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In response to the guy with green balls: I've had Forniers gangrene and I've lived to tell the tale. AMA
My comment in the green balls post received wayyyy more interest than I thought there'd be.
When I was a child, 2 yrs old, drs wanted to do a 24 hr urine sample. The easiest way to do this was to catheterize me. Due to their incompetence, they poked a hole in my urethra wall and from this developed urethral structure disease. This means that scar tissue would build up so I could not pee. I'd then have to go in for a cystoscopy approx once a year to have it either cut out or stretched (pushing a scope past the scar tissue, essentially tearing it open). I was not always put out when this happened. I remember once it had closed off completely and a resident tried to force a catheter in me, it took 8 nurses to hold me down, two on each limb. The pain was unbearable and I could be heard screaming throughout the emerg. My only satisfaction came when he punched a way through was pissing all over the resident. I was about 12 at the time. There's more but lets get closer to present day.I've had Forneir's, usually you end up loosing your testicles and penis but I was lucky in my case. I had developed a hole in my urethra and was basically urinating into my body.
I remember going home from work on a friday night (yes I still worked, even with swollen testicles like this) and basically passing out all weekend. I came to about 5:30am on Monday morning and knew if I didn't call an ambulance I'd be dead. I was operated on for several hours, in hospital for a couple of months and I have since had to have 2 urethral reconstructions done, my most recent being in July of this year. I'm 35, happily married, to answer a couple questions in the other post. Go ahead, AMA. Not sure how I can prove all this, I know I'll be asked to.
Edit. Be back later. Supper time.
Edit #2. I know there are many sexual questions you all have but as that involves someone else other than me I prefer to keep the details private. Suffice it to say that yes sex is still possible.
Edit #3. Time for bed. It's past 2 now. I'll answer any other questions tomorrow. Thanks for all your interest, I hope I've helped people learn something.
Dang me I made front page
Edit #4. Thanks for making this AMA fun. If I would have known it was going to be this great I'd have tore my urethra sooner.
xxxdarkhorsexxx296 karma
It has it's ups and downs. There are some erection issues, plus psychological damage too. When you've had a lot of trauma in that area it's hard to have a good time sometimes.
xxxdarkhorsexxx446 karma
Damned if I know. I remember screaming for it. They out some zylocaine jelly in first that's supposed to knumb the pain, but didn't work. Sometimes drs get the god complex and think they know more than the patient. Maybe he was trying to prove something, I don't know.
FATstuntman456 karma
I can attest to zylocaine jelly not working for shit. I had a quarter sized kidney stone that fell into my ureter, effectively blocking my left kidney from passing urine like a drain stopper. They put in a stent when I was under, but took it out when I was awake. They open your urethra and inject this fully syringe of jelly up your dong like they're injecting herbs into a turkey, clamp it up and wait a while. Then they go in deep. I yelled "THE JELLY IS NOT WORKING!" but at that point they already were laying cable and I was screaming with blinding cock pain. They put in in really slow and painfully, but pulled it out super fast, and I shot that zylocaine jelly out of my dick like an unsupervised firehose on full blast. I spent five months bleeding gravel out my dick, culminating in the biggest orgasm (per volume) I have ever had, even if it wasn't actual sperm. Not worth it, worst experience of my life. Motherfucking male urologists should understand cock pain.
ericksonvu30 karma
I didn't think much of the second sentence until I made a quarter sized hole with my thumb and index finger. God, I am so sorry. That's like some Saw shit. Fuck man.
OrcarinaOfTrees228 karma
That must have taken a lot of balls to get through something like that
xxxdarkhorsexxx371 karma
Nope. The doc that did it has died, it also happened in Canada, we don't sue as much here. I think my parents just wanted to see me get better rather than have retribution.
schok51158 karma
It's in time like this you must love the shit out of universal free healthcare systems.
[deleted]200 karma
It's more like every day that we love our universal health care system!
DigitalChocobo287 karma
Except the day it gives you Fournier's Gangrene. Not a huge fan of that day.
xxxdarkhorsexxx190 karma
Wasn't universal healthcare that gave it to me, it was an incompetent dr. You could argue its universal healthcare that saved me
xxxdarkhorsexxx8 karma
Thank you. I think I write well enough that people can get a decent picture of what I went through
Cynikal81824 karma
keeping what I have too
after reading that you lost 2 inches, I'm quite curious as to if that measurement is hard/soft. It's a pretty personal question so don't worry about it...but assuming the average is something like 6...uhhh...fuck...
xxxdarkhorsexxx31 karma
I've always been more of a grower than a shower. I lost two inches of soft tissue.
xxxdarkhorsexxx299 karma
Yes it still functions. I've lost some length due to the reconstruction surgery but maintain its use. Picture a garden hose that develops a hole. You cut out that part, join the other ends. Essentially that's what has been done to my urethra. They say that I've lost about 2 inches.
xxxdarkhorsexxx373 karma
If it wasn't for my wife I'd definitely have some scars to show. Chicks love scars.
HomieHavko149 karma
Does the scar happen to look like the Nike swoosh? Just last week my brother bet me 50 bucks I'd never find anyone in the world with a Nike swoosh scar on their penis, this would be perfect.
Bread-and-Circus142 karma
Reading this makes my penis hurt. Luckily I had a spinal block when I got my catheter (it took them 8 times to get it to work, and I was bleeding everywhere after the first one). They ended up getting 1500cc of urine out of me.
czerniana88 karma
'i was lucky because i was urinating into my body'
Kind of up there on 'sentences you never thought you'd hear someone say', even if it was just paraphrasing.
So, if you're happily married, do you plan on having kids? Or is this not a viable option for you any longer? I know i read somewhere that you were fully functional, but that doesn't mean it didn't effect your reproductive capabilities. Or have you not bothered to check? (much like I have neglected to see why I never get pregnant)
xxxdarkhorsexxx97 karma
We've never checked. Would have to see if I have healthy swimmers.
I definitely would like kids, even if adoption was our only option
liongirl8178 karma
I know you said you were able to keep your testicles and penis, but does this mean your balls are now in your thighs (Like in the pictures)? Is urinating difficult? Have you encountered any problems with its function? What are the chances of getting this again? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just genuinely curious!
xxxdarkhorsexxx94 karma
Nope my testis are still where nature intended them. Urination continues to be a problem though. Hopefully not for ever
xxxdarkhorsexxx192 karma
Haaaaaa I can't even describe the amount of pain. The worst was after surgery when they had to pack the incision with padding, all the way to the tip of my penis.... But on the INSIDE. They had to change this twice per day. I was on the maximum amount of morphine but that didn't touch the pain. I remember looking at the clock and dreading each tic of the minute hand. When shift change came, I knew the new nurses would be there right away. After 2 weeks of this a nurse spoke up to the dr and said it was putting me through too much, the benefit of the packing was outweighed by the stress it put on me
kebo9936 karma
what the...
Dude....
Fuck...
This is one of the worst things i've ever read, sorry you lived it.
FreshBakedTroll66 karma
As someone who's had the misfortune of contracting Flesh-Eating Bacteria which led to me having Fournier's I can totally sympathize with you. I kept my penis and testicles but lost part of my scrotum and a good chunk of flesh from either side of my groin. I ended up having 11 surgeries, was in a coma from sepsis and eventually had skin grafts in an attempt to repair some of the damage. Do you still have any long last effects from yours? I still have lots of pain along all the scar lines and have lots of lower leg swelling (I would guess primarily from losing lymph nodes in my groin)?
xxxdarkhorsexxx40 karma
Yep my scar hurts a lot. Doesn't help that with each surgery that I've had they went in through the same site ie. they cut through the scar tissue
gata455446 karma
How did you, I guess, hide this from your wife until you went to the hospital? I for one would defiantly make my husband go to the doctor the instant his boys started to swell.
How are things now? Any chance of it returning?
EDIT: Clarification
xxxdarkhorsexxx145 karma
I met my wife while recovering from my first surgery. (2007) so she knew all about it from the start. I was single when I had it. quite honestly if it wasn't for her I probably would have bit a bullet long ago. She's been my strength when I've been weak. She came along right when I needed her. Can't say enough about her patience and understanding.
I hope to God Forniers never comes back. I'm still dealing with strictures though. My last surgery (in July of this year) hopefully will fix it permanently. I'll find out if it worked in November.
PhoenixFoundation82 karma
It's been a while since I've been simultaneously so mortified by a medical story and yet uplifted by the strength of a person to push through it. Props to you (and your wife) for not giving up despite the hellishness of something like this. I hope with every fiber of my being that it's permanently fixed.
xxxdarkhorsexxx68 karma
Thank you. Honestly I think sometimes it's been harder on my wife than me.
ShortSentencesDisrdr33 karma
props to her, it is a beautiful thought thinking that she saved your life by just appearing at the right time. I hope you've told her that she saved you from taking your own life, I know I would have entertained the thought if I ever had to deal with such an issue while wondering if it would happen again.
xxxdarkhorsexxx6 karma
Definitely have let her know, more than once. She also read this AMA so guess who gets lucky tonight?
Blairbear2834 karma
Have you approached TLC or Discovery Channel? I definitely haven't seen a documentary about this before!
Bleek087829 karma
Were there any other signs besides something on the inside. No growths or weird abscesses? I'm glad you made it out. Oh, and I just got my permanent residence in Canada yesterday.
EDIT: About proof... I don't know of any man that would claim to have this happen just to do an AMA.
xxxdarkhorsexxx71 karma
Ya this isn't stuff you can make up really.
My testicles were hugely swollen, I'd been to four (yes 4!) doctors and misdiagnosed each time. One dr didn't even do an exam, just gave me a prescription for antibiotics. Another told me that this sometimes happens to men, they swell then go back to normal.
Oh yes. The smell. Like rotting flesh, which it basically was.
Welcome to Canada! Eh
LegendaryLuigi23 karma
What specifically made your case special enough that you didn't end up losing your testicles or penis? Was it that you caught it faster than most people do or something else?
xxxdarkhorsexxx47 karma
Not sure, I think it might be because my Forniers developed higher up in my body (internally) rather than from say a scrape on my scrotum. Maybe I was just lucky? Who knows. I was told that if id waited any longer to go into the hospital I'd have been septic, basically I'd have died.
xxxdarkhorsexxx127 karma
Some things you have to learn to live with. There's always someone out there who's going through more than you.
TickleFightProTour80 karma
I understand the whole "others have it worse than me" thing, but I imagine losing your dick allows you to say "NO. MY LIFE IS WORSE THAN YOURS NOW SHUT THE FUCK UP."
xxxdarkhorsexxx13 karma
I have my self pity moments but you can't let that take over your life. It makes a person bitter and cold to the struggles that other people go through.
lonelyalien14 karma
Has your experience with this problem increased your interest in it? Meaning, do you find yourself wanting to know more about, wishing it all away, or somewhere in the middle?
Also: (obligatory) dude.
xxxdarkhorsexxx31 karma
Somewhere in the middle I guess. I've searched out a lot of info, spent hours reading medical notes, but still wish I didn't have to deal with it. It's given me enough knowledge that I know the lingo, can ask better questions and better advocate for myself.
infininme11 karma
How long did you have the problem before you decided it was serious enough to seek help? It seems like you noticed it Friday and got help Monday.
xxxdarkhorsexxx31 karma
I knew I'd had a problem for a could weeks. In another post i talked about my trips to 4 drs You have to understand that when you are that sick your mind doesn't work rationally. I had a moment of clarity when i saw the seriousness of my situation. If I didn't phone 911 then I would be dead, no question.
MsAnon288 karma
How's the sex life?
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