That’s pretty much the question. I have symptoms of the aforementioned conditions. I have an appointment with my primary care physician in about three weeks. It will be uncomfortable, but I will discuss these symptoms with him. (I have always believed that, if you can’t talk to your doctor about ANYTHING wrong with you, you have the wrong doctor.)
What sorts of things is the doctor likely to do or ask? I assume that I will be referred to a urologist. What is he/she likely to do?
I’m not looking at all for medical advice on the SDMB. I’m just curious what the exam(s) will be like. Like, will the doctor ask me to produce an erection on the spot? (That’s kinda the problem, after all.) Is there likely to be lots of … um, handling of the affected organ? What am I in for?
He’ll probably ask you if you wake up in the morning or at night with an erection, which, if so, would indicate that it’s probably not a physical problem.
When I was in my 20s, I was paid to be a normal control for a sleep study looking at nocturnal penile tumescence.
Summary
Aside: I remember asking, “You’ll pay me how much to sleep in your lab?” “Well, we will be taking pictures of your erect penis if our instruments tell us you’re erect.” “Hell, for that much money you can climb into bed with me!”
I slept with full EKG and EEG hookups and a mercury gauge around my penis. With each erection, the researcher would come in, turn on a dim light, and use a strain gauge to see how hard my penis was. Just my luck, I had more events than average. I remember being a little confused each time, probably due to having REM sleep interrupted.
Ten years ago I asked my physician about trying Viagra recreationally. He told me there wasn’t any real reason not to, and he gave me a sample packet and a script if I wanted more.
I tried one dose. I got an erection and a headache, gave the rest of the samples to a friend.
ED is pretty straightforward to diagnose and treat. If you say you’re more limp than you / your SO would prefer, they’ll take your word for it. IOW, they won’t give you a hard time over it.
For anyone who’s tried Viagra and had issues, you should really give Cialis (= generic tadalafil) a try. IME, it’s better at improving BPH, it works great against ED, and it doesn’t give Mr. Happy a mind and rigid schedule of his own (at least not more than he’s ever had ) For me at least it’s a Fountain of Youthful Vigor.
Nowadays the generics can be gotten from legit online US-based pharmacies for cheap. Just don’t expect health insurance to help pay for it. IMO even at the full generic price it’s just a real cheap form of recreation; you sure can’t go to the movies very often for the same amount of money per month.
Peyronies is easy to diagnose if you’ve got even a decent semblance of an erection for them to look at. The fix is … unpleasant. Repeated direct injections of “human drain cleaner” into the affected spots to (hopefully) unclog your internal pipes that are preventing all your ballast tanks from filling & draining properly. It’s the uneven filling that pulls everything off the straight and narrow (or straight and wide if you’re one of the lucky guys).
My urologist’s POV was a) if you can still pee out of it OK and b) your SO isn’t made uncomfortable by the shape, leave it alone. So that’s what I’m doing. Sometimes coming in a novelty shape like those toys at the adult store can be a good thing.
And, Columbo style, just one more thing. …
As noted by others above, expect a digital rectal exam = finger up the butt at each visit w PCP or urologist. Incoming!!
When my (now ex) wife was dealing with fertility issues I had a complete exam to rule me out as a contributing factor. The doctor was practicing in a teaching hospital. Each part of my exam, including rectal, was done by the doctor, a resident, an intern, a visiting fellow, and two medical students.
I also have an … anomaly … in my underwear, butt it’s not rectal. Been there since I was a teen. Rare, but not too rare.
Physical exams when the doc has students along have been a “treat” for decades now. Ooh, ooh, can I feel it too?!? I admire the young folks’ enthusiasm. If not always their technique.
I thought the point was that OP wanted a hard time…
Speaking as a lady-with-a-dick, there came a time when my partner and I both still wanted penetrative sex but the HRT was making it problematic. I asked my endo for a viagra scrip and he handed it over pretty much on demand. If I didn’t get any poking and prodding over it, I can’t imagine a cis guy would.
Peyronies is analogous to Dupuytren’s and caused by the contracture of connective tissue. There are injections of collegenase enzyme that can dissolve the contracting tissue.
The OP is posting a serious question about something obviously of concern to him. Why are so many responders making stupid jokes about it?
TBF, a lot of responders seem to be providing useful information along with their stupid jokes, so there’s that.
As a middle-aged cishet woman, I personally have long given up any expectation that any significant percentage of penis-havers will refrain from making stupid jokes when a topic related to penile matters comes up, so to speak. It’s a rather awkward subject for a lot of people and a little toilet humor mitigates the embarrassment.
Just popping in to encourage all prostate owners not to shy away from the annual digital rectal exam. It may not be pleasant, but it sure is important!
I always wonder about this. I’ve had a couple rectal exams. i wouldn’t call them unpleasant physically or emotionally. Heck, people do a lot more with their rectums for recreation, I’m sure not going to be squeaked out if there’s a medical reason.
My current doctor has advised me not to do it annually in the absence of symptoms. (“we wouldn’t treat it anyway”) But I agree, do what your doctor advises.
) For me at least it’s a Fountain of Youthful Vigor.
It’s a rather awkward subject for a lot of people and a little toilet humor mitigates the embarrassment.