Scared, But For Different Reasons Than I Thought

Warning: This article may contain language not suitable for children. This article deals with the anatomy of the human body (particularly male genitalia) and various medical conditions. By continuing on to the next page, you are stating that you are 18 years of age or older and understand that there may be some terminology used which some may find offensive in some way. By continuing on to the next page, you are stating that you will not hold Reason VS Faith or the post author accountable for any content that may offend you. You have been warned.

Earlier this week, I happened to notice something was a little odd. With me. Well, with my penis. I woke up one morning an went to the bathroom to take care of nature’s business, as usual. Just like any other normal guy out there, most mornings you have to contend with getting the job done with the almighty morning erection (a good indicator that you did actually dream, even though you may not remember it). That morning, there was something quite different going on. About 1 and a half inches up the penis from the base was an indentation. It was quite noticeable. I really did not know what to think about this. Had I just slept on it wrong? It was a little sore… But, it was 3:30 in the morning and I was getting ready for work. My carpool partner had just pulled up to my driveway. Early again, figures. For the moment, I dismissed the misshaped member and hastily threw on my uniform.

Later that evening, I noticed the same phenomenon again. Now I was starting to get a little concerned. Using my thumb, I gently massaged the area to see if I could see what the heck was going on. That is when I felt it…a mass. A pea sized lump just under the skin. “An ingrown hair or a pimple?” I thought to myself. No such luck. It didn’t move around with the skin at all and you could tell that it was quite attached to the chamber wall. And it was sore.

To the internet I went. WebMD is a great tool, isn’t it? I found some information there, but it was the Mayo’s site where I found all the information that matched perfectly. I was now down to two possibilities: Peyronie’s Disease or penile cancer. Ouch. Peyronie’s Disease isn’t really that big of a deal. 12-18 months of recovery, but at least it isn’t cancer, right?

Peyronie’s (pa-ro-NEEZ) disease causes a bent penis during erection. A hard, fibrous layer of scar tissue (plaque) develops under the skin on the upper or lower side of the penis. When the penis is erect, the scar tissue pulls the affected area off at an angle, causing a curved penis. The plaque, formed by thickened layers of soft tissue in the penis is noncancerous (benign). The condition can cause pain and make sexual intercourse difficult.

Sometimes Peyronie’s disease improves without treatment, so your doctor may initially recommend a wait-and-see approach. Treatments of Peyronie’s disease involve nonsurgical and surgical approaches. ~Source

Doctors and researchers don’t completely understand what causes Peyronie’s disease. A number of theories exist, including:

• Injury to the penis. Trauma to the penis may cause small tears in the tissue, and small blood vessels in the penis can rupture and bleed internally. Penile injuries can be caused by vigorous sexual intercourse or an accident. Abnormal healing can result in the development of hard, thickened scar tissue (plaque) under the skin of the penis. With repetitive trauma, the plaque may develop tough fibrous tissue (fibrosis) or calcium deposits (calcification) and result in the deformity.
• Autoimmune disorder. Some studies suggest that Peyronie’s disease may be an autoimmune disorder. A man’s immune system may respond abnormally and cause plaque to form in the penis. However, Peyronie’s disease isn’t related to other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
• Inherited collagen abnormality. Peyronie’s disease may be caused by an inherited abnormality in the genes that regulate the growth fibrous connective tissue proteins (collagen).
• Medications. Some drugs may cause Peyronie’s disease as a possible side effect. Most of these drugs belong to a class of blood pressure and heart medications called beta blockers. These drugs are also used to treat glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and seizures. Developing Peyronie’s disease as a side effect of these drugs is rare. Check with your doctor before stopping or changing any prescribed drug. ~Source

Great. I don’t fit into causes 1 or 4. As far as I can tell, I don’t fit into 3 either. The more I thought about it through the next day, the more I thought, “Maybe it IS cancer.” So, my wife made the appointment with the urologist for tomorrow. Hopefully, I will find out more then.

The point of this post, though, is the fear that I encountered. I really was not afraid of the possibility of death. If it is cancer, that is a possibilty. The main fear that I had was, “What about my wife and my daughter?” I really was not afraid of the possibilty of death. I was afraid of the possibilty of not getting to be there for my precious little girl and her mom. To me, that is simply amazing.