UK3 min(s) read
Man who didn’t have a penis and then had one made from his arm reveals what happened when he was intimate with his wife
A man has bravely shared that he lost his penis to cancer and that he later underwent reconstruction using skin from his arm.
Paul Lucas, 37, was diagnosed with penile cancer and had to undergo a penectomy after his wife, Nicky, booked an appointment for him to see a doctor.
The couple recently appeared on This Morning, where Lucas said he knew something was seriously wrong with his body but had chosen to ignore it.
"I was basically peeing at almost right angles, and I just left it as you do," he said. "Sort of tried to bury my head in the sand. And it just kept getting worse.
"Then, a growth started appearing. And [that] got bigger and bigger... I even bought medication from the internet just to avoid going to the doctor."
Lucas underwent three operations following his diagnosis
The 37-year-old, who is a local government officer, said he felt a "sense of relief" after the rare cancer was "luckily" diagnosed "very quickly," because he finally knew what was happening and could get his head around it.
However, he soon faced three procedures, beginning with "total penectomy," which involved removing his penis - something he did not know would happen until 24 hours after the operation.
He subsequently went through two lymph node operations to determine whether the cancer had spread, and said he did not require further chemotherapy.
Beyond the surgeries, Lucas admitted to the presenters that he felt "overriding guilt" towards his wife because they had only been married for a few months at that time.
"Because we were quite young, and you always think that a man is what is in between your legs," he explained. "It took me a while to realize it actually has little impact."
He gave Nicky the option to end their marriage because he believed the removal of his penis would affect their sex life.
But she made it clear that leaving him was never an option. Recalling her response, she said: "'Don't ever ask me that question again because I'm just not going anywhere,' because with or without a penis, I absolutely love him wholeheartedly."
Lucas underwent complex surgery to reconstruct his penis
Lucas has since had complex, "sci-fi" surgery to reconstruct his manhood.
Urology surgeon Wai Gin Lee, who appeared alongside the couple, explained that the operation involved reconstructing Lucas' phallus and urethra using tissue from his arm, with nerves connected to those in the pelvic region.
The second and third parts of the surgeries are more for "cosmetics," to create glans and then insert an erectile device, which makes the penis functional in an intimate setting.
Nicky admitted that she had a hand in the design of Lucas' new penis, saying: "When it came to the size measurements, we said why not go a bit bigger if possible, so that’s what we did."
"I’ve got a designer phallus, and there’s not many wives can say that," Paul quipped.
Couple revealed what happened when they were intimate
Lucas admitted that the reconstruction had presented some unusual challenges.
"I mean, the awkward nature of it is because there's no erectile tissue. It is always the size it is, which can be a bit awkward," he said.
Despite the remaining surgeries, the couple shared that they had already been intimate, with Nick describing the experience as deeply moving.
"It was very emotional... really emotional because it's not the be-all and end-all to not have that and whether Paul had the new phallus or not, it wouldn't have made any difference," she said. "But to have that complete connection again - It was really really overwhelming and really emotional. I've got no complaints."
Lucas is hoping to undergo the second stage of the surgery in November and the third procedure somewhere down the line.