Consultation with Dr. Conway- Seeking advice
Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2024 11:34 pm
Hi everyone,
I’m relatively new to this condition. Everything started in May this year with tingling in the scrotum that soon turned into terrible penis pain that seemingly came out of nowhere. I immediately assumed it was linked to one of my existing conditions (herniated discs in the thoracic spine putting pressure on the spinal cord), but my doctors don’t believe the two problems are related, so we’ve ruled that out.
In my search for answers, I stumbled across pelvic rehabilitation medicine, where I received a pudendal nerve block that reduced my symptoms enough to provide a diagnosis of PN. I began PFPT soon afterwards, and have done 6 sessions so far in the span of one month (July 20th- present). My PT believes that my PN may be caused by a number of factors during the time that it started, as well as years of specific lifestyle choices, such as sitting for prolonged periods. During April and May, I was extremely depressed about the pain that my herniations cause, and was doing a lot of hiking to clear my mind and just escape from thoughts. I was also in the midst of losing weight, but and ended up losing a significant amount during April, 20 lbs in one month. My PT believes that my lifestyle of prolonged sitting, in combination with deconditioned and possibly atrophied muscles, may have pissed off the pudendal nerve. I’ve seen some relief from the combination of PT, meds, and lifestyle changes, but it’s been back and fourth. My symptoms currently are:
-Nerve pain in my penis (stabbing, sometimes constant. Not as bad as it was in the beginning).
-burning pain in penis when sitting, as well as a pressure/raw sensation.
-shocks of pain in my left and right glutes.
-pins and needles in my scrotum.
-2 instances of numbness with sitting.
-right foot buzzing (I’ve read that PN can cause this).
Sitting isn’t intolerable, and doesn’t always flare my symptoms.
I have an appointment with Dr. Conway in September to discuss my progress so far. So my question to anyone who has had surgery is: when should I ultimately consider it? I know this isn’t an easy question to answer, as surgery results are mixed.
I’m relatively new to this condition. Everything started in May this year with tingling in the scrotum that soon turned into terrible penis pain that seemingly came out of nowhere. I immediately assumed it was linked to one of my existing conditions (herniated discs in the thoracic spine putting pressure on the spinal cord), but my doctors don’t believe the two problems are related, so we’ve ruled that out.
In my search for answers, I stumbled across pelvic rehabilitation medicine, where I received a pudendal nerve block that reduced my symptoms enough to provide a diagnosis of PN. I began PFPT soon afterwards, and have done 6 sessions so far in the span of one month (July 20th- present). My PT believes that my PN may be caused by a number of factors during the time that it started, as well as years of specific lifestyle choices, such as sitting for prolonged periods. During April and May, I was extremely depressed about the pain that my herniations cause, and was doing a lot of hiking to clear my mind and just escape from thoughts. I was also in the midst of losing weight, but and ended up losing a significant amount during April, 20 lbs in one month. My PT believes that my lifestyle of prolonged sitting, in combination with deconditioned and possibly atrophied muscles, may have pissed off the pudendal nerve. I’ve seen some relief from the combination of PT, meds, and lifestyle changes, but it’s been back and fourth. My symptoms currently are:
-Nerve pain in my penis (stabbing, sometimes constant. Not as bad as it was in the beginning).
-burning pain in penis when sitting, as well as a pressure/raw sensation.
-shocks of pain in my left and right glutes.
-pins and needles in my scrotum.
-2 instances of numbness with sitting.
-right foot buzzing (I’ve read that PN can cause this).
Sitting isn’t intolerable, and doesn’t always flare my symptoms.
I have an appointment with Dr. Conway in September to discuss my progress so far. So my question to anyone who has had surgery is: when should I ultimately consider it? I know this isn’t an easy question to answer, as surgery results are mixed.