July 1, 2016 PDI Newsletter
Greetings PD and DC Warriors,
Welcome to this July 2016 PDI Newsletter. This is shaping up to be a hot summer in many parts of the country, so please stay safe. I trust everyone is working hard and doing well to help eliminate their foreign fibrous invaders.
In the last few weeks I have had several occasions to speak on the phone to men and women who were happy to finally notice good hand and shaft changes after being initially discouraged by slower than average progress. Prolonged treatment and slow recovery are such important issue for anyone. Anyone treating their Peyronie’s disease or Dupuytren’s contracture sooner or later tasks the questions, “What kind of early tissue changes should I look for so I know I am beginning to make progress? How will my palm/shaft change when my program begins to work? What usually happens first when the treatment starts to work?”
One discouraged women said she was getting ready to call a surgeon when, after three months of intense Alternative Medicine self-treatment that looked like it was not working, finally noticed that she could move her largest nodule around on her palm more freely. While this appears to be only a small and insignificant improvement, it is actually a significant deep tissue change in her palm nodules. The DC nodule on the surface can only move farther and more freely if the dense tissue that holds it from below begins to get weaker and looser. Had she not been using the recommended “Clock Test” method of pressing down on each nodule and then trying to gently move it laterally as though trying to touch each number on the face of a clock, she would not have known she was actually better. You see, her nodule had not yet gotten smaller, the density or hardness of the nodule felt the same, and the fingers were not any easier to straighten out. The only aspect of her problem that had improved in the early stages was this one simple and important test that proved her palm nodule was beginning to soften and loosen at the deep layers of her hand. If she was only paying attention to the reduced movement of her flexed fingers – as the surgeons focus on – she would have thought she was no better.
It has been my continued observation that with most people who eventually beat their PD or DC problem, that not all indicators (size, shape, density, etc. changes) that can indicate progress will be present at the same time. This means that of the several ways of assessing the condition of the fibrous material, only one might be present in the early stages to indicate progress. This is why it is important to test for progress using as many methods as possible because often only one of them will show the progress you are looking for. Thus, using only one test might give a false picture of what is happening. Only later will the other indicators show the desired changes as the condition continues to improve.
If you would like a more detailed explanation of how to conduct this important evaluation of your DC hand problem, just send me an email and ask for the “Clock test for Dupuytren’s contracture.”
Early tissue changes to look for while using a PDI or DCI treatment plan
When the fibrous tissue of PD or DC finally begins to respond, most often there will be a small and temporary change in the density and surface features of the tissue that slowly becomes greater and more permanent over time. Occasionally I hear a report of the first observable change being an alteration of the size or shape of the plaque (or hand nodule or cord) formation. But this is not the way it works in most cases. Usually the first change is for the dense fibrous tissue to feel softer and for the surface features to change (meaning the a finger rubbed along the surface of the PD or DC fibrous material will feel different – like it is smoother or bumpier.) Also, it is a rather consistent finding that at the beginning of improvement the tissue change will be so small that it makes the person wonder if it is actually happening – if it is real or not. This is why it is so very important that everyone has a really good definition of the size, shape, density and surface features of the targeted foreign tissue. If you are not confident about the details of these structural aspects of this tissue you will never know for sure if the small changes you notice are actually occurring or not.
In the case of Dupuytren’s contracture there is also the Clock test that can be used to monitor and evaluate tissue changes. The PD guys can also monitor the shape of their deformity, while the DC people can monitor finger movement and degree of palm flattening, as well as checking for changes in the Clock test.
As the density and surface features continue to make positive changes, reduction of the size and smoothing or evening of the shape of the scar will then usually follow (square edges and angled corners of the tissue mass will often become rounded and sloped). Over a few months all these changes come together as the plaque, or hand nodule, begins to gradually disappear and becomes increasingly difficult to locate. Eventually you should be unable to find the foreign tissue mass.
By being absolutely certain the fibrous tissue is changing or not, only then will you be able to correctly decide if you should continue with your current plan or change what you are doing. No treatment plan should be continued for weeks and months on end, hoping that something good will eventually happen. The PDI and DCI concept of treatment is not based on hope or wishing; it is based on demanding of yourself small and consistent tissue changes when you enable the natural healing process by following the Alternative Medicine suggestions provided to you – the more the better. These PDI and DCI plans are intended to be actively worked and modified every 7-10 days while the target tissue is monitored for structural change. If no change is noted after 7-10 days of using a plan, then you should change the plan in some way until you notice a change in the size, shape, density or surface features of the fibrous tissue.
Everyone is given a large assortment of colored pages with their first order that provides detailed information how to go about using the therapies that have been ordered and slowly increasing the plan. If you have lost those notes, or are unsure of what to do next, please contact me.
It is a terrible waste of time, effort, money and the opportunity to recover when someone follows a plan that is not working, or changes a plan that is working. Either of these situations can occur when the true condition of the fibrous tissue mass is unknown. This unfortunate problem can be avoided by knowing exactly all of the important features of your target fibrous tissue. If you have no doubt about the size, shape, density and surface features of your plaque (palm lump or cord) you will always be in control of your treatment, you will not waste time following a plan that is not working and you will be in the best position to recover from your problem.
Usually the dense fibrous tissue will change long before there is a noticeable improvement in the penile curvature or the ability to develop an erection, (or move the fingers). While the tissue change usually takes place during the 2nd to 4th month for most people, it can be even sooner for those who follow a very aggressive plan. Fast tissue change is the exception, and not the rule, so do not plan on that kind of response although it does happen.
Temporary improvement early in care
Tissue change in the beginning that is sometimes temporary is a common part of the early recovery pattern; there is a pattern in which the improvement appears and then regresses for a short time. The initial improvement in the fibrous tissue will not last very long, maybe just 1-3 days or so, and then it will tend to go back to how it was before it showed any improvement. I wish I could say why this happens – it just does. I know this happened to me and many others who have reported to me over the years. A variable pattern soon develops in which there is tissue improvement, regression, improvement, regression, back and forth, etc. However, over time you will likely notice this pattern will slowly change; the improvement will last longer and the regression will be shorter. Also, the amount of improvement (how much change the tissue makes) tissue will be greater than the amount of regression, just as the time the improvement will last will become longer than the time the regression lasts. As you successfully guide your plan you will see the variation pattern shifting slowly in favor of improvement; the degree of improvement and the time the improvement lasts will be greater and longer than the regression. Just like the stock market – it goes up and it goes down, but the general trend and pattern is that it slowly goes up over time. This is how I have seen most every case of PD and DC that improve.
As soon as someone sends me an email about his scar or nodule reduction, I will warn him that it will not initially last very long and that he should be prepared to see the fibrous tissue fluctuate between improvement and regression for a few cycles over a few weeks or months. I can almost guarantee this pattern. Come to expect it; count on it. Temporary regression is just the way it goes, so do not be discouraged or disappointed when it happens. Ii shows that you are on the right pathway to eventual success.
As the positive changes in the foreign tissue become more stable, it is common to next see an improvement or reversal of the structural changes they caused in the shaft or hand. For Dupuytren contracture the improved finger and hand movement is rather straightforward and direct; finger and hand movement slowly and consistently returns to normal. However, for Peyronie’s disease the initial change in the curve is not always improvement. My curve worsened for a few days just after my plaque showed some real progress for the first time. Here’s why:
Ever play “pick-up sticks” as a kid? The object of the game is to remove one stick at a time from a pile of sticks in such a way the other sticks do not move. The challenge of the game is based on the complex interplay of many sticks lying across each other. Removing one stick from the pile usually makes three or four other sticks shift a bit.
I think the same happens in PD. How many scars do you have? If you have only one scar (very unusual) that single scar could be influencing 2-3-4 different layers of interconnected tissue within the corpora cavernosa of the shaft to which the scar is attached. If you have more than one scar or plaque the dynamics of what happens to all those scars and interconnected tissue layers internally becomes complicated and impossible to predict as the scars get thinner, weaker and smaller. It is easy to understand that if a part of a scar, or one scar out of group of scars, becomes weaker, softer or smaller, that this will cause change of the internal tensions and angles of pull within the shaft, and change in the distortion of the shaft that you can see. Internal plaque or scar tissue continues to control the curve even as they become smaller and weaker.
As one or more scars DECREASES or INCREASES in size it could easily cause a change in the curve – to make it INITIALLY better or worse. This is why some men who have multiple Peyronie’s plaque formation can have a perfectly straight shaft; they happen to be fortunate to have their internal pull and tension balanced and equal, causing no curvature or distortion. And this is why I continue to remind my PD Warriors that the curvature might get your attention and drive you crazy, but the real problem is the Peyronie’s plaque and not the curve.
Once you understand this, then you know that an increase in your curve should only be seen as a bad thing if you know for a fact that your scar(s) are increasing in size, shape or density. But over time, as the scars continue to soften and reduce in size as you treat yourself, and as the internal pull and tension created by these weaker scars begins to balance internally, the curve will eventually straighten. Continue monitoring your scar size, shape, density and surface features as you work aggressively, and you should see this positive pattern of recovery play out for you.
A smaller scar can create a larger curve if it is in the wrong place or is pulling or pushing in some strange way. It might make you feel sick to see your curve get worse, but ignore the curve and keep checking the condition of the scars.
If you have trouble locating your plaque let me know and I will do my best to help you, or just read Chapter 4 of “Peyronie’s Disease Handbook.” I would be happy to explain what I can to you. Just send an email to me; I would like to help you.
Let me know if you have any questions about what you are doing, please send an email at info@peyronies-disease-help.com
Stay focused to your treatment. TRH
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