A FREE AND FAIR ERECTION

(Trigger Alert: This entry is a discussion about erections from a mechanical standpoint.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

So...

Part of my experience with medical issues has been doing my own in-depth study of the male reproductive system. Essentially anything a urologist would examine, I've researched. Out of self-defense in many cases, to make sure I both know what is going on, as well as being able to make educated decisions when it comes to my own care.

My penis has had - excuse the pun - its share of ups and downs over the years. To recap for someone just reading the blog for the first time: over the last thirty years I've experienced several surgeries and surgical procedures focused on my groin and related systems. (Using the search words doctor or medical with the search tool above and right of my header you can read about a few of them.)

First, I've had three inguinal - pubic - hernia surgeries, the most recent of which was pretty extensive, leaving a two inch scar, and causing a secondary problem which was operated on just over a year ago.

In a mirror, the surgical scars

The issue a year ago involved my left vas deferens, inside my spermatic cord, which is the conduit that carries sperm from the testicles to the prostate. The vas was calcifying, possibly because of a constriction caused by the earlier hernia surgery. The scar from the vas removal runs around three inches from my left scrotum up into my groin.

(In the picture to the right you can see both scars in a reverse image of my groin. The dark lines which look like they're converging in the center of the picture are surgical scars.)

Add to this two times getting a tube inserted into my ureter, which uses the penis' urethra as the point of entry - which means four times my penis was the focus of activity. (Twice getting the tube inserted, with me unconscious, and twice when the tubes were removed, in which case I was waist-down naked in the doctor's office with him and his nurse both focused on my dick as I squirmed in discomfort.)

I've had three lithotripsy procedures - using shock waves to break up kidney stones - where I've awakened with soreness in my urethra, meaning they inserted a catheter each time.

I've also had numerous testicular ultrasounds. After the hernia surgery that caused the vas problem mentioned above, had me waist-down naked on a gurney in the ER (mostly with the sheet drawn aside) for the better part of four hours as various medical personnel and even a small group students came through.

Testosterone, your friend with benefits

None of this includes a bunch of other things which left me standing up or laying down with Lil Rambler peeking back up at the medical professionals staring at or violating my crotch. 

(Result: As I've observed before, no modesty left.)

So. Since my genitals have received so much medical attention, I became very familiar with the anatomy down there. Defensively so.

And, as a result of all this activity, it occurred to me, a few years ago, that the purpose of MOST of the male external anatomy is designed for reproduction, and that urinating through the penis was evolutionary happenstance. The primary structure of the dick is specifically able to get erect and make a spermatic deposit.

A few years ago, around six or more, I was in poor health. Highly overweight and suffering from bad blood pressure, diabetes and other weight-related problems. Not to mention a lowered testosterone level. And as part of all that, Lil Rambler wasn't terribly interested when it came to getting erect. Whatever erections I managed were okay, but not great. One of the big contributors to my resurgence over the last few years - healthier, stronger, more muscular - was the diagnosis of low testosterone. Hey, I was 53 at the time and in poor health. 

I began a bi-weekly series of injections that truly made a difference. I suddenly had energy again, and hadn't realized that the excess weight and low energy might have been symptoms of low T (testosterone).

 Flash forward a few years and I started to get healthier - still not where I want to be - and Lil Rambler began paying attention, harder than before but still not where I want it. (You may ask, if you're a regular reader, what the point is with my wife's problems and my lack of a sex life. It may seem dumb but it's a, ahem, point of pride with me. Or for any man. If you can't get yourself as hard as possible it's kind of rough on the ego.)

So I studied the mechanics of an erection, how the blood flows into the penis and how the entire process of ejaculation occurs. 

Anatomically, the penis is a shared organ between the reproductive system and the urinary system. The major organs of the urinary system are the bladder and kidneys, while the testicles, prostate and a couple of other organs form the basis of the reproductive system. These two systems merge in the prostate gland, where the plumbing of both come together to use the same exit path from the body, through the penis. And while the urinary system is the most frequently used, the structure of the penis itself, with large spongy tissue designed to fill with blood when the man gets aroused, is designed for insemination. Virtually all of the penile tissue and nerve endings are designed to get hard and ejaculate. The urine flow seems almost a second thought.

Shockwave therapy

One of the things I discovered while researching the anatomy involved, is that sediments can form in the blood vessels of the penis, both those feeding into it as well as those contained within it. This discourages the blood flow, diminishing the degree of erection possible.

(There's an entire emerging medical practice using multiple techniques to use shockwave technology to re-envigorate the veins of the dick, as well as break up the sedimentation.)

It seemed to me that I could break up the sedimentation with a deep massage of the base of the penis (the anatomy of the penis also runs back behind the testicles and a few inches into the perineum, the spot between your balls and anus). And a month or so of firmly massaging my dick, particularly the base definitely improved my erections, and I began seeing a more robust erection as a result.

(I have a previous blog entry on the subject)

As an older man, it's a reassuring thing to be able to sport a more erect dick, even if it is used only for personal benefit in the bathroom. And knowing the anatomy certainly helps.

I have a physical scheduled next week. Fingers crossed we don't find anything else to remove.

Lil Rambler could use a break.

Not me