Hi Kelly,
Mainly posting this to get your post back to the top to see if we can get more answers. You have read all this in a private email.
So with the usual caveats about not being a medic, I will answer the question as best as possible. The first thing to say is that most of the penis is well away from the radiation field. The prostate is fairly low down in the abdomen. The radiation is shot in from about five different angles so any part of the body more than 10mm from the prostate is not going to get a large dose of radiation, indeed it will get at most 20% of the dose the prostate gets. As the prostate is adjacent to the rectum, yes the rectum can get damaged, but other than that damage will be minimal.
So what would be causing itchiness in penis? My guess would be referred pain. My only knowledge of this is from Andy62 a very credible source on this site. He says that the brain has a mental map of the body, so when you hit your thumb with a hammer you know it is your thumb that got hit because your thumb is on the mental map. However internal organs are not all on the map, they don't need to be. An ape in a tree needed to know if he hurt is thumb, but if he had a troublesome liver it made no difference to his survival because he could do nothing about it anyway.
The prostate is not on the map, Andy62 cites people with prostatitis feeling pain in the penis or back because they are on the map and that is about as close as the map goes to the prostate. This is referred pain.
So if all the above is true, and I think it is. Then the problems in the penis are probably referred pain from the prostate, which is being pounded with radiation. So no topical treatment of the penis will work, because that is not where the feeling originates.
You could try paracetamol, or ibuprofen, these may relieve pain in the prostate, and hence the penis. You could try something to replace the sensation in the penis with some other sensation, the only thing I could think off is "deep heat" but that might be incredibly painful. I don't know if oil of cloves or some other mild anaesthetic would work, definitely try only a tiny amount first if he tries this. (Now tried oil of cloves does course warm sensation, but fairly certain would not mask other sensations)
Whatever you try the placebo effect may do a good enough job, and as I have already said, I don't think this originates in the penis so everything I'm saying is really to provide a distraction. I'm sure the itchiness will go a few weeks after the radiation stops.
The radiologist might be able to suggest something else.
If you try any of the suggestions let me know if anything works or fails, it may help the next person with this problem.
Dave
|
User
Kelly
You have not said where is itchy. Assuming that he is not allergic to instilagel or hydrocaine, he could use some of the antiseptic, anaesthetic gel around the penis. Instilagel is used to insert catheter into the penis, so it should be safe to use it on the outside of the penis.
I did have an issue where I couldn't pull my foreskin back over the gland, I went off to work and a few hours later the foreskin had come up like a balloon. On the advice of my urology nurse an ice pack and some lubrication and I could get the foreskin back over the gland. Leaving the foreskin pulled back can cause irritation.
Thanks Chris
Edited by member 25 Jan 2022 at 14:22
| Reason: Not specified
User
May not be relevant but I remember having pain in my thigh and hip and they wanted to give it a heavy steroid injection there to address it, while refusing to engage with my thinking that it could be referred pain down the nerve ends from my lower back.
I went to a chiropracter who confirmed the vertebra was out of alignment and could be pressing on the nerve, sending messages elsewhere. He manipulated it back to where it naturally wanted to be, very easily. Hey presto no more pain anywhere. It's difficult to understand the nervous system but I know after my TURPS I was getting all kinds of sensations around my shoulders & body when I went to the loo, either end, until it felt like it healed the nerve damage.
User
When I had my "itchy willy" I developed weeping sores on the glans, a lab test showed no infection. My GP prescribed various creams but nothing worked until I was given a steriod cream combined with an anti-fungal. Bearing in mind no infection was found I have to assume it was the steroid that did the job. Best see the GP and see what she (or he) says.
I now wash or shower willy twice a day and treat him with moisturiser :-)
Gleason 6 = 3+3 PSA 8.8 P. volume 48 cc Left Cores 3/3, Volume = 20% PSA 10.8 Feb '19 PSA 1.2 Jan '20 PSA 0.3 July '20 0.1 Jan. 21 < 0.1 Dec 21 <0.01 June '22 <0.01 April '23 <0.01 |
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Hi Kelly,
Mainly posting this to get your post back to the top to see if we can get more answers. You have read all this in a private email.
So with the usual caveats about not being a medic, I will answer the question as best as possible. The first thing to say is that most of the penis is well away from the radiation field. The prostate is fairly low down in the abdomen. The radiation is shot in from about five different angles so any part of the body more than 10mm from the prostate is not going to get a large dose of radiation, indeed it will get at most 20% of the dose the prostate gets. As the prostate is adjacent to the rectum, yes the rectum can get damaged, but other than that damage will be minimal.
So what would be causing itchiness in penis? My guess would be referred pain. My only knowledge of this is from Andy62 a very credible source on this site. He says that the brain has a mental map of the body, so when you hit your thumb with a hammer you know it is your thumb that got hit because your thumb is on the mental map. However internal organs are not all on the map, they don't need to be. An ape in a tree needed to know if he hurt is thumb, but if he had a troublesome liver it made no difference to his survival because he could do nothing about it anyway.
The prostate is not on the map, Andy62 cites people with prostatitis feeling pain in the penis or back because they are on the map and that is about as close as the map goes to the prostate. This is referred pain.
So if all the above is true, and I think it is. Then the problems in the penis are probably referred pain from the prostate, which is being pounded with radiation. So no topical treatment of the penis will work, because that is not where the feeling originates.
You could try paracetamol, or ibuprofen, these may relieve pain in the prostate, and hence the penis. You could try something to replace the sensation in the penis with some other sensation, the only thing I could think off is "deep heat" but that might be incredibly painful. I don't know if oil of cloves or some other mild anaesthetic would work, definitely try only a tiny amount first if he tries this. (Now tried oil of cloves does course warm sensation, but fairly certain would not mask other sensations)
Whatever you try the placebo effect may do a good enough job, and as I have already said, I don't think this originates in the penis so everything I'm saying is really to provide a distraction. I'm sure the itchiness will go a few weeks after the radiation stops.
The radiologist might be able to suggest something else.
If you try any of the suggestions let me know if anything works or fails, it may help the next person with this problem.
Dave
|
User
Kelly
You have not said where is itchy. Assuming that he is not allergic to instilagel or hydrocaine, he could use some of the antiseptic, anaesthetic gel around the penis. Instilagel is used to insert catheter into the penis, so it should be safe to use it on the outside of the penis.
I did have an issue where I couldn't pull my foreskin back over the gland, I went off to work and a few hours later the foreskin had come up like a balloon. On the advice of my urology nurse an ice pack and some lubrication and I could get the foreskin back over the gland. Leaving the foreskin pulled back can cause irritation.
Thanks Chris
Edited by member 25 Jan 2022 at 14:22
| Reason: Not specified
User
Thank you Chris, that's really helpful.
I will suggest trying Instillagel if it persists. He had his last RT today (hopefully) so onwards and upwards!
He is circumcised, he said it was his 'bell end' that was irritating. I can fully imagine it being referred from the prostate as Dave kindly explained. It's fascinating how nature works really.
Thank you everyone that read the post, and Dave and Chris for the help/reassurance your replies have given me and Dad.
Kel 👍🏻
User
May not be relevant but I remember having pain in my thigh and hip and they wanted to give it a heavy steroid injection there to address it, while refusing to engage with my thinking that it could be referred pain down the nerve ends from my lower back.
I went to a chiropracter who confirmed the vertebra was out of alignment and could be pressing on the nerve, sending messages elsewhere. He manipulated it back to where it naturally wanted to be, very easily. Hey presto no more pain anywhere. It's difficult to understand the nervous system but I know after my TURPS I was getting all kinds of sensations around my shoulders & body when I went to the loo, either end, until it felt like it healed the nerve damage.
User
When I had my "itchy willy" I developed weeping sores on the glans, a lab test showed no infection. My GP prescribed various creams but nothing worked until I was given a steriod cream combined with an anti-fungal. Bearing in mind no infection was found I have to assume it was the steroid that did the job. Best see the GP and see what she (or he) says.
I now wash or shower willy twice a day and treat him with moisturiser :-)
Gleason 6 = 3+3 PSA 8.8 P. volume 48 cc Left Cores 3/3, Volume = 20% PSA 10.8 Feb '19 PSA 1.2 Jan '20 PSA 0.3 July '20 0.1 Jan. 21 < 0.1 Dec 21 <0.01 June '22 <0.01 April '23 <0.01 |