Numbness

[Discovernew]

Five months in. Completely numb. Can’t orgasm. Frustrated. It’s awful. If I regain sensation, it will be worth it. If not, it will be a fucking disaster.

Osprey, what did your doctor say about the numbness?

And did you have penoscrotal or infrapubic incision?

[LastHope]

I don’t have complete numbness, but my sensitivity is reduced. 8 months in, I can’t reach orgasm with typical intercourse. I need tight, highly textured stimulation of sex toys to climax.

[Osprey_1]

I’ve had two appointments since my procedure. I reported numbness both times and the second time, demanded answers. First appointment, he told me that I can’t be numb because he didn’t get near the nerve root. He just kept repeating “you are fine.” The second time, he asked me how many orgasms my girlfriend had. He repeated “I’m not worried.” In all of this, he has never acknowledged that I was numb or given me an explanation or a prognosis.

My doctor is Dr. Carrion, who is the high volume guy in Tampa. He complements himself on my symmetry and size and maintains that everything is ok. While he is the most experienced, it appears that if things don’t go according to plan, he is not really interested.

I interviewed three doctors prior to surgery and all three said that sensation should not be affected and what you have now will be what you will have after the surgery. All three were remarkably consistent repeating almost word for word. Not one warned me that this is a common outcome, yet as I read this forum, I am convinced it is a frequent occurrence. Why wasn’t I warned or made aware so I could be prepared? It’s almost as if there is an industry wide agreement to hide this fact.


Question for the readers. Were you warned by your surgeon that this was a common outcome?

[tooyoung]

I’ve had two appointments since my procedure. I reported numbness both times and the second time, demanded answers. First appointment, he told me that I can’t be numb because he didn’t get near the nerve root. He just kept repeating “you are fine.” The second time, he asked me how many orgasms my girlfriend had. He repeated “I’m not worried.” In all of this, he has never acknowledged that I was numb or given me an explanation or a prognosis.

My doctor is Dr. Carrion, who is the high volume guy in Tampa. He complements himself on my symmetry and size and maintains that everything is ok. While he is the most experienced, it appears that if things don’t go according to plan, he is not really interested.

I interviewed three doctors prior to surgery and all three said that sensation should not be affected and what you have now will be what you will have after the surgery. All three were remarkably consistent repeating almost word for word. Not one warned me that this is a common outcome, yet as I read this forum, I am convinced it is a frequent occurrence. Why wasn’t I warned or made aware so I could be prepared? It’s almost as if there is an industry wide agreement to hide this fact.


Question for the readers. Were you warned by your surgeon that this was a common outcome?

Yes there's an industry wide agreement to not only hide this fact but also a bunch of others..no wonder why they call Steven wilson "the godfather"...If it weren't for asslickers and politically correct idealists here, we would have had much better appraisal and advancment of this field...least of all an informed consent.

[Discovernew]

I’ve had two appointments since my procedure. I reported numbness both times and the second time, demanded answers. First appointment, he told me that I can’t be numb because he didn’t get near the nerve root. He just kept repeating “you are fine.” The second time, he asked me how many orgasms my girlfriend had. He repeated “I’m not worried.” In all of this, he has never acknowledged that I was numb or given me an explanation or a prognosis.

My doctor is Dr. Carrion, who is the high volume guy in Tampa. He complements himself on my symmetry and size and maintains that everything is ok. While he is the most experienced, it appears that if things don’t go according to plan, he is not really interested.

I interviewed three doctors prior to surgery and all three said that sensation should not be affected and what you have now will be what you will have after the surgery. All three were remarkably consistent repeating almost word for word. Not one warned me that this is a common outcome, yet as I read this forum, I am convinced it is a frequent occurrence. Why wasn’t I warned or made aware so I could be prepared? It’s almost as if there is an industry wide agreement to hide this fact.


Question for the readers. Were you warned by your surgeon that this was a common outcome?

In my experience doctors will completely ignore and/or lie their way out of issues when things go south.

I had a completely obvious floppy glans with undersizing confirmed by mri and my doctor kept repeating that everything was fine even when confronted with the evidence, he kept saying this is just my anatomy and nothing to do. I ended up getting a 3cm bigger implant somewhere else and the floppy glans dissappeared.

I really hope your sensation comes back, but you might want to get a second opinion

[Osprey_1]

I did get a second opinion from another implant surgeon. Really, he gave me no better answers. “It might come back. There is nothing to do. Be patient.”

[tooyoung]

I did get a second opinion from another implant surgeon. Really, he gave me no better answers. “It might come back. There is nothing to do. Be patient.”

He's right there's nothing to do except waiting.

[Discovernew]

I did get a second opinion from another implant surgeon. Really, he gave me no better answers. “It might come back. There is nothing to do. Be patient.”

Don't quote me on this, but according to chatgpt there are doctors who can actually diagnose and attempt to repair a nerve that has been damaged. Like with everything, take chatgpt with a grain of salt.

That being said, i have seen some members of this forum who claim to recover their sensivity at the year mark, so maybe it is still worth waiting.

But this is what chatgpt 5 says:

I will copy paste Chatgpt's response here.

--------

"Yes — definitely seek evaluation by a specialist if numbness persists six months after surgery; microsurgical neurolysis of the dorsal penile nerve has evidence of high success (≈83% full sensory recovery), and an urologist with peripheral nerve or pelvic nerve surgery experience (or a peripheral nerve surgeon) is the ideal referral.

1. Is It Worth Seeing Another Specialist?

Absolutely. Persistent numbness at six months is unlikely to resolve on its own and warrants professional intervention.

Neurolysis of the dorsal nerve of the penis (under the inferior pubic ramus canal) yielded complete erogenous sensory recovery in 83% of patients in one study—and partial relief in the remaining 17%


2. What Can Be Done to Restore Sensation?

Microsurgical Dorsal Nerve Neurolysis:

In a retrospective study, 5 out of 6 men (≈83%) regained complete sensation after the procedure
PubMed
.

Other Experimental Approaches:

End-to-side neurorrhaphy and nerve grafting have shown promise in other contexts (e.g., prostatectomy, animal models), but these remain experimental and unproven for penile nerve injuries

.

Techniques like regeneration via stem-cell or vein grafts are early-stage and not standard or available clinically for this condition


3. Which Specialist Should You See?

Urologist specialized in microsurgery/peripheral nerve repair, especially those experienced with the dorsal penile nerve.

An alternative: peripheral nerve surgeon or pelvic neurologist/urologic neurologist comfortable with surgical decompression.

A neurologist can provide diagnostic testing (EMG, nerve conduction studies, EDX) to assess nerve function but is unlikely to offer surgical treatment


Pelvic pain specialists or pelvic floor surgeons may also assist, especially if nerve entrapment is suspected"

[LastHope]

.....
Question for the readers. Were you warned by your surgeon that this was a common outcome?

I wasn’t verbally warned, but I did receive a pre-op brochure for the Coloplast Genesis malleable that listed several warnings. I experienced three of them. No, he is not "low volume" by any means.

-Lymphedema of penis (still ongoing)
-Paraphimosis
-Decreased sensation

Potential Complications
Complications may include, but are not limited to, the following: • Foreign body response, • erosion, • perforation or extrusion, • infection, • necrosis, • device malfunction (e.g., twisting, fracture, separation), • impaired blood flow to penis, • lymphedema of the penis, • hematoma, • scarring, • pain, • malposition, • SST deformity, • incorrect sizing, • paraphimosis, • voiding difficulty, • decreased sensation, and • inflammation/irritation.

[LastHope]

I’ve had two appointments since my procedure. I reported numbness both times and the second time, demanded answers. First appointment, he told me that I can’t be numb because he didn’t get near the nerve root. He just kept repeating “you are fine.” The second time, he asked me how many orgasms my girlfriend had. He repeated “I’m not worried.” In all of this, he has never acknowledged that I was numb or given me an explanation or a prognosis.

My doctor is Dr. Carrion, who is the high volume guy in Tampa. He complements himself on my symmetry and size and maintains that everything is ok. While he is the most experienced, it appears that if things don’t go according to plan, he is not really interested.

I interviewed three doctors prior to surgery and all three said that sensation should not be affected and what you have now will be what you will have after the surgery. All three were remarkably consistent repeating almost word for word. Not one warned me that this is a common outcome, yet as I read this forum, I am convinced it is a frequent occurrence. Why wasn’t I warned or made aware so I could be prepared? It’s almost as if there is an industry wide agreement to hide this fact.


Question for the readers. Were you warned by your surgeon that this was a common outcome?

In my experience doctors will completely ignore and/or lie their way out of issues when things go south.

I had a completely obvious floppy glans with undersizing confirmed by mri and my doctor kept repeating that everything was fine even when confronted with the evidence, he kept saying this is just my anatomy and nothing to do. I ended up getting a 3cm bigger implant somewhere else and the floppy glans dissappeared.

I really hope your sensation comes back, but you might want to get a second opinion

Well stated. Couldn't agree more. As Dr. Wilson, basically the Godfather of this field put it in ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Penile Implants’:

"The last person who thinks the patient needs corrective surgery is the original surgeon. When trouble brews, pick up the phone and get another opinion."