Hypersensitivity in the penis (irritated & prickly)
 

I have been to numerous MDs in the past for this condition and have had no real success in curing it. It kind of went away on its on many years ago and as of last week it is back. The area from the foreskin scar of the penis to the very tip is extremely hypersensitive. If nothing is touching it (if im naked) i do not know that there is a real issue, but as soon as i put underwear on, that problem starts. The problem is of course walking and doing anything active and the underwear that it rubs against. The more I do the worse if irritates. I realize this is an area that most people shy away from talking about, but I have no other options at this point. A Dermatologist that I saw many years ago and just saw again yesterday told me that he thought it to be nerve related, not skin. He suggested an MRI or for me to see a Neurologist and possibly have a nerve conduction study performed on me (read details online and it seems that that would be painful or impossible?) He also gave me a Rx for Amitryptilline 10 mg. Any feedback or ideas would be much appreciated. Thank you!

I'd post this also on the Men's forum.

But one thing that strikes me is that you may have soap residue in your wash... and it is irritating the sensitive area you describe.

Tide makes a new sensitive soap now:
http://www.tide.com/en-US/product/tide-free.jspx

Also fabric softeners can be irritating too.

Just do a second rinse on a load of your underwear, and see
how much soap comes out the second time! For this reason we double rinse all our clothes now! Soap is very alkaline and our skin is acidic. Elevated pH to alkaline then becomes very painful.

I'd make sure ALL environmental things are excluded before going further medically. Even the soap you shower with.
You know women get irritated by soap in showers too... and don't realize that shampoos end up down there, and conditioners (and often are not rinsed off enough). (conditioners are surfactants and defat the skin making it very vulnerable to the environment).

If you can find some A and D cream, you might try using that on the tip carefully. It is typically in the baby section of stores. It is very healing and often helps personal discomforts and might work for you.

thank you for you help. I have tried that also in the past. I've tried so many things i just can't remember them all to be quite honest. I feel 100 % this is nerve related. Any other suggestions or tests?

Some of Peripheral Neuropathy posters use a cream called Zonalon. This is a drug similar to amitriptyline which is used orally. It helps with pain topically.

Try to recall if you used it in the past. Oral use of amitriptyline in low doses is mentioned elsewhere on the net. Either that or Lyrica. I'd go with amitriptyline first.

I am getting a sense that there is a trigger for your problem.
Find that trigger, and you have your answer.

For example... bicycle seats are known to damage nerves in the pelvic floor of males. We see all sorts of new better types now
to prevent this.

http://hubpages.com/hub/May-Your-Bic...ic-Seat-Online

Yours is not a common problem. There is very little on the net about it in fact. We've had some men on the men's forum who described numbness and lack of feeling, but not the reverse.

Do you have pain or numbness elsewhere too? That would suggest a systemic problem.

MrsD to answer you question specifically, yes i have used Zonalon years ago with no results. I have also used other topical creams: Acid Mantle, Vytone, Pramasone, Hydrocortisone, Emla (which i was allergic to, got worse), Valerate cream, Desowen, Zeasorb AF (powder), Cetaphil (soap) Doxephin HCL 10mg (capsules), Celexa, Tetracycline 500mg capsules and many cortisone shots with no affect.

As far as where the problem came from, I thought it might go without saying that i have masturbated and continue to although none in the past 2 wks or so. I had sex with my wife one time, with no pain, but I'm scared to do that with the chance of making it worse. Could that alone cause the problem you think. I remember years ago when it came about with the Prostatitis, I had trouble getting an erection and even feeling any sex drive. I had some problems with that psychologically and would oftentimes try very hard to orgasm, whatever it took, out of frustration. Could I have damaged something on my own by doing that? Thats what scares me! I didn't bring it up, first, because its embarrassing, and second, because I really didn't think it mattered how I had this problem, the problem was fixing it. Please let me know what you think.

I only know from what I read recently on the net.

One page mentioned hygiene issues, and also infectious issues.

I did see one page that said, sensitivity problems are more common and expected with UNcircumcized males... there is a therapy for stretching the foreskin to help ease that.
Those sites also say that the skin of a circumcsized male tends to thicken on the glans, and lowered sensitivity is more common.
Proponents against circumcision of male babies cite that factoid most often. This may be why you encounter puzzled doctors.

If you have latent herpes simplex, this virus lives in the nerves. This can be tested for.
The only non-drug remedy I know for this is high dose l-lysine tablets, 1 or 2 grams a day. If you have high titres of herpes (and most people do), a course of antiviral may help. But you need a blood test for this. Chicken pox virus also does this.
Pain from Herpes Zoster virus can happen with no rash forming.
But it is not common in your location. This can also be tested for and treated the same way.

Putting a mild barrier cream on the area may help with sensations against fabrics. A and D is also healing. I'd stay away from steroids, as they didn't really work for you and they also may bring on Herpes, if you have it latent/sleeping.

If you don't have this problem elsewhere, that is a sign that local irritation may be the culprit. So handle that as you need to do.

Been there, had that! Not fun!
 

Stinging and sensitivity so bad at one point I had to wrap my penis in gauze to prevent it from touching anything. It would come and go. Definitely nerve pain. It sometimes hurt in the scrutom area too. An urologist gave me pills that turned my urine blue. Can't recall the name. It helped a lot. However, soon after one episode, I developed an all over PN. Probably unrelated but who knows. The penis problem went away on it's own eventually.
All tests were negative so some of my Drs thought it was in my head. I went to three different urologists, including one at Mayo. No real help. The Mayo one said my weight was the problem. I was pressing on my testicles when I sat and that was causing the symptoms. Personally, I think urologists, because they are all surgeons, are uninterested in any problem that does not involve surgery. That's my opinion and the unsolicited opinion of my internist. I hate to be so negative about Drs, but the truth is they know a lot less than they will admit. That is particularly true of Neurologists when it comes to understanding pain and how devastating it can be. I guess they see so many people in pain that they become numb to it and their patients.

Hey man, I have been dealing with the exact same problem. I show negative on every single test I take for infection yet have been dealing with this for what seems like ages. My life feels so ruined and hopeless now. I barely can get through the days now since I long for how I used to feel.

How long did it take you to feel like you were back to "normal?" I am just over the one year mark and the pain was intense and excruciating the first few months. I am still in discomfort/pain at times but it is tolerable and un noticeable at times. I have zero trust in doctors because of this issue since I have gone to so many that say it is in my head. I hate to say it but I almost did myself in for that reason... I was reaching out for help and all they kept doing was telling me I'm crazy and that nothing is wrong with me.

So anyways, how are you doing now? Obviously you must have some type of issue still going on or you wouldn't be on the internet perusing others with a similar problem. Have you taken any std tests? HSV 1/2? I am so certain my issues are Herpes related even though I show negative on the tests. The pain is perfectly explained through nerve issues.

What do you guys think?

For dmg5186
 

I have not been on this site for months. Sorry. My problem is almost entirely gone but I am on Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Oxycodone. All are for nerves. I have non length dependent small fibre neuropathy. It spreads fast and to almost everywhere on the body. I don't know if the sting in the head of my penis was a first symptom, which I believe is the case, or just a separate issue. In any case the meds for nerves has calmed it down to almost nothing. I first went to a dermatologist andwas told abrasion from rubbing on underwear. Then neuropathy by a three different urologist. Of course the neurologist insisted it was a urology problem until just recently. Get someone to prescribe meds for nerve pain and see if it helps. If it does it is a nerve problem. Good luck.

OMG! Other people actually KNOW about this?!?!
 

I was just searching the net once again for this issue, just hoping to find someone who shard this problem with me. I was pretty sure there had to be other people out there with this issue. I didn't know what to call it. I wondered if it was what people were talking about when I heard jokes about "chafing." But I saw pictures and that's not it. I know this post is very old now and no one else is responding but I just HAD to reply with the fact that I have this same issue! And I haven't even been able to articulate what it is before. I'd just tell the doctors it was pain on my penis from rubbing up against my underwear and they'd think I was crazy! No solutions were ever even suggested. I don't think mine has been as bad as some of what you guys have described here simply because I'd just avoid walking anywhere when it was too bad or I learned a highly temporary 'trick." I would sag my pants like those --pardon my reference here-- African-American, male youth would often do (see Lil Wayne for example) with their boxers showing. I wouldn't show my boxers but my paints would be down to the point where my penis wouldn't move so much and rub up against my boxers. This gave me a slight pit of relief while walking. It didn't help when I was running though. Sometimes, I just suffered through the pain! I also associated this issue with intense masturbation and even after sex when using a condom--although that was rarely the cause of the irritation. That only happened if the condom pinched my penis by the opening, which I hate! But I am now concerned that herpes could be related. A girls I have been having protected sex with for the last few years has been diagnosed with HSV but so far, my test results have come back negative, except for one time, it was inconclusive. I don't know why that was but I thought it might be cause my body is somehow fighting it off well enough that most tests are negative for me, even though I still might be a carrier or something??? I'm probably saying ridiculous things here. But these are my thoughts and I felt I should share. I hope we can find a way yo alleviate the pain altogether though. Hey, thank you so much for posting this and for all of the responses!

Im not alone!!!
 

Well It has been about 4 months of painful discomfort from the circumsition scar to the tip of my penis (only when rubbing it against my clothes) and I have seen 3 urologist, 1 dermatologist, and every single one of them diagnose me as "crazy". Some days the pain is almost unbearable and others just bad. They did some blood test to find herpes and I came back positive from type I and II. and although I have had periodic cold sores in my mouth since I was a kid, I have never had any blister or visible sign of herpes II in my genitals, not even now. One thing I was doing before this thing from hell came on me was eating around 30 almonds a day. I know now that almonds are rich in Arginine and arginine fuels Herpes Virus. Has anyone of you guys can recognize a trigger for your condition or found anything so far that helps?

Thank you!

My Theory
 

Well Gentleman you can add me to this club that no one wants to be a member of.
This bizarre affliction began for me about two months ago. I initially thought it might be work related as I am a research Chemist and was doing some work with Isocyanates which are known sensitizers. The condition has persisted however, weather I work with these compounds or not and now I am extra cautious to avoid any contact while working with Isocyanates.
Thanks to your posts I have developed a new theory, I believe this may be an unusual manifestation of the Shingles virus. I am not overweight and no chance I have HSV.
I do know for certain that I had Chickenpox (Herpes Zoster virus) at the age of 5.
Given Hiriser32’s experience with the latency of symptoms over years this screams retrovirus to me. Also if you check the net you will find that Shingles in rare cases can affect the Female genitalia (Vaginal Shingles). So why not the male? Perhaps even rarer still.
Would be interesting to know if all of you also had the Chickenpox.
I was reluctant to go to the Doctor as I figured they wouldn’t have a clew and as is the case with many of you my symptoms come and go as well.
At this point for me this is an extreme annoyance but nothing I can’t live with.
However based on your posts if this continues at my next scheduled physical I am going to present my PCP physician with this data and ask for a prescription of Valtrex (valaciclovir) to see if my theory has any merit. If this gives me relief I would like to follow it up with a Zostavax shot (Shingles vaccine).
If any of you have tried any of these two treatments and found any relief please posts your results.
Good luck gentleman we may be case studies for something new here..

I've had this problem my whole life.When I was a kid my parents took me to my pediatrician many times looking for a way to help me and he always said the same thing "I've seen this before,there is nothing that can be done,hopefully he will outgrow it".By the time I grew up I realized that some sort of covering would help and went looking online to see if something existed.I found that products were made to help with this problem.One is called the Manhood,another is the Senslip.I decided they weren't for me and continued searching for a better solution something I didn't have to think about or remove/replace all the time.I found out about a procedure called foreskin restoration and decided to give it a try.It wasn't easy but after 2 years of restoring I had a covering that kept me comfortable 90% of the time.Every once in awhile just the tip of my penis will still rub on my clothing and cause some pain so I have decided to restore until this problem is permanently fixed.The sensitive circumcision scar area is also fully covered by the new skin.

hi John, just reading your post and sorry to but in to your men only group but I may be able to help you. I am wondering about your symptoms. I have a condition called Behcet's which has very similar symptoms to those you describe with the mouth ulcers and so on. It's just that normally there will be some blisters on the genital area. Though for me this happens so so rarely. Maybe once 2-3 years.....so if your symptoms are just beginning then it could develop yet. Also though, what I recognise, is the pain you are talking about. I get the same sort of pain around that area which is like a kind of neuralgia pain. Very uncomfortable. All kinds of things can result from Behcets. I am not sure if you have any other symptoms going on.

check for more advanced problems
 

I just want to mention the possibility of more advanced problems just in case, since you are having problems getting treated.
Hypersensitivity - hard to tell if it's just the skin (as in skin irritation) or the nerve underlying innervation of the penis.
If it's the nerve (and not just the very external layer of skin) then it may be pudendal nerve problems. This is the nerve that runs from the spine through the alcock's canal near your bottom, through to the exterior portions of your ****, testes, and penis to innervate them.
Problems along this nerve line can cause pain, numbness, or hypersensitivity along this nerve route.
Problems can include lower back problems (anywhere from L4 through S4) tugging on it, ligaments rubbing it the way, alcock canal getting smaller and rubbing it (scar tissue or by other means), piriformis muscle problems since it runs close to it, etc. It can even be from Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) or hip impingement syndrome. So if you have any other symptoms like these check them.
As a female, I have pudendal nerve entrapment problems from L5 S1 disc degeneration. So, yeah, anything along that route can upset it. Sometimes my clitoris (on you it is would be the same with your penis) would get hypersensitive in not so nice a way. I didn't even want to touch it or have anything like underwear rub it. On other places along the nerve line, I swear it felt like the skin was highly irritated, but the skin was actually fine. It was the nerve that was having problems. Figured out it was my spine pulling on it from above by being a bit out of place through an MRI.
So, if your symptoms progress to other things, too, thought you may want this info.:winky:

Same thing
 

Probably about a year ago I began having the same symptoms, extreme sensitivity at the tip of my penis.
I liken it to how it would feel if you put your tongue on a frozen pump handle and pulled it off, and it tore the skin off. That's how sensitive it is, even though there's absolutely nothing visibly wrong with it.
It's absolutely maddening, and I've tried all kinds of ways to keep it from touching anything. I feel nothing unless it's rubbing on something, which is pretty much every time I walk.
I went to my regular doc and got tested for STD's, and it was negative. Went to a Urologist who found nothing conclusive but suggested prostate problems could cause pain in that area.
I am 54 and have had herpes I and II for a long time. I also had shingles about 10 years ago.
Remarkably, it kind of went away on its own after about 6 months, which was a HUGE relief -- but to my dismay it showed up again. This is beginning to look like it's going to be for the rest of my life -- especially after reading some of the posts here.
I am going to go on an aggressive course of Valtrex and see if that makes a difference. I will be back to tell you if that helped, or if it didn't.

The aggressive course of Valtrex (generic name valocyclovir) didn't seem to have any effect on it at all.

You might look up the Low Oxalate diet. Oxalates in urine have been implicated in genital pain in females.

http://www.litholink.com/downloads/S...xalateDiet.pdf

It is worth a try IMO.

Here is a longer list:
http://www.ohf.org/docs/Oxalate2008.pdf

the pudendal forum pudendalhope is filled with this kind of issue...herpes can result in pudendal neuralgia, even if it is rare! good luck ! I have some pudendal pain as well

Found something that's given me 98% relief
 

I went to an O'Reilly Auto Parts store and happened cross these Viking brand untra-soft microfiber spa towels, they are the most velvety soft material there exists i think. As they are the perfect size, I have taken to just putting one down the front of my pants and the pain is 98% gone.

It wouldn't let me post the link but if you go to O'Reilly Auto Parts site they are under car wash products within that site.

They are a godsend. I still don't know what my problem is causing the pain, but at least now I'm not reminded of it every time I move.

Hi Chem1,

Thank you for your post. I may have the same affliction as you and I've had it for years. I also had Chickenpox as a child and now wonder if this is related. A dermatologist tried to use liquid nitrogen on the area and later a urologist performed sugary to remove the skin around that area to promote nerve regrowth but neither was effective. Have you learned anything since your last post or tried any treatments?

Welcome Sylvester1. :Wave-Hello:

same issue
 

Healthy middle aged male and have the exact same problem. At this point it has been 5 weeks. At first noticed what could be sort of friction burn type pain over a few days with sexual activity. Then one day Im sitting on the couch and get a severe burning pain on the underside of my penis. I have also had some burning and redness of the anterior portion of my scrotum (not sure if scrotal pain could be due to steroid rx that would have touched this area). It has never gone away in 5 weeks. It comes and goes, and clearly seems to get worse as the day goes on. I have also had some dysuria at times, particularly at the end of my urine stream. I have also sometimes have dribbling and will wet myself after urinating- much more than the usual "last drop ends up in your pants". I will usually sit to pee and spend a minute on the toilet before I get up. But mostly skin/nerve pain, and most of the time no dysuria.

The area affected seems to be from the circumcision scar to the head only on the underside of the penis. HSV 1 and 2 negative at 2 and 3.5 weeks. No blisters or discharge. There has never been any visible issue, except for some redness along the frenulum that is not impressive. Ive been to see 3 dermatologists and 3 urologists. All of them are clueless, except the last dermatologist that suggested I might have the male form of male vulvodynia, aka pudendal nerve entrapment, aka genital dysesthesia. I believe I have some sort of this diagnosis.

The pain is clearly a hyperesthesia. The skin is super sensitive to touch and from day one, what I have wanted to do is to have nothing touch my penis underside from the circumcision line to the head. My preferred method is to put a pillow on either side of myself and pull sheet/covers over so that I'm covered with nothing touching my penis. Walking around with my penis rubbing my scrotum/clothing can be excruciating. It can also be quite painful just sitting still with nothing touching it. Like i said above, gets worse as day goes on, starts as 2/10 in morning, 10/10 by evening. But I cannot say it comes and goes with sitting and then standing up. This is just there.

My sexual function is intact. I have had sex twice successfully, primarily to see if it would help. (It did not) But with the pain, I have no interest, and I couldn't imagine wanting to masturbate. Prior to the first day of symptoms, I was your typical high sex drive middle aged male.

I was intially diagnosed with contact dermatitis, and tried a mild steroid cream and zinc oxide with miconazole (triple paste). One week of this had no effect whatsoever so i stopped it. One week after stopping this, I tried rubbing alcohol on the whole area, just once. This made the area I had been treating with the creams turn into an ugly rash. This cleared up over a week, with no change in symptoms before, during or after these local treatments.

Other rx Ive tried to no avail: short course keflex, 4 weeks doxycycline, valtrex x 3 weeks, mobic x 3 weeks, 3 days prednisone (stopped for worry it could be HSV), one dose diflucan. Nothing has touched it. Urinalysis and STD screen negative x 2, two weeks apart. I have not had a camera put up my urethra, no urologist wants to do this.

I have a spinal MRI scheduled soon. I saw an othopaedic md and basically insisted on an mri. He was clueless. Im hoping to get a good look at my sacral nerve roots and pudendal nerve area.

The way my symptoms get worse during the day make me think this could be pudendal neuralgia. I have had sacro-ileal soreness/inflammation for 20 years. But its never been a serious issue. Just the place I wish anyone doing a massage would spend most of their time.

Clearly this is nerve related. For a while I thought I had a friction injury.

But given the lack of visible issues, and the lack of point tenderness, while having severe pain, I don't think it is a skin friction problem. I am thinking it could be:
1. Pudendal neuralgia/entrapment
2. Nerve damage from over stretched skin that suddenly got worse for some reason
3. Soft tissue damage under skin in the spongiousum, irritating or involving my urethra.
3. My herpes will turn positive (it could take a few months for HSV 1 or 2 Ab to turn positive) and this is herpes pain
4. Whatever the hell genital dysesthesia is.

In any case, my life has been severely effected. Anxiety, ~10 lb wt loss, dark circles under my eyes, insomnia and depression. Im not sure I will be able to keep working. Im just glad to see there are others out there who have had the same thing, so I know Im not crazy. I have never had any pain issues/fibromyalgia. In fact prior to this, I have been a competitive 40 something year old male athlete with no medical issues whatsoever.

Im going to try neurontin and a SSRI, but I'm not optimistic. The best chance of improvement would seem to be time. And from posts Ive seen that doesn't look too good either:(

Good theory!
 

I find your theory very interesting Chem1, I would like to ask you if you are certain you havent got Herpes I or II, because that may rule out Herpes as the only cause of the pain we are all feeling. I also had Chickenpox when I was a Kid so you may be on the right track.

Altough your post is a bit old it would be fanstastic to hear from you regarding any advance you may have on your theory and how are you doing with your treatment if any.

It´s been about three years since this condition started from me and would like to know if anyone of you have made progress and how.

Thank you Chem1 and thank you all.

you are not alone buddy :)
 

Hi Cosmos,

I can really relate to how you are feeling right now, you will get through it :). I have been myself with this issue for almost 3 years, sometimes I have good days some times is really painful but here we are. Chem1 has published an interesting theory, I think we all here had chickenpox when we were kids and it could be related to that. That virus is from the same family as herpes and perhaps our pudendal nerve is being affected somehow by it. I went to see about five doctors, one of them actually put a camera in my urethra to check everything inside, it seemed fine except for a very slight prostate enlargement. I definitely think is virus related, but let´s keep sharing and hopefully we can find something that helps.

Stay strong.

J.S.D.

reply
 

In the few weeks since i posted I am feeling about 30% better. The feeling of what I have come to learn is "allodynia" is better, though Im not pain free, Im functional. No where near a return of libido though. In my case, I wonder if it has been due to a skin tear where the frenulum and corona come together. This issues seemed way too small to explain my symptoms, less than half a dime size, but my theory is there is a nerve under that injury giving referred pain similar to pudendal nerve entrapment. Part of the reason I think this is because my pain is clearly on the underside AKA ventral of the shaft, not on the dorsal side. Im totally painless on the top half of the shaft. I can't understand how the pudendal nerve would spare the dorsal half of my shaft...

I have been tested for HSV 1 and 2. At 3 days after symptoms started, 2 weeks, 3.5 weeks and again at 6 weeks. Thats where I a now. All have been negative. But it can take over 12 weeks for people to turn positive. I really think that could be it.

I can't say much about the chicken pox theory, except to say that it falls in the category of idiopathic, AKA unknown. The rarity of our symptoms is hard to explain whatever it is.

Im just hoping with time, it gets better. My improvement also coincides with starting amitriptyline AKA elavil. Not sure if that is cause and effect yet or not. Pudendal nerve entrapment has also been going thru my head if i have pain related to sitting that gets worse by the end of the day, as my job involves a lot of sitting.

Will update when if I get better or know anything more.

cosmos

Cosmos - Do you think this Pudendal Neuralgia
 

Cosmos and other guys who think they have Pudendal Neuraligia,

The pain I have is from clothing (even the softest of underwear) rubbing up against the penis from the circumcision scar line to the head of the penis - more so on the underside of the penis (maybe because that's the area that rubs against the underwear because of the way the penis hangs naturally).

I also have a lot of pain from sitting and have had it for years. The pain is definitely pelvic pain and have had physical therapy for it but it hasn't helped much. Then two years ago this new penis pain from underwear rubbing against it started to happen. It's a nightmare - not being able to sit without pain and not being able to walk without penis rubbing against underwear pain. I've done it all - MRIs, every possible medication, every possible specialist; I won't even waste your time with the list. One interesting MRI done by Hospital for Special Surgery (in NYC and super high rated hospital) ruled out pudendal nerve entrapment. However, just because entrapment has been ruled out does not mean pudendal neuralgia does not exist.

Cosmos - how bad is the pain from sitting and exactly where is your pain when sitting? Any other guys have these two problems of sitting pain and penis rubbing against underwear pain (between circumcision scar line and head of penis) at the same time? Would love to hear from you all!

We can't rely on Doctors alone. We need to help each other figure these things out.

I don’t suffer from the sitting problem as such but I’ve suffered from the "penis rubbing against underwear” problem for years, I would describe it as a burning sensation made worse by the slightest friction such as walking, walking always seems to make it worse, some days are worse than others but it is always present to some degree. As regards when I’m sitting the discomfort comes from any slight pressure from my clothes.

For a long time I just put vaseline on the glans as a barrier but it was just so messy and didn’t seem to help much, I have since tried many emollients but none of them really make much difference.

As regards meds, I was on antibiotics on and off for years for acne rosacea and a skin specialist who I was seeing about the acne rosacea had a look at my glans problem referred me to a penile eczema specialist, not that there was much evidence of eczema just the usual slight redness but anyway he reckoned it was related to my overall acne rosacea/eczema problems.
The urologist I saw at the penile eczema specialist clinic said there was no infection but that my skin was just very sensitive (she did a skin sensitivity test) and to try a range of antihistamines which are often prescribed for skin allergies but I didn't notice much difference apart from them making me drowsy, she also prescribed an anaesthetic ointment to help as she put it "retrain the nerve endings" I’m not sure I gave them much of a chance of working, I just didn’t get along with either and my doctor who specialises in STDs and UTIs didn't seem impressed with the idea anyway and said we had reached a point where it just seems to be in my head.

I sometimes do a lot of walking even though that makes the discomfort much worse and I’ve noticed in the shower after my walks that the corona (ridge of the glans) looks very inflamed. As I am circumcised there is obviously no protection for that part.

There have been very short periods and I mean a day or two when it has felt almost normal, on a couple of occasions on sunny days at the start of summer I have walked with negligible discomfort and after each of two hernia operations it felt fine for several days afterwards, I put it down to the anaesthetic and the painkillers which I was on for about a week following each op but when replicating the meds the problem remained, I suppose it could have been heavy anaesthetic still in my body post-op or recovery pain distracting?

I wish there was just one urologist/medical practitioner on the planet who could say "yes, I’ve seen that before and I know what to do about it” what a relief that would be.

For the record I also had chickenpox as a child.

Since I wrote the above I found this article which fits my condition / symptoms and also mentions the possible Rosacea connection.** the title is "Male genital dysaesthesia" (unable to post links yet)

NB664, I sometimes have similar experiences to yours though I am not circumcised (I don't know if this is significant).

I have found that, ahem, adjusting myself, usually works.

I had a chat to my GP about this and, after a genital examination, he was not concerned in the slightest.

50% Better
 

Ok, so I must admit I was pretty bummed out that my post from April 2015 got no reply until just a few days ago. I'm so alone with this! Thank you for the recent posts.

Ok, so I'm maybe 50% better than I was when I posted in April. Sometime in early June, I decided to try something daring. There was this tiny little raised spot in the circumcision mark "band" on the underside of the penis that brought about a good portion of the pain when rubbing against underwear. Imagine something about the size of the lead side of a pencil that needs to be sharpened - what that pencil tip looks like when it's really dull and needs sharpening. It was about that size. I had pointed this out to the doctors who told me it looked normal. In fact, it looked like a few other smaller spots in that circumcision band - but none of those other spots were causing any pain. So, I came up with an idea all on my own and took a big leap of faith, I used my two thumbnails and squeezed the hell out of that tiny little spot. Yes, it hurt!! And for about 2-3 weeks after it really hurt - making me sorta sorry I had done it because that tiny area was so sore, however it was a different pain. After three weeks, the soreness from squeezing it disappeared, and that little spot stopped bothering me all together when rubbed against underwear.

There are things called neuromas (not the foot kind). Basically I think this area could have been a neuroma issue because my penis had had slight cuts around that area from bad oral sex just prior to this hell on earth rubbing underwear issue started. I believe that by squeezing the hell out of this site, I killed the nerve(s) firing from it brought on from the underwear friction. I don't know if this was just lucky on my part that I got better from it. I don't know if this is a good idea to try for anyone else. I'm just telling you all my story for your information.

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Who has successfully tried to Completely Ignore the Pain??
 

I have a question for all the guys:

Who has successfully tried to ignore the pain? Has anyone just done their best to put it out of their heads and learn to ignore it? Does anyone feel like when you're really busy, or absorbed in work, or even when just having fun you don't notice or feel the pain as much?

If the doctors are right, and this is "nothing," can we try to psych ourselves out by ignoring it and live a happier life even though the pain is still real and there?

Does anyone get what I mean?

DLNY - glad to hear there has been some improvement.

Yes I would say there is little doubt about that intact I was reading an article recently “Living with chronic pain and discomfort” in which one of the techniques recommended for coping was,

“Find ways to distract yourself from pain so you can enjoy life. Track if your pain subsides when you are distracted. Document any findings in your journal.” It has many other recommendation for coping.

But I have so far never managed to put it completely out of my mind for any length of time as in days as opposed to hours.

Summer Shorts, Silky Boxers, and Desensitization Technique
 

I find I'm in less pain during the summer mostly because of wearing shorts. Shorts in general bother me less than long pants. I believe it's because of the open leg nature of shorts. However, it comes down to the fit of shorts and pants in general. I'm also a big fan of silky like boxer shorts - even the cheap silky like polyester type you can find at Sears. Wearing those silky boxers and the right fitting shorts/pants can make a world of difference.

If you are a big walker and find yourself missing out, I'd consider buying a treadmill for home where you can walk in your boxers or whatever makes you comfortable.

I have also tried friction therapy to desensitize the area on my penis bothered by the friction from underwear. There is info about this out there specifically how to desensitize scars and sensitive skin, however nothing specific to penis skin. Here's what I did (again this worked for me, but may not work for everyone):

1) Hold penis in one hand and use fingers on that hand to stretch it out a bit and hold in that position to expose the problem area.
2) Use thumb and index finger on other hand to rub the problem area in at least four directions: up, down, left, and right. Do each direction 10 times each to start for this trial run.
3) Minutes to hours after I felt worse. The next few days I continued to feel worse and was sorry I did it. At about the 4th day, I started to feel better, and by day 5 I was much better and noticed a big improvement from doing this exercise. The benefits last a handful of days thereafter.

I think this exercise helps build up a resistance to the underwear friction. The next time I did the exercise, I increased the reps to 20 times each direction. I have built up to about 40 reps each direction, and I've found the recovery time a little less and the subsequent number of days of benefit to increase slightly. Each time I do this, I need to block out a few days when I know I will not be walking around much so that I can recover and not make things worse.

NB664 or has anyone else, have you tried anything like this?

I agree about the shorts and the fit, that combined with the de-stressing effect of the first warm sunny days of summer definitely have a positive effect.

I am a relatively big walker and although the joy of it has been tarnished I continue because I feel the health benefits outweigh the discomfort.

I will have a look at the desensitising business

My current thinking is that in my case it is simply inflammation caused by friction from clothing when walking that causes the prickly/burning/sensitivity. The vicious circle is the stress and it’s effect on sleep make my already sensitive skin more prone to the friction/inflammation which then causes the stress and on it goes. I guess that was the idea of the Lidocaine anaesthetic gel/ I was prescribed by the penile eczema specialist, to break the cycle or as she put it “retrain the nerve endings” but that suggests her view was that the original problem was gone but the recurring inflammation suggests otherwise.

I am thinking of trying out Topricin at some point, a homeopathic/herbal anti-inflammatory cream.

HSV2 Verdict?
 

Hello cosmos. Did you ever get.a conclusive HSV result? Did you test at week 12-14? So many of us are in the same boat symptoms wise and HSV seems a possibility for most of us.

I tested negative at 8 weeks and am just waiting another couple weeks before I can go get conclusive 12 week test. I have never shown any kinda visible signs of herpes but share all these same burning prickly irritated feelings. Am wondering if you did or didn't eventually test positive for herpes because it would be a good indicator if our similar symptoms are likely to be HSV related or truly something more nerve based.

Regardless if you did or didn't test positive, I hope you have found some relief. Please let us know.

BT

Penis sore when rubbing underwear
 

I have read almost all post,I have the exact symptoms, my penis rubs against my underwears and it is very sore,it is ok in morning and get worse as day goes on.I contacted herpes 2 , ten months ago. I have been to 12 doctors had many herpes test they gave me wrong/worst one IGM , you need IGG or western blot.i got herpes from oral sex. At first penis burned for a few months now it s just so sensitive at the head when it rubs my underwear.I also had a vibrating sensation the whole time. I had one out break with a sore 5 months ago. This was nothing compared to the burning and vibrating and soreness I have felt for the last 10 months. Also sometimes my testicles ache. I have asked urologist and herpes specialist and they seem to have never heard of this yet I read about many people on the Internet that have same problem.i am willing to do anything go anywhere to solve this and get back to normal. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it. Was anybody able to solve this problem? Also I hate to be negitive but those that have these systoms need to be check for herpes and only except the western blot test.

I have not been tested for herpes. Did the doctor prescribe anything for you to take to help with the pain? Is there a cream or ointment or something you can take to help? A pill? Anything?

Hi all

I would’ve responded sooner but I didn’t seem to get notification for the new posts and just happened to look in today.

I guess you know my story from reading my previous posts, I have seen 2 urologists and one dermatologist who referred me to a penile eczema specialist and I’ve been tested for pretty much everything.

As most of my self medication, which consisted mostly of emollients in an attempt to lessen the friction, never had much of an effect I have vastly reduced the application of these, that includes the Topricin, a homeopathic/herbal anti-inflammatory cream which I mentioned in my last post, I only tried a couple of applications and it just seemed to sting so I gave up on that.

So far the reduction in applications had made little noticeable difference so I may continue with that, I have just started my first long walks of the year so I’ll see how it goes.

I am not able able to post links yet but this is by far the best article I have ever read on the subject, you should find it by searching for:
“‘Vegas’ Dysesthesia: Understanding and Improving Management of Groin Dysesthesia” by Richard G. Fried, MD, PhD

Any Updates from anyone??
 

So guys, it's been 2.5 years since the last post! Has anyone had any success with this treating this problem?

So sorry you have this problem. It must be very difficult for you to talk about. My sympathies are with you. :o