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J-Pouch Surgery and.... the penis...

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Posted 11/6/2012 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
Ok, sensitive topic and I'm not a man of course but have yet another question.  I tried looking through some of the older posts but I didn't see anything on this topic.

Hubby had a catheter in for about 9 days when he was in the hospital for his j-pouch surgery.  We hope to start a family after he heals up, so this area of his body is of great concern to me. :)  So, being that the surgery happened around his pelvic area and the effects of having a catheter, I realize there will be some trauma to the penis but I'm just wondering to what extent some of you have experienced?  Sorry if this is a sensitive topic...

I know he is still able to get an errection because when we were cleaning it in the hospital it happened.  However, the poor thing has retreated and is quite small now?  Did this happen to any of you guys?  Will it come back?  He also said he was having trouble knowing when he needed to pee... that seems to be getting better with time but he is able to pee on his own and so forth.  But, I was just concerned that it actually shrank and seems to be rebelling.

Should I just not be concerned about this and think nothing of it and just wait till he heals?  Or should we be concerned?

Posted 11/6/2012 6:40 AM (GMT 0)
It is upsetting that more surgeons do not talk openly with patients about this. My son has ulcerative colitis so this was a concern for him too when researching j-pouch surgery. For men, swelling around the nerves of the penis may cause temporary changes in having an erection. It may take a few months before erections are as firm as they used to be. If he experiences any sort of sexual problem ask his surgeon for a referral to a specialist. There are new treatments for sexual dysfunction that are very effective for j-pouchers. I am not sure what you mean by shrinking and rebelling.
If I remember correctly, it has only been three weeks since his 2 in 1 surgery. It is way too soon to expect his body to be functioning sexually. Please be patient and let him heal on his own schedule.
Posted 11/6/2012 9:06 AM (GMT 0)
I don't think she's saying she expects him to perform or function sexually; it sounds like they are just noticing some side-effects and wondering if they are cause for concern.

I do know that the catheter can effect things down there and that some people have issues after it's removal, and I've heard it's more difficult/painful for men, but the vast majority of that is temporary, and I would certainly give him more time to heal, as subzero said. It will take months for everything to return to normal. I am a woman, but with the way I felt after surgery, if I had an external sex organ, I'm sure it would have been shrinking. ;-P However, if it is enough to be bothersome or worrisome, by all means put a call in to the surgical assistant or ostomy nurse... they would be very experienced with what's normal to expect after surgery and would be able to address your specific concerns.
Posted 11/6/2012 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
bootstrap is right, I didn't intend to sound like I'm expecting him to perform and in no means did I mean it that way. We just simply noticed that it shrank. He is not circumsized and it has just retreated into his skin and is very small now. I just made the comment about him being able to get an errection still to say that I believe its still capable of "functioning" but was just curious if other men had experienced this "shrinkage". But, I'm guessing most of the guys here aren't gonna be jumping up to say "yea, my penis is smaller now".

I will certainly ask the surgeon today when we have our appointment but its far easier to ask random strangers on the internet about penis shrinkage than to have to ask someone in person. :)
Posted 11/6/2012 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
From all of my observations of penises, they will withdraw and get very small in direct correspondence with whatever is going on with their owners. That said, I think that if I were a man, my penis would have gotten tiny during my months of surgeries and convalescence because I and my body were in a very withdrawn, self-protective frame of mind.
Posted 11/6/2012 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
That's what I was trying to say, B'Dereh. With my frame of mind right after surgery, I would expect that sort of response in a male. I was feeling very protective and withdrawn, and everything that is the opposite of sexy and confident. Penises seem to be kind of like their peacock feathers and very responsive to what they are feeling. Shrinkage sounds like a fairly normal and very temporary response to me, and I would expect things to start returning to normal after a few months, but like I said, I don't have a penis. I would pay more attention to the difficulty of being able to tell when he needs to urinate... also sounds like something to be expected after a rough experience with a catheter, but just keep tabs on it.
Posted 11/7/2012 8:24 PM (GMT 0)
I had a couple of procedures done (temp ileo and then reversal) as well as a revision of my stoma when I had it due to a prolapse while in the hospital and each time, unfortunately, I had the wonderful experience of being catheterized, despite my pleadings with the surgeon, so I guess I can speak from experience. To put it in succinct terms.....it comes back just fine. I recall having the desire and the need while I still had the ileo.

Also, just for the record, I was 55 when I had the ileo, so if an old coot like me says it comes back, a guy young enough to still be talking about starting a family will have absolutely no problems.
Posted 11/7/2012 8:42 PM (GMT 0)
I love the name of the thread.

J Pouch....and the Penis.

lololololololol
Posted 11/7/2012 8:56 PM (GMT 0)
hehe, thanks Bay Area Guy... I appreciate the candor. :D

I tried to make the name of the thread appealing... so I'm glad you find it amusing. :D
Posted 11/8/2012 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
Haha, where's the "like" button on this thing?
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