Penis Transplants Being Planned to Help Wounded Troops

[erpowers]

Within a year, maybe in just a few months, a young soldier with a horrific injury from a bomb blast in Afghanistan will have an operation that has never been performed in the United States: a penis transplant.

snip

From 2001 to 2013, 1,367 men in military service suffered wounds to the genitals in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense Trauma Registry. Nearly all were under 35 and were hurt by homemade bombs, commonly called improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.s. Some lost all or part of their penises or testicles — what doctors call genitourinary injuries.

snip

Some doctors have criticized the idea of penis transplants, saying they are not needed to save the patient’s life. But Dr. Richard J. Redett, director of pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins, said, “If you meet these people, you see how important it is.”

“To be missing the penis and parts of the scrotum is devastating,” Dr. Redett said. “That part of the body is so strongly associated with your sense of self and identity as a male. These guys have given everything they have.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/health/penis-transplants-being-planned-to-heal-troops-hidden-wounds.html

[Photographer]

1. I'm not going there....

[firebrand80]

3. they write themselves nt

[philosslayer]

28. What, the jokes?

You really find this humorous? Pretty sick if you ask me. These men deserve compassion, not jokes.

[snooper2]

2. I'm kind of not understanding the donor situation here

Is it like any other organ from a fresh motorcycle accident?


Can you mix-n-match?

[Qutzupalotl]

11. They can have mine. I'm not using it.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

17. It should be like any other organ, if the tissue type is a match

I don't know what mix-n-match means. Would I care about a race/color match? I think I'd take anything that works.

[951-Riverside]

4. "Sorry Shaq but its for the troops"

[snpsmom]

5. Don't really understand the humor n/t

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. Yeah, me neither.

Nothing funny about having your dick blown off by a bomb. I hope the operation is a success for that soldier, and I hope it can be used for others who suffer.

[COLGATE4]

10. +1

[Raster]

76. +10

Compassion and empathy.

[Codeine]

57. It's actually pretty sick.

And I have a very sturdy sense of humor.

[backscatter712]

72. Yep. People giggle, but these are horrible injuries.

More power to the doctors treating these soldiers.

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[DetlefK]

8. I wonder if it's 3D-printed living tissue. That's top-notch research.

They can print you skin-transplants and recently made arteries. Theoretically they could print inner organs, but they always turn out too mushy and soft: The researchers need to find out how the cells in the inner organs grow so dense and well-organized.

[MerryBlooms]

9. Wow, just amazing. I wish the best for the patients.

[loyalsister]

12. I hope some guys mobilize against this

the same way some women mobilized against breast reconstruction surgery. Both of these lines of thought serve to promote myths and stereotypes about people who have been injured and sexuality in general.

[B2G]

13. Why on earth would you hope that?

If it's a viable surgery that help people to overcome the major trauma of such events, who in the fuck would 'mobilize' such a thing?

People with all of their parts intact I would imagine.

[loyalsister]

18. As I said

It promotes stereotypes and myths about sexuality.

Women who choose not to have breast reconstruction are promoting health attitudes towards femaleness and female sexuality by not centering it in bodily characteristics as movies and popular culture have done.

[loyalsister]

45. The big lie perpetrated

--- "Normal" sexual functioning allows a person to become a citizen- right? Given the way sex is treated as an initiation to adulthood, that is truly what people in the US believe.

The belief that a person is incomplete if their bodies don't function a particular way is ableist. People who have a range of disabilities, including spinal cord injuries have happy, healthy, sex lives.

How you compare accidents with intentional geniral mutiltion is beyond me.

[loyalsister]

54. Ableism is cultural

It is a set of widely held beliefs that sets a standard for bodily\intellectual normalcy and superiority. People who buy into it, implicitly devalue people whose bodies and minds do not meet that standard.

[TipTok]

71. Is this in that same idiotic vein of deaf parents who want their child to be deaf?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

64. Forget sex for a moment

I know such a person who suffered burns to his genitals, I think urinating without a catheter would have enormous appeal to him.

[backscatter712]

73. What these troops are going through aren't accidents. They're acts of war.

Thugs from the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Isis are deliberately planting these bombs, and deliberately rigging them at waist-level to maximize the chances of blowing someone's genitals off.

And I'm for using every bit of medical knowledge we've got to treat the troops with these kinds of injuries.

[DashOneBravo]

77. +1

[LuvNewcastle]

78. I agree.

These guys already have a tendency to have emotional problems after coming home from deployment, even those who come home intact. I can't imagine what it would be like to have PTSD and have mutilated genitals. I hope they're successful with this surgery and I hope that they have many more successes. Anyone who has to go through that kind of trauma deserves all the compassion we can muster.

[Snobblevitch]

79. So you're saying that a person with a spinal cord

injury should refuse surgery to restore their ability to walk, just to make a point?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

22. Choice

Key word there.

[alphafemale]

23. If that is their choice they should do that.

But it is amazing cruel of you to want deny another person what they wish to do with their own bodies because you don't like it.

[loyalsister]

46. I think you misinterpreted

Of course people are free to choose. I said that I hope some will choose not to and will take the opportunity to disabuse people of stereotypes.

[loyalsister]

55. That's classy

I'm saying that when people adapt and use their bodies as they are, it makes a body positive statement that is valuable to people who are in similar situations. Especially, in cases where modification is not possibile or desirable.

Our bodies change over time with injury and age. Adapting to the new body as it is, and moving on is healthy.

[loyalsister]

65. I am not trying to make or remove any choices

My point is that people who adapt to their new bodies have an opportunity to shed some light on the issue of sexuality and disability. I am very sure that I know way more about this than most people.

It is an endless pursuit to educate people and hope to convince them that disability is not a tragic sexless, lonely existance. It's a shame how much resistance there is to accepting that there are people who value their different bodies and are so satisfied with how they have adapted that they wouldn't change it.

[Snobblevitch]

80. If you were really motivated to prove your point.

you could have your own genitals mutilated and adapt to your new body.

[CBGLuthier]

53. How on earth can you call using a penis to have sex a stereotype?

[loyalsister]

56. It's the idea of normalcy that is a stereotype

It is based on the assumption that there is a single normal way to have sex. I am saying that has been set as a stereotype that can be challenged and that a lot of people lead healthy sex lives without it.

[alphafemale]

62. You are the one assigning that one choice is more noble than the other.

There is simply no such thing.

[notadmblnd]

29. I would like to point out to you that breasts are not sex organs

And why would someone with what appears to be strong feminist views equate breasts with sex? Isn't that something feminists shame men for?

[notadmblnd]

35. I don't think you're going to get that answer from that particular poster

I tell you- my husband empathized so much he suffered for the dog when we had it neutered. I used to tease him because he slept with his hand over his penis when he slept. No matter how much I promised him that I wouldn't try to steal it he just couldn't break the habit. But yes, I can understand how men feel about that particular part of their body. And if they're anything like my husband was- you all guard it like it's Fort Knox.

Have a great evening!

[Warren DeMontague]

39. It's like the power washer in the garage

Borrow it, fine. But give it back!

[notadmblnd]

42. lol yeah, like that.

[jonno99]

26. +1 sigh...nt

[Tree-Hugger]

69. +1 nt

[philosslayer]

30. Is there a "stupid post of the day" contest that I wasn't aware of?

There must be a pretty good prize, because you sure are trying hard to earn it.

[uppityperson]

37. What do you think of women who have had FGM?Do you hope someone mobilizes against reconstruction a

Do you hope someone mobilizes against reconstruction after FGM?

A better penis comparison is the clitoris, not breasts.

[Codeine]

58. Breasts and genitals aren't vaguely the same. nt

[phleshdef]

67. Oh god, this is ridiculous nonsense. If you ever had a penis, you wouldn't be saying this.

As a man, who is not transgender, having a penis is NOT a stereotype. Its something I NEED TO HAVE. Not just for sex, but for normal urination. This is like saying that having legs is a stereotype.

[backscatter712]

68. Um, no.

Losing a piece of your body sucks, and if the best treatment is a transplant to give that piece of the body back, I'm all for it.

This applies to men and women.

[TipTok]

70. How about you let them do what they want with their bodies...

... and you and your high horse can just move along.

This is no different than reattaching an arm or leg or even one of the new face transplants.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?

[DawgHouse]

14. Much of what we know about treating traumatic injuries

is learned from the battlefield. I hope this is successful.

[hunter]

15. No way I'd mess with immune-suppressing drugs for that.

I've got some scars in regions I keep covered in public, but had the surgeon asked, it was a long time ago when nobody ever questioned surgeons, I'd have preferred minimal scarring over appearances.

I've since had a few doctors tell me they could fix me up with a prosthetic testicle. Seriously, these things exist. My opinion, and my wife's opinion too, is "Why?" Okay, well maybe if the prosthetic had some sort of high technology bionic superpower embedded in it, or maybe just a bluetooth speaker that could play "Jingle Bells" for Christmas, or make "talking penis" jokes.

Returning to the original post, it's good to have these choices available, most especially for wounded veterans who are certainly traumatized in other ways beyond that particular injury.

Either way, it's not up to "doctors" to decide. There are pros and cons of every medical procedure and it's up to the medical professionals to describe the pros and cons clearly enough that the patient can make an informed decision.

Clearly that sort of injury can be "psychologically traumatic experience for males of all ages," as the National Institute of Health says, but that's not true for everyone. In my family tradition those bits are more often silly fun than they are serious components of personal identity.

[hunter]

49. You're not reading me right.

Simply put, my penis is well worn, but still functional, if not cosmetically perfect, in spite of some surgeon's best efforts. He wanted it to look nice, I guess, but I'd have rather it didn't frequently hurt. It still hurts "down there" sometimes, but not so bad as the arthritis these days.

Maybe my dangling bits are not such a huge part of my personal identity that I'd replace them at the risk of transplant drugs.

Others might decide differently. It's not for the doctors or the accountants to decide this risk/benefit ratio.

It's the patient's body, it's the patient's decision, and we, as a nation owe severely injured veterans that choice.

Nevertheless, I still think our dangling human sexual bits and what we humans do with them are often silly.

I'm the sort who will start laughing at an overly serious sex scene in a seriously artistic movie, or even serious porn scenes.

Hell, I have no problem telling funny stories about my own sexual misadventures.

On the list of things I'd choose to have repaired about my physical self, I'd start with the asthma, then the brain chemistry, then the other peculiar immune system/arthritis disorder stuff. My dangling bits will just have to wait their turn. Testosterone is not my favorite steroid. Prednisone is, but alas, it makes me psychotic after a few days.

In middle and high school I was frequently bullied and called "queerbait" and other things worse. Sometimes I'd get beaten bloody. I quit high school. My biggest problem was not-breathing. I was a frequent flyer in the hospital emergency room. Then, in late adolescence, my mind got really strange.

Penis problems were not such a big deal to me.

I currently take crazy-meds that have a side effect of anorgasmia. Oh fun. Or not.

Other men are not me.

To lighten the mood, I'll post a video:

[Prism]

74. Reek, Reek

It rhymes with pique.

[TexasBushwhacker]

50. They have them for dogs!

In order for a pure breed dog to compete in dog shows, it must be intact. But an owner may decide that dog shouldn't be bread. Perhaps it has already sired some pups with birth defects or they have another stud they prefer for breeding purposes. In any case, unless they are competing in a show that has an "altered" class, they won't be getting any ribbons.

Until the invention of NEUTICLES!

http://www.neuticles.com/facts.php

[hunter]

52. Those are cheaper too.

A dog such as myself just has to find the right vet.

[mikehiggins]

16. Wow! Let's hope this works.

Like the article says, lots of young men suffered serious damage to their genitals in the course of Bush's War. Other applications of such a technique might be controversial--there's always SOMEONE who has something to say about everything--but this is research well worth the money.

[DashOneBravo]

20. Good luck

[Kurska]

27. Awesome research

I wonder what the eventual implications could be for transgendered individuals. I imagine it will be more difficult with rejection rates and setting up the proper tubing to make it semi functional, but it seems like those are problems that could be overcome.

In the mean time, if it can make someone who was wounded fighting for their country feel more whole, I am all for it.

[Warren DeMontague]

31. One would think that would be the universal, compassionate response.

one would think.

[Kurska]

34. But Warren!

Something.. something.. uhh penis bad?

I mean I could understand outrage if this was being used for enhancement (well maybe, I imagine individuals with legitimate medical conditions micropenises would be thrilled at the prospect).

[Warren DeMontague]

38. Yeah, these guys arent exactly "smilin' bob"

[Kurska]

44. Oh man that guy

On one hand I'm sure he got paid a lot of money.

But now all of America knows what his o-face looks like.

Life is full of trade offs.

[haikugal]

32. This is good news if it works...

I wonder if there would be any sensation? I hope so.

Good luck to these guys, they deserve everything possible that might help them.

[uppityperson]

36. Good luck to them, this would be wonderful if it works. For those snerking 3rd grade "humor",

grow up.

This would be very good for those men who want it.

[Warren DeMontague]

40. Anything, I would think, for wounded victims of war.

Of course the best alternative would be no war in the first place, clearly.

[TeddyR]

41. Served in the military

Lucky enough to not get blown up. Hope the doctors do everything possible to help those who were injured.

[TwilightGardener]

51. I sincerely hope it works. Urology has unfortunately been a booming business

for the military/VA, because of all the injuries. It's really a very sad consequence of the wars we fight, not humorous at all.