Bent But Not Broken
I discovered I had Peyronie’s disease when I was 48 years old. My penis was bending to the right, about twenty degrees. It was painful. I took pictures. Being that I was a premedical student in my youth, and because I am gay and have seen some very bent penises in my day, I long ago knew what Peyronie’s disease was. I was not surprised when I went in for a diagnosis to find out that I had this condition. I was living in New York City at the time with some great professionals to choose from.
I received Verapamil with saline injections and used the Andropenis stretcher. It was all working quite well. I stopped treatment when I was told it was fine to do so. Then a few months later, everything got much worse. My penis shrank in size into a shape that I did not recognize. It bent to the left, then eventually upward toward my stomach. A strong girdle formed around the middle. My penis looked like a shrunken rocket. I got so depressed, ended up drinking too much, landing myself in odd situations, sexually, and almost lost my partner.
So what could I do about this besides continue with more treatments?
I wrote a book. BENT BUT NOT BROKEN. To help others. I thought if I could help others then I would feel better and maybe others would feel better, too. Because I am an author and a playwright, I figured my intact abilities in the writing department would be best used by putting it down on paper. And it did work. Men are enjoying the book and reaching out to me and to each other.
Featured in The New York Times and well reviewed by Kirkus and on Amazon, you can find all about the memoir on my website, including a two chapter excerpt: www.doncummings.net. It is an honest and humorous account that dives deeply into what it is to be a man who is facing the possible loss of the most important body part that defines masculinity.
I also started a Facebook Group to help others, mostly to aid with the emotional devastation caused by this disease. Peyronie’s Disease Support. Anyone can ask to join this group on Facebook. It is private once you are in. I find that people are truly helping each other in this group. It’s respectful and safe.
I hope this is not too much of a “Pitch” and doesn’t go against the guidelines for your site.
The outcome: Things got much better for me after another round of treatments and a whole lot of stick-to-it-iveness with the stretcher. And my romantic life did not fall apart. But it required years of patience.
I wish all of you well with Peyronie’s. As we all know, it is not enjoyable and there is nothing good about it. But at least we can help each other. So here we are.
Good luck to all of us.
--Don Cummings
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