TOPIC: Penile Foreign Body Granuloma Removal from PMMA (With Operative Photo)

Hello Hoddle, I mentioned this several years ago but to reiterate my surgery was way back in 1995. My doctor Mel Rosenstein \"the butcher of culver city\" was forced out of practice in 1996 due to litigation. He certainly lived up to his name. He was much like Dr Elist but had up to 50 patients per day. It was a total assembly line. I suffered permanent loss from my procedure and I estimate there are 1000\'s of guys who suffered the same fate as me under his hands. Since there was no internet to speak of news traveled much more slowly back then and it took longer for guys to get the real story. I actually discovered his practice from an ad in the back of an adult magazine, Penthouse if I remember correctly !

No I have pm\'d very few times over the yrs as I am very up front in my posts (maybe too much so..) and see no correspondence with DCpimpin. As long as the forum does not censor I think it is a great resource and should be recognized as a such. And I don\'t see this as an issue given all the complications reported recently so no worries.

I dont want to hijack this valuable thread so feel free to message me or continue in a new thread if needed.

Restoration you have improved quite a bit ! I would keep the area dry and it would be a good idea to massage lightly to prevent an adhesion from the skin to implant while it is healing. I think in a few months it will fully loosen up and look completely fine, so don\'t stress out.

They took the stitches out last week and covered it with steri strips. Those fell off by now. The other scar has scab, but this one is sort of open...not bleeding - just open. It\'s where my deglove scar was, so I hope it heals ok... any thoughts? I put new steri strips back on...hopefully it\'ll come together.

Your scar will not be noticeable in a month. I put Tamanu Oil on mine and it really helped make it disappear.

Thanks hunkydory. My deglove scar faded reasonably well, and nobody really notices it. So, I decided to trade the FBG/Nodule for the scar. I\'ll look up tamanu oil. I have some old silicone scar sheets left from my 2013 surgery but they fall off so easily.

The irony of the scar is that it\'s hard! I got the nodules out and now I have two hard patches again...lol... but that\'s obviously normal - I just didn\'t realize it would be that hard.

Restoration wrote:
This diagnosis isn\'t actually as big of a deal as it has seemed when I read about FBGs here. My Dermatologist was also pretty laid back about it - other than to ask me to please not put this stuff in my body again - and there\'s a reason it\'s not approved here other than financial issues with FDA trials. Anyway, he said it would have probably been self-limiting anyway, unlike a silicone FBG (meaning it should have cleared in 3-5 years...if that\'s \"good news\" - I\'m not sure. I\'d rather have a scar than 5 year wait. Wade has also said multiple times that FBG resolve on their own over time - see Miracle\'s post from 2014). The bad news is that I probably have more...but the other ones don\'t hurt - so I am not doing anything about them surgically. They don\'t \"do\" anything to your body really - it\'s a cosmetic and functional (in this case) issue. The DMSO treatment may help enough cosmetically, and with time, they all might be a non-issue. So both excised nodules were \"technically\" FBGs, even though the other one wasn\'t painful or red...and this umbrella can include granulomas that are much more severe.

Thanks very much for the update. I look as if you should heal up with a barely noticeable scar.

The highlighted part is huge news. I\'ve been trying to find an answer to that question for years. In private (I get a lot of PM\'s), I\'ve often told people I wouldn\'t do PMMA, until we see some bad reactions and what Dr\'s actually make of them. My biggest fear with PMMA is that it could result in no other choice than to have invasive surgery that could lead to major tissue loss. But this makes it sound that conservative PMMA (which virtually no one wants anymore!!!) is not really worse than FFT, as removing a FBG can\'t be any harder than removing solid fat lump or Nodule.

This new further supports my theory from 4 or 5 years ago when we first started discussing PMMA. It seems many Dr\'s are opposed to this procedure as they seem to ignore the vast difference of living with or removing it from the penis and virtually any other part of the body. Imagine if Resoration had the same size lump in the face, then how on earth would they be able to remove it, without cutting away large chunks of facial tissue and leaving a deformity which the patient has to live with for life? Yet with the penis, the PMMA is injected into the dartos plain, between the skin and the penis, so the surgeon can remove a lump without any real cosmetic issues other than a small thin scar. If lots needs to be removed the circ scar can be used as we saw with Darkstaff.

Thanks for the info Restoration

Yeah, I think what happens is that your body just encapsulates all the particles into the \"fibroconnective tissue\" and then those can be pulled out somewhat easily as a mass. The Nodule you see in the photo required about 5 min of dissection (off the existing PMMA and the fascia). The other one I put in the thread about fat grafting required about 10 seconds of dissection. So, I don\'t think there would be much damage even if you had the whole thing out, unless it stuck to the fascia more.

The word \"granuloma\" is sort of broad, I think. I am going to find out more next week, but my understanding now is that there are different degrees of inflammation that granulomas can have & different kinds of white blood cells that can make them worse. We\'ve seen journal articles posted here with some scary PMMA stuff in the face (like the woman who was given interferon 10 years after PMMA) who got highly inflamed, nodular FBGs (way worse than what I had by 100x). But, like you\'e said - and what has been discussed here - is that the face is more immuno-sensitive and also it is very hard to treat because of the nerves and muscles.

This doctor I have is very relaxed about things, and I think part of it is just to keep me calmed down about having big lumps come out of my penis...and his future plan is just to see how this heals and then he doesn\'t want to inject anything anymore. He thinks he can excise the 2 remaining nodules that are visible when Erect if this heals ok (the other 10 aren\'t visible Erect, so we both decided there\'s no point in messing with it) For now, he doesn\'t like injections of 5fu (risk of Necrosis) or Kenalog (risk of Atrophy) or breaking it up with a cannula (risk of embolism or blood vessel damage - though I think that\'s just because he hasn\'t used this stuff or dealt with the penis as much as dr. c).

Great info, thx Resto...

Best of luck healing well...

May I ask you the cost of this op? you can PM me if you wish...

Thanks Mustang. The costs are still pending. It\'s a very big practice with many offices, and a friend of mine is one of the doctors in the practice - but I\'m not sure how much she can lower the price yet.

Ok - they got back to me. It\'s $400 each...technically, but they said I can pay $600. Injections were around $200-300...normally would\'ve been more. Insurance doesn\'t cover it since it is a complication from a cosmetic procedure, though the pathology might be covered (separate bill TBD). Some insurers might cover this if the doctor submits it as unspecified neoplasm... though others reject that code. It all depends.

The slides just came. I\'ll post a pic if I can get access to a slide scanner & when I have a better description. It\'s just a pink splotch with hundreds of tiny white holes. I think those are PMMA, but i\'m not sure yet - will know more next week.

Thank you for the detailed report restoration. Over time that scar will heal and loosen probably to the point where you no longer notice it. I commend you for your honesty and non-biased factual reporting.

Personally, I am disgusted to see that Dr C cuts off communication with patients after they seek consultation for PMMA complications outside of his office. Someone else mentioned this before and it sends a clear message he is fearful of being confronted by his peers since his PMMA penile augmentation is clearly a high risk, rogue procedure. He lacks ethics and should be avoided.

Also sorry to hear the insurance does not pay for surgery related to cosmetic complications. Please keep us posted on your recovery and best of luck.

Bigben wrote: his PMMA penile augmentation is clearly a high risk, rogue procedure.

Given that Bigben is the leading authority & expert on all-things Phalloplasty, please listen to his wise words carefully.

A rogue procedure? Filler injections into the penis, dermal, fat, etc, are not uncommon and are hardly \"rogue.\" High risk? Perhaps for the common man (even then \"high risk\" is debatable), but the genuinely under-endowed, noodle-thin, and micro-penis men of this world consider it a life-changing option. Even men of healthy endowment have enjoyed this \"rogue\" procedure\'s benefits.

Sure, larger volumes and higher concentrations may have a correlation with more complications, but thank the Heavens that talk of complications are limited to aesthetic irregularities as opposed to loss-of-sensation, impotence, and significant size loss. The much newer generation of members probably have no idea how shitty things got when the older procedure-types (e.g. tissue grafts, silicone implants, etc) didn\'t go their way. I\'m in no way trying to diminish the issues that arise from PMMA, instead I\'m trying to highlight what \"rogue\" and \"high risk\" truly mean in the world of Phalloplasty.

I personally think Dr. Casavantes has demonstrated strong ethics in light of facing more scrutiny and magnification than any other doctor in the history of Phalloplasty. Virtually anything that happens before, during, and after a visit with Dr. C can be shared here, and given what men have had reported from these experiences, Dr. C holds strong ethical credibility. He\'s not without faults, but to suggest he\'s unethical based on what we know is diving into the deep end.

Maybe I\'m old school, but Dr. C is a breath of fresh air when you start to toss out names of some of the most notorious phallo-docs. Despite any disagreement we may have with his approach, volumes & concentrations, he isn\'t disfiguring penises on a mass scale, and on the contrary, has actually given men with misfortune some sense of normalcy.

And yes, I have a bias. There is no financial incentive, nor do I know Dr. C that well on a personal level, I just can\'t help but to think that in my lifetime a solution was afforded to me by a guy who is good at what he does. He didn\'t shill my forum, photoshop before & afters, or promise crazy gains, much like the doctors of old would do. And as long as I\'ve been following the Phalloplasty scene online (this forum and others), I have never seen this inordinate frequency of praise given to a physician by his patients. He took up elective medicine and has done so with the highest ethical marks I\'ve seen from a physician performing Phalloplasty since Dr. Gary Alter.

I\'ve come to a point where I see the big picture with Phalloplasty. Where it is today, where it\'s going, what works, what doesn\'t. What I don\'t get, however, is why someone like you, Big Ben, would search, find, and post on a forum devoted to surgically enlarging your penis when your only intent is to bash every viable option. That\'s largely what the majority of your \"contribution\" has been here at PhalloBoards. It\'s usually non-substantive fear mongering. Contrarians can bring balance to the discussion, and are sometimes needed. Members like sparticus, eqstudent, and CoolHandLuke have always brought much needed alternative perspectives, even when it was controversial. But then there are posts that make me scratch my head. We get it, as stated a million times, getting a knife or needle into your Dick isn\'t without risk. Some doctors are more unscrupulous than others. Money plays a role. Sure, we get it. But if you have no interest in pursuing a procedure, what are you getting out of this forum, if you don\'t mind me asking?

I wouldn\'t say it\'s high risk and rogue, but there are problems that can happen. It reminds me of sculptra, which is FDA approved here - but which has left people with bad nodules.

If I stopped after Round 2, I never would\'ve known that this could even happen to this degree. Even after this round, with all the problems, if I was treated normally - I would not be this angry about all of it. If I get around to it, I\'ll post the email trails... they\'re pretty absurd. Most are ignored. The ones that get replies don\'t address my question.Then, he gets mad at me for having Kenalog (and bans me from future appointments) - which \"wanna get big\" got from them at the same time! It\'s totally ridiculous.

I wonder if more is going on here honestly. I mean, they know I made the appointment on a day Wade would be there - and they did a little bait and switch with only christian being there (when I paid more money for a flight on a day wade would be there). Then, the extreme nature of my reaction just suggests something more substantial went wrong...either the product they used had an issue, he tried something different with his injection, he used too many entry points (i asked to have less than 6 and I got something like 9 or 10), or something else. But, why would I have such a strong reaction to R3 and then be ignored so much? It doesn\'t make any sense to me.

SO you are correct in that there are numerous instances I have outlined the risk of PMMA and other types of Phalloplasty. I recognize everyone wants to read about the great results but the forum should also be a safe place to discuss complications, risks, and yes a doctor\'s integrity, good or bad.

If you find this level of openness uncomfortable or confusing I would suggest simply not reading my posts as it is not my intention to have an adversarial relationship.

If others find my posts offensive I will stop commenting because as you alluded to, I have nothing to gain here.

Bigben wrote: SO you are correct in that there are numerous instances I have outlined the risk of PMMA and other types of Phalloplasty. I recognize everyone wants to read about the great results but the forum should also be a safe place to discuss complications, risks, and yes a doctor\'s integrity, good or bad.

If you find this level of openness uncomfortable or confusing I would suggest simply not reading my posts as it is not my intention to have an adversarial relationship.

If others find my posts offensive I will stop commenting because as you alluded to, I have nothing to gain here.

If I didn\'t want you posting, I would have simply banned you. You haven\'t really broken any forum rules, although occasionally some of your comments do more to induce anxiety than they do to enlighten or educate. I\'m not looking for an adversarial relationship either, but I\'m very curious as to what your intents & goals are with this forum if it isn\'t Phalloplasty you seek. I don\'t understand why someone would frequent a forum if they don\'t intend on getting anything out of it. Maybe I\'m missing something?

You know what, it doesn\'t matter. I just found your membership & posting confusing, that\'s all. You admitted you have nothing to gain here, so I guess that\'s that. This exchange will only derail the topic so I ask everyone to resume the original convo. If you wish to continue chatting, you\'re more than welcome to send a PM. Otherwise, let\'s move on.

Bigben wrote: SO you are correct in that there are numerous instances I have outlined the risk of PMMA and other types of Phalloplasty. I recognize everyone wants to read about the great results but the forum should also be a safe place to discuss complications, risks, and yes a doctor\'s integrity, good or bad.

If you find this level of openness uncomfortable or confusing I would suggest simply not reading my posts as it is not my intention to have an adversarial relationship.

If others find my posts offensive I will stop commenting because as you alluded to, I have nothing to gain here.

But you aren\'t open! I challenged you to be so a couple of years ago, but you\'ve never really explained your agenda and you do seem to have one.

A couple of times I\'ve been told about PM\'s or IM\'s you\'ve sent to people and it does sound like you have a problem with the forum. Obviously it\'s just hear say, but I don\'t see why people would make up what they\'d heard.

For example, was it you that told DCpimpin that one of the Mods quit the forum after revelations concerning Dr C\'s practice? Because as soon as he said that had happened, 2 separate members told me they thought it was you saying it.