Posted , 7 users are following.
I’ve just been diagnosed with BXO and have opted for circumcision however I’m a bit apprehensive and wonder if anyone has successfully treated it by alternative methods such as steroid creams which I have read about. I’m 41 and am a bit apprehensive about circumcision so any comments or advice would help! Thanks
0 likes, 7 replies
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Pepasan chris90581
Posted
It sounds as if you haven't yet been offered steroid creams, which can help in the early stages of this chronic disease. Some men have BXO for 5 years before it adversely affects their urination. You do not say how long you have had this disorder and whether the meatus is affected or only foreskin. You don't say whether you have received information as to how you developed BXO and whether different urinary habits could help (eg making sure you dry yourself after urinating), as circumcision, as I understand it, is offered in order to reduce the presence of residual urine in the tip of the penis. If it were me I would regard full circumcision as a last resort rather than the first thing to try. Once the foreskin is gone, it's gone, with major loss of sexual pleasure and sensitivity.
chris90581 Pepasan
Posted
Wee_Dugie chris90581
Posted
The simple truth is that most medics will prefer a surgical approach! The only reason for this is that it keeps well-rewarded surgeons in work - even when other options have not been tried. Being told 'the condition will only worsen' is a typical line spun by medics who want those who are higher up the 'food chain, kept in employment.
This, you may think is a radical viewpoint: but, you have to consider how the medical profession developed in the westernised world. It is often about retaining a power base that is difficult to challenge. Until recent years, the vast majority who are surgeons, or even senior-medics, were male. Another simply false power base - although an increasing number of women are challenging this, particularly in specialisms for female specific conditions.
Any sociologist / psychologist will tell you to always be skeptical about what you are being told, and often the higher the specialist is paid, they more likely they are to exaggerate the risks that the patient faces. Think: 'why am I being told this?' and 'for what purpose?' and 'in whose interests does the information given to me actually serve?' My actual best interests, or, for some other purpose!
Again, saying things like 'causes are unknown' is falsifying the actual situation - as an increasing number of a wide-range of different conditions are linked to our modern way of life, and in particular, typical diets among those who follow westernised diets that are too often red meat, diary and wheat based diets.
For many medical professionals, challenging their own orthodoxy, the accepted tradition of their own profession, is several steps too far. In the UK it is likely that only a relative handful of NHS employed specialists and GP's would ever go against this, and many of these are from an Asian ethnic origin as their belief system is often somewhat different from the accepted westernised 'norm'. Think about it .....
tangki chris90581
Posted
chris90581 tangki
Posted
tangki chris90581
Posted
As a urologist. I believe in conservative care. If it works it works! Especially when it comes to something like the foreskin. You don't want to remove it unless completely necessary. Circumcision is meant to be meant as a last resort but it can make your it difficult to tell with your condition. There is no known cause to this disease but many believe it to be immunological. Always talk and get a second opinion whenever a doctor suggests surgery, especially when what's meant to be a last resort is suggested first.
Wee_Dugie chris90581
Posted
Hi chris, I have been dealing with BXO for around 7 years now. Knowing what I know now, there is no way I would ever consider circumcision. The first contact I had on this forum with a male with BXO was with someone who is circumcised. Yet, the only information I could find on circumcised men and BXO suggested that it was impossible for the two to go together. If you check NHS based information, that is what you will likely find, unless it was recently updated. The BEST information on this web site is on the "Women's Health" / "Lichen Scelrosus" forums - if you check these regularly you will see many women have suffered from the condition for years, YET the medical profession constantly get it wrong as the knowledge base for most on BXO / LS is very poor.
Therefore, who was it that diagnosed you? If a biopsy [skin] sample has been analysed and it is on the proven you have BXO then that us fine. Unless you have such a diagnosis I would be rather skeptical as to whether you actually have BXO / LS!
I was diagnosed by a Dermatologist who took a skin sample - so I know it is fact. Since then, I have used a steroidal ointment, Clobetasol [often referred to as 'CLOB' - typical brand names are Dermovate and ClobaDerm] and this has completely controlled my condition. The only times I had what are called Flare-Ups with the condition worsening, was when I either forgot to use the Clob for too many days, or when I did not take sufficient time to rub it into my skin [3 to 5 minutes in total]. In all, I would suggest for most men, applying an ointment such as Clob could be reduced to applying it 1 or 2 times a week - but I have found I must apply it with only 2 days break from application to keep my skin healthy, particularly if you are sexually active.
Again, on the women's forum, some find that Clob is too powerful, or does not meet their individual skin requirement. They usually find that a weaker steroid does suit them and that they can manage their personal skin circumstances for years afterwards with the steroid that does suit them.
My approach, if I were you would at least to give something like Clob a try of at least 6 to 8 months. If you are directed by a Dermatologist and the Clob does not suit your skin type, simply go back until you find the steroid ointment [most often, steroid cream should be avoided, in preference for the ointment versions] that suits you best - the variations on steroid ointments are largely the strength of the active ingredients.
As already stated in replies here, once your foreskin is gone, that is it - and the potential is: unless you have had a positive biopsy, you may not actually have BXO / LS, or the potential does exist that circumcision may not even cure this - despite what even medical specialist may tell you, as generally, knowledge of the condition is particularly poor amongst the majority of medical professionals.