Bathing after the operation

Before I start, let me stress the importance of using disinfectant to sterilise the bath/sink or wherever you are going to wash. Dettol or something similar should be good. My wife was kind enough to do this for me in advance. The last thing you want is an infection down there!

This is one issue where I simply followed the advice of my doctor, and it seemed to work OK. Basically, I believe it is advisable to keep your wounds dry for a while. Because of this, I didn’t wash the ‘area’ for two whole days, just to let the stitches take etc. If you feel the need to wash anywhere else, you will have to do this using a flannel or washcloth, keeping well clear of your wounds. Showers and baths are pretty much a no-go at this early stage. I think your friends and family will forgive you for not having a bath for two days – just this once!

On the third day, I very gently washed the area using luke-warm water which I had boiled and allowed to cool (so that it was germ free), and cotton wool balls soaked in water. Whatever you do, PLEASE make sure that you really let the water cool. The last place where you want hot water at the moment is on the end of your penis. Trust me! It needs to be cool enough that you could easily gulp it down if it was a drink.

Again, be warned that this will be very sensitive at first and will probably take you quite a while, and a lot of determination. To be honest, it will be pretty painful just to handle your penis at this stage. But persevere. Use the cotton wool to very gently wipe away any dried blood from around the wounds. Don’t rub them or apply any pressure. Just gently wipe with warm water until you think the whole area is a bit cleaner. I think I repeated this routine daily until day 5, when I took my first bath.

On day 5, getting in the bath was fine to be honest. Just make sure, again, that the water is much cooler than you would normally have it, and lower yourself in gradually. Don’t use soap on that area yet, and don’t put bubble bath or anything into the water. Just keep it clean. All you need to do is soak it and let the water get to it. Again, any other areas that you intend to use soap on, try and keep these separate for a few more days. I think it was about day 7-8 until I applied any sort of soap directly. Even then, it is best just to allow the soap to ‘run down over it’ rather than lathering it up!

You will judge this whole process by your own standards. After about day 6, you should know what feels ok and what doesn’t. Just be careful!