My pregnant wife isn’t pregnant anymore. (!) The good news besides a healthy baby: My new son has his foreskin intact. (At least I can make sure he doesn’t have to go through this process.)
I just took and uploaded the latest pictures, which show my current state. I’ve stopped updating regularly because I reverted to the DTR from tape again because I thought I could use the retainer at night and follow the daily stretch/nightly rest regimen and just keep making progress. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to get that system to work. The skin just loses it’s stretched condition and essentially goes nowhere. But the tape is such a pain I always hope I can go with a tapeless method. Hasn’t quite worked as well as advertised yet, though.
As far as silicone ring retainers go, I’ve actually had no luck beyond getting them on. I can’t make them to stay on long. I read somewhere that to use the retainers you have to be at a ‘coverage index’ level of CI-4, which I guess I’m not. The retainers always pop off unless I wash everything squeaky clean. Then I can maybe get them to stay 1/2 hour to 1 hour if I don’t move. And after that time, they start to pinch my skin and it hurts, just like the DTR or other clamping system.
Anyway, my original goal was to stretch with my wife during her pregnancy. I did do that for the most part, and did get some additional length, but not much. I guess I’m around CI-3. I’m still trying new things. I’ve been stuffing folded paper towels into the inner (glans) part of the T-Tape, so that I can put some pressure on the inner as well as the outer part while pulling. I also put material like a tissue paper between the tape sections that I clip, so that they don’t get all sticky and so they last longer. I also bought a kneecap knee wrap strap thing at the hospital that I use to attach a pulling elastic strap. The system I was using wasn’t quite as strong, so those straps work better for holding the strap to the knee, and they have really good, strong velcro.
I haven’t given up, but it’s certainly difficult. Again. I can’t appear to match the rate of any of the others I’ve seen on the internet. I don’t know if this is because I was cut so tightly originally, or if it has to do with my pulling consistency, or taping system, etc.
Part of the reason for the creation and existence of this site is to keep me focused and to monitor progress. Maybe if I succeed others will see how I made it happen.