Recent Surgery *Hoping for Success*

[Natedogg91]

Hi Westbluu,

Mine was too at first because of all the inflammation and swelling. It’ll get better in a few weeks, the recovery process is long with ups and downs!

[Westbluu]

Hi Westbluu,

Mine was too at first because of all the inflammation and swelling. It’ll get better in a few weeks, the recovery process is long with ups and downs!

thanks. How many months did it take for the numbness and loss of sensation to return?

[Westbluu]

Hi everyone,

I had pursued these forums as well as conducted my own literature review before I decided to get a transgluteal pudendal nerve decompression performed. I found there was a lot of negativity on these threads mixed with misinformation and I’m hoping I can shine some light on similar issues many of you may be suffering from with something positive. I’m fortunate that I had a strong support system, I know how to advocate for myself and I just happen to be a novice clinician with an inquisitive mind - otherwise I would have been up shits creek with what I had been dealing with.

My symptoms started a little under 2 years ago with some mild pelvic pain, premature ejaculation and mild ED. I happened to be pursuing my nurse practitioner degree at the time, was a charge RN in a COVID ICU and was planning a wedding - so naturally I chalked it up to stress and figured it would just resolve on its own. Boy was I wrong. The pelvic pain worsened over time especially with sitting and I started getting shocks in my left scrotum and penis as well as having the ED becoming more profound. I started feeling like I had a golfball in my rectum too. My sex life started becoming very sparse and painful. At the time my fiancée just thought I was losing attraction to her - it was awful and very frustrating as I could not find a physician to truly explain why I was getting my symptoms.

Multiple months of pelvic floor PT, acupuncture, urologists, colorectal surgeons, anesthesiologists later. I finally did my homework and found Dr. Mark Conway out of NH. Pending trialing pudendal nerve blocks with pain relief he agreed to help me and after doing my own research and discussing the risks/benefits of a pudendal nerve decompression with him I opted to go forward. I wanted to mention I had ruled a lot of other diagnoses out by the time I got to him and I also had a positive Tinels sign on physical exam.

Fast forward I’m almost a week post-op, I was positive for pudendal nerve entrapment between the sacrospinous and sacrotuberous ligament on the left side. I will say recovery is tough… solid amount of surgical pain, lots of prickly nerve sensations coming back however, with that, I had my first solid spontaneous erection in almost a year. That’s progress… this procedure is definitely not for everyone or the faint of heart. Time will tell on if the pain will finally go away and my sex life will return, but I’m optimistic. Nerves heal slowly and the artery supplying my manlihood was significantly compressed too. I encourage you all to do your homework… in my experiences I found multiple urologists are not well versed on this condition at all. You have to be persistent and find providers who are aware of it so you can get yourself in the right direction. Best of luck to those whom are dealing with pudendal neuralgia - there is hope!

- Nate

How many months did it take for you to experience anus, penis, perineal numbness and numbness after the surgery?

[needtoknow]

Westbluu, if you've just had surgery, numbness is expected and normal. It has happened to a large number of the people who have had this surgery, and it will most likely subside within the next few weeks.

[Westbluu]

Westbluu, if you've just had surgery, numbness is expected and normal. It has happened to a large number of the people who have had this surgery, and it will most likely subside within the next few weeks.

thanks. Have you had surgery?

[needtoknow]

Yes

[Violet M]

I had some numbness after surgery too. It eventually faded (maybe over about a year?) and I don't have it anymore.

Violet

[Westbluu]

I had some numbness after surgery too. It eventually faded (maybe over about a year?) and I don't have it anymore.

Violet

Thanks

[Westbluu]

I had some numbness after surgery too. It eventually faded (maybe over about a year?) and I don't have it anymore.

Violet

Have you ever encountered a situation where you could not tighten your pelvic muscles after surgery?

[Violet M]

Have you ever encountered a situation where you could not tighten your pelvic muscles after surgery?

Weak muscles, yes, but not complete loss of ability to tighten them. Is that what is happening to you?