Sexual Health - Men :: Performing SELF Surgery

I wanted to share my experience with you because I was terrified when I first noticed an abnormal bump.

I am a 25 year old male who is in shape and otherwise healthy. I first noticed one small slightly red bump on the right side of my penis, about halfway up the shaft. This happened on the last day (June 1, 2015) of a one-week trip to Orlando, where we had swam in a shallow pool that was also used by children. We also used hotel towels to dry off--of course I dried my genitals with those towels.

The bump was not painful, nor did it itch. My fiancee and I have been monogamous since our relationship started almost three years ago. Both of us tested clean, and neither of us has had any strange bumps before, not even on the rest of our bodies. Therefore, I didn't think anything of it.

The bump persisted, slowly growing larger. The skin surrounding the bump did not turn red; only the bump itself was red. Its diameter stopped growing once it was comparable in size to the tip of a ballpoint pen. In fact, I'd say that's a pretty good description for the way the bump protruded from the skin. I think it stopped growing around June 19, 2015.

At this point, the bump was still red all over, but by gently pinching the skin, I could feel the rest of it deep beneath the surface. Again, it was not sore. I was beginning to get nervous, but I wanted to wait just a little while longer to see what would happen next.

On June 21, 2015, I woke up and the bump had an off-white/light yellow center. The bump was still smooth and dome-shaped. I also noticed the bump was umbilicated. I know that herpes blisters are not hard, are filled with liquid, and usually pop on their own within a few days of forming, but I assumed the worst. After several hours of debating, I became convinced that it was MC. Rather than waiting for the bumps to go away on their own or using topical cures, I concluded that removing it was the best option for me.

Before performing "surgery" on myself, I made sure to have the proper equipment. I went to Walmart and got the following items:

-91% rubbing alcohol

-medical gloves (the core/plug contains the virus, which is highly infectious. Gloves are a must!)

-assorted embroidery needles

-sharp tweezers

-paper towels

-small round waterproof bandages

I chose to get all new tools because I didn't want to use tweezers that my fiance uses on her face

These were my steps:

[1] sterilize the needle and tweezers even though they're new by soaking them in a small cup filled with alcohol (they don't need to soak for long, but I chose to leave them in the cup while preparing my body). I chose to do this all at my desk because I wanted to make sure there was good lighting. Don't forget to sterilize the table/desk and put down a paper towel. You'll probably want to set your tools down at some point.

[2] while the tools are soaking, put some alcohol on a paper towel and clean your penis, testicles, and a good portion of your pubic area. It's better to clean a larger area than what you think you need. Think about the large area the doctors swab when preparing to give you an injection. Be very careful not to get any alcohol in your penis. That would really hurt!

[3] Put the gloves on. Don't touch anything that isn't sterile. I'm paranoid, so I also wiped down the fingertips of the gloves with alcohol. Use the tweezers to get the needle out of the cup. Now comes the fun part...

[4] Gently pinch the skin around the papule so that it is protruding and is as firm as possible. Use the needle to pick at the white part. Do not push the directly down into the papule. Think of it this way: if the papule was a dome sitting on a flat surface, you'd approach with the needle at an angle of ~45 degrees. Don't dig too deep all at once. It is best to puncture the papule several times with a slight !**@! motion. Remember, you're trying to remove a little plug. Once you've opened the papule enough, the pressure of your gentle pinching will probably cause the plug to peek out of the cut. It shouldn't bleed yet.

[5] I didn't use the tweezers to remove the plug. While still wearing the gloves, I used my thumb nails to squeeze out the plug. Almost all of it came out as one piece. It was a little longer than 1/32". I squeezed again, this time a little harder, and a little more came out, along with blood. It will bleed on its own. You have most/all of it out once it bleeds on its own. I gently rolled the skin between my fingers in a motion that resembles the way you test the softness of fabric, just to make sure I couldn't feel anything else beneath the surface.

[6] It stung a little, but I chose to stop the bleeding using a paper towel with alcohol on it. Apply some pressure; it doesn't take too long to stop bleeding.

[7] Put the little circular bandaid on your cut, but be careful not to touch it.

[8] Throw away the paper towels

[9] Clean your tools with alcohol again! Don't just clean the tips of the needle and tweezers. You also touched the grip with dirty fingers

[10] Be VERY careful when removing your gloves. If you've never taken a chemistry/biology lab, I recommend looking up the proper way to remove gloves after working with an infectious substance.