My urologist gave me the options for fixing my BPH: surgery or drugs, and he did not thing the drugs were a good option.  My prostate was 50 grams and myurethra was almost completely blocked. Antibiotics were no help in opening up my urethra. So, if I wanted to use drugs like Avodart or Proscar, I would have to wear the catheter for several months until the prostate shrunk enough. Ugh. That was not a good option.

Then there is surgery. I asked about the less invasive laser treatments, such as the green laser. My urologist said those laser treatments would require me to continue wearing the catheter until my prostate shrunk enough from the laser treat. He said that the laser destroyed the inside of the prostate and that the prostate would collapse on itself, making my urethral opening larger. But, that takes time.

My doctor's first choice was TURP - trans-urethral resection of prostate. TURP requires an overnight hospital stay. It also has a 2 to 4 month recovery period.

The other option was HoLAP - Holmium Laser Ablation of the Prostate. My urologist was not too optimistic about HoLAP, considering the size of my prostate. At 50 grams he said I was on the high end of the range for it.

We compromised. He said he would do the HoLAP surgery, but if it did not look like it would get enough tissue to open up my urethra, he would do the TURP.  So, we scheduled the surgery.

Well, I am not one to leave well enough alone. I started surfing the Internet to see what I could learn about my surgery and see if there were any other options. I did not think so because my doctor was highly regarded and I grilled him pretty good during my last appointment.

As I was surfing the net, I came across the website Sex as Nature Intended It. Being inquisitive, and male, I checked out the site. I knew that I was circumcised. I also did not know what that meant. That site was a real eye-opener. I learned how different intact sex is from circumcised sex.

Well, that opened up a whole new avenue of research. The heck with my prostate. I wanted to learn more about my penis. This was important. The Sex as Nature Intended It website led me to other sites discussing foreskin and circumcision. Then, I came across a page about foreskin restoration. Huh?

Yep, there it was. I don't even remember which site it was. Iwent from site to site, soaking it all up. the theory behind how new skin can be grown (mitosis). Various techniques that can be used. Using tape seemed to be popular. Then I found the sites of various makers of tugging devices. There is the TLC Tugger. The DTR. The CAT II Q. The Tug Ahoy. I read about manual tugging method. I spent hours, fascinated, by all the information.

It did not take me long to decide. Once I knew it was possible to restore my foreskin, I studied the different restoration techniques and methods. Buying something would take too long, and I could not do it wearing a catheter. Tape sounded too messy and too inconvenient. But, manual tugging caught my eye. I like working with my hands. I like playing with my penis. I could do it while wearing my catheter. It was a combination that was destined to be. I learned about manual tugging method 2 and began tugging that evening.

And, so began my foreskin restoration journey.