It’s new and it’s surprising, not exactly positively: Éric* has a curved penis. When erect, his member now takes the unexpected shape of a banana. This is because he suffers from Peyronie’s disease, a little-known condition, which no one seems to want to talk about, undoubtedly more widespread than one might believe. So let’s talk about it.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
This is because Eric, for his part, wants to testify. If he can help someone, somewhere, to feel less alone, that will be a win, he declares, in the context of a fairly busy interview.
“It’s a subject that is never discussed. […] People don’t really want to talk about it. […] So it seems like it’s a forgotten disease, laments our interlocutor, in his mid-fifties, met earlier this week. But it’s a disease that still affects a lot of people! »
The Peyroquoi? Peyronie’s, a particular inflammation of the penis, named after the French surgeon who discovered it. It affects 1 to 9% of men aged 40 to 60 (see box), according to estimates. “Statistically, nearly 1 in 10 men over 50 are affected. And these are the reported cases. Because not everyone wants to talk to their doctor about this situation! »
And he knows what he’s talking about: “Among men, we talk about prostate, cancer, but that’s uncomfortable…”
I even tried to talk about it with those around me. As soon as we talk about penises, I feel uncomfortable. So you don’t insist…
Eric, mid-fifties
It must be said that Eric has a lot to tell, since he is experiencing the mourning of his virility here, as we will have understood, in addition to the mourning of his spouse, the man of his life, who recently died, almost in same time as this unexpected discovery.
But let’s start at the beginning. Everything started off pretty well for Eric. “I had the typical life of a gay man in the 1980s,” he says. Read: adolescence in the closet, a blonde at the prom (“not very conclusive!”), then a rather active “social life”, at the turn of her twenties. “I had a lot of fun. ” That’s to say ? “I had a lot of turnover. At the time, it was in bars that it happened. » And it was in the bars that Eric hung out.
He doesn’t talk too much about this period, since the main thing is still to come. Quickly, still in his early twenties, he met his partner, the man of his life, as we have said, a story that would last 30 years.
“It went very well with him,” he says, always smiling, especially at the beginning. There was a dynamic, we were really on the same wavelength. We had a lot of attraction, a lot of love. »
And then? “And then our relationship naturally opened up over time,” he continues. Naturally? “As in a typical gay relationship,” he illustrates, “we will look elsewhere. But we don’t talk about it. » Their innuendo was enough: “Did you go to a conference? Was it good? Did you have fun? »
Note that at the time, his penis was doing very well, thank you. “Yes, yes,” he agrees, “it’s really recent, in the last two years…”
Of course, like all couples, they had their ups and downs, but we understand when we hear him tell himself that his relationship was tight-knit. “Yes, the relationship was going well. Except that my partner was sick. »
Sick ? “He had a degenerative disease,” continues Éric, who also played the role of caregiver in recent times. He doesn’t hide it: between a stressful job and his responsibilities at home, a stop here or there at the sauna did him the world of good. “It allowed me to decompress…”
And then the illness took its course, and it ended up taking away her partner. At this precise moment in the interview, Eric no longer said a word. “And my world fell apart,” he finally blurted out.
The chronology of events is unclear. Was it during her lover’s hospitalization, or afterward? Still, two years ago, to be exact, on the sidelines of his mourning, he came to this astonishing observation: “My penis was curved. »
You spend your life with a straight penis that looks good, and suddenly: it’s crooked and it hurts!
Eric, mid-fifties
He goes through all the questions: is it because of vigorous masturbation activity, too intense an adventure, or simply his genetics? “You do your research and you end up making your self-diagnosis: it was Peyronie’s disease. »
A photo (a dick pic !) and his doctor confirms it. “Yes, that’s it, live with it,” he was more or less bluntly confirmed. “I had to insist on having an appointment with a urologist…”
Once again, Eric remains here without a word. Then he ends up declaring: “I was disturbed…” This is because he guesses that his sex life will never be the same again. At least, not without surgery. A fellatio? Funny complicated. A sexual relationship? Certainly “acrobatic”. Moreover, since then, his intimate life has been at a standstill. Only once, since his lover left, has he dared to flirt lightly. “But I didn’t want him to see my penis,” he confides. Put a condom on it? My self-esteem was at zero. »
Since then, Eric has struggled as best he can. “It’s not just the sexual act, there’s tenderness, too,” yet another doctor told him. “She’s right…”, philosophers our man, who nevertheless ended up meeting a urologist, after long months of waiting, and who obtained an appointment for an operation soon.
End of story? Not exactly, since the operation in question scares him (“undress, then put the banana back on?”). That’s not all: the intervention is not without side effects, and not the least: by straightening the penis, we simultaneously reduce its length. “And the male’s self-esteem takes a hit…”
Certainly, Eric was advised to use a sort of “pump”, to minimize the damage, if you allow the expression. “With an instrument for stretching the penis,” he explains, grimacing, “but I see it more as an instrument of torture… But let’s be positive, I’m still lucky, I still have erections… »
And despite everything that overwhelms him, he actually keeps smiling. “Yes, it’s a lot of loss, a lot of mourning,” he concedes. But luckily there is a global Facebook group, that’s my support group. […] Because it’s good to see that we’re not alone. […] And then the operation, I think it’s the least worst decision: it’s still more winning, a little straight, than a curved one! »
* Fictitious first name, to protect anonymity
The urologist’s opinion
Peyronie’s disease is an inflammation of the penis, characterized by the appearance of a scar in the fibrous covering of the corpus cavernosum. It generally manifests itself between the ages of 40 and 60, first with pain, then a more or less pronounced curvature (which can exceed 90 degrees).
According to the Association of Canadian Urologists (AUC), it affects “at least 1%” of all men, up to 9% of the population, depending on studies. “It’s under-reported,” comments Élizabeth Naud, urologist at Hôtel-Dieu in Lévis. The specialist in genitourinary reconstruction believes that the prevalence would be around double (“less than 30%”). “Probably a lot of men have it, but don’t talk about it. »
It must be said that the disease generally results from the onset of erectile dysfunction. “The penis is less rigid, and this is where microtrauma is created in the tissues,” she explains.
Risk factors are: diabetes, obesity, hypertension, smoking, etc. The pain generally stops after 6 to 12 months, and the curvature stabilizes in the vast majority of cases (70-75%). “In 10% of cases, it improves,” emphasizes the urologist, “and in 15 to 20% of cases, it deteriorates. » While we can certainly relieve the pain, “there is no magic treatment, unfortunately,” she says. There is nothing that will stop the progression of the disease. »
Once the condition has stabilized, however, surgery can be carried out by straightening the penis on the side without scarring. “The disadvantage is that we lose length,” she concedes. “But it works very well. »
Consult a CUA document on Peyronie’s disease
