My bout - Making Progress - Still Cold Tip

[rjdemarx]

Does anyone have advice for dealing with cold penis tip?

2.5 months ago I had an event occur that caused focused anxiety and catastrophic thinking. I actually remember tightening my abs as I sat on a plane for 12 hours, anxiety ridden, thinking that I was bringing home an STD. How would I explain this one to my wife? My first symptom was a tickle / sting and then cold / hot sensation in the tip of penis which abated while urinating. My doctor prescribed antibiotics and I figured I was good to go. Symptoms persisted after antibiotics which is when I started thinking there must be a very resilient bacteria, or maybe a fungus. So, I ate and drank cranberry juice, raw garlic, pretty much anything that in hindsight would irritate my bladder. I also continued masturbating thinking it was good to keep the system running. Sex resulted in several premature ejaculations. Several days later came tightness in perineum, golf ball in rectum, and burning sensation around the anus. Also, an odd new sensation - if the kids were running around, after a long day, I could literally feel the slightest stress radiate through my perineum. I now understand this to be nerves. Perhaps the most annoying issue was urinary urgency, post void dribble and general discomfort after urinating. Fortunately, I found Headache in the Pelvis and have been reading and practising daily. Doing internal with LA Wand and seeing a pelvic PT. I am taking Graminex Cernilton, Quercetin, and Curamin. Amazingly, I was able to quit drinking coffee, the love of my morning. Also, eating very clean, tons of fiber. Daily stretching and yoga. Warm baths with epsom salt in the evening greatly help. At working using a cushion with cut-out for tailbone which seems to help.

Improvement is happening, albeit slowly. Sometimes 2 steps forward, 1.5 steps back. Especially tricky because I am typically very active and used to rigorous exercise. Now, walking and running which seems helpful, instead of weights. Generally, urinary urgency has calmed down, along with post void dribble, I now make sure to sweep the urethra clear of urine. I still get some mild discomfort after urinating, but flow is good. And, the cold penis tip sensation which starts to come on mid morning.

Mentally, I've dealt with my issue, forgiven myself, and believe things will resolve with time and effort. But, there is always a little hint of "what if it doesn't". I'm curious what others have to say about the cold penis sensation? I've been thinking that maybe Elavil would be helpful for this. Appreciate any thoughts on the subject.

[webslave]

Cold penis tip is unusual. I'd guess it's similar to guys who complain about shrunken penis, and blue glans penis. Both of those are nerve and blood circulation related, so this is an entirely reversible condition, an aftermath of your guilt and catastrophising over the little extramarital dalliance (BTW, keep it to yourself forever, is my advice). As you continue to calm down over the situation, it should abate naturally. Try saunas.

[rjdemarx]

Webslave thanks for your response. This is truly a great site for understanding that one is not alone with this condition. I have read Headache in Pelvis and most recently Mindbody Prescription by John Sarno. I also really like this description of overthinking by Alan Gordon which I found here on the site: http://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Breaking_the ... rdon,_LCSW.

Mindbody Prescription makes a lot of sense. It asserts that nothing is actually wrong with the muscles. But, from what I can tell they seem to be less capable of handling stress. Is it just that the surrounding nerves are excited? I feel strong physically, and I'm able to run, and exercise, but afterwards it seems to disturb the muscles and create more tension. So, are the muscles damaged in any way or is it actually just the nerves that we are trying to calm down. I was doing really well with Hot Yoga, but then decided to do some weighted squats which was a big mistake because it sent shooting pains throughout the region. The cold penis feeling is a real bugger that comes and goes throughout the day. Maybe this is what others are calling pain, and to me it feels cold.

I'm making slow progress every day, sometimes its two steps forward 1 steps back. Everyday I tell myself " I have the power to heal myself, I am healing every day, I am healing right now."

[rjdemarx]

I've been making progress but still get tightness in perineum and sometimes around the anus. An amino acid that seems to be very helpful is L-Theanine 200 mg twice a day or as needed. I can really feel muscles relax and the effects occur quickly after taking a pill. Most urinary symptoms have calmed but I don't feel like i'm out of the woods yet. After urinating, doing a forward sweep of the perineum has been very helpful to clear the urethra of residual urine. I now understand that the muscles that would normally clear urine aren't working as well so this does the trick and prevents post urine dribble. I do yoga daily and I've been running and exercising more. Throughout the day I'll make some time to sit in a full squat (ass to grass) which is quite helpful especially when combined with deep breathing. I'll watch TV or play video games with my son like this.

On Friday evening, I tried some marijuana extract (indica) which is supposed to be relaxing. While my body certainly felt relaxed, at one point I felt a band of muscles in my perineum flutter for a few seconds. It wasn't painful but was an odd sensation. Does anyone know if this is a spasm, or if this was the muscle relaxing? The rest of the weekend was a bit of a flair-up so I'm guessing it was muscle spasm. Also, it seemed like I had rock hard erection throughout the night on Friday and Saturday. Does anyone know if nocturnal erections can cause perineum soreness?

[Andy_DK]

Where can you feel the L-theanine relaxing muscles? I've got a lot of sitting discomfort - think it might work with the muscles around the anus?

[rjdemarx]

I feel it loosening up the muscles of perineum and anus. Seems as if I can breath into these areas better. L-Theanine is only found in green and black tea. It's the component that provides a relaxing and calm feeling. Doesn't make you tired and has no negative side effects. I also have the sitting discomfort. Thinking of getting a platform that raises monitors and keyboard to standing.

[rjdemarx]

Also should have mentioned that I'm experimenting with Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosea; two well studied adaptogens that can improve mood and help your body deal with stress.

Also, i quit coffee which was a major feat in itself. Now, I squeeze a whole lemon in warm water, add sea salt, and honey and I'm starting to prefer this to coffee in the morning. It works as quickly as coffee for generating your morning movement, provides good energy, along with vitamin C, and has the effect of alkalizing your system including urine.

Lastly, I eat tons of vegetables and fiber. Sometimes an entire head of roasted cauliflower at dinner. I use a "Squatty Potty" which puts you in an ideal position for a bowel movement. No need to push, just breath into your diagram and pelvic floor and pretty soon voila.

[webslave]

... at one point I felt a band of muscles in my perineum flutter for a few seconds. It wasn't painful but was an odd sensation. Does anyone know if this is a spasm, or if this was the muscle relaxing?

That's called a fasciculation (search the forum for that word). It's the beginning of a spasmed muscle relaxing, a good sign

[fuh-sik-yuh-LEY-shuh n]

[rjdemarx]

What is left of my discomfort / tightness is now residing (but not for long) in my perineum. I've found that sitting on a gel / clay ice pack intermittently throughout the day has really worked well for me. I'll use them in the car too. I've been able to discontinue the cut-out cushion that I relied on. It might just be that my symptoms are winding down. But, looking back, I wish I had started the cold packs earlier. Also helpful is ending a shower using cold water focused on just the perineum.

[rjdemarx]

Had internal PT today and she said my transverse perineal was tight. This makes sense as my discomfort tends to radiate from the perineal body. I also build tension throughout the day and subsequent pain in the bulbospongiosus.

From web: "The function of the muscle is fixation of the perineal body (central tendon of perineum), support of the pelvic floor, expulsion of semen in males and last drops of urine in both sexes."

While many of my symptoms have slowly resolved I still have issues with expulsion of all semen and the last drops of urine.
It's nice to see a coordination between symptoms and a specific group of muscles!

Posting this for any doubters, as an example, that the wide range of symptoms can ultimately be attributed to muscle tightness / trigger points!

[ChgoGuy]

I started taking L-Theanine a week ago, and I'm hoping that has made a difference. I've been doing better this week. My only fear is sex and bowel movements. The latter can't be stopped. Woke up feeling okay this morning. Nature called, and stirred the pot. I'll see how long the discomfort and mild pain continues.

[webslave]

Try to squat during bowel movements.
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=1254

[ChgoGuy]

I'm too big of a guy to do the squatting with the feet on the seat. Yes I tried it once because I knew of it. Did a trial with the Squatty Potty by suggestion of my PT early on. It did help somewhat when constipated from all the drugs like Flomax, Oxybutynin and Gabapentin, but my results were somewhat mixed. Maybe I should have stuck it out longer - IDK. I think I poo poo'd the idea (pardon the pun) because I only have one bathroom in my home, it's not vey large, and the damn thing seemed to always be in the way for anybody else. I've been putting off moving since I got this. I was kind of working on doing just that a month before it happened. I didn't need the stress since then that comes along with moving. I wanted a place with a 2nd bathroom, considering I live with 2 women. Been hoping to feel better so that I can move on to a different abode with less maintenance responsibilities. Like a condo. I figured with 2 bathrooms, I could have one of my own where this wouldn't get in anybody elses way. SMH!!!

[webslave]

If constipated, add inulin powder to food, starting with half teaspoon per day.

[ChgoGuy]

I'm not having too much of a problem anymore with constipation. Any bowel movement causes a flareup. I use Benefiber, but wonder if trying Inulin might be a better choice. I quite honestly never heard of it before you mentioned it awhile back. I'm sure I can easily find it. Where do you purchase it from? What's the cost compared to Benefiber or Metamucil? I love Artichokes, but can't eat those all the time. Definitely would try it though.