I have Peyronie's Disease, also known as "penile induration" and sometimes informally called "bent nail syndrome". I've had it for about thirteen years, but an exacerbation a year ago took it from moderate to severe and effectively "disabling".
This is not a common disease, but it's not as rare as you might think. It's not something men tend to talk about. I suspect the disease runs in my family since several male relatives have "Dupuytren's contracture", a related disorder -- but nobody talks about their broken organs. I think that's understandable. There's a reason this blog is published under a pseudonym.
There's not much research into Peyronie's disease, and our knowledge of the disorder has progressed very little since the 1980s. There are no effective medical therapies, few clinical trials, no drug research, and the surgical treatments are nothing to brag about. There is lots of misinformation and a bit of exploitation.
Although I'm a physician, I won't be dedicating my life to researching the disorder. I've got other commitments I have to follow. I would like, however, to spin something positive out of my affliction. I intent to contribute to the wikipedia page on Peyronie's, and to use this blog to help build that material. I will also market it a bit for those who might be interested in my own personal perspective.
This blog is my personal perspective. I'm sympathetic to the desperation that drives people to "alternative therapies" (Vitamin E, alas, is now in that category), but I'm a science guy. So, no alternative therapies, none of the various scams, nada. No ads either.
No comments:
Post a Comment