Sensation loss from low T or nerve damage?

[Numb&Dumber]

I started gradually losing sensation in my penis 3 years ago after each orgasm. It started out as just a little numbness at the tip, but it's worked it's way down the penis to the anus and bladder. Now I'm having constipation and weak urine stream, and I have lost the ability to manually push urine out. The sensation just keeps getting weaker. Soon I think I will lose complete control of the release of urine from my bladder.

My question is, is this from low T, and will it come back if I can get my T up? Or is it permanent nerve damage?

Has anybody ever heard of anyone losing this much sensation from low T?

I asked my Dr and he said it sounded like atrophy. If it is atrophy, can I recover the sensation that is lost, or is it dead tissue?

[caos]

Get another Dr. either a urologist or a neurologist. Don't settle for I think it's atrophy. It sounds to me like some sort of nerve damage, if so whether you will recover sensation depends on what is causing the damage. Are you a bicycle rider, or engage in something else that could put direct pressure on you perinieal area?

[dano79]

Loss of penile sensation is definatly a symptom of low testosterone. Many on this board would agree with this. Urinary control/loss for what I know is not caused by low testosterone, but rather injury. Have you ever had a spinal cord injury?

[ASaxon]

Originally Posted by dano79

Loss of penile sensation is definatly a symptom of low testosterone

True, reduced sensation during sex causing a difficulty in reaching orgasm are all signs of low T but NOT numbness. Numbness is usually nerve damage. I don’t understand, this seems really basic to me. You should have seen a nerve specialist by now especially given the progression of symptoms you are describing. I’d guess at a minimum a urologist could get you started and probably a neurologist could determine exactly what the problem is. Numbness or tingling in any body part can mean anything from simple nerve damage to more serious issues related to the brain. I can’t believe a doctor hasn’t sent you to a specialist yet. If you’re serious about this you better find another doctor that will refer you to specialists or the problem will only get worse. Of course I don't know your medical situation so you should be able to talk to your doctor and work with him to resolve this or at least understand what's going on.

[dano79]

your right, numbness as in complete lack of sensation, is never damage

[Numb&Dumber]

It's not complete numbness. I can feel pain and little bit of pleasure. I have no tingling sensations. I would call it ridiculously reduced sensation. I haven't had an orgasm in months. The last time I had one I had burning sensations in the bladder for weeks afterwards. I have been to several urologists and 2 neurologists. The urologists ran a CT scan and urodynamics test. Both were normal. The neurologists did not feel that it was neurological. They placed some metal utensils on my genitals and because I could feel them I had no neurological damage.

[Numb&Dumber]

Originally Posted by dano79

Loss of penile sensation is definatly a symptom of low testosterone. Many on this board would agree with this. Urinary control/loss for what I know is not caused by low testosterone, but rather injury. Have you ever had a spinal cord injury?

If people can recover penile sensation with T, why not bladder and rectum sensation? Why does reduced sensation in the bladder and rectum have to be nerve damage? Sensation to these areas are controlled by the pudendal nerve which is heavily reliant on testosterone to function properly. And no I havn't had a spinal cord injury. The sensation loss started in the head of the penis and worked it's way down, so I doubt it has anything to do with the spinal cord.

[Legenden1999]

For what its worth,

I too had decreased sensation in my penis, but 3 weeks on TRT has improved it already.

JH

[caos]

Originally Posted by Numb&Dumber

It's not complete numbness. I can feel pain and little bit of pleasure. I have no tingling sensations. I would call it ridiculously reduced sensation. I haven't had an orgasm in months. The last time I had one I had burning sensations in the bladder for weeks afterwards. I have been to several urologists and 2 neurologists. The urologists ran a CT scan and urodynamics test. Both were normal. The neurologists did not feel that it was neurological. They placed some metal utensils on my genitals and because I could feel them I had no neurological damage.

From your original description and your questioning if it your symptoms could be from low T, it really seemed more like something else. You said your numbness started at the tip of your penis after orgasm, then it progressed down all the way to your anus, causing constipation and loss of much of your ability to control your bladder.

Adding the fact that your last orgasm caused a "burning sensations in the bladder for weeks afterwards" again makes it seem like a non-T issue.

It seems like you did the urologist and neurologist route to no avail. If I were you, I'd still try to find a 2nd neurologist. Your symptoms seem too pervasive to be just related to low T. It's true that low T, and therefore low DHT can lead to loss of sensation in the penis and that the penis isn't the only tissue that requires DHT for full sensation. It's also true that urologist routinely drop their prostate cancer patients' DHT to next to nothing and the patients don't loose the abitly to shit and piss. When they do have a rare orgasm it doesn't burn for weeks after, either.

From personal experience I can tell you that low T can cause close to a complete lack of sensation in the penis, and that raising DHT can bring it back. But the lack of sensation was all the time. It didn't start after orgasm - a short term physiological event- it was a long term condition that developed over time.

If you haven't had your T levels checked - get them checked. Try to have SWALE's complete set of tests done becasue the story is more complicated than just your T levels. Maybe you do have low hormonal levels, but from your description of your symptoms and their onset it seems like there is something else going on - either in addition to, or instead of low T.

If you can get another opinion from a neurologist and an urologist, don't have it one that your existing Dr.s find for you. Find your own, go in without telling them what the other Dr.s have said. You don't want their opinion influenced by anything other than your condition. Try thinking of it like doing a single blind experiment. Years ago I did this with 7 different Dr.s and I got 6 different diagnosises. Remember the practice of medicine is an art, not a science.

Good luck.

[Numb&Dumber]

Other than a 6 month period when I was on Testim, my T levels have been in the 150-200 range for the most part of 3 years. Also had my DHT checked recently. It was only 15. From what I've read DHT repairs the nerves and tissue in the genitals, and it being that low would leave me with almost no healing ability. So you're probably right, there has to be some permanent damage. I will see my endo tomorrow, ask what he thinks is happening, and I'll make an appointment with a neurologists. Thanks Guys!