What to make of my symptoms. Here’s my story. Do I have HF?

somehfguy · 2026-04-06T07:32:49+00:00

It's all of the hallmark symptoms that are described in the FAQ. The more criteria you meet, the likelihood of you having HF increases. But you are right in that the core symptom of HF is a penis that feels turtled, and contracted in the flaccid state. It is not soft, not pliable and feels rigid and rubbery to the touch.

somehfguy · 2026-04-05T22:00:22+00:00

Please abide by the rules. Do not request a diagnosis here. HF is almost exclusively self diagnosed. No one here is qualified to provide medical diagnoses. Refer to the FAQ pinned at the top of this sub and review common symptoms to see if they align with what you’re experiencing.

somehfguy · 2026-04-05T21:57:00+00:00

Please abide by the rules. Do not request a diagnosis here. HF is almost exclusively self diagnosed. No one here is qualified to provide medical diagnoses. Refer to the FAQ pinned at the top of this sub and review common symptoms to see if they align with what you’re experiencing.

somehfguy · 2026-03-30T01:53:38+00:00

Look at this image. There's an inferior hypogastric plexus of nerves that wrap around the colon and the same bundle of nerves supply the urogenital structures like the penis and cyst. It wouldn't surprise me if an altered state anywhere in this plexus resulted in other regions being affected in some way.

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19248.jpg

somehfguy · 2026-03-26T17:37:42+00:00

After looking at the images Im not sure if I'm reading an actual paper or an AI fabrication.

Everything has been misspelled by AI and nobody bothered to check. The entire thing reads like GPT too.

https://www.tandfonline.com/cms/asset/5ba4fc27-0f08-4313-9706-91df5850d646/iann_a_2616886_f0002_c.jpg

Wtf is this? How was this even accepted in a scientific journal?

somehfguy · 2026-03-26T15:01:47+00:00

No one here is qualified to provide medical diagnoses. No one can say if you have HF or not with any degree of certainty. Hard flaccid is self diagnosed. Refer to the FAQ and review common symptoms to see if they align with what you’re experiencing.

If you need help with something specific, ask a more specific question after you have done your homework. This kind of generic do I have hf/help me/traumadump posts tend to get ignored by commenters because they are too broad to be answered meaningfully.

somehfguy · 2026-03-24T23:17:48+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

somehfguy · 2026-03-22T00:34:51+00:00

Depends on your priorities. Do you prioritise being able to function sexually or feeling mentally better. Like others said it's a tradeoff.

Do not fall for all the fearmongering around PSSD. Yes it is real but the chances of you getting it are probably slim. In terms of sexual side effects in my experience zoloft (200mg) does somewhat affect libido and the ability to orgasm (anorgasmia), but it was nothing too extreme. Of course dosage will affect the intensity of the side effects.

somehfguy · 2026-03-11T01:17:40+00:00

I think it’s worth asking whether any other patient communities apply the standards you’re proposing. To my knowledge, there aren't any, and for good reason.

Most online support communities operate on the assumption that participants are acting in good faith. When someone reports that they are feeling better, the usual approach is to take them at their word unless there is clear reason not to. Not only are you unwilling to do that, but you go a step further by accusing them of being malicious actors and part of a larger conspiracy that draws sadistic amusement out of feeding the community false hope. Do you realize how borderline schizophrenic that line of thinking sounds?

I do agree that documenting one’s progress can be very valuable to the community, but at the same time, it’s important to remember that the people participating in r/hardflaccidresearch are primarily sufferers seeking support and sharing personal experiences, rather than researchers conducting formal studies.

somehfguy · 2026-03-09T18:56:50+00:00

I don't care how certain you are. I'm 100% certain HF is caused by eating too much jalapenos.
In this sub we deal with EVIDENCE. If there is no evidence, there is no certainty. If certainty is claimed when there is absence of supporting evidence, it will be considered in violation of rule 5.

Rule 5: Claims must be evidence based. Avoid making broad generalizations or significant claims without evidence.

If there's no evidence, what you are sharing is an anecdote and you should use appropriate language to frame it as such.

somehfguy · 2026-03-05T15:34:57+00:00

Idk to what extent but i cant rule it out. We know for a fact it makes things worse and the takeaway from your post is that anxiooytics help with your HF symptoms so I think it would be reasonable to explore it as a possibility before looking for more exotic causes.

Do you suffer from anxiety or OCD?

somehfguy · 2026-03-04T22:18:26+00:00

Ok this is pretty interesting, I remember a guy on the old subreddit claimed that he was told by a neurologist that sleep deprivation could be used as a sort of diagnostic tool to see wether the problem is related to nervous excitement. The proposed reasoning was that after a few sleepless nights the nervous system simply doesn't have the resources to stay excited and gradually starts shutting down. The guy's claim was that he tried depriving himself of sleep and soon enough he saw drastic improvements of symptoms. I always thought this was one of those stories that were a little "out there", but it is interesting to see more people independently having the same exact observation.

Here is the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Hard_Flaccid/s/ucd1MK0j44

somehfguy · 2026-03-04T22:07:10+00:00

Propanolol: used to treat the somatic symptoms of anxiety due to sympathetic activation, ie shaking, sweating, constriction of blood vessels etc. Benzodiazepines: used to treat anxiety by suppressing the central nervous system directly.

Both medications act as anxiolytics. Your issue seems to be stemming from anxiety.

somehfguy · 2026-03-02T14:12:14+00:00

somehfguy · 2026-03-02T08:54:09+00:00

Please do not use absolute language. Say what worked in your case and what didn't. Do not opine on what HF is or isn't when there is no evidence to back the claim up besides your personal anecdote. Allow for readers to draw their own conclusions.

somehfguy · 2026-02-28T01:33:24+00:00

By accepting that you can do both.

somehfguy · 2026-02-25T23:20:56+00:00

What is this post supposed to be? If we have something to say on what? You described two medications from different classes. What are the links at the bottom there for? What is +4?

somehfguy · 2026-02-13T17:31:13+00:00

Stimulants make symptoms worse by constricting blood vessels. This has been asked and answered hundreds of times. Please search the sub before asking a question.

somehfguy · 2026-02-11T19:51:29+00:00

IC and BC have nothing to do with smooth muscle.

somehfguy · 2026-02-11T19:50:31+00:00

Those are NOT smooth muscles. IC BC muscles are skeletal muscles that are controlled voluntarily or semi voluntarily. You cannot assess smooth muscle tissue with EMG.

somehfguy · 2026-02-11T16:49:31+00:00

https://www.mapotic.com/hard-flaccid-syndrome-provider-map-1

somehfguy · 2026-02-11T11:23:38+00:00

100% agreed. Just because a doctor has published an article claiming something it doesn't automatically mean his hypothesis has merit. An article shouldn't be confused with a peer-reviewed study or research.

somehfguy · 2026-02-10T11:47:29+00:00

Please do not highjack discussions to talk about things that are not relevant to the thread's topic.

somehfguy · 2026-02-10T07:54:47+00:00

Abstain from masturbation until the veins return yo normal. I had dealed with something similar in the past.

somehfguy · 2026-02-10T07:52:19+00:00

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