TOPIC: soma's bella to pmma

Glad you're getting treatment Soma. You'll be fine. Thanks so much for keeping us up to date on your condition. It means a lot to me personally. You're in my thoughts.

Soma
You're making the right moves. You're in good hands at the Mayo Clinic

messageman wrote: Soma
You're making the right moves. You're in good hands at the Mayo Clinic

I agree, pardon the cliche but better safe than sorry!
Out of curiosity, I imagine you've disclosed your PMMA to the physician(s) right? I know it sounds like a dumb question but I know past members have suggested they'd be reluctant to reveal that information right away unless it's the only way to get a proper diagnosis (in a hypothetical scenario, similar to those concerned with what to tell Border Patrol or Airport Security).
Hope all goes well!

SO, I laid it all out for them, no information withheld; this is way too serious. The good news is that after doing a CT of my pelvis (penis and all) the extent of the seroma/abscess is limited only to the area of the bella scar. There is no fluid in the penis; the body has done it's job walling off the area. They recommended draining the area, irrigating, and packing, but said I had time on my side as the possible infection (still not positive as the fluid color was pink and lack of odor, hence seroma) doesn't appear to be spreading. However, they're not convinced the body will reabsorb the fluid, which is why they recommend draining/packing. Dr R explicitly told me not to let anybody irrigate it, so they said I should follow up with him...I will. They said the antibiotics appear to be working, and my blood work looked good. However, my BP is very high (unusual for me as run low with a very low rate) and I also have a headache that is brutal. Quite possibly from the stress- More to come, as this thing might start draining again (kinda hope it does).

I'm so glad you've followed a course of medical attention. I hoping for nothing but the best for your overall health and recovery. You will be fine Soma. Be well. Regards.

soma wrote: SO, I laid it all out for them, no information withheld; this is way too serious. The good news is that after doing a CT of my pelvis (penis and all) the extent of the seroma/abscess is limited only to the area of the bella scar. There is no fluid in the penis; the body has done it's job walling off the area. They recommended draining the area, irrigating, and packing, but said I had time on my side as the possible infection (still not positive as the fluid color was pink and lack of odor, hence seroma) doesn't appear to be spreading. However, they're not convinced the body will reabsorb the fluid, which is why they recommend draining/packing. Dr R explicitly told me not to let anybody irrigate it, so they said I should follow up with him...I will. They said the antibiotics appear to be working, and my blood work looked good. However, my BP is very high (unusual for me as run low with a very low rate) and I also have a headache that is brutal. Quite possibly from the stress- More to come, as this thing might start draining again (kinda hope it does).

Yea it was a dumb question, and I can tell you're much smarter than that, but I was just covering all corners. So far so good on the feedback, curious what Dr. R will have to say with these new findings.

Soma, your headache, as you know, is most likely form the high Blood pressure. May be your body is fighting to correct itself and hence the high BP? (pure speculation). have you changed any of your eating habits or may be having too much caffeine or sugar intake? I know it is simple, but ya never know.

Mustang, Turns out the high BP (which is very out of the norm given my physical condition) results from some sever pain from a herniated disc in my neck. I know, when it rains it pours. Some good news: The abscess has self drained again, quite a bit I might add, and that's a good thing, Rosenthal said this would happen again if it all didn't come out the first time, and to keep it dry and sterile, further adding that this would speed up the healing process from the infection. It has stopped now and the redness and swelling are almost gone. Dr Rosenthal is the man, no bullshit. The Urologists at the Mayo clinic wanted to DNC the area and irrigate and pack with an antiseptic string. Dr R told me explicitly don't let anybody do that otherwise HUGE infection and I told them (mayo folks) that. They said that goes against all their conventional wisdom, and made me sign a form saying I would drive to California and see Rosenthal. I did it via phone. Most urologists have no idea about implanted Bella, never mind PMMA on top of it. I not bashing those Mayo docs, they were very cool with me and CT'd my penis and did blood work very quickly....it's a great hospital. I'm just the first phalloplasty patient they've seen. On a rather funny and gratifying note, they were amazed at the girth asking me if that was my baseline.....it is !!!! The fact that Rosenthal advised me not to get PMMA (I did it anyhow as you all know), but after I had a complication with it he stepped up and advised/treated me with antibiotics, moves him to the top of my list regarding Phallo Docs. Also, he doesn't sound so anti PMMA any more, and even said he has referred folks down to Dr C for "touch ups". He just says there are a ton of unknowns and that it's risky.

Great news bud. I've always liked Rosenthal. He's a standup doc! You're definitely huge bro! Sorry about your neck. Hope that heals up too.

Things sound good man I am glad you are out of the woods. When you impress some Urologist with your swinging Dick. That's impressive. Those dudes see em all day man. Be proud be very proud!

Soma- Things are sounding up. Good news. What did you mean that was your 'baseline' when you mentioned to the docs? I'm guessing you're sitting pretty swollen? Do you or Dr. R believe this has affected your PMMA or Bella? Any indication what caused it or how it could be prevented?

Hey Rondo, By baseline they meant new Girth without swelling, something they were trying to ascertain and verified through CT scan. My mid shaft is over 6.5 and base (which is tough to measure due to turkey neck) is well over 7. It's a beer can and if I come through this infection, which is likely the case now, I will go back for round 3 ONLY to touch up a few aesthetics; I have plenty of Girth. All in all it's a fine looking Cock and I'll post pics after 6 weeks. This (4 week mark) is where I started to get collagen after round one. I'm not sure if the infection set me back but I'm hoping for a decent collagen response. As far as what might have prevented this I have a few guesses. I drank two glasses of wine the first night after surgery. This may have nullified some of the cipro. I also missed one or two doses over the 5 days. Also, I was aggressively massaging the penis as to avoid nodules and hard spots; this may have damaged tissue and made it more susceptible to any antigens still in my penis. This is all pure conjecture and likely not contributing factors. Occam's Razor leads me to believe that I just got an infection in tissue that the antibiotic didn't reach (as it may not have had a blood supply). I'm proof that you can get an infection- For my next round, if I choose to have one, I will stay on antibiotics for 21 days post op and stay away from water (including showers) for at least one week-

@Soma
Brother sounds like you got huge hog. Any suggestions for me as I m headed there next week. I want a beer can as well minus the infection. I don't think I can go without a shower for a week. Maybe I can use a shower cap.

Still dealing with some softness (possible fluid) in the infected area. Nothing like before (and still with a weeks worth of antibiotics), but I sure wish it would disappear-

It certainly seems to be headed toward a happy ending.
Look forward to your updates