote: »

I guess you will just have to use your own technique! I have heard several guys complain about the same issue! Two guys I know who are cut said they need to use lube also. I dont know why they do the procedure so tightly, mine is very loose and I have lots of free play in the shaft skin and I can even cover the head when soft so I've never had any issues with masturbating but most cut guys cant do this.

Mine was done about 20 years ago so I guess techniques have come on a bit since. That said I was cut before puberty so I don’t know any different!

wes77 · 09-01-2020 12:41pm

Gael23 wrote: »

Mine was done about 20 years ago so I guess techniques have come on a bit since. That said I was cut before puberty so I don’t know any different!

Different Surgeons tend to do the procedure in different ways, some are tight and some loose, you can restore the skin if you were that bothered about it! This takes forever and you need to wear this contraption every day for around 2 years, I'm not sure that it's worth the hassel but it might be worth it to you, it will mean that you have foreskin again just as if you were uncut and then you wouldnt need to use lube, there is lots of info online about it. If it were me getting this operation done again I'd look into the partial circumcision as it only removes the problem area and not the whole lot.

coolperson05 · 13-02-2020 2:46pm

Hi All. Just following up on my post last August! So I got my appointment with consultant in Vincents Private for Dec 2019. Went in - he toke one look and was like 'yeah - you need something done'. So circumcision was booked for Tues this week. Had it done - very straight forward. General anaesthetic and then 2 hours after it you have some lunch and you're done. Now the anaesthetic started to wear off that night, and by Day 2 I was in a lot of discomfort. The nighttime 'excitement' is great fun and as you can feel it tighten but can't move with fear (that was me anyway!). Lots of maintenance and cleaning to be done on Day 2 - take off bandage, wash under shower. It was a slow process and quite unpleasant to witness your little guy, but here on Day 3 it's looking a lot better. Still very swollen and not particularly aesthetically pleasing - the bleeding behind where the frenulum was has stopped and there's just the stitches to be careful of when cleaning/peeing (which is definitely sitting down!). All in all, I was regretting it hugely yesterday, but coming around today. Still very little activity - I've to wraps in a bandage pad given by the nurses, with lots of vaseline on it to keep it in place and moist. Taking nuerofen to keep the swelling down - pain isn't too bad today, just when I walk or get up, the sensitivity is uncomfortable.
Will keep you posted over the weekend to see how it goes on - Consultant said by Day 5 it really starts to improve! Fingers crossed!

Paulownia · 22-04-2020 12:48pm

How are you getting on now? Did they tell you not to get sunburned

M Androgynous · 24-06-2020 7:22pm

Hi all,

Found this UK charity called ‘15 Square’ who promote foreskin health information and advice for circumcised and uncircumcised men - such as alternatives to circumcision. You can join for a month or a quarter for a nominal fee. Have just joined and sent them my own queries. Hope to hear from them soon. Google ‘15 square uk’.

Ultrflat · 08-07-2020 7:45pm

So I really need to get this done last time I had sex it hurt for days. Its painfull and I cant feel a thing during sex.

its always been a problem, I'm willing to pay for this with my own money rather then go on a waiting list, has anybody got any recommendations on where to go but more so who can essentially snip the tip but leaving enough length where I can still have a for skin I don't want to be completely cut.

Gael23 · 12-07-2020 3:20pm

I’m finally able to masturbate without lubricant for the first time in ages.
Sex is still difficult but getting there hopefully

coolperson05 · 16-07-2020 4:05pm

It's 6 months on from my op and it has been such a success. Like others, I only wish I had done it sooner. The recovery is tough - especially the first few weeks. But really it's a month until you can relax and not think about it all the time. There is some scarring - don't expect it to look pristeen like it's been done from birth! It's mainly a ring around where it was stitched. Some minor swelling still around it but have been using BioOil and find it's working well. It works brilliantly - sex, masturbation, all perfect. I prefer to use lube but have done it without when needs must. All in all I'm very happy and after 12 years of not enjoying sex, I'm delighted!

Ultrflat · 19-07-2020 12:33am

coolperson05 wrote: »

It's 6 months on from my op and it has been such a success. Like others, I only wish I had done it sooner. The recovery is tough - especially the first few weeks. But really it's a month until you can relax and not think about it all the time. There is some scarring - don't expect it to look pristeen like it's been done from birth! It's mainly a ring around where it was stitched. Some minor swelling still around it but have been using BioOil and find it's working well. It works brilliantly - sex, masturbation, all perfect. I prefer to use lube but have done it without when needs must. All in all I'm very happy and after 12 years of not enjoying sex, I'm delighted!

Wow great to read a happy ending

:pac:.

Where did you get it done?

M Androgynous · 21-07-2020 7:39pm

Hi all,

I have mild phimosis and hope to improve it with stretching and steroid cream.

If that doesn’t work I would consider a preputioplasty.

Could anyone who has got this done in Ireland send me a PM of where they got it done and who did it? Thanks.

coolperson05 · 21-07-2020 9:16pm

I got it done in Vincent’s Private. PM if you want to know more! Very happy! I know there’s a lot of negativity around circumcision and I understand there can be other ways...but I used the steroid cream and it did nothing. I’m very happy - it’s function over fashion to me!

theteal · 23-07-2020 7:26am

Wow, how did I not see this thread before? Well I joined the club about a year ago at the tender age of 36. Never had a problem and then out of nowhere, sh!t stopped stretching and there was no chance of getting it down over the head - looked like an inflamed mushroom at top when attempted.

Anyway, kudos to the NHS, from gp visit to making dodgy jokes with the nurses in the operating room was less than 3 months. They didnt give any cutting options, just lopped it off - only option was for local or general anaesthetic. Price was good too.

I went camping 3 days later which was probably ill advised but what doesn't kill you and all that. . .

I see some mentions about being cut high and it being too tight, thankfully I'm good on that front, its completely gone but theres a bit of give where needed. After about a month I had no issues whatsoever.

Happy to answer any questions.

CutorNot · 31-07-2020 7:39pm

So I had what I suppose you could call a partial circumcision just before lockdown when I was 29. Long story short I had a small tear on my foreskin and it wasn’t healing well between sex/masturbation/pissing/washing/erections and it created a problem and then ended up with a foreskin that was slowly tightening and getting longer.

I ended up getting a small portion of the scarred skin removed with a laser. My skin is totally functioning just there is less of it. It does roll back by itself if I get a semi or if I’m carrying heavy things.

Kinda feel like I’m in between being cut and uncut and it does annoy me a bit. Wondering about going about a full circ. Obviously it’s more cosmetic than medical even though it annoys me and gets in the way so I’ll be going private.

Any lads have any similar experiences? Also wondering about choosing styles aesthetically. Don’t want to end up regretting it

tamova · 27-08-2020 4:18pm

Hi folks. I reached out to beacon with a referral and got a consultation for three months from now. Seems like a very long time to me considering I'm paying for it privately, but perhaps it's covid related.

My foreskin has always been tight, but retractable when flacid. I can do it erect but it's not easy and painful.

I've never used the steroid cream, my gp didn't seem interested in helping me at all and just referred a lad straight away for a circumcision.

I'm really anxious reading over this thread and find it really overwhelming. I have no idea of what kind of circumcision I need, if im going to the right place,, etc. I googled the malahide clinic but it seems closed due to covid.

With my level of phimosis, can anyone in a similar situation offer some insight on what I should expect and if the Beacon is considered good?

Thanks so much

Gael23 · 27-08-2020 4:22pm

The private hospitals are just really behind after being taken over for 3 months

s3ndnudes · 27-08-2020 4:48pm

More than happy to help- I went through this a few years ago and I was sick with nerves for weeks leading up to this. I'll explain my story and give my two cents.

Situation
I was in my early 20s ( a few years ago) and had a very tight foreskin. It was so tight that it could only be retracted a very small amount (enough to see the head but not much more). It only retracted a little when flacid/hard. It made sex quite uncomfortable and obviously there was a hygiene issue.

GP
I went to a different GP to my regular one in the town I lived at the time. I just reminded myself "she's a medical professional. She doesn't give a f*** about the size of my schlong and this is nothing she hasn't seen before". The whole thing lasted a few minutes - I explained the situation too her, she looked at it, very briefly and referred me to a urologist. I booked a consultation with a doctor in the Hermitage a few weeks later.

Consultation
Forgive me in advance I don't remember the technical terms. For the consultation, the doctor looked at my foreskin and said there were two options- 1) a partial incision/cut and 2) a full circumcision. I questioned if steroid creams would be effective and he said "no- its too tight". I took this at face value and didn't even try proceed with this. For me it boiled down to one thing. He said the advantage of the partial incision/cut was that I could retain the foreskin fully but the downside was that it wasn't "guaranteed" to be successful. For some people, he said it was completely successful and for some people it wasn't. I think I pushed him on the odds of success and he said 50/50.

Decision
I decided to go with the partial incision/cut. I didn't want to lose the foreskin as I personally much prefer the look and feel to it and I never liked the look of circumcised penises (personal preference I know lots disagree). From my research, it also seems to give a lot of pleasure during masturbation/sex and that this would be blunted by removing it. I told the doctor my decision and got booked in for the surgery a few weeks later.

Operation
I was brought into the operating room in the morning, put under anesthetic and I understood it took about 1-2 hours (can't exactly remember how long).After it was over I was told to rest up for an hour in the waiting room. The operation was painless and I kept my eyes closed for any parts I was awake. I then left the hospital having waited in the waiting room and not suffered any adverse problems like headaches, diseyness, fainting etc.

Post operation/thoughts
After the operation I went home. After the anesthetic there was some pain. When retracting the foreskin it was very uncomfortable at the start. I think this is due to hyper sensitive from the head of your penis. The head of your penis isn't used to the friction/abrasion of the foreskin being pulled back so it gets quite sore. Showering is also quite sore. It was however manageable and went away in time.

Results

Overall, I'm delighted I went for the incision and not foreskin removal. By looking at my penis you wouldn't know I had an operation. The only thing I would note is that my foreskin is tighter than most other lads. This means that it is a bit more sensitive and when with partners I have to get them to be a bit less rough. Not a big deal - use tact "go easy" and show them how you like it usually does the trick. This hasn't cause me any embarrassment and don't find it a big deal- i'm sure they just think its my preference for how I like it.

Bottom line for me is I am more than happy I got the partial incision and not the full circumcision. You do run the risk of course that you might have to end up getting the full circumcision. But that was a risk I wanted to take- I at least wanted to see if the partial incision would work.

About 5 or 6 years on and I have no problems and am very happy with how it turned out.

Any questions let me know and I'm more than happy to help.

tamova · 28-08-2020 12:04am

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this up - it's super helpful.

50/50 odds aren't great, but I guess it's worth it if it works out. I don't really have a preference for the look of either. I'd just be worried as you said about loss of sensitivity or something.

When you say your foreskin is tighter than others, to what extent would this be? Would this be an issue during actual sex or just until your foreskin retracts?

Thanks again.

EDIT: Also, what was the recovery like? I would have to travel from up north to Dublin for this, so just worried about if I'd need time off or anything?

s3ndnudes wrote: »

More than happy to help- I went through this a few years ago and I was sick with nerves for weeks leading up to this. I'll explain my story and give my two cents.

Situation
I was in my early 20s ( a few years ago) and had a very tight foreskin. It was so tight that it could only be retracted a very small amount (enough to see the head but not much more). It only retracted a little when flacid/hard. It made sex quite uncomfortable and obviously there was a hygiene issue.

GP
I went to a different GP to my regular one in the town I lived at the time. I just reminded myself "she's a medical professional. She doesn't give a f*** about the size of my schlong and this is nothing she hasn't seen before". The whole thing lasted a few minutes - I explained the situation too her, she looked at it, very briefly and referred me to a urologist. I booked a consultation with a doctor in the Hermitage a few weeks later.

Consultation
Forgive me in advance I don't remember the technical terms. For the consultation, the doctor looked at my foreskin and said there were two options- 1) a partial incision/cut and 2) a full circumcision. I questioned if steroid creams would be effective and he said "no- its too tight". I took this at face value and didn't even try proceed with this. For me it boiled down to one thing. He said the advantage of the partial incision/cut was that I could retain the foreskin fully but the downside was that it wasn't "guaranteed" to be successful. For some people, he said it was completely successful and for some people it wasn't. I think I pushed him on the odds of success and he said 50/50.

Decision
I decided to go with the partial incision/cut. I didn't want to lose the foreskin as I personally much prefer the look and feel to it and I never liked the look of circumcised penises (personal preference I know lots disagree). From my research, it also seems to give a lot of pleasure during masturbation/sex and that this would be blunted by removing it. I told the doctor my decision and got booked in for the surgery a few weeks later.

Operation
I was brought into the operating room in the morning, put under anesthetic and I understood it took about 1-2 hours (can't exactly remember how long).After it was over I was told to rest up for an hour in the waiting room. The operation was painless and I kept my eyes closed for any parts I was awake. I then left the hospital having waited in the waiting room and not suffered any adverse problems like headaches, diseyness, fainting etc.

Post operation/thoughts
After the operation I went home. After the anesthetic there was some pain. When retracting the foreskin it was very uncomfortable at the start. I think this is due to hyper sensitive from the head of your penis. The head of your penis isn't used to the friction/abrasion of the foreskin being pulled back so it gets quite sore. Showering is also quite sore. It was however manageable and went away in time.

Results

Overall, I'm delighted I went for the incision and not foreskin removal. By looking at my penis you wouldn't know I had an operation. The only thing I would note is that my foreskin is tighter than most other lads. This means that it is a bit more sensitive and when with partners I have to get them to be a bit less rough. Not a big deal - use tact "go easy" and show them how you like it usually does the trick. This hasn't cause me any embarrassment and don't find it a big deal- i'm sure they just think its my preference for how I like it.

Bottom line for me is I am more than happy I got the partial incision and not the full circumcision. You do run the risk of course that you might have to end up getting the full circumcision. But that was a risk I wanted to take- I at least wanted to see if the partial incision would work.

About 5 or 6 years on and I have no problems and am very happy with how it turned out.

Any questions let me know and I'm more than happy to help.

s3ndnudes · 28-08-2020 12:22pm

Ye the 50/50 odds aren't great. However, that's just what I was told. Maybe push your doctor on it during the consultation and see what he/she says- they might give you a different figure. I was more than happy to take the odds as I really didn't want a full circumcision. I've always been an optimist so felt it would work out for me.

When I say my foreskin is tighter, what I mean might be best described through describing masturbation. If a "regular/normal" person who never had any issues was masturbating his foreskin would glide easily up and down the head of his cock. And lads who are like this tend to retract the foreskin all/most of the way down the head of there cock as they masturbate. For me, however, it is a bit different. My foreskin when erect/flaccid can be pulled all the way back below the head of my penis without issue. But the movement downwards is "tighter/slower". In other words, if masturbating, I don't tend to pull the foreskin all the way back. I also find that when masturbating my penis is quite sensitive (again not a bad thing). As a man who has been with other men and women, I'm probably in a unique position to compare and contrast on this

Anyway, during sex this doesn't cause any issues as foreskin can be pulled all the way back. The look of it is no different to any other penises. The only "comments" I ever had a partner mention is that when masturbating I don't like it as rough as some other guys might but no biggy- never caused any embarrassment or anything like that.

Apologies boards mods if this is getting a bit much for boards but I am doing my best to be as clinical as possible! Also find it hard to discuss it in any other way.

In terms of the recovery, in the days afterwords it is quite painful. I'm not sure if they prescribed painkillers or if it was just neurofen plus I was taking. The things I found most painful was showering and also walking around in jeans is a no go. You will probably need to be wearing some kind of loose comfortable tracksuit bottoms and not doing a lot of movement. Exercise will be out of the question too. I don't know what your job is- but regardless i'd probably take the week off work. If you have an office job and are working from home at your computer you will probably be fine. But if you have any kind of physical job you are definitely going to need some time off. Your consultant will be able to advise on a time frame and provide doctors notes etc.

Last piece of advice I would have is go prepared for the consultation. Have any queries/doubts/worries you have written out in advance and go through them at the consultation. I had them written on a piece of paper as I know the stress of it would have made me forget to ask half them if not.

Let me know if I missed anything. It's a very tough time. I was quite anxious/distressed in the weeks coming up to it but for me I am so glad with the result and so happy I went through it.

Eircom_Sucks · 11-09-2020 12:20pm

debating this myself

39 , out of the blue it got tight

diagnosed type 2 diabetic and apparently if the blood sugars not controlled you can get a bacterial infection and that can cause the tightness , so i used the steroid cream twice daily for 2 or 3 days and i was 80 % normal , then i assumed i was ok and stopped , suppose i need to use the cream for a week to kill the infection then see how i am before i go further

top of my foreskin , splits ( like tiny cuts ) and hurts at times when i pee because of the cuts

Johnny BGood · 16-09-2020 12:36am

Taking the plunge on Saturday after a couple of years dealing with phimosis.
Went to the gp about 3 years ago, she referred me to a urologist in St.James who Ive never heard back from since, so Im off to the malahide clinic.
Understandably I am quite nervous but hearing everybody’s stories has made me apprehensive about the post op recovery.
Quick question for the plungers, would I be okay to travel back home alone by public transport or would I better off having someone pick me up post op in case I feel groggy etc?

s3ndnudes · 16-09-2020 12:30pm

I travelled home by public transport from the Hermitage. The nurse asked who was collecting me and I told her I planned to go back by public transport myself. She was initially hesitant but checked with the doctor and let me go.

After the operation, for me anyway, they made me lie up for an hour or two to make sure I was ok. I felt fine- no dizziness, maybe a little tired but grand and I had not problem going for a 15 minute walk followed by a 40 minute bus.

If you have the option of getting the lift, I would take it to be honest. I personally felt fine to take the bus but that might not be everyone feels.

LegacyUser · 25-09-2020 11:04am

I am due to go in and get a full circumcision there next week. Not looking forward to the general anesthetic or the recovery. Doesnt sound to be comfortable. I'm 35 with 2 young kids, a serious worry is getting a stray boot or head into the crotch.
As for going for a run and other exercises. How long is that off the table for? It also looks to stock up on nurofen, anything else I should get to prepare for first few days of recovery?

LegacyUser · 29-10-2020 11:16am

Johnny BGood wrote: »

Taking the plunge on Saturday after a couple of years dealing with phimosis.
Went to the gp about 3 years ago, she referred me to a urologist in St.James who Ive never heard back from since, so Im off to the malahide clinic.
Understandably I am quite nervous but hearing everybody’s stories has made me apprehensive about the post op recovery.
Quick question for the plungers, would I be okay to travel back home alone by public transport or would I better off having someone pick me up post op in case I feel groggy etc?

If you (claim to) have phimosis, Does medical card cover it?

Golden Karl · 12-11-2020 2:13pm

This thread has been an eye opener, I think I almost passed out several times. I have been putting off going for the cut as I am concerned I will not be happy with the outcome. I have read numerous stories of people not satisfied, they are in the minority but they exist.

I did manage to cajole some steroid cream from the doctor and have been using this in combination with stretching, including a series of rubber rings that are used to hold the skin open (I won't mention the commercial name here). I have noticed some good improvements but it is slow.

Has anyone managed to achieve full recovery using the stretching method? I am talking full phimosis, no retraction possible even when flaccid.

banie01 · 12-12-2020 12:44pm

Will be joining this club shortly.
Had a bout of balanitis that kicked off about 3 weeks ago that lead to fissuring, tear and already a fair degree of scarring.

Bloody diabetes!
I say this as someone with generally excellent HbA1C and a good BMI.
I'm struggling, not so much with the impending circumcision.
Rather the slow and unending accretion of diabetes related complications and co-morbidities.
It really is becoming harder and harder to keep a sense of motivation and self control.

My Circumcision Story

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