Morning everyone! Dan here with day 22 of my adult circumcision recovery journey. Today’s update is a bit different – we’re talking about something that doesn’t get covered much in medical guides: weight gain after surgery, emotional eating during recovery, and oh yeah, finding out whether I had cancer. Let’s dive into the messy reality of healing.
The Weight Gain Reality Nobody Talks About
Slight Weight Gain: It’s Actually Normal Here’s something I need to be honest about – I’ve put on a couple of pounds since the adult circumcision surgery. Before you panic or think I’ve completely lost the plot with my eating habits, let me explain why this is actually quite normal and nothing to beat yourself up about.
Why Post-Surgical Weight Gain Happens There are multiple factors at play here during circumcision recovery:
- Emotional eating – using food as comfort during a difficult healing process
- Body needs nutrients – your body is working overtime to heal the surgical site
- Reduced exercise – going from 18-20k steps daily to virtually zero
- Water retention – some weight is just water, not fat
- Fighting infections – in my case, my body has been battling complications
Going from being incredibly active to suddenly house-bound after adult circumcision creates the perfect storm for weight changes. Some of this will be water weight, some will be fat, but it’s all part of the recovery process.
The Mental Health Side of Circumcision Recovery
Emotional Rollercoaster During Healing Let’s talk about what nobody tells you before adult circumcision surgery – the mental health impact. I’ve experienced:
- Sadness and periods of low mood
- Anxiety about healing progress
- Depression episodes triggered by complications
- Pain affecting emotional wellbeing
- Demotivation from setbacks
Complications Compound Everything Having complications during circumcision recovery doesn’t just affect your physical healing – it absolutely hammers your mental state. Each setback has demotivated me, given me moments of genuine grief, and emotions have been running incredibly high.
The McDonald’s Moment: A Personal Victory
Breaking Old Patterns On Tuesday 30th September something interesting happened. I went to order a McDonald’s – haven’t had one in months! I placed the order online, finger hovering over the confirm button. Then within a few minutes, I cancelled it.
Recognising Emotional Eating Triggers That was an old habit rearing its head – the way I used to deal with difficult things happening in my life. Instead of the takeaway, I opted for a protein bar or two. Either way, still healthier than what I would have had during previous difficult periods!
Past vs Present Coping Mechanisms The past me would have had 5 big lattes and several takeaways each day during this recovery! I probably didn’t eat perfectly yesterday, or even the day before to be honest, but the calories were nowhere near what I used to consume. That in itself is a massive win!
A Message About Imperfect Recovery
You’re Not Alone in This Even when circumcision recovery seems to be taking forever, even when there are complications and other stresses in your life – you have overcome so much already. No one is perfect or eats perfectly all the time, whether you’re going through surgery recovery or something else entirely.
Acknowledge and Action The key is to acknowledge what’s happening and create a plan of action to continue moving forward with your goals. I would normally be really hard on myself, get upset, then eat and eat some more. Before you know it, I’d be ill and super overweight!
This Time Is Different This time I’ve acknowledged that things are slipping a little. I know the reason why – it’s due to the reduced amount of walking whilst healing from adult circumcision, but still eating roughly the same calories. Just being aware of this is half the battle.
Encouraging Progress on Steps and Mobility
Gradual Activity Increase My steps have taken a small increase! I know twice last week I did just over 10k steps during circumcision recovery, but that was pushing it and only because I had to go to the doctors and get shopping.
Today’s Achievement: 5,000 Steps I managed 5,000 steps today! Whilst I was slightly uncomfortable where I had the circumcision operation, it was expected and there were no issues like inflammation or anything like previous times. This is genuinely good news because it means I can slowly do more whilst recovering.
Important Timeline Reminder I need to remember I’m only halfway through the main healing phase of adult circumcision. The timeline is roughly:
- 4-7 weeks for main healing
- 6-12 months for scar settling and final results
The Cancer Scare: Results Day (Wednesday 1st October)
The Call I Was Dreading The consultant let me know today (Wednesday 1st October) that he’d suspected cancer of the operation area. My heart absolutely stopped when he said that. But then came the relief – the biopsy taken during my circumcision surgery came back as negative. What an absolute relief!
Processing the Cancer News This was something I hadn’t mentioned before because I didn’t want to worry everyone (or myself) unnecessarily. But knowing there was a possibility of cancer whilst also dealing with infections and recovery complications? That added a whole extra layer of anxiety to this circumcision healing journey.
Why BXO Increases Cancer Risk For those who don’t know, BXO (Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans) – one of the reasons I needed adult circumcision – can increase the risk of penile cancer. That’s why they did a biopsy during the procedure. Getting the all-clear feels like a massive weight lifted.
Recent Days: 2nd & 3rd October Progress
Friday 2nd October Adventures Things have been going well! I’ve been out on a couple of short walks. Friday I went to the city centre and back home, then managed two additional short walks. The circumcision healing area is tolerating increased activity much better now.
Saturday Storm Day (3rd October) Saturday brought fewer steps than Friday, but we’ve got a proper storm here today. Still hoping to manage another little walk later to hit at least 6k steps total (another 1.5k needed).
Continued Wound Care During Circumcision Recovery I’ve continued cleaning and airing the area as much as possible, and things genuinely seem to be getting better. The adult circumcision incision site is looking healthier each day.
Post-Antibiotic Anxiety
Coming Off Antibiotics Now that I’ve come off my antibiotics for the circumcision infection, I’m slightly nervous about a return of infection or anaerobic colonisation. This means I’ll have to monitor the surgical area extra carefully over the coming days.
Back to Work Monday I’m back at work on Monday, which means my steps will need to increase to around 8k-9k each day. This should help my body get back into the swing of things, ready for my Wales trip the following week to see friends.
The Wales Trip Worry
Should I Have Rearranged? One thing that’s slightly worrying me is that I’m meant to be going away in two weeks during circumcision recovery. Part of me wonders if I should have rearranged the trip? But I’m determined to try and have a nice time no matter what.
The Fear of Further Complications I just hope no other issues like another infection happen whilst I’m away from my usual healthcare providers! It’s that constant background anxiety during adult circumcision recovery – what if something goes wrong?
Staying Positive: Acknowledging the Little Wins
Life’s Not Always Easy Life isn’t always easy during circumcision recovery – or in general, really. But I’ve already overcome so much in life, and I’m sure you have too if you’re reading this and going through your own challenges.
Celebrating Small Victories Trying to stay positive and acknowledge the little wins has become my daily practice:
- Choosing protein bars over McDonald’s
- Increasing steps without causing inflammation
- Getting cancer-negative results
- Managing emotional eating better than before
- Continuing to heal despite complications
Here’s to the Coming Weeks!
As I move into week four of adult circumcision recovery, I’m choosing optimism. The healing is progressing, mental health is being managed, and I’m learning so much about myself through this process.
P.S. – If you’re recovering from adult circumcision or any surgery and struggling with emotional eating or weight gain, please know you’re not alone. Recovery isn’t just physical – it’s mental, emotional, and nutritional too. Be kind to yourself. Some days you’ll eat the protein bar, some days you might order the McDonald’s. Both are okay. Progress, not perfection!
Thanks for following along with this honest update. Sometimes the best content isn’t about perfect healing – it’s about real struggles and small victories along the way.
If you’re considering adult circumcision surgery, factor in the mental health side alongside the physical recovery. Having a plan for emotional well-being is just as important as having a plan for wound care!
Until the next blog update,
Dan
Don’t worry about the holiday. I managed a 20 mile hike 12 days after my adult circumcision!
Hi David,
Thank you so much for the encouragement! That is helpful.
Dan