Background: I am uncircumcised, 28 years old. I clean under the foreskin daily using warm water, no soap. I've never had sex. I've tried off-the-shelf anti-fungal and balanitis creams. I've seen three urologists for this issue over the years, and none of them have had answers, or tested me for infection, or prescribed me anything.
For a decade I've had chronic meatitis (the rest of glans is normal). The severity fluctuates but I always have redness and puffyness, and the permanent swelling has led to a split urine stream. Just about every day I will get an ache in my penis, hard to pinpoint (localize) the exact source, but mostly emanating from the tip of the glans. It comes on suddenly and without an obvious cause, lasting a few minutes to an hour, but is always a huge distraction.
Ejaculation can be slightly painful, and gentle masturbation easily irritates the meatus to further swelling. Dehydration also tends to cause increased inflammation so I drink a lot. During these episodes of increased inflammation the aching and burning become much more prominent, and I have to take extra care to thoroughly rinse under the foreskin after urination or the burning will be very strong -- a bit like the feeling of having battery acid just sitting under my foreskin. It can take a couple days to go back to "normal", mostly painless levels of inflammation.
Symptoms I DON'T have:
- Discharge
- Splotchy glans
The last urologist I went to a month ago suggested it could be a vascular issue that I have to live with. Well I've never been tested for any sort of infection -- bacterial, fungal, or parasitic -- and I'd like to rule out everything before deciding to live with this gradually worsening condition.
I am getting desperate. What do you think this could be and what can I do to improve my symptoms?
I have an appointment with a specialist in a couple weeks, I’ll update then. And I’ll insist on getting tested.
John, how many different specialist have you seen such as Urologists? The best way to get to the bottom of issues like this is to find an individual Doctor that you can trust, build a working relationship with and find a way of resolving this issue once and for all.
I wonder whether you have a Regular / Family Doctor that see from time to time? Is this someone you could work with to find a cure for what you have?
You mention bacterial and fungal infection - the vast majority of these are caused through sexual activity. While it is possible to have these when you are not sexually active - I would have thought this would be linked to regular very poor personal hygiene - maybe this is why you have never been tested for anything.
Can I also check out something: do you always use some form of Lube for masturbation such as a skin cream?
My family doctor said it’s just something I have to live with. I don’t normally use lube or anything.
I’ve been to three urologists for this issue, though I’ve been to a handful more for other issues – a cyst and pain on my testicle.
The first guy basically asked without being prompted if I have a split urine stream – I said yes, but I can get all the pee out. After that he moved on to other topics. Being young and anxious I took that as a sign I don’t need to worry about it, and put it in the back of my mind.
Few years later after freaking myself out again, I go to see the second guy who insisted up and down I was normal and he couldn’t see anything wrong, even while at the time my meatus was bright red from inflammation. He was very dismissive and it really affected me in a bad way.
This last guy a month ago said it’s probably a case of hypervascularity from prior damage, based on the fact that most of the swelling comes during an erection and after being touched, and said there’s probably nothing I can do. He did refer me to a penile reconstruction specialist just in case they could give me an injection or something.
I fear it probably is from damage, because when I was young I used to masturbate like an idiot and just apply pressure instead of rubbing. Mostly because I have frenulum breve and it’s hard to retract my foreskin. Eventually I figured out how to work around my restrictive foreskin. There are other people on this site that have similar conditions and they’re talking about “nerve damage”. So it’s very possible and very shitty.
When I was in middleschool I did have terrible hygiene. You’d think after this long I’d have healed though. And I don’t have other symptoms like discharge. And as for an STD, I think that’s a long shot, but it’s not out of the question to me… I was sexually abused as a child. Again, you’d think after this long I’d have more symptoms though.
Basically I am just hoping to god this is something I can fix. And I need to rule out everything before deciding I can’t fix it.
Just want to clarify that I can fully retract my foreskin when I am flaccid, so I can clean it easily. It’s just not so easy during an erection.
I am on anxiety meds and I’ve been a social recluse. It’s very, very hard for me to go to any doctor for any reason, and when I do for this extremely embarrassing issue where I basically have to talk about masturbating, I am simply told this thing causing me pain is either a)" unfixable" or b) “not even there”.
As soon as I find a doctor that thinks they can help, I’ll try to build a working relationship with them. Maybe this next doctor will be that guy… though I am not expecting anything.
Apologies to resurrect, but any updates?
hi im 29 years old chemical engineering and from iran. i have this issue from 2 years ago after only 2 min unprotected relationship .I’ve learned that doctors are useless when it comes to diagnosing a symptom in the absence of positive test results, which made me somewhat obsessive over trying to self diagnose this.After all the research I’ve done over the past 2 years, on a daily basis, I feel I am almost an expert in this topic lol. and now I guess this bumps is immunologic action against some viruses such as EBV CMV and etc .and called lichen planus i hope this information be usefull
hi im 29 years old chemical engineering and from iran. i have this issue from 2 years ago after only 2 min unprotected relationship .I’ve learned that doctors are useless when it comes to diagnosing a symptom in the absence of positive test results, which made me somewhat obsessive over trying to self diagnose this.After all the research I’ve done over the past 2 years, on a daily basis, I feel I am almost an expert in this topic lol. and now I guess this bumps is immunologic action against some viruses such as EBV CMV and etc .and called lichen planus i hope this information be usefull
Dear friends its very important that unfortunately the test results for CMV and EBV viruses were positive for recent infection 1 week after sex and i wanna emphasize this viruses can infected epithelial cell .Im sorry for myself 
take care yourself.
Dear friends its very important that unfortunately the test results for CMV and EBV viruses were positive for recent infection 1 week after sex and i wanna emphasize this viruses can infected epithelial cell .Im sorry for myself take care yourself.