While my story may not be of interest to all your readers, it will have served its purpose if it saves a few doubtful souls unnecessary hesitation.
On reaching puberty, I soon became aware of three facts, and these were to plague me for nearly forty years. First of all, I realsied that I was very highly sexed; secondly, I had a painfully tight foreskin and thirdly, as a result of this, I suffered from premature ejaculation, unable to "Last" more than thirty seconds while practising "self-abuse" as it was called in those days.
On reflection, I was often at the Doctor, even as a boy, with balanitis and phimosis, but neither he nor my father ever suggested circumcision. In fact until the day my father died, I never received a word of advice on matters sexual. Don't forget, when I was a boy in the 1930's, we were taught that masturbation impaired one's eyesight.
When the sexual revolution arrived in the 60's, intimate matters were more openly discussed and I read an article about a male who had been circumcised in adulthood. However, I could never bring myself to discuss the possibility of such an operation with my Doctor. Even if I had, I could never have summoned up the courage to face surgery.
In the autumn of 1979, I met a pleasant young doctor who was completely empathetic to my problem and, after endless counselling, I faced the dreaded operation at last. Not wanting my family, friends and colleagues to know I was having such an operation, I decided to have it done privately during a week's holiday and wrote to the advice column of a magazine for the names and addresses of surgeons specialising in this field.
Then, finally, in May 1980 at the age of fifty-two, I supposedly left home for a week's holiday in Bournemouth, but actually headed first of all for the West Midlands in England. I arrived at the surgeon's home in the early evening and he asked me whether I wished a full circumcision with or without the removal of the frenulum or a partial-circumcision which would leave only the tip of the glans uncovered. When I settled for the full-cut and removal of the frenulum, he then explained the procedure for the operation to be performed under local anaesthetic.
Eleven injections were administered in and around the penis and they were no worse than the jab one gets at the Dentist but, when I got the final jab on the underside in the area of the frenulum, I nearly hit the roof. However, the pain was only momentary. The operation itself, using the plastibell technique, took one hour, completely devoid of pain, and it did not seem long until he was stitching and bandaging the wound.
Because of the long journey to Bournemouth, it was pre-arranged that I would stay overnight at the Surgeon's home. After the operation was over, we watched television for an hour or so, then I retired for the night. Once I was in bed, he came into my room and left some painkillers on the bedside table in case I needed them through the night. However, the next thing I remembered was being wakened for breakfast in the morning; the painkillers untouched. At about 11.30 a.m. I set off for Bournemouth, penis swathed in bandages and crotch so fully-padded that it turned heads as I walked along the Promenade.
Apart from the injection in the frenulum, I did not suffer any pain at all; a slight discomfort, yes, and the stitches did strain a bit in the mornings when I awoke with my normal firm erection, but all I kept thinking was why did I not have the operation years ago?
As instructed, the bandages and padding were kept on until I arrived home the following Sunday evening when I had a hot bath and swabbed the wound with Milton. The stitches soon dissolved and my re-conditioned member was ready for action in three weeks time.
I should like to have been able to recommend the Surgeon to any interested readers but, sadly, he is now deceased.
I could go on and on about how the operation changed my life. Suffice to say, adult circumcision has worked wonders for me; there is just no comparison. Although now a 72-years old Senior Citizen, I am still very active sexually and enjoying great sex.
In conclusion, I would implore anyone with similar problems, or in any doubt, not to waste time and, at least, go for counselling. It wasn't too late for me but, remember, it's never too early either !
Ian, Scotland
Email Ian: ian_barrie1995@yahoo.co.uk