Penis "going to sleep." Cause for concern? (TMI, obviously.)

I’ve been quite a bit more sedentary than usual lately, (which is going some,) and I find that my legs invariably lose circulation after sitting for any length of time. I’m used to that, I just get up and “walk it off” as best I can.

Recently, though I’ve been alarmed several times when this phenomenon effects my genital area. I’m 33, and this has never happened except in the last month-or-two. Sometimes it occurs when one or both of my legs have “gone to sleep” as well, and, more disturbingly, sometimes it happens alone. I’m not sure what’s more freaky-- that “pins-and-needles” feeling when the circulation returns, or the occasional experience of peeing through an inert something which I have only a visual assurance that I’m actually holding onto.

I’m a bit alarmed by this, and I’m wondering if this something that I should worry about, or if I’m just succumbing to the sort of irrational fear that is often associated with perceived threats to the regenerative organs. I know that part of my worry is irrational, since I’ve got the recent stories about increases in incidents of deep-vein thrombosis amongst folks who sit in front of computers all day on my mind, and I’m reasonably certain that there’s no connection.

I dithered a bit about whether to put this in IMHO or GQ-- The general question being “Is this common, or is it something I should fret about?” I guess it could be put in the form of a poll, ie; “Does this ever happen to you, and are you otherwise healthy, or is it usually accompanied by necrosis and/or strokes?” (No jokes about “strokes”, please.)

Any comment, (especially from our medical Dopers,) would be appreciated, and I’m sure I’ll get around to being embarrassed and ashamed about this after the panic dies down.

Since this a circulatory thing, I guess it would make sense to note that I have pretty severe Raynaud’s.

First off, I’m not a doctor of medicine. Next, the wee bit of information. When a bicycle rider finds his wand has gone numb from bike seat pressure on the pudendal nerve, it’s called pudendal neuropathy. Often, a seat with the middle carved out will keep Coach Johnson from taking a nap.

I don’t know if you and bike riders have the same cause. However, if I had those symptoms, I’d see a doctor. It’s going to be embarassing when the alarm clock in your briefs goes off. :eek:

I’m not a doctor either (QtM, you around?), but I can tell you that as AskNott alluded to, it sounds like a nerve issue rather than a circulation issue.

“pins and needles” is a nerve thing, not circulatory, generally.

If you get less exercize your butt will get squishier and support you less, thus allowing more of your weight to settle on the neves that run between your legs to the penis.

…and Raynauds is?

The police captain that was always busting Rick’s in Casablanca (what, this isn’t Cafe Society?)

ltfire, Raynaud’s is a weird thing where the “thermostat” that decides when you ought to go hypothermic is a bit too sensitive. Even if I just get something out of the fridge, I lose circulation to my fingers, and they get all freaky looking. An actual cold environment (and by this I mean “B.C. cold”, not real Canadian cold, which I can’t even imagine exposing myself to, makes the same thing happen to all my extremities and parts of my face, including my tongue. Hurts like a sonofabitch when the circulation returns. [/whinge]

Sock Munkey, you have correctly divined that my ass is not what it once was. I could probably even utilize an economy of words and simply say “My ass is not,” and leave it at that.

Already I’ve learned something from this thread-- I always thought that when your limbs “went to sleep” it was because the blood supply was reduced-- I didn’t realize it could be from pressure on the nerves, but a bit of hunting around confirms this. Thanks for that.

Thanks for your input, folks. I really dread asking a doctor about this sort of thing-- I’m fairly confident that none of you lot are going to insist on seeing/handling my naughty bits. I’ll try and screw my courage up enough to go see a doc, though, after looking into this whole pudendal neuropathy thing. (Thanks, AskNott.) I have the least ergonomic chair in the known universe, the seat of which is slightly harder than adamant, so there may be something in that.

Cecil has some information that’s probably a good starting point:

Is it dangerous when your leg falls asleep?

And Larry Mudd, I’m no fan of exposing myself to a doctor either, but if my private region were going numb, I’d not waste time. It could be your chair, it could be your posture, it could be nothing. Or it could be something serious that you should treat now and not later.

I was once sat on by radioactive fat person, since then I have been gifted by a kind of “ass sense” that allows me a special insight into the backsides of others.

Put a nice soft cusion on your chair.

Oh my god! The SAME THING happens to my fingers and toes all the time! And here I thought I was crazy!!!

Does this mean I have Raynauds? Is it dangerous?

Sock, thanks for forcing the phrase “My ass-sense is tingling” into my psyche. Heh.

Guin, Raynaud’s can range from a minor irritation to the sort of thing that can lose fingers and toes for you. (Don’t panic, I screamed when I first saw that pic, but that’s pretty rare, apparantly. The digital loss, that is-- not me screaming. I do that all the time.)

Merck’s has a good overview. If it’s a day-to-day problem for you, there are drugs you can take to deal with it, but it’s a bit of a trade-off w/r/t side-effects.

For sure, talk to your doctor about it, if only to find out if the Raynaud’s stands alone or is bundled-up with something else, like scleroderma.

Dear god, can you convice your insurance to move you to the Bahamas?

sigh Here I thought I was nuts!

My parents think I’m overreacting. (I still remember the time I had severe plantars warts and my dad kept telling me I just had bad calusses from my shoes. A friend’s mother saw my feet and told me otherwise. It took months to get rid of the damn disgusting things.) Am I? My mother tells me it’s from “inactivity” and that if I just walk around, my toes will go back to normal.
It’s pretty creepy to witness. The kids at school used to make fun of me! It happens to the bottom of my feet sometimes daily.

I don’t want to be a hypochondriac, but geeze!

I live to serve. :smiley:

I suspect that I may have a mild case of Raynaud’s as my fingers also go numb very easilly from cold. (Then again I may just be a hypocondriac)