A dad has warned other blokes to never ignore unusual signs on their manhoods after a white spot on his penis developed into a weeping cauliflower-like growth
Many of us are guilty of self-diagnosis via the internet, even when we know it’s best to get real advice from a doctor.
If we get an ache, pain or feel under the weather in any way, off we go to tap our worrying symptoms into ‘doctor Google’ to see how bad things really are.
More often than not, your pain disappears and that fatal disease you convinced yourself you have, turns out to just be a headache. But one man’s reliance on Google’s prognosis could have had devastating consequences had he not decided to seek actual medical advice over a very personal issue.
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It was August 2023 when Robin Hernon first noticed a white spot on the shaft of his penis. He did some online research of his symptoms and was confident that his online ‘diagnosis’ of it being a wart was correct.
But 14 months later things had got a lot worse. By October 2024, the small spot had developed and grown into a large weeping cauliflower-like growth. Knowing he had to get a proper medical opinion, the 62-year-old was referred to a sexual health clinic after a phone call with his GP.
Although he is a happily married family man, with four grandchildren, Robin claims he was repeatedly “interrogated” over the amount of sexual partners he’d had. “They interrogated me to see what sexual partners I had – both male and female – that made me very angry,” he revealed. “I’ve had two partners in my life and I’m happily married.”
It was decided he had a genital wart and that it should be frozen off, until a doctor took a look and immediately referred him to hospital. After an examination by a specialist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) on March 29th, the electrical engineer was given the devastating news that he actually had penile cancer and he needed surgery to remove it.
Being told you need part of your manhood removed is a life-changing conversation, but Robin, from Peterborough, knew his priority was to stay alive and well for his family.
“When the specialist said it was penile cancer, I just said to him ‘do what you have to do to remove the cancer, I want the rest of my life. I want to get back to my grandkids so take off what you’ve got to take’,” he recalled.
“It was a partial removal so I 1760785265 have a ‘Mini-Me’. The internal organ is still functional so I can still urinate from a similar location.”
Robin underwent surgery for a partial penectomy on June 25 and was told on August 14 the cancer was gone. He now needs to undergo four-monthly check-ups to ensure it hasn’t returned.
He said: “Hearing the doctor say it was penile cancer – I’d already accepted that it was the worst. For me it was ‘what can we do? How quick can we do it?’. “The hospital is the top dog, he’s a brilliant surgeon.”
Robin is sharing his experience to encourage other men to regularly check themselves and go to the doctors if they discover anything unusual. He decided he had to finally take action when the growth started weeping and it became painful sitting.
“Because of where it was, it was uncomfortable to sit. It was difficult to hide the pain when my grandchildren were jumping all over me,” he recalled.
“Internally I was crying, but I couldn’t show anything. I kept it hidden from my wife because at the time, when I felt something wasn’t right, she was getting bad news from family and I didn’t want to add to it.”
But Robin wants other blokes to learn from his mistake and to not be embarrassed over personal problems. “It’s a man thing [not getting things checked],” he said. “If anything’s not right, get it checked. It’s better to see a doctor [and for them] say it’s OK [than not].
“We’re all human, don’t be worrying about where it is or what it is. We all have one – whether you have one a different shape to mine [or not]. I can’t stress enough if something isn’t right you’ve got to get it checked. If they [doctors] say they’re busy you hammer on their door until you get in.”
According to the NHS, penile cancer is very rare and mostly affects men aged over 50 years old. It mainly affects the skin of the penis and the foreskin (the skin covering the head of the penis). How serious it is depends on how big the cancer is, if the cancer has spread, and your general health.
The most common symptoms are:
- a growth, lump or sore that does not heal within 4 weeks
- a rash
- bleeding from your penis or under your foreskin
- a smelly discharge
- difficulty pulling back your foreskin (phimosis)
- a change in the colour of the skin of your penis or foreskin
Treatment for most penile cancers caught very early include creams and laser therapy. If not caught early, treatment may mean surgery. Roughly half of all penile cancers are caused by certain types of a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV). The NHS has more information. Contact your GP if you are concerned you may have any of the symptoms.