phantom pain & GOMCO

[mdin2010]

Hello All,

I'm studying for a surgery exam, we had a portion of the course dedicated to amputation. One problem to be careful and avoid is what is referred to as "phantom pain".

Carefully checking nerves to be sure they're "cleanly cut" during amputation can avoid phantom pain, or at least lesson it greatly. The nerve endings, if in tatters, so to speak, can be stimulated more easily, especially after they form tangled structures. This causes sensations that seem to originate in the missing limb.

GOMCO is a "bloodless" operation that uses crushing instead of cutting. Needless to say, the severed nerve endings are not neat and tidy.

If you have ever perused any books on medicine or the like, you may have seen a picture of the body with proportions adjusted according to the nervous sensations. The tongue, lips, fingertips and genitalia are quite out-of-proportion to a simple anatomical model, as they contain a rich supply of sensory nerves.

A newborn would not be able to verbally report phantom pain. However, as I understand, GOMCO is actually done on adults (with a larger version of the apparatus). With anesthesia, of course. Adults can return to the so-called doctor with an aluminum baseball bat, needless to say. That aside, have adults who underwent GOMCO reported any peculiar symptoms akin to phantom pain?

Is anyone aware of any histological research or biopsy findings on the GOMCO scar ring? If a limb is crushed, a surgeon carefully "neatens" the wound before completing the secondary amputation. A GOMCO wound seems a bit of an anomoly in surgical practice.

By the way, I have a frenulum, or at least part of it. Right down to the scar ring. I was a bit surprised to read various accounts of the frenulum being nicked off, that would defeat the entire purpose of GOMCO - lazy, sloppy amputation by unqualified practicioners, made easy.

Be well,
Bob

[z726]

I'm not aware of any research, but I've chatted with several men who have said that their circumcision scars are more sensitive than the surrounding area. The tattered and tangled nerve structures would probably explain it.

The doc who did it to me got all of the frenulum too. I'm not aware of which method he used (not that I'd care to know), but judging by the shape of the inner foreskin remnant, the gomco would make sense. I just don't have the scarring which others have described. I also don't have any of this phantom pain where the frenulum would have been.

[peterpink]

This is an interesting topic. The effect of severing the foreskin nerves has not yet been fully studied, but is known that after injury the nerve axons or fibres grow branches forming an ineffective, unregulated and disordered tangle. Microscopic examination of the circumcision scar tissue shows amputation nerve tumours or neuromata at the ends of the severed nerves. Amputation neuromata do not result in normal sensation and are known to cause pain. (Cold, C., Taylor, J, (1999): 34-44)

I was circumcised as a one day old infant in 1947. The doctor used the freehand method and cut away virtually all mucosa (probably using bone forceps and scissors) to avoid possible future infection as I understand it. Because it was cut obliquely, my scar is quite large (about 16cm2) but is not sensitive at all. Numb would be the best description. I have not experienced pain. This may be because I have not experienced normal sexual sensation and what I read as pleasure may be the sort of experience described by the O'Haras as 'mosquito bite sex'. I have a remnant frenulum, although doctors were instructed by their superiors to remove as much of this as possible too. My frenulum remnant is the most sensitive part, followed by the glans corona.

This is an unexplored research topic for someone into histology.

[Floatingstone]

I had a tight Gomco cut with a wide brown scar but have been restoring very slowly for 10 years. My scar has faded some in color, and any turtle necking while flaccid is comfortable and welcome. Dryness of the glans while wearing boxers is still a minor problem and the phantom pain on my scar is the same and has not changed. Two areas on my circ are rough and painful, the severed nerves there are raised, and visiable I have put some thought to having it repaired surgically. While restoration has helped very much with the painful erections that I used to endure, it has not done much for the scar line pain from friction & activity. I am getting back into restoration because my new foreskin shrunk back and I do not have any friction pain on my scar when the skin is rolled-over. The best thing for my phantom pain is for the scar to roll over the corona and hide....

[Billybobbed]

I don't know if I would call it phantom pain but when I am running a low grade fever from a cold or flu my penis is very sensitive to any type of abrasion from underwear. I can forget wearing any type of restoration device for a few days after the fever has broke.

[Someone mundane]

Hmm.

My scar line varies, one part of it is pretty neat and narrow, also darker. Usually over to the left and top sides of my shaft. I don't feel much from those. But on the right side of my shaft, it branches out, appears fainter, and widens. If I quickly brush a finger over it, it does feel strange. It's not exactly pain like say what would result of pinching yourself, hardly anything sharp like that. It sort of gives off a very dull pain/tickle feeling. It's weird. But this is only noticeable when I am rough with it.

[cobra]

My gomco scar is nice and brown and thick. When I was younger, it would sting during erections cause I was cut so tight. There is no pain now, although sometimes it itches madly.

[Floatingstone]

Originally Posted by Someone mundane

Hmm.

My scar line varies, one part of it is pretty neat and narrow, also darker. Usually over to the left and top sides of my shaft. I don't feel much from those. But on the right side of my shaft, it branches out, appears fainter, and widens. If I quickly brush a finger over it, it does feel strange. It's not exactly pain like say what would result of pinching yourself, hardly anything sharp like that. It sort of gives off a very dull pain/tickle feeling. It's weird. But this is only noticeable when I am rough with it.

mine is narrow on the bottom and wide on the top. The right side is where I feel pain and the scar there is rough... I am starting to wonder if the doc was left handed... lol