Milestones

[LazyAce]

Hey guys,

I just hit what I'd consider a significant milestone in my progress so far- going > 24h retracted & working!

I introduced myself a few months ago.  Shortly after that post, I had a vasectomy; which put my retraction effort on hold for a few weeks.  I'm mostly recovered, few minor aches here and there.

While I had tried a few methods for retraction, I eventually got my hands on a silicon glans ring and it's been working well since.  I started just wearing it to bed- first few times I didn't sleep well, was pretty uncomfortable.  Eventually though, I became used to it and about a month ago, posted my first pictures as sort of a way to document progress.  Since then, I've been wearing it in the evenings while at my computer or watching TV and through the night until morning.

This last weekend, I put it on late afternoon on Saturday.  Waking-up Sunday morning, we didn't have any major plans, just take my son up to the park.  So I decided to test the waters and see how it would go with walking to/from the park retracted.  I'll say that the sensation was surprisingly pleasant at first.  In the past, just walking around the house was excruciating- I could count the threads of the seams of the underwear I was wearing with my penis.  Now, pushing a stroller up-hill on a short walk was actually enjoyable.  So, Sunday was the first day that I wore it full-time.

Monday came around and this one was a tough one- it would mean being retracted all day while working.  Fortunately, I work in an office, but our campus is many acres and I get a few miles a day of walking in just going between meetings.  This was going to be a real test.

The day started well, little bit of rubbing, nothing crazy.  However, by mid-day I was "adjusting" quite frequently- my best friend, who I also work with, looked at me funny and just asked "you did it today, didn't you?  I can tell cuz your walking funny."  When I got home, my glans was bright red   It was pretty irritated and highly sensitive to the touch.  I let my foreskin down to cover it for a few hours.  That evening, the ring went back just as I went to bed.

By this morning, my glans was looking back to normal and didn't have any major sensitivity.  I wore it at work again today, this time much less discomfort.  I'm planning on wearing it tomorrow; however, tomorrow night is gym for me- doubt I'm ready to be retracted during exercise.

I'm pretty excited about being able to bear my glans for essentially, three-days straight without keeling over in pain from the over-stimulation.  The glans itself is pretty rough on-top, like sandpaper now.  Sides are still pretty smooth.  I've attached two pictures from this evening, one with the ring and one without for reference.

How about you guys?  What milestones are you particularly happy about?  What do you think my next milestone should be?  Any other advice/hints/tips to offer?

[soundsgreat87]

That's great to hear! Love to read stories about guys' progress with it.

I can definitely see a change in glans texture in that first pic. It's really encouraging to see, isn't it? And that's so cool that you actually have a friend who knows what it's like

When I was first starting off, I kept a "high score" of hours/days retracted. I think that really helped me cause I could be like "okay, I'm gonna go for 4 days" and then that became "a week" and so on. You've still got a lot of sensitivity though, but I think it'll wear off pretty quickly once you start doing it more. Like you noticed, it only took one day to get used to it at work.

Probably my favorite milestone was being able to stay retracted all night with no problems for several days in a row. That's usually a tough hump to cross

[LazyAce]

Just a little progress update... been fully retracted most of the time since my post two months ago.  Generally, its pretty comfortable now and I try to keep it bare as often as I can.

There are a few circumstances where I end-up pulling it forward (or, it just does it on it's own):
- Commando: trying it today... and its awful.  I have no idea why clothing manufactures insist on putting a seam right down the middle of pants/shorts, but damn... I can feel the seam with every step and its still pretty excruciating.
- Gym: just don't have the guts to keep it retracted at the gym.  Part of it is that I don't need a distraction while struggling through a set of squats, another reason is showing off the glans ring- not ready for that and the inquisitive stares.

The real barrier that I'm running into is the glans ring.  It's been great for keeping things pulled back; but when I'm at work all day, I find that the silicon rubs and causes sores.  I end-up having to take it off for a few days to let everything heal.  Sometimes, the outer shaft skin will even roll-up and over the glans ring and partially cover the glans, defeating the purpose of the ring.

So, I'm looking for a new way to keep retracted during the day.  I tried the spoon method (picture below), problem is that I'm a grower and the folds just unravel after about an hour or two.  I tried some tape/coban methods, they also just come apart too.  Do you guys have any suggestions?  Either for dealing with the glans ring that can irritate or a better retraction method for a grower?

Generally though, when I use something like the spoon method, it's really comfortable to wear.  The head has desensitized enough that I generally don't notice it.  I will say that sex is a little different- not better or worse, just have to make a few changes to get to the end.  Jerking off, however; is fantastic.  Direct head stimulation is the way to go, will probably never go back to the old way with foreskin in the middle of it all.

Some progress pictures below, one with the glans ring, one without and another one with folding/spoon method.  What do you guys think?

[soundsgreat87]

Awesome update.

Going commando is still tough for me even four years on, for the same reason. What the hell! I guess the best you can do is get some really loose boxers.

Do you mean that the skin behind the ring gets pinched between the ring and your pants? If so, I've had that happen too... it was a vicious cycle, kinda like when you bite the inside of your mouth, and it puffs up, which makes it easier to bite etc. I broke the cycle by switching to another method, but I did also have some success with a wider ring. You could also try putting a piece of tape/bandaid over the area getting pinched, just until it heals anyway. But since your skin keeps rolling over the ring, maybe a wider ring is in order.

The problem is finding one. Typically cockrings want to be as narrow as possible. Which is why I turned to making mine out of foam...

[anon21]

I wear the same type of beaded silicone ring as yours. I wear it up to 2-3 days at a time with occasionally taking it off in shower or masturbation normally. Thankfully I don't get sore. My issue is, I don't know if it can be desensitized more over time, but my inner foreskin can still feel the prickly stubble whenever it's regrowing. Especially the part that touches the scrotum directly lol.

[thesevenpointfive]

Awesome update.

Going commando is still tough for me even four years on, for the same reason. What the hell! I guess the best you can do is get some really loose boxers.

Do you mean that the skin behind the ring gets pinched between the ring and your pants? If so, I've had that happen too... it was a vicious cycle, kinda like when you bite the inside of your mouth, and it puffs up, which makes it easier to bite etc. I broke the cycle by switching to another method, but I did also have some success with a wider ring. You could also try putting a piece of tape/bandaid over the area getting pinched, just until it heals anyway. But since your skin keeps rolling over the ring, maybe a wider ring is in order.

The problem is finding one. Typically cockrings want to be as narrow as possible. Which is why I turned to making mine out of foam...

Wow after 4 years can not go commando, i do this most of the time, my head really has no feeling, having done this for so long. I noticed that i used many techniques to keep the  skin back, but now, it will stay back on its own, which is great, but its taken years to do. I can understand when your at work and its start to rub, mine did that, but persevere and it will loss that sensitivity. Great to hear other peoples stores as well