Penile Implant

Comments from Steve to all my readers

2010-06-05T09:33:00.001-05:00

Hi Bob,
I'm not sure who will read this or if it is possible to get a response. I had prostate cancer in 2006. Found out had it in Nov. of 06 and had it removed on Dec. 21st of 2006. Been dealing with ED since Dec 21st of 2006. I have a date of July 9th 2010, for an implant and trying to do some homework. I appreciate this blog and the people that share information. My e-mail is stevem3080@yahoo.com. Basically I am trying to see if I am approaching this in the best way since nothing works and I always liked Lee Majors in the six million dollar man, if anyone has any thoughts I would welcome any information. The doctor I am using is Dr.David Sussman( Delaware Valley Urol.) Voorhees and would like anyone that has used him to have their thoughts on him positive or negative. I would be happy to share my experiences pre and post-surgery.
I will answer any thoughts I receive and thank you for your time.
Thanks,
Steve Morris
Blackwood,N.

Bob J Followup

2010-06-05T09:23:00.002-05:00

Hello again Bob,

I had my first trial run visit with Dr Eid this past Thursday. He showed me how to activate the implant and it is easier than I thought.

He pumped up the "unit" and, as expected, it was a little painful, but not awful. He said that most people do not pump up the device to it's full capacity, and I can believe him, because when he was finished pumping I had an erection like a railroad spike, As for size, it seems like there is no problem whatsoever. That could be because of the amount of pumping he did.

He cautioned that it is most important the device is completely drained when finished, because if not, the device will not pump to full capacity in the future. This is because the reservoir will be surrounded by scar tissue if left partially empty.

Dr Eid told me to go home and use my new gift! It has been a very long time since I was in school, but I can tell you THIS homework assignment should be a fun science project!

I am to return in August for a check up.

As always please let everyone know that I would be more then happy to relate my experiences with anyone contemplating the procedure.

Best Regards,

Bob J

BoB J 3 week update

2010-05-19T18:52:00.001-05:00

Hello again Bob

Well it is 3 weeks tomorrow since the implant and everything is going nicely. I had a follow up visit with Dr Eid at 10 days post, and had the stitches removed. He said I could return to normal activity. As for the post op pain, there is none! There is some soreness, and I feel like I have two testicles and a Lego block in my scrotum but there is only some soreness, and sometimes a "pinched" feeling. I visit the good doctor again this Thursday for a trial run. I expect it will be a bit painful the first time, but I am ready for that.

I am a bit concerned about the pump since it feels like a square. Is it really easy to find and use? Right now it seems like it will be a challenge, but we will see.

I read Dr Ben's post and found it very helpful especially since he is a physician. I know what he is talking about when he says finding underwear for the new equipment is an issue. For anyone interested, Kohl's sells a polyester boxer short (looks and feels like spandex) that seems to be the answer. They are sold under the Sonoma Performance brand, which is a Kohl's house brand. If anyone is interested the Universal Product Code on the tag is 67907647-7 and it is style MT7604. They are a bit pricey at $6.50 each on sale ($12 regular) each but considering they house a $30K package it is worth it.

Best regards,

Bob J

Bob J Followup

2010-05-11T19:51:00.006-05:00

Hi Bob

Here it is da 4 post op, and the pain is limited to an ache in my scrotum. Not bad at all.
I have attached a few pixs I took today so people on the blog can see the results.

As you can see, Dr Eid did a crew cut instead of a baldy, not sure it is stylish but we will take in.
As you know, fluid is left in the cylinders for the first week or so, so I get to sport a 80% erection. Ironic, after almost 5 days with it I would like it to go down.

Who knew!

Please Post these if you like

Regards to all
Bob J

Followup by Dan in Baltimore

2010-05-11T19:42:00.002-05:00

Hi Bob -

A while ago you had my implant story posted but apparently have removed it. I just wanted to provide a cautionary note about putting off surgery for those who may be wavering. I needed an implant for over 10 years but kept putting it off while trying other solutions without success (pills, injections, vacuum). Finally, in June 2008, I had the surgery - it was a total success by any measure.

However, it is now almost June 2010 and we have, in two years, made use of the implant exactly twice, and with limited success even though the device functions perfectly. The problem is mostly mine - I often think about intimacy and still miss it greatly, but unfortunately I seldom feel well enough to act on those thoughts. I am on a variety of medications following a stroke several years ago and, while they keep me alive, they make me feel lousy most of the time; when you don't feel well sex is low on your list of priorities. I have lost count of the physicians I have consulted about this, but none of them have been able to propose any remedial course of action I could undertake.

My advice to anybody contemplating surgery is to go ahead and do it if you need it. If you put it off you may needlessly miss out on years of pleasure.

Best to you, and thanks for the blog. Nothing can substitute for the first hand experience of implant recipients.

Dan in Baltimore

Another Implant Story

2010-04-29T21:49:00.001-05:00

Hi Bob
Well, we did it! I had my implant surgery on 4-26 and I am camped out on our couch 3 days post op as I write this
.
First, let me say that anyone seeking this kind of surgery would be well served doing significant research, and this blog is, is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive source out there PERIOD!

Most important, of course, is the doctor who will do the surgery. I had mine done by Dr J Francois Eid,in New York City. If anyone out there is interested you can Google his name and you will find he does the most implants in the world, and his rate of infection issues is the lowest out there. Since I am 67 Medicare is covering this, so cost is not an issue.

The operation was done at NY Presbyterian Hospital and I was kept overnight which is required by Medicare. Let me tell you, this is perhaps the best hospital on the planet,and I have been in many. Bottom line; get the best you can to do this operation. Of course, Dr Eid is a Park Ave surgeon, so I expect if you have to pay out of pocket for this, it is most likely very costly!

The operation was done with a spinal along with a drug called Verced which renders you spacey so you do not care you are awake. Dr Eid says healing is easier, and pain is less with a local.

Soup to nuts (no pun intended) the op took 2 hours. Recovery was not bad at all. I took 3 Oxycontin in the hospital, and have not needed anything since. the swelling has been minimal so far, but from what I have read here, I should have a bit more pain and swelling as the week unfolds. SO FAR, THIS HAS NOT BEEN BAD AT ALL!

After surgery, the chambers are left with some fluid in them, so you have a partial erection. I can see where the head of my penis will be smaller due to lack of blood, however size does not seem to be a significant issue. Dr Eid implanted the AMS 700CX and could have also done the LGX if I wanted it. He favors the CX because he says it provides a stiffer erection and allows him to oversize the implant slightly. (which he did for me) I asked him to use the device he would use for himself if he needed it.

My experience seems unremarkable when viewed along with the many posted here. My message to anyone considering this surgery is this: if you need it, do not wait! And if you are a partner of someone suffering from ED (along with you) get him to read this blog! Simply said, do not suffer when help is out there for you.

I will be seeing De Eid on May 6th and will update you at that time. Please feel free to use this, and if anyone wants info, just ask.
Best Regards

Bob J

A Doctor's story of his journey with Erectile Dysfunction

2010-03-10T19:53:00.011-06:00

Ben PreOp

Pre Op

Ben Post Op

Ben's Post Op

Bob,

We exchanged emails several months ago, which was very helpful--as were the first person accounts on your blog. I had an implant (AMS CX) done 4 days ago, 3/3/10. I have written the following account to share with others on a few different sites, as well as the pictures. Please feel free to use on your site. I cut and pasted from the first site I posted to, so there is some blue background on part of it I couldn't figure how to get rid of.

Regards,
Ben

I'm 61, and very happily married, with my 40th anniversary coming up in June. I have been dealing with ED since I was in my mid-40s. By the mid-90s, I could still get a firm erection, but it would go away with lightning speed (I'm sure that was what I eventually learned was called venous leakage going on), so I had to get it in quickly and never stop moving at a good pace (which I hated, we both prefer a style of intercourse with a slow in and out, accompanied by lots of kissing and touching). The refractory period after orgasm was hours, so more than once in the same session was no longer possible.

Being a physician, I was aware of Viagra when it first came out and started using it in 1998. What a miracle that was! Firm erections and a refractory period as short as a few minutes. 2 orgasms became my norm, extending to 3 occasionally, and 4 on one special occasion. I would get mild headaches and slight blueing of my vision from the Viagra, but I hardly cared--I was more capable than I had been even in my 20s.

This continued to work beautifully for 3 years or so, and then the effectiveness began to fall off. Over a 5-6 year period beginning in 2002 I consulted urologists for the first time, and eventually figured out that the average urologist knew less than I did about ED by this time, so I told them whatever I wanted to try and they prescribed it.

I tried Cialis and Levitra and found the Cialis slightly better than the others for me and started using that. I tried the intra-urethral Muse product, which felt awful and didn't produce an erection. My testosterone level was steadily dropping during this period of time, and got below 200, so we added first Andro-gel, then Testim to the mix. That clearly improved my libido (which had really dropped dramatically), but had no effect on the quality of my erections, which was sufficient for "stuffable" intercourse, but not very firm at all.

I tried tri-mix injections into my penis which improved things somewhat for a while, but is the most likely reason I developed Peyronie's disease (in which scar tissue on the inside of the penis bends it in different directions). Prior to my recent implant surgery (which straightens the penis and essentially cures Peyronie's), my penis was curving upward approximately 15-20 degrees, and 10-15 degrees to the right--on those fleeting occasions when I had an erection firm enough to see it, or while under vacuum.

I tried a vacuum erection device combined with a cock ring. I never could get this to work very well and both of us really hated it. Besides, you can't leave the cock ring on very long, and it leaves your penis numb.

In late 2007 I became aware that a Dr. Larry Lipshultz, here in Houston, Texas, was one of the pre-eminent specialists in the treatment of ED. I learned of him from a couple of patients who sang his praises.

With him, I underwent a quite thorough evaluation. He determined from injecting the penis and doing a Doppler ultrasound that blood flow into my penis was relatively normal, but that the mechanism to capture the blood flow to produce an erection was not--the dreaded venous leakage. Venous leakage doesn't respond well to typical ED treatments. He didn't push the idea of an implant and I wasn't yet ready to consider that. He had a regimen of medications which he said had been successful in reversing venous leakage in some individuals--so over an 18 month period I took 25 mg of Viagra every day, Cialis when intending to have sex, and 2 or 3 other supplements he recommended as good for penis health.

By the fall of 2009, it was clear that I had no significant improvement from that, and I asked him about an implant. He thought I was a perfect candidate--I had tried all the other options, I had conditions which an implant is optimal for--venous leakage and Peyronie's disease, and I was otherwise in excellent health. My fall and early winter schedule simply didn't allow time for having the procedure done, so I saw him again in January and scheduled an implant for 3/3/10.

Around 85% of implants are the 3 piece type, and that is what I chose. They are mechanically more complicated than other types, but produce the firmest and most natural looking erection of any of the choices. More than 90% of men and their partners are satisfied with implants when all is said and done, which is far higher than the satisfaction levels with any other ED treatment.

As I type this, I am 4 days post-op. I have essentially been pain-free at rest since the catheter was removed on Thursday morning, 3 days ago. I have had minimal swelling and bruising, no pain at the incision site (3-4 cm horizontal incision high in the scrotum underneath the penis). I have mild to moderate discomfort from the pump in my scrotum, but others who have had this procedure say you eventually will be unaware it is there. I would just like to fast forward through the next 4-6 weeks, and ride my new bicycle.

Hardly anything is written about the psychological side of ED these days, and most ED is now thought to be organic rather than psychogenic in origin. However, whatever the cause, failure to perform certainly results in some degree of performance anxiety in probably everyone, which doesn't help. I think, however, that it would be unlikely that a primarily psychogenic cause of ED would end up in an implant. I would think that the pharmaceutical approaches would typically handle that well. But in the end, it doesn't matter, if nothing else works, then an implant will--barring surgical complications, infection, etc.

I think that my story is a fairly common one, based on what I have read on a variety of sites on the web. If I had it to do over again, I would have found a top specialist in ED much sooner, and probably had my implant 5 years ago. That is also a quite common comment by those who have had implants--that their only regret is that they did not do it sooner.

Your average doctor, or even average urologist, isn't much help past the point of prescribing Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra. Once you educate yourself about ED, you will know more than most of those doctors on the subject. If one of the pills works well, I see no reason to do anything more for as long as it continues to work. If one of those doesn't take care of the issue, then I would find the nearest real specialist I could find. If you have to drive a long way, so be it. From this website, and others similar to it, you should be able to find what top ED doc is nearest you. Don't choose a doctor for implant surgery who isn't doing them every week. It is critical that your surgeon be very knowledgeable and very experienced. This is not a place to cut corners!!

My wife has been 100% supportive of whatever I wanted to do each step of the way in dealing with ED. We have certainly become better lovers as our focus has been less on penis-in-vagina sex. However, one of the clinching moments for going ahead with the implant was a conversation in which I asked her how long she envisioned us having sex and how important it was to her. She couldn't come up with a specific number but said she was nowhere near ready to do without sex in the forseeable future, so I should plan on 15 years or more! And, like the majority of women, she has never been able to achieve orgasm from intercourse alone, but loves the feel of it nonetheless. I know younger people don't like to think about their parents or grandparents having sex, but given good health, the majority of people are sexually active into their eighties or even older that that. And let me promise you that you never feel as old as you look, and that for most of us, desire never goes away.

Although I think it is foolish, guys tend to be obsessed with the size of their penis. I think women would tell you that the 5 most important things about a penis are:

1. Hardness (outstanding with a 3 piece implant)
2. Hardness
3. Hardness
4. Hardness
5. Girth (which the implant will most likely increase noticeably)

I don't think length is something your partner is likely to be concerned about if you are 3" longer or more. As a physician who has done pelvic exams on women, I can feel their cervixes with my middle finger, which is 3.5" long (I have long fingers). The only spot inside the vagina which possibly causes pleasurable sensation for the woman is the famous "G spot", but it is only about 2" inside (and on the front wall of the vagina for the geographically impaired). A penis which is too large will typically be a much greater concern for a woman than one which is too small. Comments are welcomed on this point from any women who lurk on this site.

You can NOT increase your length with an implant, and you risk some nasty complications if am implant which is too large is used. The head of your penis may be softer (thus smaller) than previously, and the biggest implant which isn't too big might be slightly shorter than your natural cavity, but I would think the most you would lose in good hands is 1-2 cm.

My implant is an AMS CX, which has the capability to expand in girth, but not length. Probably the most common implant currently is the AMS LGX, which has the capability to expand in both girth and length--to the maximum size of your natural cavity. This might give a slight increase in length in some cases compared to the CX (likely not more than 1 cm). My surgeon's opinion is that the CX has fewer complications than the LGX for patients with Peyronie's, such as myself.

The best predictor of your post-op length is your stretched flaccid length. Stretch it out, plant the butt of the ruler firmly against your pubic bone and measure. This is the most you should expect.

I think that men who say they have lost substantial length are thinking of their penis as it once was, before being shortened by disease, disuse, or as a consequence of prostate surgery. Unless of course, they had an incompetent surgeon. I think that those who claim to have increased size have not obtained their natural maximum in so long that doing so seems like an increase in length.

Also remember that the more belly fat you have, the more of your penis is concealed. Reaching a trim weight will maximize the apparent size of your penis. Lots of other good medical reasons to maintain an optimal weight, but perhaps this one will register more than some of those other very good reasons.

My pre-op flaccid length was about 3 inches, post-op partially flaccid length is 4.5 inches and clearly more girth. My implant was kept inflated to around 80% until the day following the surgery. I didn't have my ruler at the hospital (imagine that), but partially inflated it felt stiffer than I have attained in a long time, very straight, and appeared to be 5.5 to 6". My stretched flaccid length pre-op was about 6.25 inches with the base of the ruler pressed firmly against the pubic bone. I'm totally confident that size will be fine. Now comes the really hard part, impatiently waiting while things heal before I can use it.

I hope this information and the pictures which follow are useful. I certainly pored over every account I could find anywhere on the web before making my decision, and greatly appreciate everyone who has shared their story.

My surgery was on 3/3/10. The first week went well, more or less daily improvement. On day 7 post-op (3/10) I had a really good day, did quite a bit of walking and thought maybe I was capable of doing my office-based job as a physician. That night I had more significant aching in the testicles than I had experienced in a while. I put a cold pack over my testicles and penis when I went to bed, which relieved the discomfort nicely, BUT when I woke up in the morning, I had a aching, moderately nauseating pain, as if I had been kicked in the balls 30 seconds before, only it persisted for a couple of hours. I ended up taking hydrocodone for the first time in 3 or 4 days, slept for a couple of hours, and have basically not had a return of that kind of discomfort--but I have also not applied cold to the region again..

Application of cold tightens (and shrinks LOL) everything up in the genital region, as we all know. What I am wondering is if by applying cold for a sustained period, that the ultimate result was to basically pull the pump harder against my testicle, resulting in the discomfort I had on day 8 post-op. Anybody wish to comment on this and the use of heat and cold in general?

Day 9 and day 10 I have ambulated more, and I drove for the first time (my surgeon wanted me to wait at least a week for that) today. I drove about 30 minutes each way, which didn't seem to bother me, shopped for about 30 minutes, and had lunch at a restaurant. By the time I got back home I was having minor discomfort, which is responding well to the use of a heating pad, as that sort of discomfort has the last few days. It seems that being vertical and having gravity dragging on the new junk in the trunk bothers me more than anything else.

Actually the shopping was to find some briefs which work best while my recuperation continues and my body gets used to my larger package. I am not a boxer guy, and I think boxers wouldn't be good during recovery. However my briefs seem to be of 2 types--too large/loose (gravity pulls on me) and too small/tight (initially feels good, but compresses the pump against the testicle too much). I have lost 29 pounds (deliberately) over the last 3-4 months, which explains the briefs which are too loose, and the too tight ones are ones I have left from when I weighed another 15 pounds less than I do now. Any practical words of wisdom from the vets on underwear choices, or the general management of the recovering package? I have seen some comments that it takes weeks to months before you stop noticing the new equipment--anyone wish to comment on that?

And lastly, what about return to work? I will be returning to work on Monday, 12 days post-op. I feel confident that I will be able to manage my office-based work, which doesn't require any prolonged standing (and fortunately I am at a lovely point in my life where I work 4 days, 30 hours), but I suspect by the end of the day I will be eager to get home, put my feet up, and apply my heating pad. My doctor has said that I should not do any significant lifting, vigorous exercise, and the like for 4-6 weeks post-op. So, generally speaking, I would guess that for the average person, return to office work can likely be done in 7-14 days (sooner for working from home--I have been responding to emails and phone calls since the 2nd day post-op). Probably 14-28 days for returning to work requiring a lot of walking or standing or driving, and probably 28-42 days for returning to heavy work (climbing ladders, lifting heavy objects, turning big valves, etc.). This is all a guess on my part, and there is probably significant individual variation. Again I would welcome comments from those who have been through this.

Best wishes to all,
Ben

Patient of Dr Eid, New York City

2010-03-10T19:38:00.004-06:00

Dear Readers:
I'm a little behind on posts due to a broken right thumb that is in a cast. The perils of fishing has put a crimp in my typing, when I tripped while trout fishing. I managed to brake my fall by breaking my thumb. My new post is from a gentleman that I have corresponded with over the past year who went to a pretty famous and well thought of implant surgeon. Dr Eid performs hundreds of implant surgeries each year. He has a large practice in New York City. Here is Bob's story in his own words.

Hi Bob

I hope you remember me from late last year, if not, here is a recap.
I am a 67 year-old man who has suffered from vascular disease for many years. Over the past 20 years I have had issues with ED and the issue has all but prevented sexual relations for the past 10 years. (Thank God for an understanding wife) Pills did not really help, and the shots worked for a bit but were painful, and a mood killer. Then, by a strange twist of fate, I happened to be watching one of the medical TV sitcoms (I almost never watch TV) and saw a show featuring an older man asking about penile implants!

I did a lot of research and found your wonderful blog.

The research also led me to Dr. Eid, of New York City, who has a wonderful website for his practice here in New York. I did more research and found out he is one of the worlds foremost surgeons for penile implants.

I had an initial visit in January and have been going through some testing which included an ultrasound of my penis. In early April I have another in office test including catheterization to determine my bladder condition. If all goes well, as I expect, my surgery is scheduled for April 26th at NY Presbyterian Hospital, where I will be kept overnight, since Medicare requires it. The surgery, I am told will take about 90 min. or less. Dr Eid does do the procedure in his clinic for those who wish to go that way, but, you get to go home with a catheter and need to remove it yourself the next day in the bath! While this may be easy, it would scare me.

I have followed many implant stories on your blog and mine seems unremarkable so far. What may be of some interest to readers is information about Dr Eid.

I have found Dr Eid and his staff to be extremely considerate and professional. The good Doctor also has a quick wit and a great persona for someone of world class stature. He seems not at all impressed with himself, which is a really great quality. I highly recommend that anyone with the ability to go to New York City for the procedure Google Dr Eid and spend time on his website.

I am looking forward to my surgery, and to being up and around {could not resist} in a couple of months. I hope to be a another success story. For those of you who are suffering with ED, PLEASE do not wait as long as I did to seek help.

And Bob, bless you for your dedication to providing much needed support for the rest of us.

Please feel post this on the blog.

Best Regards

Bob J

Coloplast Titan vs AMS LGX

2010-03-10T19:26:00.001-06:00

Bob

There has been some discussion on the internet about the Titan vs LGX. Stories about tissue migration, erosion, etc.

I decided to send an email to an expert. This is a copy of the email I sent him from a gentleman I was corresponding with for his opinion.

If you feel it will help the blog flee free to post it.

Jackp

From: jackp
Sent: Mon 2/15/2010 8:22 PM
To: Doran, Todd James
Subject: Question

Todd

I have been getting comments like the following in emails and it is being posted on the internet.
Quote from an another gentleman To Jack P
Yes jack, does he use the TITAN, that is the device I have chosen, I know many guys complain about size with it, but the material does last longer and tissue does not grow into the polytetrafluoroethyl-ene sleeve.
Im just 37 and I have to avoid issues like art or others like him. Aneurysm is more common in AMS than TITAN.
If i were 55+ LGX would be chosen by sure 100%.

I would appreciate your comments.

Thanks
Anonymous

Jack

Old devices did suffer from aneurysm and tissue adhesion but cylinders were redesigned and don't suffer that same fate. Haven't seen an aneurysmal dilation with the new cylinder at all. Titan is a good device and we place them periodically in the larger penis >7 inches b/c their cylinder helps get the larger penis more rigid. We just find few candidates where a Titan makes more sense, despite most guys opinion about their penile size. Titan is not our go to device because we like the LGX cylinders better and feels more natural than Titan.

Todd J. Doran, MS, PA-C
Associate in Urologic Surgery
Dept of Urologic Surgery
Vanderbilt University
A-1302 MCNs
Nashville, TN 37232
(615) 322-2880 Office
(615) 322-8058 FAX

David's Story, Melbourne Australia

2010-02-20T10:30:00.010-06:00

Dear Readers:
Many of the fine folks who have followed my blog over the years hail from Australia and New Zealand. Which was a great surprise for my wife. We received a call from a wife several months ago who lived in New Zealand and who had read my blog and wanted to help her husband who was suffering from severe Erectile Dysfunction. She and dear wife were still talking when yours truely had to get ready for work. Today, I would like to introduce you to Dave who hails from Melbourne, Australia and who has given me permission to post his story. Out of the thousands of emails that I have received the past couple of years, approximately one third are from folks who live outside of the United States and Canada. I appreciate hearing from all of you and I hope that you have appreciated my answers to your questions. So here is David's story.

Hi Bob

Thanks for the web site. Has to be the best on the net concerning penile implants. I am 40 year old single guy from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I have had problems with ED for years but had not anything about it until recently. Made inquiries about having it done in the public system but they said it could take years to get op done if at all. Decided to take out private medical insurance with MediBank but had to wait a year due to it being a preexisting condition.

When the time came up went to a Mr/Dr Michael Chamberlin who works out of /John Fawkner Private Hospital/, 275 Moreland Road, Coburg. He charges no out of pocket expense but be careful as some charge up to $1000 out of pocket. Shop around for prices it is worth it. In my case all l had to pay is the insuranse $250 excess and for the tablets.

The operation was at 9am Thur 4th Feb 2010. I left hospital on Saturday afternoon and went to recuperate at a family holiday place 150km away. I drove straight after being discharged. Was a bit painful getting into car but once inside not that bad. Stopped 2/3 of the way to holiday place as was tired.Came back home a few days later on Wednesday.

After a week my genital area is still swollen and is in discomfort but not worth taking pain killers. I generally do well after surgery so my example may not be like everyone else's. The Dr has deflated it but still feels a bit ridged; maybe with time will soften more. Its only a week since the operation.

David
(Melbourne,Australia)

Robie's Story of ED

2010-01-21T13:53:00.002-06:00

> I appreciate the kind words, Bob. A lot going on this weekend, will fill > you in on the news with Dr. Eid soon as I get a chance!...

I made my first visit with Dr. Eid (NYC) last Thursday, Jan. 14th, about a week ago.I lucked out with parking on the upper east side. My appointment was 4pm, and I got a free parking spot on E. 71st St. between Lexington & Park Ave. around 3pm. A lot of people seem to leave the area around that time, so it's a good opportunity to find alternate side parking in that
otherwise crowded neighborhood. When I showed up at Eid's office on East 69th St., I noticed it was right next door to the Italian Consulate, and two doors down from the Counsel on Foreign relations building (just off Park Ave.). Inside the waiting room were a number of scraggly old folk who looked almost homesless. These were the Medicare patients who have the procedure covered through government benefits. I waited my turn and saw Dr. Eid. He said his good reputation has a lot to do with the teams he works with at the hospitals. He showed me various pumps from a plastic box
on the table, and allowed me to try out handling the valve releases and squeezing actions. Doc also showed me some photos on his laptop. Nurse took my blood pressure, said it was good. Then we went into an examination room and he looked at my penis. He told me I had Peyronie's disease from lack of blood flow. With permission from the insurance company, we managed to squeeze the first test in with the initial consultation. This involved injecting my penis with medicine to induce erection. Then he scanned my penis with a Doppler ultrasound to examine the blood vessels before and after dilation. My penis got bigger but did not get erect. It had been
five years since my last erection, due to Type II diabetes. This test indicated that implantation is my only treatment available (pills & injections don't work); showed what size my penis would be after operation; and proved medical necessity for the insurance company. Doc told me he used to do kidney transplants but they became boring to him; he enjoys the unique creative challenge each penile implant gives him -- for every procedure is slightly different. He also enjoys helping men restore
their sexual function for a more fulfilling lifestyle. I paid the $285 consult fee out of pocket, which I get back from insurance company in a few weeks. The other test was billed direct to the insurance. I have to go back on Feb. 16th for a bladder test, which involves catheterization. Then cystoscopy & pre-op visit on the 25th of Feb., at which time my $2K down payment is due, to cover the 20% out-of-network portion for the surgery. After insurance pays him, the $2K is waived and returned to me, I have that in writing. Surgery is scheduled for March 3rd, at Lenox Hosp. There is a $145 deductible, which comes out of my $2K refund. They tell me I'll
leave with a catheter as outpatient, and I must remove the catheter myself
the next morning. Hopefully will be good to recover by early April. I also need to see my primary on or after Feb. 3rd, for clearance forms, EKG, andblood tests. I found Dr. Eid's office to be very easy to work with. It's a tough subject, and I'm doing this alone because my wife left me last November for a man she works with, took my daughter. So after the operation, I'll have to find a new partner with which to try out my new equipment. Wish me luck everyone...

You can use this for the blog, Bob...

--R

Dale's Unhappy

2009-12-29T18:52:00.004-06:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My name is Dale and I'm a 53 yr old cancer victim. I had a radical robotic prosectamy done in Feb. 05. After waiting a year for a hint of my normal self I resorted to pumps, pills etc.. no luck. The pump brought him to life but the rings wouldn't keep him there. After a year or so of this I found a woman who was willing to help me deal with it. With her help, she loved oral, I began to regain some stiffness. She said as long as it was in her mouth it grew and stayed firm. But I was impatient, I wanted intercourse. So I read all I could on the implant and set it up. Maybe I'm being too hard (no pun intended) on the doc but this is crazy. I went from a 2 fister to less than 1. Now I've been told that lots of men are about this size and they are healthy. All that may be true but all and I mean all the brochures, all the web sites promote the stats of only losing cm's not inches. And it also feels so weird. I can feel what to me feel like joints? It it no way feels natural. And all the talk about increased girth. Ha, I lost nearly half of that and what I have feels like two chop sticks coverd in skin. No roundness at all. Now maybe I'm just being vain but I'm embarrassed. I'm so disgusted by the sight of it I won't even pump it up to stretch it. I just want it gone. I would rather be impotent with at least the memory of being a normal man than look or feel this thumb sticking out of my gut.
Maybe at this point in time I should wait before I talk because my anger is still so fresh but I'm afraid of not doing anthing. But all I get from most medical people is platitudes of "oh you will find it works just fine", "you'll get used to it" and "give it time". So I'm supposed to just do nothing for a year or so and then start fussing?
I feel I was lied to and mislead from the beginning and I want to lash out at the whole system.
Sorry I'm not one of your "I'm so happy" stories. The truth is I doubt this will get printed at all because I assume this is just a front for the AMS people. I guess I'll soon know!!

Dale

Okay Dale:
I printed it. Feel Better now?
I did a search through almost 9,000 emails that I have received and answered and didn’t find a single email from you going back two and a half years. You’ve been venting your sarcasm at me for the past week. Too bad you didn’t read very far in my blog or you would have read my discussion about loss of size in prostatectomy patients. I discussed it in many posts and the fact that I discussed it with my own personal Urologist. I’ve talked about the fact that one out of three men who have a radical prostatectomy loose significant length do to this procedure. I have my two cents opinion on the reasons for it. If you had bothered to read this blog back, you would have been warned about this. If a marathon runner breaks their leg and the doctor put the leg in a cast, for say 4 to 5 years and that body part didn’t get used in all that time, the leg is going to atrophy. Use it or loose it.

In other words, I say it in several posts on this blog. I recommend that at a minimum anyone contemplating penile implant surgery to obtain a good quality vacuum erection device prior to having surgery and use it twice a day for 10 to 20 minutes achieving a good firm erection for a bare minimum of two month before surgery. The European Society of Urologists recommends this. You didn’t bother to read my blog, yet you’ve vented your anger and sarcasm towards me. Dale, this is my blog. It is not affiliated in any way with AMS Medical or Coloplast. Life happens and you’ve lived a lot of years with time and disease taking its toll on your body. Your surgeon saved your life in 2005. Believe me; you don’t want to die of prostate cancer. Towards the end you will beg for death as the disease spreads into the pelvic bone and up into the spine and the pain is indescribable. That said, you lost 2 to 3 centimeters of your ureter that used to be in your prostate. Your surgeon relocated your bladder lower into your abdomen and then reattached the ends. The body tends to push the bladder back where it used to be pulling your penis back into your body. 4 years of your penis remaining inside your body has left your muscle, your penis, badly atrophied.

This blog is my personal attempt to share information with other men about life with a penile implant. I feel bad for you up to a point. There have been dozens of studies on satisfaction with penile implants. The published rate is 92% to 94%. Satisfaction is in the eye of the beholder. You make the charge that you were lied to and mislead. In what way? By whom? Not by me. I’ve been upfront on this subject. Your doctor? I recall the paperwork that I signed and read including the part about a whole range of possibilities and warnings. You have excoriated me over your failed surgery. Buddy, I posted dozens of pictures of myself and several dozen pictures of guys who volunteered their stories on this blog out of the goodness of their hearts. They are true stories by guys who have lived them. None of us made a dime to do this. So guess what Dale, it’s time to man up and climb down off of your pity party. The penile implants that are available to us have enabled thousands of us to resume normal sexual relationships once again in our lives. I sincerely hope that this works out for you eventually.
Bob

I'd like to respond to an Anonymous Poster

2009-11-17T12:23:00.005-06:00

September 21, 2009 12:46 AM

Anonymous said...
I cried when you mentioned the first time you and your husband made love. I have vivid memories of that time, and my inability now is devastating. My wife is a real trooper, and tries to make me feel better by telling me how unimportant sex is. We are in our fifties, and I don't want it to end already. I just have to convince her that the money, whatever that may be, is worth it. Mike O

Mike:
If insurance coverage is an issue, seek out a University teaching hospital. A young man in his 40's contacted me and I referred him to Dr Weinstein, my urologist who performed my surgery. He had no insurance. Dr Weinstein arranged with the hospital to reduce his cost to what my health insurance paid for my surgery. I had excellent health insurance and the price reduction was huge, almost $15,000 less. Also, most urologists who perform this surgery know what the requirements are to have this surgery approved by insurance and by Medicare. Penile Implant surgery is considered a "standard of care" (very important) to correct Erectile Dysfunction. This is not considered cosmetic surgery and don’t let insurance misinform you on this point. Erectile Dysfunction of the penis is a failure of a body part the same way that hip replacement surgery corrects a body part that has worn out. Or the replacement of a heart valve restores function of the heart. The penile implant is considered a “Durable Medical Goods or Device” by your insurance. Your doctor has to have documentation proving that you have had ED over a period of time. That it is not a temporary occurrence, but is a permanent condition. That cheaper alternatives have been tried and don’t work, ie: you’ve tried Viagra, or Cialis, and Levitra, and it failed to cause an erection or the side effects were such that you could not tolerate it. That you maybe tried a vacuum erection device and it did not work satisfactorily for you.
Your doctor may order some tests.
A Doppler ultra-sonography of your penis. The doctor will inject a vasoactive drug into your penis to cause an erection and then with the use of ultrasound, will determine if you have serious venous leakage.
Another test is an overnight test where you will place a band around your penis to determine if you are having nightly erections.
Your doctor will look at your health history. Do you have a history of diabetes? Erectile dysfunction is a red flag to test for un-diagnosed High Blood Pressure and un-diagnosed diabetes. Your doctor will listen to your carotid artery to listen for diminished blood flow caused by arterial sclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Your doctor will also want to check your lipids or what your cholesterol levels are. Smoking history. Quit now and get help quitting now. I know, I know how hard it is. When my daughter was 5 years old, she asked me to quit, and I found a way to quit. When I caught her as a teen ager with cigarettes, I had a powerful argument for her and she stopped smoking for me. Exercise and weight control. You know what you need to do, so no lecture here. Get healthy, you’ll live longer, you’ll live better, and you will have the stamina you need for the bedroom.
Do you have Peyronie’s Disease? (Scarring that occurs in the Corpora Cavernosa, which is the twin sheaths of spongy tissue that run the length of the penis). Scar tissue replaces the spongy tissue that normally fills with blood effecting an erection. This scar tissue prevents engorgement and expansion of the penis. It can also lead to erectile length and girth loss over time. The implant will help keep the penis from shrinkage and will also help maintain a straight penis.
Have you experienced spinal cord damage? Many paralyzed men are able to enjoy sex even with a spinal cord injury or other nerve damage caused by disease or trauma. I know for a fact that Penile Implant surgery is VA approved and will cover service connected ED from trauma injuries.
What I have suggested is get yourself as healthy as you can. That’s half of the equation. Get age related health problems treated (High Blood Pressure, diabetes, High Cholesterol, weight and exercise). Next talk to your doctor, either your Primary Physician or your urologist about your ED and your options. Ask for a referral to someone who performs Penile Implant surgery. Also check out American Medical Solutions Physician Referral at http://www.amsfindadoctor.com/Patient/Search.aspx?LOBID=4
Look for a surgeon who performs at a minimum 50 penile implants a year. University Teaching Hospitals are great places to start looking for a surgeon. The VA Hospitals can also refer you to a Urologist who performs implant surgery. Outside of the US, AMS Medical Solutions and Coloplast have toll free numbers that you can call. They are staffed by knowledgeable people who can refer you to Urological Surgeons who perform implant surgery in your country.
To Contact AMS Medical Solutions

AMS serves patients and physicians across the globe. Our world headquarters are located in Minnesota. Connect with us today.

AMS World Headquarters
10700 Bren Road West
Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343
USA

Phone:
800-328-3881

Fax:
952-930-6373

AMS patient liaison at 800-328-3881, extension 6261, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. CDT.

Coloplast Corporation
1499 West River Rd. N.
Minneapolis, MN 55411
Phone: (800) 533-0464
E-mail: USMEDWEB@coloplast.com
Headquarters
Coloplast A/S
Holtedam 1
DK - 3050 Humlebaek, Denmark
Tel: +45 49 11 11 11/Fax: +45 49 11 22 60

Visitors to PenileImplant Blog

2009-11-11T20:31:00.010-06:00

Howdy Folks:
A lot of people have traveled to my blog from all over the world. Analytics tells me that 4300 people in the past 30 days from 88 countries traveled to my PenileImplant blog to find out and read about the experiences of myself and15 other gentlemen have had after penile implant surgery. I'm really humbled by that. I spoke to one gentleman on the phone today who was so excited that he got to pump up his implant and was given the go ahead by his doctor to use his implant. He told me he had called his wife and she was taking the afternoon off from work to meet him at home. Before he got home he called me to thank me for giving him hope that he could have a normal sex life again. I'm corresponding to younger and younger men as time goes by. I’m talking to men in their 20's who have severe venous leakage as their primary erectile dysfunction diagnosis and they are so severely depressed that they are missing out at enjoying a normal sex life. They call me on the phone and correspond by email with me for advise. They get a lot of the run a round by urologists who feel they are too young to be considered an implant candidate. If the vaso-dilators Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra aren't working and the injections aren't working or are too painful for the patient, then penile implant surgery is a viable alternative and should not be dismissed. I personally know a couple of young men who are scheduled for surgery after standing their ground with their doctors and they have a positive outlook for their future. I'm also corresponding with men in their 80's and one gentleman who is 91 years old. Good for you guys. One of the secrets of longevity is an active sex life. My father in law is 81 and my mother in law is 76 and they are healthy active adults who do volunteer work, golf, bike, and think nothing of climbing in the car and driving 500 miles. Young, old, or in between. Don’t let erectile dysfunction keep you from enjoying a healthy, loving and happy relationship with the one you love. Men, and the women who love you, get help by seeking a urological surgeon skilled in implant surgery. And get your questions answered so that you can make an informed choice. As I pointed out earlier, a whole lot of you folks are looking for answers to fix your erectile dysfunction. I sincerely hope that this blog answers some of those questions. If I can help any of you, don't hesitate to contact me. My name is Bob and I can be contacted by email at bbacon15@yahoo.com or you can call me in the evenings at 573-808-2962.

10/09/2009 My one-year post op at Vanderbilt, Jack P story

2009-10-12T12:42:00.007-05:00

Dear Readers:

For those of you who have followed my blog over the past couple years, Jack P has been a regular contributor to this blogsite as well as to other supports sites, most notably to Peyronies sufferers. Jack has been an inspiration to many men with his never say quit spirit. His first attempt to have implant surgery resulted in his doctor puncturing his urethra and having to stop. Jack has had Peyronies disease for many years. Peyronies disease is where there is scar tissue that builds up in the corpora cavernosa of the penis. The corpora are the spongy tissue that fills with blood to give rigidity to the penis during erection. The surgeon, in trying to push a pathway through the scar tissue and spongy tissue, caused a puncture through the urethra forcing him to stop the procedure. Jack opted to find a second opinion and found an excellent surgeon at Vanderbilt University Hospital. Just prior to having surgery, Jack choked on a piece of meat and what followed can be read on my February 28, 2009 blog Jack P, The Rest of my story. As I pulled everything together for that blog. Jack did have his implant revision on 10-23-08 where he had an AMS 700 LGX implanted quite sucessfully. Jack is at the one year anniversary of his implant surgery and he wishes to let all of you know about his success and the impact of what a penile implant has had upon his life. Jack's story is what this blog is all about. Bringing hope to men who have given up hope. It's restoring wonderful sexual lovemaking back in the bedroom between two people who very much love each other. Folks, here is Jack's story in his own words.

10/09/2009 My one-year post op at Vanderbilt by Jack P

The exam and follow up with Todd Doran PA, and Dr. Douglas Milam

I am delighted with my implant and all the care I received at Vanderbilt. During the exam and follow up questions I spent about 45 minutes with Todd and Dr. Milam. I had a few questions and learned a lot.

We started out with Todd and an intern. I pumped up my implant. Todd showed the intern where the tips of the implant extend into my glans. Of course the glans was flaccid and with a slight downward pressure on the tip you could see where the tip of the implants are. Both sides fit to the same size and approximately ½ way into the glans.

We discussed my success with the implant and the impact it had on my life. I am happy to say the impact has been better than I ever expected. During the discussion Todd asked what is the most common complaint with men with pryronies. Loss of size, length and girth. The AMS 700 LGX is the only implant that can help restore length.

I wish I had a recording but I will tell you basically what Todd said. The AMS 700 LGX will straighten out a peyronies curve. Peyronies is not normally in the erection chambers when the implant is activated it will straighten out the penis. I said to Todd that some men go into surgery expecting an LGX and come out with a CX or other implant. I asked if there was a reason for that. He said that when that happens the doctor does not fully understand the anatomy of the penis and the workings of the implant. Dr. Milam was an engineer before becoming a surgeon and fully understands the mechanical function of the implant and penis. He said that all there patients, with peyronies, that have the LGX have a straight erection like mine.

I have a diminished blood flow to the glans. I told Todd that it is more noticeable now that I have been off blood thinners for a year. He said that was what happens is a lot of men. I asked how could I help blood flow to the glans without the blood thinners. I asked if Cialis would help. He said it would and recommended the daily dosage of 5mg. He wrote me a prescription for the 5mg daily dosage. I will take it along with the coupon for a free months supply from http://www.cialis.com/ to the pharmacy today. My prescription drug plan (Medicare Part D) does not cover it so I need to shop around the cost.

I asked about the Ambicor 2 piece implant for a gentleman in the New England area. He said they only use it if they cannot get a reservoir in. He said it has a much lower satisfaction rate than the other implants.

I asked about pain with peyronies for another gentleman. He has been having pain with erections and other urinary symptoms. They know Dr. Levine and his work. They disagree with not doing any surgery for peyronies if you have pain. They did not get specific as to what they prescribe for pain only different men have different symptoms and they prescribe different things, and they also occasionally recommend surgery for the pain. They also recommended a second opinion on the urinary symptoms and said they would be glad to help him with that.

We talked about penile injection therapy for ED. They do not recommend it and do not prescribe it. Injection therapy caused my condition to get worse with corporal fibrosis.

We talked about the peyronies society web site. Todd said that now he has a face to put with those coming in after visiting the web site. He said that they have been able to help several men after viewing the site. Todd said he has looked at the site and likes the fact that we are straightforward and informative. The information is usually straight and factual.

We talked about the difference in the pubic and scrotal approach. 98% of the implant that Dr. Milam does is the pubic approach. He said that the dorsal nerves are easy to identify and keep out of harms way. He said that if there is a problem with the corporatomy it is much easier to repair with the pubic approach. We discussed my punctured urethra that happened with the local doctor using the scrotal approach. Todd said that the instrument to dilate the corpora is curved and if not done properly with the scrotal approach that a punctured urethra can happen. He said Dr. Milam is very detailed about this and reminds his students all the time of this.

I asked about revisions. Dr. Milam said that they do “a ton” of revisions.

I asked about the life expectancy of the implant. Dr. Milam said 93% were performing normally at five years. Both Dr. Milam and I have some engineering background. I am a retired Boiler Inspector and Mechanical Contractor. We compared it this way; you can buy the best HVAC system on the market and use the worst or cheapest contractor in town. The system will not perform properly because of an improper installation. If you buy the same equipment from a first rate contractor you get a properly performing system that will save you money in the long run. I said it to him like this; I charge an A/C system with a digital thermostat to the manufacturer’s specifications. 90% of the systems I go to the first time are at least ½ to 1 pound of Freon overcharged. This cuts the efficiency of the system by about 20-30%. Moral, to get the best results use the best equipment and an experienced well qualified people.

We discussed additional penile length. I have gained weight and need to loose 20-30 pounds. Yes I am a big guy 6’2’, 255 pounds. I was told that if I loose the weight I would gain 1 to 1 ½ inches. That will put me back at my length before peyronies. Now all I have to do is get off my butt and do it. I have started back walking 2 miles a day, but as my wife says I need to cut back on the sweets, bread and portions. I lost over 20 pounds several years ago on the Atkins Diet and considering going back to it.

Girth: My erect girth is back to where I was as a teen’s or early 20”s. If I remember my algebra correctly 2” diameter x 3.14 = 6.28” or 1” radios x 3.14 squared = 6.28”. Any way the wife and I are very happy with it.

The best part of this whole experience is the renewed confidence I have. I feel NORMAL for the first time in years.

There was the pain of surgery, the 6 weeks waiting to activate the device, the discomfort when the device was first activated, getting used to the pump in the scrotum and the about 3 month learning curve of using the implant. The small amount of discouragement when first activated that I was not as long as in the VED but as Dr. Milam said at my 3
Month check up I regained it as the AMS 700 LGX continues to expand

Dr. Milam, Todd and I talked about the publication on using the AMS 700 LGX. It has just been submitted to The Journal of Urology and will take 6 to 9 months before it is published. There is a meeting next month (11/09) in California of the Sexual Medicine Society. Dr. Milam has a major presentation at that meeting on the AMS 700 LGX. Dr. Milam will send me a copy of the publication when it is printed and I have his permission to publish it on the peyronies society web site a yahoo implant group.

I also have kidney stones 3 on the left side and 2 on the right. I showed Dr. Milam the report from a CT I had the end of May. He said so long as I was not in pain the wait and see that my local doctor recommended is normal.

Dr. Milam and I discussed that when my local urologist did a bladder scope, after the ultra sound for kidney stones, that he said that with an implant I was limited with options if I had prostate problems. I had a couple of TURP’s about 12 years ago. Dr. Milam said that with the implant there was no problem with any prostate procedure with the implant.

Dr. Milam and his team do all kinds of penile surgery from surgical correction of penile curvature, penile implants, and artificial urinary sphincter to control incontinence, circumcision and lots more.

Before anyone asks, No you cannot gain additional length or girth with the implant above what you normally have. Any one that tells you their product or device will is selling “snake oil.”

Dr. Milam told me I did not need to make the trip back to Nashville any more but if I needed him just let him know. I will always be a patient of his and Vanderbilt.

JackP

An Addendum to Rich's Implant Story

2009-10-07T21:16:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers:
Back on June 8th 2009, I published Rich's story about his 2 piece AMS Ambicor implant surgery. Since then,Rich has had to have a testicle removed due to problems with blood supply being damaged from prior hernia surgery. He has written about his experiences having an orchiectomy and how he is doing now. Folks, here is the rest of the story.

Bob,

No problem to post. As you may recall I submitted a story about my implant and follow up photos so feel free to use as I think it may help others.

I did address my very uncomfortable testicle with my urologist for a year before my implant but he seemed to dismiss it and I was so glad to get the implant I didn't say anything. About 6 months after the implant I decided that I would go for an appointment and thank him for his help with my low T and for his helping me get the implant with his letter to the insurance company and gave him a gift certificate to a very nice restaurant.

I explained that I noticed pain after my first hernia procedure and more after my second a year later and it had not ceased since and was negatively affecting my life. He said to my: are you sure? I responded by saying that since it was atrophied and not working plus it hurt that I was absolutely sure about it.

The procedure did not require any pre-authorization and since I had met my deductible, $0 out of pocket. The cost to the insurance company was $2,200. It only took about 30 minutes. After I went home at noon I looked at the scrotum and there was still a lump where the testicle was and I was somewhat puzzled as I thought it would be completely gone. It seems he just took the insides out of the testicle and what remained was called a "grape" that would disappear. After 30 days it did start to disappear and now that it is 2 months today is has shrunk about 70%. I used our Jacuzzi every night before bed and that helped me sleep like a baby the first week after surgery but had very little discomfort anyway, actually less than before the procedure.

I don't miss the testicle at all and the empty scrotum is no problem. It is kind of nice as nothing is banging around during sex. Sex is enjoyable and I have a powerful orgasm and I cum the same as before. I do notice that the bottom of the pouch in my briefs is empty but my briefs are snug so its not a problem.

My testosterone injections were increased by 25% after so that is going well and have no problems. All in all a positive experience and a big relief from discomfort. My wife is happy that I am not in pain.

Thanks for this blog as it really helped me before, during and after my procedures. Rich

A Wounded Marines Story of Impotense and Penile Implant Surgery

2009-09-13T14:52:00.008-05:00

Dear Readers:
Since we have just celebrated the 8th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, The next story I want introduce you to is a story of courage, pain, recovery, and good news. This is the story of a young wounded marine's battle with impotence. This story is about a young couple that I met about a year and a half ago. I've changed their names to protect their privacy, but they wanted to tell their story.

Dear Bob:
I want to so much thank you for all of your help and encouragement. You saved our marriage and Debby is now expecting our first child. Debby and I got married right out of High School. We were High School sweet hearts and three weeks after graduation we were married. My dad had been a marine during Viet Nam and I wanted to follow in his footsteps ever since I can remember. I was deployed with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Force and saw action fighting in Ramadi. I was badly wounded by a rocket propelled grenade that exploded near me. One minute I was firing my weapon and the next minute everything went crazy. I remember blurs of people trying to tell me something, but my hearing was gone. They kept me pretty sedated until I got to Germany. There I learned that my left foot was gone and that I was partially paralyzed from the waist down due to a spinal cord injury. The doctors also removed a lot of junk out of my legs and back. I remember being so scared that I was going to be a cripple for the rest of my life. From Germany, I was sent to Walter Reed Army Hospital. I asked them, what is a Marine doing in an Army Hospital? Well, I had lots of company. Debby, her mom, her sister, along with my mom and dad all flew from St Louis to see me. A lot of tears hit the floor at that reunion, but God was I so happy to see all of them, especially Debby. I just wanted to hold her forever and never let go. I spent six and a half months at Walter Reed recuperating from my wounds. I had nine more surgeries and hours and hours of really painful physical therapy. I hear about how some people in this country are upset that we may have tortured somebody to get information out of them to save American lives. Whatever pain they suffered was nothing compared to the pain of the men and women wounded fighting those $%#%$#$%#%@. You can make up your own descriptions if you want. I was finally sent home to finish up my physical therapy and treatments at a VA Hospital near my home. I tried to make love to Debby. The nerve damage robbed me of the ability to have an erection forever. I tried Viagra and Cialis, but hated the sinus headaches and the erections weren’t very good. Vacuum erection sucked and shots, one shot cured me of ever wanting another one. At this point, I was so depressed, I just wanted to go off somewhere and die. I wasn’t a man anymore. I was also picking fights with Debby because I was so depressed. I have a prosthesis foot and walk with a cane. Debby decided to go back to college and get her nursing degree. I just stayed home depressed every day and watched my marriage beginning to fall apart. The doctors were no help because I just didn’t want to listen to anyone anymore. I was totally fed up with life.

Debby takes over at this point.
As Steve has told you, I had gone back to school to become a nurse and we had a unit on Sexuality and part of it was on male impotence. I read that a guy can have an erection by having a penile implant inserted in his penis. At this point I wanted to know more, so I hit the library hard and then went on the internet and looked up penile implants. I found Bob’s blog and started reading and reading. I thought about it for several days and finally got up the courage to call Bob. I was so nervous, but he was so easy to talk to and made me feel so at ease. Before I knew it, we had talked for almost an hour. Bob lives about 70 miles from us and he agreed to talk to Steve and I and we made a date to meet for dinner one evening. Steve wasn’t sure he was ready to talk with somebody he didn’t know about not being able to get it up, his words, and especially not with a guy he had never met before. But after much arm twisting by me, Steve agreed to meet Bob. Because Bob has been there, he was able to put Steve at ease. By the end of dinner, Steve was certainly interested in possibly exploring more about implant surgery. But he still was a little apprehensive. Then Bob said the kicker that gave him the courage to consider surgery. He told Steve, close your eyes and picture the first time you made love to Debby. Picture being able to repeat that moment tonight. You squeeze a soft rubber bulb in your scrotum and your penis is standing straight out, hard enough to pound nails. Debby is expectant on you making love to her and and with your new implant you have the perfect erection. You can make love all night long to her. You can have an orgasm that feels normal and afterwards you can keep on making love to Debby without losing your erection. That did it. Steve agreed to sit down and talk to a urologist who did implants. What he learned helped to convince him that this was his best option to fix his impotence. When he asked me what I thought, I had the world’s biggest grin on my face. Oh baby, I can’t wait to drag you into the bedroom and ravage your ass. Steve had the surgery about a year ago and the six week wait before he could pump it up was a daily agony for both of us. Steve reserved a really nice suite at a hotel, and after he got the okay from his surgeon, off we went to the hotel. The really sexy negligee that I bought for our weekend never made it out of the suitcase. It took a couple months, but I’m expecting a baby around Thanksgiving and Steve is so proud and happy now. He’s a new man and I feel like a new woman. Steve also started college this fall and we both are so happy that we just had to let others know our story. Don’t throw your marriage away if you find yourself unable to perform. Steve is all the man I could ever ask for now. He can perform anytime, anywhere,and at a moment’s notice he can make love to me. I really am grateful to Bob for saving our marriage and for the help he extended to Steve and I. He was so kind and thoughtful with us and answered our questions without making us feel embarrassed. He just wants to help people like us. Thank you for letting us tell our story.

Two Years with my Penile Implant

2009-06-08T14:51:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers:
May 30th was my 2 year anniversary of my Penile Implant and I thought I would voice my thoughts for you. My implant is an unqualified success and it has become one of my best decisions that I have ever made in my life. When I made my decision two years ago, it was after many weeks of serious research. Like all of you, I realized that I was traveling down a road with no turning back. Because their is such a lack of searchable testimonials from guys like me who have actually had this surgery, I decided to write this blog for the many men who would be following in my footsteps. Never in my wildest imaginations would I have guessed that I would soon be contacted by thousands of men and their partner's from around the world with so many questions to answer. In addition, I had to count up the number of men who have joined me on this blog, 14 guys who joined me in discussing their experiences after undergoing Penile Implant surgery. So there is a wealth of experiences on this blog if you want to hear about other men's experiences following Pnile Implant Surgery. In addition, I have talked to thousands of men with erectile dysfunction, their wives, their girlfriends, and their boyfriends by email and by phone, from all over the world and at different times of the day and night and have enjoyed having dinner with several couples. I've even talked to a couple of doctors!!! Wow. I've also been privvy to many stories of real pain being suffered by many men from all over the world. That's an awsome responsibility that I take very seriously because I've walked in every one of those guys shoes and I understand what they are feeling. When those guys write me back and are able to tell me how awsome their sex life is after they had surgery, its an incredible feeling for me and has made all the hours spent on this blog seem very worth while. My next task is to compile all of the emails that I've received and somehow write a Frequently Asked Questions page. Just grouping the different questions will be a large task. There is one question that I will answer first. Would I, knowing what I know now, have this surgery. Not only yes, but that 13 years of shots and pills that I took would never have happened. To all the readers on this blog, I'll talk to you any time and answer any questions you have. If you don't feel comfortable asking, put your wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend or whomever you want to make love to, but can't because of ED, and we'll talk about what's available for you to change that sad state of your life. We'll change that soft part of your anatomy that has let you down so many times into something hard, erect, and brings back to you a level of confidence and pride as a sexual man that you have always been.
So take care of yourself out there.
Bob
bbacon15@yahoo.com
1-573-808-2962

Rich and the Two Piece Ambicor Penile Implant

2009-06-05T22:41:00.008-05:00

Dear Readers:

The above photos were submitted by a gentleman by the name of Rich. Rich elected to have the 2 piece AMS Ambicor Penile Implant. Rich also included his story and you can read it below.

Hello

I finally got around to taking those photos. First shot (Bottom) is erect and second shot (Middle) is flacid. Top shot is flacid in my briefs. As you can see, I'm not one of the big boys anymore, but still at 4 inches, I can still get the job done.

As you may recall, I wrote before I had my first experience using my 2 piece Ambicor implant with my wife. I was nervous to be honest and it had been almost 14 weeks, so I had a big load built up, and I was ready and so was my wife. We played around for awhile and as she was stroking me. I pumped it up and she liked it. I am shorter in length and much smaller girth than before, but she likes that to. She is built very small and it used to hurt her when we had sex before because of my penis size. Everything fit nice and she had no discomfort and neither did I so we had great sex and both had satisfying orgasms. Glad I don't have to do the injections anymore and I can be spontaneous and have sex when desired.

She did coment that the tip of the penis seemed cold and says it feels different when she gives me a bj, but it feels great to me. Been 4 months now and all is well. I would have the implant again without a second thought. One benefit of the 2 piece implant is that it looks bigger when soft in my pants and my briefs and that isn't all bad

Jack P, The Rest of my Story

2009-02-28T16:27:00.000-06:00

The Rest Of My Story

Posted on Implant Group 8/13/08
9/28/08
As most of you know I was scheduled for my implant at Vanderbilt fortomorrow.7/27/08 I was eating lunch at the local O'Charleys and cut a bit largerthan usual piece of prime rib. With all going on with family andfriends I swallowed before I was ready.The meat stuck in my esophagus just before entering my stomach. Wenthome and tried everything I knew to get it to go one way or another. NOLUCK.2:00 in the morning my wife took me to the local ER. They tried twiceto get it out. The second try they put me to sleep. Woke up and stillthere.They transferred me to the main hospital in Memphis and brought in aSurgeon.Tuesday about noon they put me to sleep again and tried with a rigidscope. No Luck. Seems that I am longer than normal, esophagus that is.They were so aggressive that the doctors collapsed a my left lung andput my heart into A-Fib. Woke up in recovery with a doctor cutting inmy side to put in a tube, "called him a couple of bad words." Then theybrought in a heart doctor.Two day of hell in the room with at least six (6) IV's. Then onThursday afternoon back to surgery. The Dr. marked my chest thatmorning just in case they had to go after it. This time it went throughwhen they put the tube down. Back to hospital room NPO with a stomachpump. I was on ice chips until Monday morning. Liquid diet, did notknow so little would make you feel full.Saturday morning (I think) wife and I had a Come to Jesus meeting with all the Doctors. On what to expect.Tuesday afternoon the surgeon and then the heart Dr released me to gohome. While in the hospital I asked about the implant surgery and theysaid postpone it for a couple of months. Had a long talk with heartdoctor before leaving the hospital and he assured me that in a coupleof months I could get the implant but first I had to get the A-Fibfixed.Went to heart doctor today and the A-fib is much better. Wants me towait a couple of weeks and if the meds do not fix the A-fib they willshock it back.I've lost 15 pounds. When I came home the next morning I looked in themirror and did not see myself. What A Shock.With heart doctors blessing I have rescheduled the pre op at Vanderbiltto October 24 and the implant to October 30. I WANT MYSELF BACK BY THEEND OF THE YEAR!If it has not been one obstacle it has been another but come "Hell orHigh Water" I am going to get the implant.

8/21/08 Epilog: Went to Dr. Shirwany’s for my pre op before the cardiac conversion. Nurse checked my blood and that was fine. Went to the exam room and took my BP she said I hear a normal heart beat. She went and got the EKG and sure enough my heart was back to normal rhythm.
Dr. Shirwany came in and was almost as happy as my wife and I about not having to do the Cardiac Conversion.
For the arrhythmia in the hospital they added Cartia, a calcium channel blocker and Amodarone to the BP meds I was already taking, Ramipil, and ACE inhibitor and spironolactone are my normal BP meds and have controlled my BP well. I told Dr. Shirwany that in my past calcium channel blocker caused me lots of problems and fatigue and not sleeping were the worst. I asked if I could get off the new meds because of the side effects. He said that for now I needed these but he would cut the dose in half. He also said that in mid November after the implant I would ware a monitor for few days and then reevaluate the meds.
I signed a release so he could get the records of my last cardiac cath 7/07 and other history from my previous heart doctor.
He said after he received these records he would mail me a cardiac release for the implant surgery.
In the hospital the surgeons almost killed me. If it had not been for Dr. Shirwany I don’t think I would have made it. IMHO

8/23/08
Went to Dr. Walzer for semi annual DRE and PSA. DRE was normal.

8/25/08 Dr. Walzer’s office called with results of PSA. Result was 1.1 that is normal. Asked her to send me a copy.

10/15/08 Phyllis with Dr. Milam’s office called and wanted to move the surgery up a week. Pre op is now scheduled for 10/22/08 and surgery for 10/23/08 @10:30. Will drive up to Nashville the 22nd and spend the night at.

10/16/08 received cardiac clearance from Dr. Shirwany and faxed it to Phyllis 615-343-9815.

10/22/08 Vanderbilt Pre Op.
Pre op went well, had all my paperwork in order and a cardiac clearance letter from Dr. Shirwany. EKG was normal and cleared for surgery the next day.

10/23/08 Vanderbilt Hospital – Penile Implant
Check in time was 10:30. Went to pre op holding room and had 2 antibiotic IV’s. Dr. Milam came in about 1:00 we talked and he said everything looked fine. A few minutes later one of his assistants came in and we talked for a while. I mentioned the previous surgery where the Dr. penetrated my urethra and he said he knew all about it. I believe that Dr. Milam and staff had a pre op meeting and knew my history well.
About 2:00 I was taken to surgery and Dr. Milam had a few words and then I was asleep.
Woke up about 3:30 in recovery and felt like I had to pee real badly. Had a Foley Catheter and nurse said everything went as planned and the wanting to pee was normal.
My wife had meeting with Dr. Milam after surgery and he told her everything was OK but I would be in pain for a while.
About 4 or 4:30 Dr. Milam came into the room and said everything went well and he thought I would be well pleased with the outcome. He said I would have some asymmetry because of the scar tissue from the previous attempt but I would hardly notice it.
The next morning about 5:30 the catheter was removed. Had a light breakfast urinated on my own and was on the way back to the hotel by 9:00. We arrived home about 2:00.

To say I am satisfied with the results to date would be an understatement. Just the look on my wife’s face when I got back to the room told me everything was OK. She has supported me all these years and I never saw her happier for me.

My testicles are black and blue, but that was expected. The pump is in front of my right testicle and I have to pull it down to the center every day. Dr.said it would be easier for me to get to there.

I have the AMS 700 LGX. If I am reading the paperwork right I will have an erection of about 12 CM (4.7 inches). If I get a 20% increase over time I will be within ¾ inch of my pre peyronies size. Right now I can tell the flaccid state is larger, no more turtle effect. This is more than I expected before surgery I would have guessed about a 4-inch length. I know size is not everything we have been dealing with peyronies about 13 years and learned length is not where it is with sex. You can adapt to most any size and still have fun.

A better than expected length is credited to the proper VED exercise given to me by Old Man of peyroniessocitey.org. That year of proper VED exercise gave me a better than expected outcome.

11/5/2008 Post Op with Todd Doran, Everything normal. Still sore. Pump is in place so I do not have to pull it down anymore. Advised to remove the strips on the incision the next time I shower (looks good after removal). No tub or hot tub for another 4 weeks. Lifting restriction of 15 pounds.

Had to wait in exam room for about 90 minutes. Nurse came in and said they were having a problem with an anther patient. Offered juice while I waited. Told the nurse wait would be ok I would appreciate it if I had a problem. Left home at 11:00 and back by 8:30 after stopping for dinner at Cracker Barrel.

12/04/08 Activation: I was at Vanderbilt at 8:30 this morning for my implant activation. Doran showed me where the relief button is and them activated the pump. He then had me pump it up. For the first time in years I had an erection that stood straight out and stayed on its own.
AMS that gave full instructions on how to use the implant gave me an “owners manual”. I was advised to pump up the implant 2 times a day for at lest 5 minutes until the next appointment in 3 months.
I was told to pump the implant up at least 3 rimes before trying to use it. I now know why the first few times you pump the implant it stings some for a while. When I arrived home I showed my wife the erection and let her feel of it. Feels just like an erect penis of a 20 year old. When we went to bed I pumped it up again. Lying on my back with my penis sticking straight up and hard gave me a feeling of being normal again.
The actual measured result in the office was 4.25 inches. I was informed that over the next 3 months to a year I should gain at least another ½ inch. This puts me closer to my pre peyronies of approximately 5.5 inches.
The VED was a “gods send” over the last years. After I found the proper exercise for peyronies I gained some size back. Lost about a quarter inch from VED to implant. My Venous Leakage, and Corporal Fibrosis was so bad that I had to use a very tight constriction ring that sometimes did not hold, but I don’t know what I would have done without it. I will give the VED a proper send off New Years in a Barn Fire.
Took me a long time to get here. In my time I would have had the implant years go. God’s time was now. It has been a difficult road but here I am happily lying on my back with a hard on that a 20 year old would envy. I have a “date” with my wife to put it to use tomorrow after noon. Can hardly wait.

12/5/08 Date with wife: All went well still soreness when I pump up the implant and it interferes with feelings. This will all heal with time. Learning curve with use but that is part of the fun,

I HAVE MY NEW TOY FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

1/5/09 One-month post activation. The implant is expanding into the head and have gained back some length. The last month has been a learning curve, tried to just not push it. Today when activated to full length there is no more soreness. Sex the last time was great.

There was still some soreness Christmas but New Years it was 98% gone. Feelings are returning. Great sex new years!!!

2/19/09 This afternoon I decided to take a nap. While lying there I pumpedup my implant. I kept pumping about 20 times after the bulb got hard.My girth got sore and a little soreness at the glans. Then I noticedthe best erection I have had scene the implant. Like my doctor saidit takes 3 month to a year to get the LGX to full size.I do not let the soreness keep me from using the implant. It is notthat bad. The first few weeks I was real sore, but that is the pricewe pay for success.

Rich's Story, 2 piece implant after hernia surgeries

2009-02-19T21:30:00.004-06:00

Dear Reader's:
I wish to add Rich's story to my blog for your education on penile implants. I feel really fortunate to be able to add all of these gentlemen's stories to my blogsite. In the past 20 months, I have been priveledged to be able to correspond with thousands of men, their partner's, and many doctors around the globe about this sexual surgery. I now have 20 months of experience with a penile implant and it has exceeded my expectation a hundred fold. My experience has been echoed by almost everyone that I have talked to who has gone ahead and had this surgery. I hope these many stories are of great help to you and your loving partner. So folks, here is Rich's story.

I hope my experience is helpful to others. Rich

My active life of mountain biking and a related biking accident caused me to lose a testicle. I had previously had two hernia operations with mesh so I have had 3 surgeries in the groin area. I am in good shape at 6’4” and 200 pounds. I am an active married guy, 57 years old.
I noticed after the hernia surgeries that my 8” of manhood began shrinking. I went to the dr. and he said that I had Peyronies Disease and that I had fibrosis in my penis and the 2 hernia surgeries combined would cause less blood to the penis and that would cause shrinkage. I also noticed that I didn't have morning erections and started having trouble maintaining an erection.
I had my testosterone checked and it was 390,, but I had extremely low free and bio available testosterone, so my md prescribed Androgel and it worked well with nice calmness to my overall personality, more confidence, more energy and yes morning erections returned even though they were not hard, at lease something was happening. I used that for about 6 months when I developed a rash and started to get injections that last 2 weeks.
My md prescribed Viagra to help with the E.D. and it gave me terrible headaches as did Cialis and Levitra. I then tried Muse which is a pellet that is inserted in the penis and while it worked great, my wife was allergic to it. I then was put on Caverject and it worked very well for about a year but I noticed that I was still shrinking and the fibrosis in my penis seemed to be getting worse. Over the next 6 months I was getting very sore after the injections for maybe a day or so and I decided to check with the md to see what other options I had. He said I was too young for an implant so I just went along with the injections and then after 6 months I asked him again, reminding him that I was 57 and he replied that he thought I was in my mid forties. He said that yes the implant would be my only other option as if I waited, that the penile shortening would continue and an implant would have to be smaller. He said to discuss this with my wife and let him know. My wife said if I wanted to do it, great, but don't go through it all just for her, as she was satisfied with me as a loving husband. I did decide to go ahead and fix the problem. My doctor recommended a 2 piece AMS Ambicor implant since I had the two hernia surgeries, he didn't want to go into the abdomen.
I had the operation and it was less painful than I thought. I missed one day of work and only took the pain medication For 3 days, then took my Tylenol. There was swelling and black and blue and it was uncomfortable sitting at my desk. The implant is about ½ full so it is a bit hard to hide in pants. So I still keep it in the up position like I did the first two weeks and wear briefs with no problem. I am glad that I had the implant as it is a short inconvenience for a long term solution. It cost $9,000 which insurance covered.
I am now at 4 weeks and all the swelling and black and blue are gone and my penis looks about the same except it is longer when flaccid and my wife says I look great in the shower and in my briefs. I could never wear boxers as my penis would be obvious . I will go soon to see when I can pump it up and see how all that goes. The appearance is very normal, but to the touch, it does feel mechanical. The bulb in my scrotum is no problem since I just have one testicle and had plenty of room for it.
The 2 piece implant placement did permanently damage the spongy erectile tissue on each side of the penis when dilation took place because with so much fibrous tissue they had to use several instruments to create a space for the implants. So while I have good feelings early each morning, I do not get any type of erection at all and I have no expectation for that to change, which is ok. All good so far. I will let you know how it goes when I get the ok to pump it up.

Vacuum Erection Devices to Treat Erectile Dysfunction

2008-12-03T20:38:00.004-06:00

Dear Readers:

I want to talk about Erectile Dysfunction and the most important self treatment for men with ED is the use of Vacuum Erection Devices. Guys, all of our lives, or most of our life, we experienced waking up with a nice firm erection. Most men don't even think about morning erections as we were just used to this happening without any impute from us. Morning erections were extremely important in the health of our penis. That morning erection exercised and expanded the spongy tissue in our corpora while delivering much needed oxygen to all parts of the male penis. Men who develop Erectile Dysfunction have either low hormone levels, poor circulation, or damaged nerves which effect the man's erection. Over a period of time, our erections become less and less firm and this begins a breakdown in our penis. Current research is beginning to show that just taking viagra or cialis when we want to have sexual intercourse is not fully addressing the problems that impotence is causing to our bodies. Many of you who travel to my blog are considering penile implant surgery. You want the best outcome possible. Guys, I have talked to a hundred or so men like myself who have experience the penile implant experience. I also worked in Histo-Pathology as a registered Histotechnologist for 17 years. I left due to severe carpel tunnel syndrome. A Histologist is someone who works in the part of laboratory medicine that deals with tissue diagnosis. Any time you have surgery and have a part of you removed, it goes to Histology for diagnosis. So I know my way around the human anatomy. Before you decide to have penile implant surgery, or if you just aren't sure right now, talk to your urologist and have him right you a prescription for a quality Vacuum Erection pump such as the models from OSBON. With a primary diagnosis of ED, the majority of insurance plans will cover the cost under Durable Medical Devices. I'm going to give you a small part of an article that appeared in UroToday.com. This article is of particular interest for men who have undergone a Radical Prostatectomy. You guys really need to heed this article. The location of this article is at: http://www.urotoday.com/42/browse_categories/prostate_cancer/vacuum_erection_devices_to_treat_erectile_dysfunction_and_early_penile_rehabilitation_following_radical_prostatectomy__abstract.html Vacuum erection devices (VED) are becoming first-line therapies for erectile dysfunction and preservation (rehabilitation) of erectile function following treatment for prostate cancer. Currently, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors have limited efficacy in elderly patients or patients with moderate to severe diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. Alternative therapies, such as VED, have emerged as a primary option for patients refractory to oral therapy. VED has also been successfully used in combination treatment with oral therapy and penile injections. More recently, there has been interest in the use of VED in early intervention protocols to encourage corporeal rehabilitation and prevention of post-radicalprostatectomy venoocclusive dysfunction. To read the rest of this copyrited article, please go to the above internet address.

Court's Penile Revision

2008-11-01T20:40:00.013-05:00

Results of first implant surgery performed by Dr Paul Perito, Coral Gables, Florida. Implant was apparently improperly sized resulting in buckleing of the erect penis. Not a happy situation.

After the new AMS implant. Properly sized, erect, and completely functional. This is how an implant should leave your penis when inflated. Folks, I can't begin to tell you how happy I am for Court and Beth. This is a close, loving couple who have been mistreated by a rushed surgery.

Looks pretty good, doesn't it.

Dear Bob,I don't know if you remember me or not, my Name is Courtney Hazelton and I used to post to your blog about a year or so ago with tales of woe about a botched implant that left me with a 3 1/2" erection, if you can call it that. The implanted rods only extended about 2/3 of what was left of my penis causing a hinging effect that made intercourse basically impossible for over a year. I was a Coloplast titan 3 piece done by a real cowboy of a surgeon down in Coral Gables, FL. His name was Paul Perito who prides himself in doing procedures in under 20 minutes and I was only one of 12 implants he did that morning. Repeated attempts to contact him for help with dealing with the unsatisfactory result only resulted in placating responses to be patient and just keep pulling and inflating and my length would return. I finally gave up and went into a deep depression listening to my beloved wife cry herself to sleep every night for months knowing that our sex life was over. Well, after about 8 months of not knowing where to turn I contacted AMS and they turned me onto a great surgeon down in Daytona Beach, Fl. Martin Dineen who works very closely with his ED specialist in developing a new, soon to be published protocol that incorporates the use of a vacuum pump device for a minimum of 2 months to bring the penis back to it's original length. Now this regimen only serves to re lengthen the penis and does not promise to give you back all I lost in the first surgery but greatly enhances the final outcome. This guy categorically stated that I was the worst case of misizeing he had ever seen and promised to bring me back substantially closer to what I had to begin with. Unfortunately we kind of had a falling out of sorts that resulted in his refusal to do the surgery because of insurance problems but I later found out that my case was a little beyond his comfort level. Don't get me wrong here, this guy has a great reputation but found it difficult to deal with me due to my emotional state and insurance problems so he did me the greatest favor by referring me to a Dr. Steven K Wilson out in Indio, CA who, through very thourough research turnes out to be the most highly respected and accomplished implant revision surgeon there is. He has been practicing for over 30 years and has implanted more devices than anybody else in the world. I went to him with all my pictures and showed him what I could accomplish with the vacuum device and he agreed to take my case and agreed to implant an AMS 700 EX (formerly known as the ULTREX). Best move I've made in my adult life. He gave me an implant that was almost 4cm longer than the implant Perito gave me. The new device is a little more difficult to operate than the Coloplast but the trade off is more than well worth it. I'm now almost 4 3/4" long and about 15% greater in girth. I have to inflate twice a day and use the vacuum device once a day but all that is worth it to have a more normal sex life than I've ever had in my life. If anyone is looking to have this procedure done, Wilson is THE go to guy. He is expensive as he doesn't take any insurance and you have to file your own claim and hope for the best from your insurance company but trust me when I say it is worth every penny. I'll include some pictures of before and after to show you what I mean. I would love it if you could post this to your blog, I can't figure out how to post, hence this email.

Kindest regards,Courtney Hazelton

April 2007 post

Dear Readers:I've been corresponding with Beth & Court and they wish to share their experiences. Court received his first implant, in 2007. His doctor was Doctor Paul Perito from Coral Gables, Florida. Dr Perito performs hundreds of implants annually and is a highly skilled surgeon who does a lot implant surgery. Beth and Court are a loving couple who feel that having a full sex life is an important part of their marriage. It is the way men and women can express their love to each other and give of themselves. They, like my wife and I, have suffered with Erectile Dysfunction for many many years. After all the other treatment for ED failed them and us, we, both couples looked to penile implant surgery as the finale solution to fix that all important sexual part of our lives. But as we've found, some doctors view the surgery with higher expectations than what the majority of patients are going to achieve in real life. What both couples hope to achieve is for you the reader to learn from us. We want you going into the decision with a realistic knowledge of what an implant can acomplish and what are its limitations. No ED treatment up to this point is a full proof solution. I was told that I would not lose any length from erections with the implant. In reality, I'm about a 1/2 inch short in length, but the circumference of my penis has gained at least a 1/4 inch in girth. In time as I use the implant, things may change. Am I satisfied with my present results. My answer would be an unqualifying yes. Just understand going in, your result might be diferent than what your doctor may optimistically tell you. But do keep an open mind.Regards to all and thank you Court and Beth for your candor and help. As I've said before. I would like this blog to be a learning resource that tells it like it is. Please send me your stories and be honest. No bragging allowed and no flaming other posters.Thanks allBob

From: Badnessneeds@yahoo.com [mailto:badnessneeds@yahoo.com] Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2007 4:59 PMTo: Bob BaconSubject: Re: How is your husbands progress
Dear Bob,I'd be honored if you chose to cobble together some of the things I've written and put it up on your blog. It needn't be anonymous, I am not ashamed or feel uncomfortable discussing this subject from ANY angle. I'll discuss any aspect of this from the physical, the emotional, the roller coaster ride for the last 17 years that lead us here. I consider my husband (and you) to be the bravest, most committed guys I know. I could not conceive of a life that didn't include feeling my husband inside me - there is no substitute for making love with the person you love most and like best in the world. Nothing I've written is off limits. I wish we'd taken some photos of Courtney during all this, but it just never occurred to me. Last night, after a warming and massage, then a tugging and a pump-up of the device, I can say that Courtney has, in the last month, regained 1/4 of an inch (I only let him measure every few weeks, so as to avoid yet another dick obsession). It's not all of what he lost, but by the same token, let's get real - the pills didn't work, I couldn't find a tri-mix formulation that worked for more that a few minutes so "the old Courtney" lives on only in my memory. I was never going to get that back, so I might as well get over it and get creative (like smallish cock rings worn behind the head). This is what we have now, and a quarter inch beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, wouldn't you agree?By the way, Courtney learned that "come hither" trick with the finger a few years ago, too. What's so hilarious is that when he hits it, even if I am in the middle of a sentence, I just stop talking like a doll who's string finally wound all the way back in. We now refer to it as "that place that makes me go quiet".As for creating a place for people to go for information - all the shit the doctors just can't seem to bring themselves to get honest about - if you hadn't started your blog, we would have. We can find a plethora of guys who have either had the surgery just recently or are scheduled to have it shortly. What we need to do is encourage a mentorship program - guys who've lived and loved with hydraulics who can help when one of the newbies wants to jump off a bridge because he's left with a lot less than he remembers it being.... So let's keep going - we need to be the voices of sanity, advice and reason in the year to follow - that's where the internet is sorely lacking in resources. So why not have it be a group like us? We're significantly better educated on the subject than most. Courtney and I will help you and Ann in any way we can.Beth
Bob Bacon <mailto:bbacon15@centurytel.net:Beth:
Thank you for the email and for your frankness and no it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s refreshing. Ann and I aren’t supposed to do today what we did, but she couldn’t stand looking at my erection and having had to do without for 5 weeks, I let her climb aboard. It was wonderful. She had a very nice orgasm, but I got just a little sore and decided not to push my luck. I understand perfectly what you are saying. Ann my wife, loves having me curl my finger and give her a come hither with my finger over her g spot while performing oral. It drives her wild. I love your inventiveness and as I was reading your letter, I was thinking along the same lines as you came up with. The studded cock ring was ingenious. I wish you and Court the very best. Making love is the glue that keeps the marriage strong. I’m about a half inch short of what I had, but I know now that with what I have left that I still can do the job so I’m just going to try and take it in stride. I do have a quarter inch of thickness that I didn’t have before. I do wish that my surgery had occurred a week earlier than it did. This resort would make any couple feel pretty frisky. And without the kids around, no interruptions, it’s perfect. The weather is perfect and we’re going to watch the fireworks from our boat tonight. Coming down here, we got to within 20 minutes of the resort and the boat started feeling really different. I couldn’t stop as I was stuck in traffic in a hard poring rain. When we got to the resort, I checked my trailer and the right tire was completely worn out and all of the tread was gone. I’m glad it didn’t happen to me at 70 mph. It would be a lousy way to start a vacation after destroying a boat. One of the bearings disinagrated into little pieces inside the hub. I’ve got a new hub and bearings kit being Fed Ex’ed to me for two day delivery. We have met some really nice people here at the resort. Normally we come here over Labor Day weekend. But now my wife and I think we’re going to come down here 4th of July week as well. Friends of mine who retired to Florida keep wanting my wife and I to join them when we retire. That’s going to be quite a few years from now. We’re still kids. At least I still think so. Keep up working with Court, and he should be back to normal in no time. Like you said, I followed the same regimen that you folks followed. There’s a reason for nightly erections in men and it has to do with oxygenation of the tissues as well as keeping the tissue stretched out. One of the things I learned after I became a juvenile diabetic was to get ambitious, and really take good care of myself. Watching what I eat, exercise and monitoring my blood sugars closely. Even though I have kept good care of myself, the diabetes over time nicks you a little at a time. This implant is going to allow me to continue loving my best friend. Court is truly blessed with having you as his wife Beth. If you ever want to contribute anonymously and tell your story on the blog I’m keeping, I would appreciate it. I’m trying to help other couple learn from my experiences as well as from other men if I can. The doctors don’t tell the whole story. If I can obtain enough stories, I’d like to incorporate it into a web site of truthful information for men and their partner’s looking into penile implants, so that they can make an informed decision. Have a happy 4th of July.
RegardsBob

From: Badnessneeds@yahoo.com [mailto:badnessneeds@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 2:29 PMTo: Bob BaconSubject: Re: How is your husbands progress
Dear Bob,Yeah, our surgeon told us the same thing, that we shouldn't lose any length because whether it was only 3 minutes from a shot of tri-mix or using the vacuum pump, I never let Courtney go more than a few days without an erection, no matter how brief. He was 5 inches to start - perfect for me. Courtney had testicular seminoma (it left a perfect place to put the pump!). It's not just the loss of length - that really is not the issue for me. A couple of years ago, I started becoming more interested in developing the sensitivity of my g-spot. I'd had occasional instances of mind-blowing orgasms and it took me a little while to put A with B. After that, I bought a few books on the subject, and started (with Courtney's blessing and assistance) to develop better control, to learn to "listen" to just the signals my g-spot was sending and how to use my muscles to bring my g-spot more into play during intercourse. It didn't take long to realize the coronal ring of the glans penis was the lynchpin to involving my g-spot. So for me, I wasn't solely upset by the loss of that inch - I was devastated at the loss of the engorgement of the glans. Since you mentioned that you and you wife had played around a bit, I'm sure you also know that above the ring of opening muscles, the tissues of the vagina do not perceive stimulation the same way as do the skin on your arm, or the tip of your nose. It's very difficult to describe, but pressure seems to be the most important stimulus. So when I would squeeze my muscles to bring Courtney's glans into hard contact with my g-spot, nothing happened. I could squeeze him and feel absolutely nothing up there. I felt him perfectly but only at the opening ring of muscles. I was devastated. I didn't know if I could go back to an orgasm that relied solely on my clitoris again, after everything Courtney and I had worked so diligently to learn about those bundles of nerves I'd recently discovered.Day before yesterday, I came up with an idea on my way home from work and I text messaged Court and asked him what he thought and he (of course) said "Do it!" I stopped by an adult shop near our home and looked at all the different cock rings. I knew that I didn't want to use a cock ring at the base of his penis, but I found one company that makes very stretchy silicone rings with small balls embedded in them and one of them was small enough to fit just behind the glans penis. Filled with trepidation, we gave it a try. It was just enough to scrape my g-spot and was the right size that not only did it not move or come off, it did not prevent Courtney from ejaculating. So at least for the nonce, we may have found a solution to helping me "feel" my husband deep inside me again.We have decided that we will continue our regimen until at least this autumn: we have a buckwheat neck ring that can be heated in the microwave, so we start with 10 minutes of warmth, then I massage the whole area, including perineum using both lotioned hands and a Hitachi-style massage wand for about 10-15 minutes. I follow that with hot wet compresses, mopping up the excess lotion, dry him off and while I re-heat his buckwheat ring, Courtney does his tugging exercises. He says they seem to be much more effective now that he's changed his style a bit. He makes sure he has a good grasp on not just the skin, but the implant too, bringing it down as far into the penis as safely as possible.I know I got kind of graphic on all this - if that bothers you, I apologize in advance. But I can't possibly be the only woman on the planet to feel like this, to mourn this loss, to become very inventive in seeking solutions (and occasionally crying in my coffee).
Courtney has his surgery done by Paul Perito at Coral Gables Hospital– the man responsible for about 50% of the implants done in the US and the golden boy of Coloplast. He did not address the loss of length in advance, and for that I am angry – but because, like you, Courtney was sexually active right up until his surgery, he says we have ever reasonable expectation to regain the length that’s been lost. In my reading, I found one interesting thing – did you know that the European Union’s version of the AMA published a position paper stating that all penile implant recipients should be counseled extensively regarding the loss of length associated with receiving an implant? Interesting, huh?
Have a wonderful vacation – we’re just hangin’ around the shanty, watching movies and writing letters to friends, as I am doing now. Please give our best wishes to your wife.Beth (and Courtney – I read this to him before I hit the SEND button!)Beth Crosby & Courtney Hazelton
Bob Bacon <mailto:bbacon15@centurytel.net:
Beth &Court:I've been watching your posts and really feel your pain. To have your hopes demolished like you have is very difficult. I have been in contact withDan J and we've been corresponding back andforth. He to has lost several inches in length.Dan had a radical Prostatectomy last year and was rendered impotent as a result. I jumped my doctor about why where men who had a prostatectomy losing so much length with the implant. I understand about the loss in length that the prostate covers. Most prostates are like a large egg in shape and size, and the ureter passes through the prostate almost through the longest portion of the prostate. I worked 17 years in clinical pathology and I would receive the specimens from the operating room.weI would do a description of the specimen and then dissect the specimen for further study under the microscope after processing. So I asked my doctor if this was the reason for the loss and he told me no. He told me that doctors really don't know why one in three patients who have loss their prostate, experience significant loss in length. I told him about my blog and the Yahoo penile implants site and it seemed that people who had loss in length and were upset because no one had informed them exactly what to expect. That the doctors had toldthem to expect the best possible outcomes and just barely mentioned to them what the worst outcome would be. When I talked to him about what I should expect, he told me that I shouldn't expect to lose any length at all. That I may gain some length because I had been experiencing sexual relations up to my day of surgery. From what I have heard and read, just about everyone loses a little from the head of the penis because the head of the penis doesn't become engorged with blood,so that's at least a quarter to a half an inch of lose in length. I just started inflating my implant and I have gained a quarter inch in the girth but have lost almost a half inch in length. Dan has had significant loss of a couple inches.You folks have also lost significant length to the point of it having a significant effect on you both enjoying sexual relations. I really feel that my doctor would not have been up front with me either if I had lost my prostate and then opted for an implant. My doctor explained to me that they resect the bladder and reattach the bladder lower in the abdomen to regain the lost space where the prostate covered previously. After giving it much thought, I wonder if the internal organs don't push the bladder back up into the abdomen pulling back on the urethra and pulling the penis back into the body causing a lost of length that is in reality inside the man's body instead of outside. That is my best guestimate of the causer of Court's and Dan's lose of length. That lost length is somewhere. The penis doesn't just shortened or gain in length. It's fixed during puberty for the length a man will have forthe rest of his life. You and Court have something really special together just as my wife and I share. People have some really goofy ideas about what pleases a women. After a whole lot of study, the average length of a man's penis is 5.1inches. In playing around, my wife and I know that the depth of her vagina is 5 and a half inches deep. And yes, the vagina may stretch to accommodate something longer, each women is different just as we guys are different. When you both fit perfectly together, nothing can bebetter. Beth, did Court have his surgery at UniversityHospital in Iowa City? If not, you might want to set up an appointment there with a Urologist to see what options can be done for restoring Court's length. Like I said, Court's loss in length didn't disappear into thin air. It's hiding somewhere. I once applied there and was made an offer at the same time as the University ofMissouri and that was back when Iowa was being hit hard by the farm crisis and the state froze salaries across the board. I was given a tour ofthe hospital and it's an impressive hospital.. My wife and I are on vacation this week. We're just outside of Branson Missouri vacationing on Table Rock Lake and just enjoying each other. We're at the 5 week point in my recovery so we're just enjoying each other in other ways. Please stay in touch, and email Daniel at: (omitted) and you will find him to have a great outlook on life and very easy to correspond with.
Sincerely yours,Bob Baconmailto:BaconBbacon15@yahoo.com

Folks:

In August 2007, I introduced to you a gentlemen by the name of Court and his wife Beth. I copied his story at the bottom of this post. Court had implant surgery by Dr Perito in Coral Gables, Florida and had an awful result as a result. My opinion was that Dr Perito screwed up Court's surgery and mis-sized Court resulting in his losing over 20 % of his length. Dr Perito blew Court off and refused to help him. He implanted a Coloplast implant in Court. Folks, Court has contacted me and has had a new implant surgically implanted and the news looks much better than it did over a year ago. Please read Court's story because if you are a man who has a similae result like Court has, this story will give you hope. Folks, here is Court's story:

Dear Bob,
I don't know if you remember me or not, my Name is Courtney Hazelton and I used to post to your blog about a year or so ago with tales of woe about a botched implant that left me with a 3 1/2" erection, if you can call it that. The implanted rods only extended about 2/3 of what was left of my penis causing a hinging effect that made intercourse basically impossible for over a year. I was a Coloplast titan 3 piece done by a real cowboy of a surgeon down in Coral Gables, FL. His name was Paul Perito who prides himself in doing procedures in under 20 minutes and I was only one of 12 implants he did that morning. Repeated attempts to contact him for help with dealing with the unsatisfactory result only resulted in placating responses to be patient and just keep pulling and inflating and my length would return. I finally gave up and went into a deep depression listening to my beloved wife cry herself to sleep every night for months knowing that our sex life was over. Well, after about 8 months of not knowing where to turn I contacted AMS and they turned me onto a great surgeon down in Daytona Beach, Fl. Martin Dineen who works very closely with his ED specialist in developing a new, soon to be published protocol that incorporates the use of a vacuum pump device for a minimum of 2 months to bring the penis back to it's original length. Now this regimen only serves to re lengthen the penis and does not promise to give you back all I lost in the first surgery but greatly enhances the final outcome. This guy categorically stated that I was the worst case of misizeing he had ever seen and promised to bring me back substantially closer to what I had to begin with. Unfortunately we kind of had a falling out of sorts that resulted in his refusal to do the surgery because of insurance problems but I later found out that my case was a little beyond his comfort level. Don't get me wrong here, this guy has a great reputation but found it difficult to deal with me due to my emotional state and insurance problems so he did me the greatest favor by referring me to a Dr. Steven K Wilson out in Indio, CA who, through very thourough research turnes out to be the most highly respected and accomplished implant revision surgeon there is. He has been practicing for over 30 years and has implanted more devices than anybody else in the world. I went to him with all my pictures and showed him what I could accomplish with the vacuum device and he agreed to take my case and agreed to implant an AMS 700 EX (formerly known as the ULTREX). Best move I've made in my adult life. He gave me an implant that was almost 4cm longer than the implant Perito gave me. The new device is a little more difficult to operate than the Coloplast but the trade off is more than well worth it. I'm now almost 4 3/4" long and about 15% greater in girth. I have to inflate twice a day and use the vacuum device once a day but all that is worth it to have a more normal sex life than I've ever had in my life. If anyone is looking to have this procedure done, Wilson is THE go to guy. He is expensive as he doesn't take any insurance and you have to file your own claim and hope for the best from your insurance company but trust me when I say it is worth every penny. I'll include some pictures of before and after to show you what I mean. I would love it if you could post this to your blog, I can't figure out how to post, hence this email.

Kindest regards,
Courtney Hazelton

This is a message from Court H who had his implant procedure back in April 07. Court has his implant procedure performed by Dr Perito, a world renown implant surgeon who practices in Coral Gables, Florida. Dr Perito performs hundreds of implants a year. Court and his wife Beth have allowed me to include previous posts on my blog.

Well, it's been since April 26 th since I had my implant. My initial
reaction was not good. I was not prepared by my surgeon for the initial
loss of an inch of length and the loss of the rigidity of the glans. So,
effectively, I really lost an inch and a half of effective erectile tissue.
My initial reaction was great dismay at the loss of length and finding out
that the loss of the rigidity of the glans left my wife feeling like I
wasn't effectively making contact with the roof of her vagina and therefore
she couldn't feel me inside her anymore was depressing to say the least. I
sent several emails to my surgeon explaining the situation to him and he
assured me that, in time, some of my length would return did give me reason
for hope. He suggested daily genital massage, which my wife without fail,
performs nightly for about 10-15 minutes and a regimen of cycling the device
5-6 times a day, keeping the erection for about 2-3 minutes per cycle would
provide us with our maximum outcome. I have regained about a quarter of an
inch of length so some improvement has been seen. As far as the loss of
firmness of the glans is concerned, my wife came up with a fantastic idea.
We bought the smallest silicone beaded cock ring we could find and placing
it directly behind he ridge of the glans does give a little rigidity back to
the glans but most importantly gives back the sensation of ring of the glans
making contact with her G spot.
One thing I want to stress to anyone considering this procedure, discuss
with the surgeon who will be performing the procedure the potential loss of
length and have them perform a stretch test to see what you are actually
able to achieve. I have been in contact on other forums with others who
have had this procedure for a variety of reasons, prostatectomy, extreme
vascular degeneration and severe diabetes among other reasons and the
majority of them were not prepared adequately by their surgeons for the loss
of length and rigidity of the glans. Some have reported getting goodly
amounts of their length back, some have not. I'm not trying to pour cold
water on anyone considering this procedure I just want each of you who are
considering this procedure to make as informed a decision as possible.
My wife and I are learning how to make love to each other, to a degree, all
over again and we are having success and I do see a bright future ahead so
it was worth it even with the initial shocks and adjustments. I hope I have
made a positive contribution to this board and will continue to post as time
goes on.
Best wishes to all of you,
Court182

Peyronies, Perforation, and Determination

2008-07-27T12:23:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers:

This next gentlemen that I would like to introduce to you is Jack, Jack has been through a lot to resotore his sexuality with his loving wife. More than most of us could imagine. Jack has been battleing Peyronies Desease within his penis. For those of you who are not familiar with Peyronies, its scar tissue formation within the corpora of a man's penis. It destroys the interworking of the penis to become engorged with blood. During Jack's first implant surgery, his surgeon, in trying to push a channel through his corpora spongeosum, perforated through his urethra. This surgeon had the good sense to stop the implant surgery. In between the 1st implant surgery and the second upcoming implant surgery, Jack undersent back surgery. Jack in the meantime, researched urological surgeons and surgical centers for a doctor who could complete this more difficult implant surgery. Jack is now ready to try again to have implant surgery. Here is Jacks story. Jack plans to add more of his experiences as they occur.

Vanderbilt 7.25.08

7/25/08 Vanderbilt Hospital, Nashville TN a 3.5 hour drive from home. Driving instructions put me right in the hospital. Checked in at the Urology Center was greeted promptly and finished filling out paper work.
In the exam room I met Todd Doran PA-C for Dr. Douglas Milam. We went over my history and he answered most of my questions before I could ask. He explained that they use the AMS 700 LGX and use the pubical approach. He did an exam of my penis and said everything looked good for surgery.
After the exam by Doran Dr. Milam came in and introduced himself. We talked about my history and what to expect and not to expect from the implant. I asked about the other models of the AMS 700 and he said they only use the AMS 700 LGX and are in the process of publishing a paper next year to get all doctors using the LGX. He explained that the surgery was 75 minutes and I would only be in the hospital over night.
Dr. Milam did a stretch test on my penis and showed me how much erection I would have. He explained that because of the Peronies Scar the penis would only stretch so far. I estimate I will end up with approximately 4 inches and normal girth. This is down from the 5.5 inches before Peronies. I told Dr. Milam that so long as I have a useable erection that is OK. He wanted me to know what to expect and that would be all I could get back. (Note: My wife and I already knew that I could not gain back the size before Peronies. She explained to me that women are more interested in girth than length and that most of the feeling during sex come from girth.). Dr. Milam also said to continue daily use of the VED for exercise and that it would help the outcome, but to be careful not to hurt or bruise my penis and to stop the day before surgery.
Dr. Milam explained that I would see Todd Doran PA-C most of the time but he would do the actual surgery and would be available if needed. Post op will be in two weeks 8/27/08 with Doran and again in six weeks. No sex for six weeks until Doran teaches me how to use the implant. The final Post Op will be with Dr. Milam in 3 months.
Dr. Milam said he had never punctured a urethra and had seen only one other. He assured me that he would take all precautions to make sure the urethra was not punctured and I would have a successful outcome. He said the only complication he could think of was if they could not get a Foley Catheter in because of the previous urethra puncture. I told Dr. Milam I had a catheter with back surgery in January and he said everything should be fine.
After the exam with Dr. Milam I had to empty my bladder for a bladder scan and then to the Nurses office to schedule my appointments and get pre op and post op instructions. Then down to the lab for blood work and anesthesia work up.
I arrived at the parking garage at 12:45 and was on my way home before 4:30. Wait time was a minimum from other experiences and the staff was all professional and I was generally impressed that these people know what they are doing and how to do it.

Dan's Story From Baltimore

2008-06-20T22:59:00.005-05:00

Dear Readers

I'd like to introduce to you, a gentleman who hails from Baltimore and has generously submitted his story to share with everyone who reads this blog site. This guys name is Dan, and Dan is like many men who find this site. He was looking for answers to help with his decision of whether to have or not have penile implant surgery. Obviously, he opted for surgery and would like to tell you about his experiences. Folks here is Dan.

Hello Bob -

After reading your blog for about a year I finally decided to take the plunge. I'd like to share my experience if you think others might benefit. I have read alt.support.impotence for several years, but never found much information there that was helpful to me. If you want to use my story, please sign it "Dan from Baltimore" and omit my email address - I prefer to remain anonymous in these days of instant publicity via Internet.

I'm 64 and diabetic. I had a stroke 13 years ago, and my adventures with ED began shortly thereafter. I had satisfactory results with Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra for several years, but about five years ago they began to lose effect and I sought other solutions. I also developed a fairly severe case of Peyronie's about that time as well, and the combination of existing ED and Peyronies put an end to my sex life. We tried injections (Caverject, trimix) but they provided no effect at all; we also tried the pump, but I didn't like it much and my wife HATED it. She said that if that's the best we can do we might as well just give it up.

I was well aware of implant therapy all along, but the thought of surgery was daunting and the fact there is no turning back was frightening. That said, I missed intimacy so much that I finally decided to look into an implant. I got a referral from my PCP to Dr. Andrew Kramer at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He came highly recommended and has performed over a thousand implants. This is not the sort of thing you would want a beginner doing!

During the weeks leading up to my surgery I changed my mind about a dozen times, but in the end I took a deep breath, got in the car with my wife, and drove to UMMC. I was calmer about the procedure after I got there than I had been during any of the preceding days. We went to the Ambulatory Surgery Center where I was efficiently signed in. Before long I was wheeled into the operating room, and a short time later I woke up in recovery. Recovery from general anesthesia was not pleasant, but at least I didn't suffer any significant nausea. I was kept overnight and administered large doses of antibiotics. Between nurse visits and a neighbor in the next room who was flushing a very loud toilet literally every 15 minutes, I didn't get much sleep, but did not suffer too much discomfort - just some generalized aching in the pelvic region. The catheter was extremely annoying, however, and I was relieved to have it removed the next morning, when I was released.

So far, I have a fair amount of discomfort but am managing the best I can with Tylenol. Most of the stronger stuff makes me sick, and I'd much rather have a little pain than a lot of nausea. The catheter traumatized my urethra, so urinating is a little uncomfortable, but it's slowly getting better. I cannot sit in a chair, but have found that I can get fairly comfortable in my recliner - getting in and out is painful, but once settled I'm doing ok. I'm using an ice bag to cool the area, which is also helpful.

I developed a swelling on day two on the underside of my penis, near the head. I called the doctor, who believes it is a normal consequence of trauma, probably of no concern, and should clear up in a few days.

I have a follow-up appointment with my doc in two weeks, and we'll see how I'm doing then.

If you like, I'll send a couple of follow-up posts over the next month or so.

Your blog was key in my decision to go ahead with surgery - thanks for putting it up!

Cheers
"Dan from Baltimore"

Dan from Baltimore: Report from Week 2

My surgery was on June 11; today is June 26 and here's where I am now.

The past two weeks have been a blur of constant discomfort and not much sleep, but with gradual improvement daily. My airway remained irritated from the breathing tube for about 5 days, and then returned to normal. Urination remained painful for about the same period due to the catheter, but it returned to normal after a few days

I have not been able to get comfortable in bed, so have been sleeping and spending a lot of down time in my recliner, which allows me to distribute my weight away from the groin area, and also to keep an ice pack in place easily.

I also cannot drive comfortably, nor can I sit at a desk, so I have not been working. Because I don't tolerate narcotics and other strong pain killers very well I have been using 1000 mg Tylenol every 4-6 hours, plus an ice bag at every possible opportunity. I have taken off two weeks from work to recover - I plan to return on June 30 if I continue to heal at the current rate.

After 15 days the swelling is gone, and I experienced no bruising at all. I am more mobile: standing and walking are slightly painful, and sitting is still difficult, but all of this is getting better.

My doc left the implant inflated to about half-mast at the time of surgery, and I will be seeing him next week. The semi-erection is somewhat uncomfortable - bending my penis is a little painful, but as far as I can tell my sensitivity is no different than before the surgery. I am waiting to see what arousal is like with a mechanical rather than organic erection. Others tell me it is no different, but I'll have to see that to believe it.

As far as I can tell, I didn't lose much if any length as a result of the operation (a good thing, since I didn't have that much to work with in the first place), and the girth is a little greater. Time will tell...

My urologist elected to use the Coloplast (Mentor) 3-piece Titan implant. He has done hundreds of AMS and hundreds of Coloplast and believes Coloplast has a slight edge in material quality and pump reliability, but gave me the option of whichever I preferred. I deferred to his judgment, since my experience with these is precisely zero units, compared with his 1,000 +.

I remain optimistic - or at least hopeful - that, once healed, this all will have been worth the pain. Even so, I have had a few "what have I done?" moments.

Bottom line: expect a couple of weeks' healing time, with ups and downs along the way.

I will report back in a few more weeks when I am finally healed and able to embark on my shakedown cruise.

Cheers
Dan from Baltimore

Dan from Baltimore - report from week 3

Yesterday (7/3/08) marked the end of my third week of healing and my first post-op visit with my surgeon. He was very pleased with my progress and predicted great results when I'm fully healed, which he estimates at about another 3 weeks. I have no bruising, and my swelling is nearly gone - still some edema around the pump, which is apparently not unusual. I still have some aching in the scrotum due to the pump, but am managing with Tylenol and ice. It's getting better by the day: I can now sit and drive fairly comfortably (but with some squirming around) and was able to return to work half time on 6/30. I will resume full time work on 7/7.

Three pieces of good news from the appointment: 1) my implant had been at half-mast since the surgery and was becoming quite sensitive from rubbing against clothing and sore due to stiffness - he fully deflated me and I have been MUCH more comfortable; 2) the surgery and implant have corrected my Peyronies completely - hardly a hint of a bend (I had a severe bend near the glans, which together with ED made penetration impossible); and 3) he believes I will be able to put my rebuilt equipment to use after my next appointment on 7/24, a date I have marked prominently on my calendar!

I will post again at the end of the month. Cheers to all.

Dan from Baltimore

7/26/08

I had an appointment with my surgeon on 7/24, which marked week 6 since my surgery. He examined everything thoroughly and declared me to be almost fully healed*. He said (hooray!) I should expect to see up to 1" increase in length over the next year, as well as increased girth, resulting from stretching of the implant. He demonstrated how to inflate and deflate the device and verified that I could do it myself. It's pretty easy, but the deflation valve is much stiffer and harder to operate than I would have thought. The doc says it will become easier over time.

*Almost fully healed: all of the internal workings (pump, cylinders, reservoir) are completely healed and entirely comfortable - I no longer even notice that they are there. However, the incision in my scrotum, while healed internally, is being very slow to close externally. The margins of the wound keep separating and the incision oozes fluid constantly - I'm wearing panty liners in my Jockey shorts. My surgeon says there is no sign of infection, and that the incision "should" heal normally "in a little more time." I keep the area clean and dry, and keep a close eye on things, but I see no progress from day to day. On the theory that the scrotum is quite unstable and that the incision is subject to a lot of stretching, motion, and stress during normal movement (especially sitting), my wife (a nurse) and I applied some Steri-strips this morning to see if stabilizing the area would help. Time will tell.

In any case, even though my implant is fully healed and ready for use, I can't proceed until the incision heals. I'll post again when that day finally comes. I'll include a couple of before and after photos showing near perfect correction of the Peyronie's.

Cheers to all

Dan

One Year Anniversary

2008-06-20T21:58:00.006-05:00

Dear Readers:
It's been some time since I last wrote on this blog and I appologize for going so long. I celebrated my one year anniversary on May 29th, or I should add that my wife and I celebrated my anniversary in a very fun way. One year already and has it gone by pretty quick. No regrets. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I appreciate the many thousands of you from all over the world who have reached my blog site. I have corresponded with approximately 12 to 13 hundred people from more than 40 countries around the world via email and many people over the phone this past year. I have talked to many doctors who now refer patients to this blog to read my story as well as the stories submitted by some very courageous and wonderful guys who have posted their stories and experiences to this blog. Many of these same guys have agreed to annonymously correspond by email with some of the men who have read this blog, and discuss further their experiences. Those who do post on this blog, I do promise to protect their annonymity and keep their confidence. I also try and be an active member of the Yahoo.com support board Penileimplant. I started this blog site to help those of you out there who are very frustrated with the current therapies used to treat erectile dysfunction. I wanted to share with other men what it's like to have penile implant surgery. I would tell you that my only regret is why did I wait as long as 13 years to have this done. My erections are hard enough to pound nails. They feel natural like a normal erection does. How can that be you ask? The cylinders replace spongy tissue inside two corpora cavernosa inside the male penis. What we feel when we have an erection is pressure on pleasureable nerves. With an implant, we guys can orgasm when we are ready and can stay hard and please our partners. Thats a big advantage in the bedroom. I also need to let everyone know that I have several new guys recovering or soon to have implant surgery who have indicated that they would like to add their experiences on this blog and I would welcome their additions. This blog is a labor of love and I appreciate my role in providing this blog as a site for those of you seeking answers from those of us who have gone before you. I've had many men thank me for this keeping this blog. They admit they never would have had the courage to undergo this surgery without what they learned from me and the guys who have shared their stories on this site.
Thanks again to everyone reading my blog.
Bob

Nel's Implant Story

2008-03-30T15:03:00.014-05:00

Nels sent this to me and gave me permission to add it to his story.

Good morning Bob,

I thought I would send you an update. It's been over nine weeks since my surgery and I am one happy camper. I am now totally comfortable and happy with my new, improved penis. My wife, a school teacher, was off last week for spring break and we found plenty of time to put the implant to good use. She and I are totally amazed at how natural and good it feels. Inflating is not anything that spoils the spontaneity. And it's great what it has done for my self confidence! I am more self confident in the sack than I have ever been, even when I was young. It's unbelievable what a cock that will never go soft until you want it to will do for your self esteem!

To any guys that are trying to make that very tough decision, I say "Do it now, don't waste all these good years!".

Nels

Hi All

Today I would like to introduce you to a new contributor to the Penile Implant blog. This gentlemen's name is Nel's and he to has had Juvenile Diabetes, Type 1 like yours truely for many years. Diabetes is one of the leading contributors for men to develop ED. As Nel's would also tell you, Type 1 Diabetes is a child's up to a young adults disease and can be very difficult to control and can cause ED to men in their 30's and 40's if they are not careful. So here is Nel's story about his experiences from having implant surgery along with some excellent pictures. Nel's, thank you for this very excellent contribution to this blog.

Nels’s Story
I am a 67 year old type 1 diabetic. I have been diabetic for43 years and have suffered from ED for the last 15 years. I have tried all of the usual therapies, including Caverject, Muse, trimix, bimix, Viagara, Cialis, Levitra and vacuum erection devices. The only reliable erections are from the vacuum devices, but these things are clumsy, uncomfortable, and far from spontaneous. I have finally reached the decision to proceed with a penile implant and am scheduled for surgery tomorrow, on Valentines Day. How fitting! I was able to reach this decision thanks to the wonderful information contained in Bob's blogsite. Without this, I don’t think I could have found the courage to proceed.

Since this blogsite has been so very important to me, I intend to document my experiences in text and pictures in order to help other men decide if this is for them. So here goes:

Pre Op Pictures
This is me flaccid before surgery Me again, erect (with vacuum device)
I will continue to post updates as my recovery and healing progresses.
Day of Surgery--Valentines Day 2008
I was admitted to the University of Rochester (NY) Surgical Center at 8:00 AM. After exams and consults with my doctor, Dr. Robert Davis, and various members of the medical team, I was wheeled into the operating room at 10:00 AM. An IV dose of Versed put me immediately at ease and the next thing I knew it was 1:30 PM and the operation and recovery room were behind me. I felt as if I had been kicked in the testicles by a very large horse, but pain meds administered through my IV soon calmed that down. A very capable and friendly nurse spent time giving my wife and I instructions prior to discharge. I was to be sent home with a catheter, which is a safety measure to insure that urine will flow the next day, so my wife was given detailed instructions on how to remove it. I was discharged and on my way home by 4:00 PM.

By supper time, I had a healthy appetite and enjoyed a delicious dinner of homemade chicken soup. My main discomfort was from the catheter, and two Percocet every four hours kept most of the pain at bay (better living through chemistry!). I rested easily and slept well, awaking about 4:00 AM for another dose of Percocet, as instructed.

Day Two
I awoke the next morning feeling fairly comfortable. The major discomfort was from the catheter, making my penis sore and making me feel as if I needed to pee. Of course my bladder was empty due to the catheter. I took two Percocet and waited about an hour for them to kick in, then had my wife remove the catheter. She did an excellent job and I only felt a little burning sensation during the removal. I immediately felt much better and able to move about more easily while not having to constantly carry the bag.

My pain and discomfort was much less than I expected. My penis is swollen somewhat and feels like a semi-erection and my testicles feel like two purple grapefruits, as Bob has described. They get sore and achy as I approach the time for my next dose of meds. I am now taking one Percocet every four hours instead of two. Overall I am glad the procedure is behind me and am anxiously looking forward to our six week “test drive”.

Day Three My swelling has increased, but is still bearable, thanks to the Percocet. Sitting is problematic, due to the size of my scrotum. Who ever said big balls were a good thing! An unexpected side effect has cropped up. My penis is quite swollen, causing the opening to my urethra to point in an unexpected direction, resulting in an unreliable direction of my urine flow. This can be very messy! An easy solution was to stand in front of the toilet using a urinal, which eliminated the errant flow, making my wife happy (but not as happy as she will be in six weeks!).

My pictures show an uneven swelling of my foreskin. This was a result of an earlier misplaced injection of Bimix, resulting in a swollen foreskin, but no erection. Instant foreskin restoration! This will return to a more normal look as my penis swelling goes down.
Day FiveAs my pictures show, things are slowly returning to normal. Sitting is still a problem. I find sitting forward on the edge of the chair is a partial solution, coupled with standing frequently to relieve the pressure on my testicles. My penis is less swollen, permitting me to pee without redecorating the bathroom walls. I have discontinued the use of narcotic pain killers. I am well on the way to recovery.
Day Eight
Today I had my first post-op doctor visit. He examined my genitals and found that all is healing nicely. Still some swelling, but he said that there will probably be some even at six weeks. He then pumped me up and deflated it. This hurt like hell because my testicles and scrotum are still very tender. Luckily I had the foresight to tack a Percocet prior to the visit. The pain subsided fairly quickly.
Two Weeks Post-Op
After two weeks, I am much more comfortable. The swelling has gone down a lot. Sitting is much easier, without the feeling that I am sitting right ion my testicles. My penis is les swollen and has a nice full felling due to the tubes inside. It will never shrink again on cold days, making it much more accessible when urinating. No more reaching inside my fly for a cold, shriveled penis! Due to the fullness, my wife tells me that I have a very nice “package”! My next doctor visit is at 5 weeks, when he will teach me how to inflate and deflate the implant. Then at week six, we can go for a “test drive”. I am so looking forward to this! As shown in the pictures, the stitches are almost dissolved.

4 Weeks Post-op
Four weeks and counting! At this point I am feeling almost back to normal. The swelling in my penis and scrotum has gone down considerably. My penis is still very firm to the touch due to the tubes (and probably always will be), but I no longer feel like I’m walking around with a perpetual hard-on. This firmness is rather pleasant and gives me a nice “package”! My testicles feel much more comfortable. I can sit without feeling that they are being squashed. The pump hangs low and I can feel it pressing from the inside of my scrotum, but its not uncomfortable. It is only visible if one looks closely. (My wife now calls me “ET, The Extra Testicle”!)

One problem that I have experienced was that with the penile swelling and tenderness, T found it difficult to expel the last few drops of urine after urinating. This made the wearing of underwear 24/7 a must. This no longer seems to be a problem.
Overall, I feel that the healing process has progressed quite well. I go back to the Doctor at week 5 for instruction and training on the operation of this thing. I can’t wait to see what it will look like hard. And after that, my much anticipated “test drive”.

6 Weeks Post-op
Flaccid at 6 Weeks Post-op

Erect at Week 6

I went back to my doctor at 5 weeks for a check up and instructions on inflating and deflating the implant. The healing process has come along very nicely. Inflating and deflating is no problem but the bulb on the pump is stiffer than I thought it would be. I have been pumping it up daily to aid in becoming more comfortable with it and find that the pump is getting easier to use. Deflating is no problem. The release valve is easy to locate and press.

Now for the great news. The doctor gave me the OK for intercourse. Naturally, we hurried home for that long awaited test drive. My erection, when fully pumped up, was nice and firm and at a ninety degree angle. My “angle of the dangle” hasn’t been that good since I was in my twenties! It felt very natural and once we started to make love, it made the surgery well worth while. Wow! We tried many positions and that first time lasted for almost an hour! Since then, we have loved the spontaneity that this provides. Sex is now enjoyable any time, anywhere we want. I only wish I had done this fifteen years ago. Penile implants are considered to be the last resort in treatment of ED. This means that all other methods should be tried first, but please don’t consider this to mean you should wait forever before making the decision to undergo surgery. I was told by a urologist ten years ago that an implant was the way to go, but waited until now to have it done. I should have listened back then!
As for loss of length, I measured 5 ¾ inches when pumped up hard using a vacuum erection device. My wife says that when pumped up that hard, it was actually too big and firm and was not a natural feeling erection. I am now 5 ½ inches when inflated and she is much more comfortable with this. As for me, I am very satisfied

Tom's Implant

2008-03-11T19:30:00.015-05:00

Day 10 Post Op Pictures from Tom K

Pictures show that bruising and swelling has gone

way down. Tom elected to have an AMS 700 LGX implant and instead of going through the scrotum, his doctor performed a Pubic Insertion.

Tom looks to be healing very nicely following implant surgery.

Tom K. Story Continued
Day 1 post surgery

I just got home from the hospital a few hours ago from getting my AMS LGX implanted. I'm pretty sore, but its not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm still a little loopy, so I can't write too much yet. Let me just say that everything seemed to go fine, except that when I woke up, I was in a lot of pain. Once I felt a little better, I reached down and noticed that I was wearing a supporter, and I had a catheter coming out of me, and it was glued and taped to my belly. With in two hours, I was sitting up some, and looking for some food! Later that night, my urologist told me that he had a hard time putting the tubes in, because I had scar tissue in my corpora's. By then, my pain was also under control due to the pain medications.

Day 2 post surgery.
Now down to what's going on. Last night was not a good night, I had to pee at least every 30 minutes all night. ! I couldn't point it down, so I had to lie on my side and pee into a jug they given me. Then the pain got a lot worse. My penis has swollen to the point where it almost looks like I've got a hard on. As of now, its gone down some, but its still sore.

Day 3 post surgery.
This is my third day now, and things are much better then yesterday. My pain level is much lower, and I'm able to sit up for a much longer time. I'm still black and blue on my sack, and my penis is still pretty swollen, but its improving. Its still hard to aim when I pee, but it sure beats having to use a bottle every time laying on my side! The swelling seems to be getting a little better due to using ice 24-7 since I got out of surgery.
Day's 4, 5, 6, and 7 post surgery.
On the forth day, my pain level increased quite a bit. I had to take more pain medicine then the day before, and the swelling has gone up a little. Most of the pain I'm feeling at this point is coming from my penis itself. It feels like it’s erect, and it’s harder to bend down to pee. One good thing is, my incision is healing up very well as can be seen in the day 3 and 10 pictures. Day seven started getting better again, and the swelling is dropping quickly, and so did the pain level.
Day's 8,9, and 10 post surgery.
On Day 8, I went and saw my urologist Doctor Kachel. He seemed very pleased to see how well I was healing, and that the swelling was way down! My pain level was very low, I didn't need anything for pain, and it felt much more normal to the touch. My hair is even starting to grow back, so it doesn't itch any more. I'm able to get out for short walks, and when I get back, there is still no pain. At this point, I have no regrets getting this surgery done.

Day 3

Tom plans on submitting additional photos later on in his surgical recovery. The first thing you take away from Tom when you talk with him is here is a guy who doesn't let obstacles stop him from living life to its fullest. Tom works as an advocate for the blind, and yet he lives life to the fullest and doesn't allow a handicap to stand in his way. He serves as a role model to every man who has struggled with ED. Are you being handicapped by ED in your life? Are you letting it control and frustrate your life? I have spoken with dozens of men all over the world that allow fear to stop them from taking steps to regain control over their own sexuality. Fear doesn't control Tom's life. Tom is a man who doesn't let the difficulties of ED stop him. How about you?

Another view, Day 3 Post Op

Frontal View Day 3 Postop

Tom has bruising occurring in his scrotal area

Day 3 Post Op with Pubic Incision

Frontal Shot taken a week prior to Tom's implant surgery

Dear Readers:

It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you Tom K who just underwent implant surgery a week ago and has agreed to share his story, his experiences, and pictures to those of you considering Penile Implant Surgery. Tom is also very unique to this blog site for Tom has been blind for many years now, yet he refuses to let blindness get in his way of enjoying life to it's fullest. Tom is also the first man to this site in that he is the first gentleman to experience a pubic insertion of his implant over the traditional scrotal insertion. There are advantages and disadvantages to both surgical methods. It is more a matter of surgical preference by the surgeon. Tom is at home recovering from his surgery this week and I have talked to him by phone on several occasions. I had hoped to have his story up last week, but was waylaid by walking pneumonia with a systemic staph infection thrown in. Taking three different antibiotics left yours truely looking for the license plate of the truck I got hit with. Pneumonia with diabetes is not a good combination. So with out any further ado, here is Tom's story. And as always, I am deeply indebted to all of the gentlemen who have contributed to this blog to make it the site that it has become.

Hi all, I'm a 48 year old man that's been having problems getting and keeping erections since I was in my twenties. I've tried many things to help, but one by one, they failed. I started with a V.E.D, but it hurt a lot when I put the tight ring around the base, so for quite a few years, I just had my wife go down on it, that would bring it up. Then I had to get it in her as fast as I could so I didn't lose it. Still, I'd lose it about half of the time. Then when viagra came out, I used it, but it was hit or miss. I even tried the other two pills, and it was the same problem. The next thing I tried was, Trimix injections. They worked great for a long time, but in the last six months, my whole penis would really hurt for as long as it was hard. I couldn't get into sex with that much pain, so I started looking into an implant. After a lot of research, I decided to go with the AMS 700 LGX. These photo's are of me right before I went into the hospital to have it done.

Tom K.

Joe's Story

2008-02-03T11:29:00.000-06:00

Dear Reader's:

One of this blog's reader's has submitted a copy of his story to add to the body of knowledge that this blog brings. With each story submitted, guys who have found their way to this blogsite, can obtain truthful information on whether to pursue a penile implant as a means of curing long term and difficult erectile dysfunction. The usual first line methods may or may not be working or just aren't satisfactory for you the reader. Penile Implants offer an amazing difference by producing natural feeling erections. Please take time to read each man's unique experience with penile implants. Here is Joe's Story.

I have read the entries submitted to date by othermembers. Because I believe that my experience adds to the information in a few significant ways, I am presuming to offer my story and a few comments:

In what ways are my experiences different?

1. I enjoyed the benefits of an inflatable implant for over 12 years between 1995 and 2007. The manufacturer offered a ten year warranty at the time of its insertion. At 81, I seem to be on the high end of contributors to this blog.

2. My HMO at first rejected my urologist'sprescription until I wrote and explained that the HMO guaranteed all benefits available to Medicare beneficiaries. The HMO reversed their original rejection. My urologist told me then that we made history because after that time, no more problems were experienced by his recommendations for implants to his patients.

3. After twelve years, I experienced a bladder infection and also perceived problems with the implant tubes pushing against the end of the glans. It had pierced the membrane between the stem and the glans and was extremely painful. My urologist signed me in for outpatient surgery to remove the implant. The device was found to still be working as designed, but we did not discuss any alternative to living with ED from now on. Yes, facing the consequence of no more erections has been difficult, but one does what one must.

4. Ancillary issues:

a. Original incontinence has continued; since it is manageable with pads inside jockey shorts, I lived with that.

b. Resultant impotence due to a prostatectomy also resulted in complete failure to raise an erection; after trying natural recovery (failed), drug injections (failed), and a pump (failed), I found a support group (Impotents Anonymous) and attended a number of meetings. Men brought their partners--wives or male partners--for well-directed discussions where everyone was comfortable discussing all sorts of issues. One man who had recently had an inflatable implant installed, brought his documentation and the cost ($15,000) of which he would have some of the expense due to the fact that he was a Medicare subscriber on a basic 80/20 sharing plus some items on the bill rejected by Medicare.

c. Use of the implant--my urologist gave me explicit directions and a first demonstration of the inflation to assure us that all worked as intended. My first surprise was that the tubes ended behind the glans and the glans remained soft and small. My penis when inflated was pretty close to its length before myprostatectomy. He told me that the implants came in various sizes for a proper fit to what nature had provided. Due to my research, I had no illusions about achieving an enlarged penis. I've never tried any of the devices or potions peddled to enlarge my penis, even though I've never met a man who did not agree that size matters. Most of us learned early in life to get the best with what we were endowed with.

d. Although I read an implicit acknowledgment in some of the previous blogs that most men live with the failure to ejaculate, I presume that in some instances ejaculation does happen (?) In my own instance, Ienjoy the secretion of precum but no ejaculate, since capacity to produce seminal matter is removed with the cancerous prostate. I have not thought about other causes of ED that might leave a man with the capability to ejaculate. Just the sensory benefits of climax were great enough for me. Some men are hung upon ejaculation, and though I can recall the sensation it provided (oh so long ago) I am working on what I have left now.

e. What I have left is a tiny piece of flaccid skin and a miniature penile survivor. Oh yes, I can with enough effort still generate a sensory climax.That is the extent of my capacity for sexual satisfaction related to the benefits of a firm tumescence and all the joys of its manipulation, insertion, etc. There are a lot of other erotic sensory resources open to me or any other ED challenged man, but they are beyond the scope of this blog, I would judge. My last advice to others is to be appreciative of all the information, help and support available now that was not available to me a little more than a decade ago. Explore the alternatives at least as exhaustively as you would the features of a new car and then decide objectively what your reasonable expectations should be and whether an implant 'is right for you'. No, it won't give your penis greater girth or length, and you'll never be the man you were in your 20's or 30's, but if you can settle for what is available, you may not be destined for the scrap heap just yet.Feel free to e-mail me if you have further questions.
Joe
joe69orforg@yahoo.com

GW's Implant Story and Pictures

2008-01-12T15:34:00.002-06:00

GWhad his surgery on January 7, 2008
Pictures were taken on January 10, 2008

Dear Readers

Let me introduce you to a new poster to my Penileimplant blog site. His name is GW and he is home recovering from recent implant surgery. W opted for implant surgery following removal of his prostate due to cancer in late 2006. Wjoins my distinguished group of men who have opted to change their sexual lives by having penile implant surgery to reverse persistant and severe erectile dysfunction. Those of us who have had implant surgery hope that by sharing our experiences, we can educate men and their partners worldwide, that persistant ED can be over come. We want men everywhere to know that we can continue to enjoy sexual intercourse the rest of their lives. This despite having medical conditions that have severely damaged the ability of their penis to become engorged with blood and to maintain a stiff erection long enouth to enjoy sexual intercourse. Folks, here is GW story in his own words:

Bob,

Thanks for writing back, and thanks again for your blog---it helped me a great deal.........

ED- mine was not too bad and was a problem starting aroung age 50, I am now 58. Viagra worked well enough and I didn't really worry about it too much.

In 2006 I developed prostate cancer. My prostate was removed (with robotic surgery) 11-1-06.......After surgery my ED was a real problem.....Viagra stopped working at all, I tried the pump but it did not work, I tried the shots but did not like them. I got to the point that I would rather not have sex if it required a shot..........

The decision was simple.....an implant or complete ED. After reading your blog I decided to go with the implant.....Your blog was the only information that I felt was trustworthy...........

The implant was done 1-7-08, the pictures were taken 1-10-08 (yesterday)......I am a little sore but it is not bad. All I am taking for pain is over the counter meds 2 or 3 times a day, and I could do without them. I am taking them mostly for the pain involved in deflating the tubes since they seem to auto inflate after a few hours.

I am still having a problem with incontinence but it is still improving gradually so I decided to wait and see what it does before having more extra parts installed........If I don't dry-up in the next 4-5 months I will have the male sling installed...........

I will be glad to answer any questions and will send more photos as things change and I am able to start using the implant........My doc said not to inflate it for four weeks............

Let me know what else I can do or answer to help with your blog.

GW

Jack's Story

2008-01-07T08:44:00.000-06:00

Dear Readers:

Once again, I am priveledged to share with you another man's story of his battle with ED and subsequent implant surgery. Jack brings a unique view as someone who first had a maleable penile implant implanted first. When it failed, he opted for a three piece Mentor Alpha 1 penile implant which he uses today. Jack has graciously offered his story to you the reader in the hope that all of you can gain knowledge from his candor. Jack tells it like it is, both what he likes and what he disliked of both devices. Jack now joins a distinguished group of men who have consented to telling their story on this blog. We who have implants know how difficult it is for men to decide if a penile implant is right for you. Jack has also supplied pictures of his genitals with the Mentor Alpha 1 implant. He also gives you measure ments listed in centimeter. To convert centimeters into inches, 2.5 centimeters equals one inch. Here is Jack's story:

Bob,
You have an awesome blog on a relevant topic for many men. The information you present is honest and heartfelt. It is informative and I can only wish it was available when I was doing my research before getting my implants. Thank you for your candor in sharing your story and photographs. After further consideration, I have decided to share some of my own personal experiences and opinions. Please feel free to post this information on your blog along with some of my photographs.

In the late 1990’s I suddenly realized that the quality of my erections had slowly declined to the point where I could no longer have intercourse with my wife. My penis looked hard, but it was not rigid enough for penetration. Needless to say I was surprised, shocked, and dismayed that I could no longer have sex. My self-confidence and self-esteem also took a blow. Something had to be done and I made an appointment with an urologist.

One of the first tests I did was a snap ring. Before I went to bed each night I would put the snap ring around my penis. During the night my nocturnal erections were supposed to “snap” the ring and break it. Unfortunately, they never did. The next tests I did included a urine flow test to check for prostrate problems (I think); an MRI of the brain to check for any pituitary gland problems; and a testosterone level check. No issues were found and I passed each test with flying colors.

My urologist gave me a prescription for a medical grade vacuum pump which I promptly purchased. I used the pump for awhile with mixed success. Pumping was stimulating, felt great, produced some the largest erections I ever had, and was completely natural. On the flip side the pumping process was slow and the constriction rings were very uncomfortable. Erections felt cold to the touch, were limited to 30 minutes, and the base of my penis acted like a swivel. Viagra help with my arousal, but not my erections.

I wanted something simpler and more spontaneous than the vacuum pump so I tried drug treatments. These included direct injections into my penis and Muse, which used catheter like device to place a small pill in my urethra. I did not like the drugs; the injections were painful, distracting, and did not solve my problem. And from what I have read lately, injections can apparently cause internal scarring.

Venous leakage caused by repeated straddle injuries probably caused my impotence. As a youth I used to jump bicycles. As an adult, I moved up to dirt bikes and four-wheelers. Consequently my groin area took a lot of abuse over the years and I can remember some painful injuries from landing on hard bars and seats. Blood still flowed into my penis and produced an erection, but it slowly leaked out. The result was tumescence without rigidity. I also think that there may have been some congenital issues too.

I was totally discouraged, dejected, frustrated, disgusted, and depressed! Everything I tried had failed and there were few options left. I considered vascular surgery and nixed it due to its low chance of success. I was getting desperate for a permanent solution and started to seriously consider a penile prosthesis. This was the late 1990’s and information was scarce. My research included meeting with my urologists, watching implant videos, and searching the internet for information.

My requirements were simple. I wanted something that gave me a rigid erection suitable for intercourse, was easy to use, simple to implant, reliable, and inexpensive. I chose the AMS 650 semi-rigid penile prosthesis and was implanted at age 35. The surgery was done on an outpatient basis with no complications and my wife drove me home from the hospital the very same day. I have two distinct impressions from that day. First, my penis was bandaged and looked like a hotdog in crescent roll. Second, it was almost impossible to urinate due to presence of the implants and swelling from surgery!

My next big (no pun intended) impression was the change in length x girth. My penis was now shorter and significantly thinner. I was prepared to lose some length, but the loss in girth truly shocked me and was completely unexpected. I lost at least 4.0 cm of length and 2.5 cm of girth. The loss in girth was especially noticeable the first time my wife and I had sex and I felt loose inside her. I could tell she noticed it too, but she never let on that she was unhappy.

AMS 650
What I liked
Spontaneous always ready to go
Rigid rock hard erection
Unlimited duration erection
Reliable

What I did not like
Permanent erection
No expansion in girth
Cylinders did not fill out penis
Difficult to conceal
Embarrassing at times

Seven years after I got my AMS 650, I noticed a clicking feeling on the right side. I went to my new urologist who examined me and determined that the right rod had indeed broken and needed to be replaced. I was more than a little surprised, but readily agreed to get it replaced ASAP. I immediately ruled out getting another semi-rigid device. My urologist and I reviewed the AMS 700 and Mentor Alpha I three-piece inflatable prosthesis (IPP) and he assured me that either one would give me an excellent result.

My requirements this time were increased girth, daily comfort, ease of concealment, and a reliable easy to use pump. I wanted a normal life with a natural erectile process. Please note that increased length was not a consideration. I chose the Mentor Alpha I and was implanted at age 43. The surgery was again done on an outpatient basis with no complications and my wife drove me home from the hospital the very same day. I remember my implant being partially inflated and my penis being by a special jock strap.

My second implant surgery again resulted in a change in length x girth. My penis is still smaller than my natural erection, but it is significantly thicker than my last implant. Although length is about the same, I was thrilled when I gained back 1.9 cm of girth. The gain in girth was especially noticeable the first time my wife and I had sex and I no longer felt loose inside her. My ego and self-confidence go a tremendous boost and my wife is happier too.

Mentor Alpha I
What I like
Daily comfort
Normal bio function and erectile process
Easy to conceal
Rigid erection suitable for intercourse
Cylinder expansion increases girth with some length
Unlimited duration erection
Reliable

What I do not like
No expansion in girth
Cylinders do not fill out penis
Increased chance of failure from moving parts
Limited product lifetime

I almost forgot to list my measurements. I measure length by pushing the ruler or tape all the way in until it stops at the pubic bone while I measure girth at mid-shaft.

Before surgery – natural age 21
Bone pressed length 19.0 cm
Visible length 19.0 cm
Mid-shaft girth 13.9 cm

First surgery – AMS 650 age 35
Bone pressed length 15.0 cm
Visible length 12.7 cm (need to lose weight)
Mid-shaft girth 11.4 cm

Second surgery – Mentor Alpha I age 43
Bone pressed length 15.4 cm
Visible length 12.7 cm
Mid-shaft girth 13.4 cm

Although I still get natural latent erections from time-to-time, I do not include them when I measure since they are atypical and uncontrollable. When they occur they tend to add more girth than length. I occasionally use a vacuum pump to help preserve my remaining natural erection.
Overall I am very happy with my IPP, but the road to happiness does have a price. Getting a penile implant of any type is a lifetime commitment. Remember, once an implant, always an implant, there is no going back. Expect to have pain and discomfort. Expect to lose length and girth. Expect to have more surgeries. Exhaust all other possibilities first. Choose the implant type that best suits and meets your personal needs.

Thank you again Bob for your great blog! If you have any questions, please let me know.
Jack

New Year with my Penile Impant

2008-01-01T18:53:00.000-06:00

My penis erect at 45 degree angle

I can leave my penis erect for hours without any harm occurring.

4 hours, a piece of cake.

My erection 5.75 inches

The underside of my penis. Scars are fully healed.

My penis in the flacid state.

Picture of me in underwear

A lot fuller with the implant

Dear Readers:

First: If you have just found my blogsite and are truely interested in permanently giving your "Erectile Dysfunction" the heave ho, and enjoying great sex once again, wherever an when ever. Please, please, please give penile implants a good chance and consider them. Please go to the beginning of my blog in May 2007 where I began exploring the option of having surgery for an implant. If there is one thing that I have done, that is a thorough search through a top notch medical library into penile implants. I have a wealth of information for you in this blog. I wrote this blog for you, the guy whose sick of not having a hard erect penis to enjoy in the bedroom. I too spent years takin shots for an erection. I've used viagra and cialis. I've used vacuum constriction devices. Let me say this only once. If I could do it over, back in 1993 when I began having trouble with my erections, I would have had this surgery without any question whats so ever. And my loving wife of 26 years emphatically agrees with that statement. This blog website also features graphic pictures of my genitals as well as other men's genitals who have implant surgery. We all want to tell you and your partner what this surgery entails. And we want to tell you truthfully why we had the surgery. In this post, I am 7 months post surgery and I am going to post pictures that I have taken of my genitals so that you can see that they look perfectly normal looking. My erections and you are going to have to take my word for this, but truthfully, with the implant, my penis feels the same as it has always felt during erection. The cavities that would normally be filled with blood are now filled with a saline encased chamber the length of my penis. After I ejaculate, I continue to remain erect for however long that I want to and it continues to feel very good indeed. My wife can continue to enjoy intercourse with my erect penis in her vagina. My penis is the same as it's always been. That is not everyone's experience, but it is mine. So please, if you are just starting out to research Penile Implant surgery, please go to the beginning of this blog site as this is the end of my blog. The pictures that I am posting were taken on January 1, 2008 and I am now 7 months post surgical penile implant. I have an AMS 700 Ultrex implant in my penis now. And as you can see from the pictures, it would be impossible for anyone to be able to tell that there is an implant inside of my penis. In fact, the only way anybody can teel that you have an implant is they can feel the pump inside of your scrotum. If AMS ever discovers a way to hide a pump inside the abdomen, nobody, and I mean nobody, not even your doctor would have an easy time telling does he, or doesn't he have a penile implant. Penile Implants enjoy a 92% satisfaction rate among men who have them. It's not perfect yet, but in my case, I am a 100% satisfied customer. So look through my blog. Learn all you can about implants. Email me with questions if you like at bbacon15@yahoo.com

I try and answer everybody. Good luck to everyone and heres hoping that 2008 becomes a bright, new year for you and your loving partner.

Bob

Comment's on Kevin's Implant Surgery

2007-11-24T16:21:00.000-06:00

"Kevin's Story, Years of ED followed by Implant Surgery"
2 Comments - Show Original Post
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drevil said...
Kevin your story is close to mine its almost scary. I'm 38 other than ED completely healthy. I had my implant on the 23 of Oct. 2007.

My doctors suggested waiting 6 weeks as well. I'm not a patient man and pumped it up last night for the first time. I sure hope that early pumping is not a true indicator of permanent size. I was large in relation to girth, but the 6.5 length was always sufficient when hard.

I have to admit I was horrified by the erect little penis before me last night. It was 4-4.5 inches long and half the original girth. It was like a slightly longer version of my thumb.
I was totally willing to lose up to an inch, and was hoping to gain some girth. Mortified on both accounts.
I agree that a smaller working penis is infinitely better than a larger non-functioning one, but the thing that I saw is not going to get the job done for my wife. I know she'll let me do my thing, but I am so tired of the sympathy screw, I would rather do with out.
I'm hoping that things change in a few weeks, but right now I'm scared as hell.
Mike

November 18, 2007 11:04 AM

Kevin said...
Hi drevil, This is Kevin, the person who's article you responded to on Bobs Blogspot.
I am now just past week 5 and just starting to pump my implant. I am writing this to discourage you from getting down to early. There is a huge healing process for your penis to go through, and as you have probably read it will take up to 12 weeks for you to be fully healed from this very invasive surgery.
At week 5 I am about 1 inch shorter than i was before surgery when I used Viagra. I have also lost quite a bit of size in the head ( That is expected as all the information tells you) Now in your story, you are not as far along as I am and you are already trying to measure a healing Penis by pumping. You are not going to reach maximum length and girth at this stage. And you are new to pumping, that is also a learning curve. I can tell you at 5 weeks I could pump more than I have, but at this stage it is just too soon and is very uncomfortable. I have also not regained some girth, but I am happy to be able to get hard and have an Orgasam. I just had my first sexual experience yesterday since surgery ( No not penetration, way too painful) But now I am hard I find I have much more feeling in my penis and I do not worry about losing it. I am sure given time both you and I will see increases in our penis size. Please be strong and wait some more time, I think you will find it will get better. I will keep you posted.

November 23, 2007 3:28 PM

drevil has left a new comment on your post "Kevin's Story, Years of ED followed by Implant Sur...":

Kevin thanks for you encouragement. My attitude has improved lately and I believe that I should achieve an adequate size to please my wife.

After much research I am convinced that my doctor used the preconnected AMS ultrex unit. Which has a max length of 18cm with up to 3 cm tip extenders. 7 cm seems too be a common proximal corpora (inside part)l length. 21cm - 7cm = 14cm. 14cm is about 5.5 inches. I have a follow up appointment with my Uro this week and I'll get the specifics. If my suspicions are correct, it will kinda suck because it means that instead of taking the time to get the most size, he took the easier ;albeit less room for error;route.

I have a couple pump questions for you though. My pump is actually bulb part down and on the inside of the testicle. Is yours? I've also notice that the first squeeze is extremely tough and it feels like it is caused by air bubbles.

My 6 month Anniversary

2007-11-24T14:00:00.001-06:00

Dear Readers:
I'm just a couple days shy of a full six months post op with my penile implant. Wow, what a six months it has been. By a rough average, I have corresponded with almost 200 readers from around 30 countries. I wish all of you guys have as good a result with your surgery and implant as I have. I continue to enjoy my implant. I'm about a quarter inch in circumference greater in the circumference of my penis. I'm almost a 1/2 inch longer in length than my old length. I continue to exercise my penis with the implant daily and may be almost at the maximum length of my Ultrex implant with a little more left till I reach maximum. I'll get it stretched out to its max length and girth in a few months. We're visiting my daughter this weekend and the wife and I have taken a motel room over the Thanksgiving holiday. We are enjoying ourselves sexually as it's always fun having intercourse in a new bed. We definitely are in love with each other. God how I wish I'd had this implant in a 20 year old body. My wife and I both would have had trouble walking in the mornings. It may sound odd, but I so prefer the implant over the injections and over Viagra and cialis. I don't have the crappy side effects of Viagra and cialis. And the erections are as hard as the injections, but I control the length of time of my erection. And their is no pain from the injection, and now at six months, the erections from the implant are so comfortable and spontaneous. I can still pump it so hard, that I could feel pain in the head of my penis, but that isn't necessary because a really hard erection can be had without any discomfort what so ever. My wife comments that she loves feeling me inside her and riding my erection to orgasm in the women on top position. There are some men who have lost some length in their penis with an implant. The reasons for this are:

1. Prostatectomy removal due to cancer. Occurs in about 30% of men.
2. Scarring due to Peyronie's Disease. Your Urologist should do a scar tissue analysis of your penis and give you an informed opinion on how this will affect your post op length.
3. Scarring within the penis due to injections of vasoactive drugs, i.e.; Tri-mix, Bi-mix, and Caverject. You should see your Uro twice a year the first two years of use of vasoactive drugs and then at least once a year thereafter and ask your Uro to check you for scarring. Very important.
4. Injury to the penis. Men have experienced injury during intercourse as well as a blow to the penis can cause serious injury and scarring inside your penis.
5. Long standing impotence with very few erections over time. The penis is a muscle that surrounds spongy tissue. It needs regular erections to stretch oxygenate the tissue. When we started puberty, we started a process of nightly erections. If you are having serious impotence, get a vacuum erection pump and pump up that penis into a hard erection on a daily basis. I had a vacuum pump. I didn't use it for intercourse prior to my implant, but I did use it for masturbation on a regular basis. It just feels good having a full erection. All men know that feeling. If intercourse doesn't look very likely, find a few private moments, get a good erection, and masturbate your penis to orgasm. Studies show its very good for both prostate and good penis health. Men have more issues with BPH or enlarged prostate than men who have daily orgasms, either from intercourse or masturbation. We get a lot of recommendations on maintaining our bodies health. None of them compare and are as enjoyable as a good orgasm either with our partner, or just by ourselves. At 16, you beat that penis so often you were lucky you didn't have carpal tunnel problems. You don't have to match that level for good penis health.
6. And last but not least, poor sizing of a man's penis by the implant surgeon. Before going in to see the surgeon, take out a tape measure and take pictures to show to your surgeon with the date and time the pictures were taken. Inform the surgeon that you expect to obtain very close and similar results with the implant. Let your doctor know that you expect very similar length and girth results following surgery. Tell your surgeon that you expect to be no more than a half inch within those measurements after 6 weeks postop. That is a very realistic expectation. If he has any reservations of meeting and obtaining those measurements post op 6 weeks, then he needs to tell you upfront why before you let him perform surgery. Write up what was said during the interview, date & time of the interview and date and time you are writing out your notes. Those notes are not discoverable should you be in the very small percentage that has a poor result and you are forced into litigation. This should be a very successful operation. Do your research. I've been through the implant experience. I wrote this blog to help any man contemplating this procedure to have access to my experiences as well as having other men's written experiences to learn from. We fill the gap where you can learn the things that you really want to know about before letting someone filet your penis. The penis is a measure of who we are as men and if you ask men, which if you had a choice, part of your body you can live without. Your penis is the one part of our body that goes way to the bottom of my list. I also want to make the request of my readers. If you have implant surgery and feel comfortable about telling your experiences with ED and your experiences having implant surgery. I would love to post your story on this blog site. And if you are comfortable taking pictures of your penis either before surgery and after surgery with the implant, I would love for you to email me at
bbacon15@yahoo.com
I promise you anonymity. This site is not a porn site. Men who study the pictures and read the stories aren't men who are looking to get off on the pictures of your penis and mine. The men who come to this website are guys who are suffering with erectile dysfunction and are looking for a method of returning to sexually active men again. I also get emails from many spouses and partners of impotent men who thank me for keeping this site active to help other men world wide. They praise the men who tell their stories and find the pictures we have posted to be very reassuring. One of the most often asked question that I receive is about how their genitals will appear following implant surgery. I can tell them without any doubt in my mind that no one can tell if they have an implant through just looking. If you touch my penis, you can't tell their are two cylinders inside the shaft of my penis. All that anybody can tell is by feeling the pump inside of my scrotum. At six months, I no longer even think about the pump anymore. During the day, I don't even feel the implant inside my genitals and scrotum inside my pants. When I urinate, my penis feels normal, looks normal. My penis is fuller and is longer than I was flaccid prior to my implant. My penis flaccid stays about 4 inches long and is fuller than it was pre-implant. My penis definitely sticks out of my pants when I urinate and is pretty easy to find inside my underwear now. But is also normal looking and doesn’t look like I have an erection. I'm going to try and post my 6 month post op pics sometime this week. What a post implant penis that is well healed looks like. I also need to compile a Frequently Asked Questions Post on this blog to also help answer my readers questions.
Take care of your penis and enjoy it for a lifetime.
Kindest regards
Bob

dr evil said...
Bob,
I wish you would have placed this post before I had my surgery. Your advice on pre-op size pictures and documentation could have given me an extra 3cm. I have lost an 1 1/2 in. all because my doctor chose to go with the preconnected unit that AMS offers. The max length of tubes is 18 cm in this option. Eventhough AMS offers 21cm tubes which would have brought my loss up to 1/2 in.
Of course my doctors attitude is that my length is adequate and my remembered length is distorted. You see if a patient doesn't take the time to prove his pre-op size you have no contradictory evidence after the implant is in.

December 1, 2007 6:12 PM

Kevin's Story, Years of ED followed by Implant Surgery

2007-11-06T11:19:00.001-06:00

Friends:

I'm pleased to introduce all of you to Kevin and to publish his story along with several pictures that he has graciously submitted to me for publishing on this blog. As I have said all along. I created this blog to become a learning resource, and to fill a real void that is out there. That void is information from those of us who have undergone surgery and had a surgical implant placed in our penis so that we could once again enjoy sexual relations with our partner's. If this is your first visit to my blog, than I would urge you to navigate to the beginning which starts in May 2007 and read all of the entries of this blog. You will then be able to read my experiences as well as view pictures that I took of myself all the way through my implant experience. You will also be able to read and view pictures of other men's implant experiences that are posted on the blog site. Today Kevin now joins a very select group of men who is willing to share his experiences with all of you. I really appreciated it when some very special men take the time to share with people who are from all over the world who are seeking as much information as they can about penile implant surgery to a very important part of our male bodies. This is Kevin's story as well as pictures of his penis both flacid and under the influence of viagra. Kevin had implant surgery a little over two weeks ago and will be sending me pictures which will be added to this blog site at a later point of his penis in the flacid as well as erect stage due to his implant. This is Kevin's story.

Hi Bob,
Great to hear back from you. I am very excited to have my implant and I will be very patient with it and not rush things along. Here is my story and I give you permission to publish my story on your blog. You are quite welcome to edit it in any way you see fit. Congratulations on the pending new web site, I would be very interested in helping in any way I can. I will do some pictures for you of the end result and you can also publish some pictures I had pre op, this might help people understand loss of length girth post op. Those were taken with Viagra, Viagra only worked for a short period once I initiated sex; maybe 15 minutes, then it usually would not stay erect for penetration leading up to my implant. So I had just had another disappointment at the Urologists office, I had been given a penile injection after a Doppler scan of my penis revealed low blood flow, The injection was the next thing after trying all the usual suspects, Viagra, Cialis, Levitra. All the pills had worked with limited success, I would get hard but then go down as I was about to penetrate, or the timing was off with my girlfriend. Sometimes the side effects were terrible, raging from headaches, heartburn!! Sometimes they never worked at all. So here I am lying on the Urologists table having an Injection placed in my penis for the first time, OUCH!!! and the real kicker was "Nothing" not a dam stirring in my penis after 30 minutes, now I was depressed.

So Dr M looks at me and says Kevin you might want to think about the Penile Implant as he pulls a model device from his white coat pocket. The thing looked huge; I thought to myself how the hell do they get all that in there? Anyway I listened intently and got as much information as I could from Dr M and then I went home and studied, going online and finding out as much information as I could about penile implants, the information which included Bob’s wonderful Blog gave me hope.

Then of course that dreaded word "Surgery" reared its head. I am sure that like most of you reading this, sex is so important to us guys, I decided right then if I could get my insurance to pay, I would ask Dr M to perform the surgery as soon as possible. That date turned out to be October 17th 2007 at 8am!!! Here is my ED story, I am sure some of you will feel I am lucky to have had this surgery, because as you will find out, my ED was never the side effect of Cancer or any other disease or ailment, and sometimes it just did not work and that just kept getting worse. It might also surprise some of you that my first Urologist visit was May 2007 and in October of the same year I have my implant in place.

The beginning of Erectile Dysfunction

My ED started as long ago as 1980 I was 20 years old and not married, my girlfriend at the time and I on occasions experienced erection difficulties that would make my penis go down before we had finished making love. This was the start, over the next 10 years I had intermittent problems but was successful most of the time. I got
married at 29 and my wife and I enjoyed a healthy sex life with the continuing intermittent issues and then at about age 35 I started to have real difficulty, suddenly semi erect or no erection at all. I am sure most of you can relate to the "once it starts it then becomes a terrible mental battle with yourself" thing. To keep this shor,t this is when I started the Viagra etc and my road towards the implant. I think we all find some sort of injustice, the why me syndrome. I was very lucky to be blessed with a large endowment, but I can tell you, there have been many times that I would have settled for a hard 5 inch penis than the thick 7.5 inches I had been granted by the penis god, that after age 35 would not reach its potential without assistance or sometimes not at all.

So here we are many year later, implant in place and this is my story as of 17 days Post op.

My procedure went very smoothly and on time. I had the best care possible and all of the staff at the hospital were wonderful. There was very little prep and my surgery was at 8am. I remember going in to the operating room, but was out pretty quickly, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room, all done. The rest of the day is kind of a blur, on pain medication and obviously the after effects of the surgery. The first night I had enough pain meds too keep myself from feeling much of anything, but I can tell you the next week was painful but bearable with the help of Oxycodone. The surgeon did a wonderful job, one incision in the scrotum and most of the bruising was actually at the base of the scrotum and in the penile shaft. There are several pictures showing my penis at the 14 day mark. I am sure most of you want to know is it really painful. Well the answer is NO, not really, more of very uncomfortable. The biggest problem I have had is sleeping. I tend to move around a lot in my sleep, and it keeps waking me up. After 2 weeks I have started to sleep better and the bruising and discomfort is diminishing.
Now there are different after care procedures depending on the surgeon, here is my post op care.

1. Surgeon phone call, day after procedure
2. 5 days after surgery Office visit for check up
3. 10 days post op, stitches removed
4. Next Visit 6 weeks Post op

My surgeon does not allow any pumping of the device until the six week mark. It is inflated 25% and left that way until my six week follow up. Your surgeon may be different, some allow pumping as early as two weeks post op. As of today I am feeling very positive about the surgery and I will keep you updated on my progress and will also provide updated photographs of the penis when my pumping starts. I have heard many stories of people being disappointed about losing some length, I guess that one throws me through a loop somewhat, because if you cannot get hard, Isn’t it better to lose an inch and be ready. I expect to lose an inch and I am willing to accept that for being able to maintain an erection.I will update my story at the six week mark, if you wish to contact me you can e mail me at ktusacan@msn.com
<<...>> <<...>> <<...>> <<...>>
Let me know if the pictures came through BOB, hope this is good material for your blog.
Best Regards,
Kevin (It is ok to use my real name)

2007-10-13T20:52:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers
I received a question this week from one of my readers concerning the implant and riding a motorcycle. While I don't ride a bike, the implant has become so comfortable that it is very easy to forget all about it during the day. It's designed to be internal and completely out of the way of everyday activities. The cylinders are completely internal inside the penis and when flacid, are completely deflated. The reservoir is internal inside the body. The only part of the pump that isn't protected is the pump located inside the scrotum. Shortly after receiving the implant my right testicle was pretty tender and sore. Now that I am completely healed, the pump doesn't seem to effect my testicle at all. I have rode a regular bike on an 18 mile ride with no pain or dificulty what so ever.

A complaint that is often heard is some men have lost some length of erection following implant surgery. While this still remains a small percentage of men, it is a valid concern among us men. We are used to a particular length andnobody enjoys losing so much as a single milimeter off our erections. Erectile Dysfunction is due to different disease states. We have to realize that when ED happens, we need to treat this condition as an urgent problem and get help right away. Delaying treatment means trouble down the road. Erections are needed to bring vitally needed oxygen to our penis. Lack of oxygen will result in tissue becoming stiff and possible scar tissue forming. The tissue inside the penis needs to be kept be kept stretched and flexible to retain both girth and length. Guys, if you are having ED, you need to see your doctor for viagra, cialis, a vacuum pump, or even start using shots of a vaso-active drugs. You need to keep having several erections every week. You cannot let impotence stop you from having erections and also having ejaculations to keep your penis healthy. I spent 17 years working in Histopathology or the study of tissue. I know from experience and training how necessary this is. In addition, while I'm on my soapbox, if you smoke, quit. Yeah, yeah I know its tough. I was an idiot to. I quit about 18 years ago after starting smoking in the Army. Get your high cholesterol under control, and exercise. I developed Insulin Dependant Diabetes over 20 years a go. For me, it was a wake up call. I changed the way I lived. Watched what I ate, got fit, and saw my doctor. When I developed ED, I got it treated. With my implant, I haven't lose any length. My penis is still healthy and able to stretch because of the steps I took years ago. I'm hoping that you are keeping yourself as healthy as you can.
Take care
Bob

I've begun to experience an increase in length

2007-10-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

Hello Readers:
It's October all ready and I can't believe how the time has gone by. I continue to enjoy my implant. Because I mostly sleep on my side or on my back at night, I often pump an erection and leave it pumped erect all night long. I've started seeing an increase in length now. All my life, my penis has measured exactly five and a half inches. Now when I pump my penis to a respectable erection, my length has increased to five and three quarters inches. I have pumped it hard to where it gets uncomfortable and it reaches a solid six inches. I believe it time that my penis will increase in length to six inches and remain comfortable at that length. I have the AMS 700 Ultrex penile implant and I quickly regained my old length after I was allowed to use the implant. I find that it feels very comfortable now when I pump up a reasonable erection that is nice and firm. My erection feels very comfortable while having intercourse with zero discomfort what so ever. It feels very natural to me. If I could not feel the pump in my scrotum and had my current erection, I would not be able to tell the difference at all from the erections I had at twenty years old. Only difference. This erection does not go down after I ejaculate. I stay hard and can enjoy the feelings and continue thrusting away often bringing another orgasm for my wife. She never gets cheated out of having an orgasm now. I LOVE THIS IMPLANT. If you opt for an implant, I highly recomend the AMS Ultrex implant. The vast majority of men are having very enjoyable sex with their partners using this implant. Knowing what I know now, I really wish I had taken this route years before I did. This was the best thing, next to my insulin pump, that I have done for myself and my wife. I sincerely hope that you enjoy and your spouse or partner enjoy the implant and the wonderful rock solid hard on's as much as my wife and I do. It's a wonderful feeling to have the spontanaety of sex put back into our marriage. If my wife and I desire sex, I am hard as a rock in under 30 seconds. Try achieving that with viagra or shots.
Take care and turn the lights off. It's going to be one of those nights where I'm busy again feeling the earth move.
Bob

Lost of Length in Prostatectomy Patients

2007-09-18T10:58:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers:
I've been busy moving my daughter for Grad School, so I havent written anything for a while. I found this article publish in the Harvard Medical School Journal that may shed light on Prostatectomy Patients. It may also have ramifications in men with long standing ED who don't regularly experience erections to loose some length of their erections:

New Theory About Preserving Erectile Function After Prostate Surgery
Prostate Surgery

Erectile dysfunction after surgery to remove the prostate (radical prostatectomy) has traditionally been attributed to nerve damage that theoretically should heal over time.

But it can take as long as two years for the nerves to recover enough for a man to have an erection without the aid of drugs or devices. By that time, other damage may have occurred, according to an article in the latest issue of Perspectives on Prostate Disease.

The Harvard Medical School bulletin notes that when the penis is flaccid for long periods of time, it is deprived of a lot of oxygen-rich blood. Recent research suggests that this low oxygen level causes some muscle cells in the penis's erectile tissue to lose their flexibility. The tissue gradually becomes more like scar tissue, interfering with the penis's ability to expand when it's filled with blood.

Therefore, the traditional advice given to men -- to wait for erectile function to return on its own -- may not be adequate. Simply put, erections seem to work on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. To prevent the secondary damage that may occur if the penis goes too long without erections, researchers now think it's better to restore erectile function soon after prostate removal. Treatment options include using a vacuum pump device or taking erectile dysfunction drugs by mouth or by injection into the penis.

According to Dr. Marc Garnick, editor in chief of Perspectives on Prostate Disease and a Harvard oncologist, "Although the evidence supporting this 'penile rehabilitation' isn't perfect, you may want to ask your doctor about the options. Such early intervention may help increase the odds that you will regain erectile function."

Peyronies' Disease, Tom's Story

2007-08-27T18:26:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers:

I've been in touch with a gentleman that I'll call Tom as he has asked me not to use his real name. Tom just got home from the hospital yesterday after having had penile implant surgery on Friday. Tom developed his ED from Peyronies Desease and has graciously given his permission to post his story on this site. With each man's story, all of you out there can receive a sense of what other men have gone through in their struggle with their particular ED. And also how they have reached their personal decision on implant surgery. So a special thank you to Tom, and here is his story.

Bob,
great blog. I have been reading it all day after getting my AMS 700
implanted yesterday. I also had peyronies....not sure why. It just
started at 43 yrs old and kept getting worse every month.
Cialis started to make me
irritable and sleepless, then i finally gave up when tissue shrinkage
started this year. i used to be 4.5 flaccid and 6.5 erect. As of a
few days ago,i was down to 3.75 flaccid and about 6 erect. That cold
shrivel caused me more stress than the lousy erections and the curve!

I have a few questions for you:
when did/how did your peyronies come about? and how did it progess?
How old are you?? Your libido sounds realy good and most guys with
implants are a lot older than me (46) Is it true that ams 700 can
achieve 20% additional length?? where did you hear that? My doc said I
may gain length, but i thought he was just trying to sound positive??

Thanks
Tom

Tom:

I had ED due to Juvenile Diabetes, but developed scarring after thirteen years of injections of caverject, Bi-mix, and Tri-mix. My libido was considerably lower while using injections. Even though I've been injecting several hundreds of thousands of shots of insulin, the experience of possible pain from the injection and having to get up and take the ^$#&&* shot kind of took away the desire where as now, just a few pumps and I'm ready to go. I'm good for once a night. My wife's libido over the years has been much, much higher than mine. It's only with the implant, that my confidence level is really high. Sex is no longer a chore, but much more spontaneous. The AMS 700 Ultrex has the ability to expand upwards of 20% of the length of the cylinder. As Fred attests, and I can attest to, most men may lose some length following surgery due to scarring or from lack of use, contraction of the tissue etc. But over time, the Ultrex puts pressure on the tissues of the penis to stretch in length and what I've heard from other men, their penis grows in length some. During the day, I keep a little tension on my penis by pumping it up a bit to keep things full all day long, but not to the point where it is uncomfortable to bend. I leave it comfortably full. This in effect put some slight pressure on the tissues. Over time, tissues will begin to grow to relieve the pressure on the them. I didn't have much luck either with Viagra and Cialis. Cialis left me with a sour stomach and Viagra gave me a headache and a so so erection. You and your girlfriend are going to love the implant when you get healed up. At 6 weeks, you are healed enough to engage in intercourse, but you need to take it easy at first or you will experience some discomfort in the head of your penis. I'm hitting the 12 week mark and that is about the ideal point in the healing process. Sex becomes very pleasant and enjoyable at this point. Congratulations on the implant. If you ever want to contribute to my blog, I would be very appreciative. You are the first Peyronie's patient that I've heard from who has had the Ultrex implanted and it would greatly benefit others who are walking in your shoes and looking for information to make a decision on the surgery. My eventual goal is to create a website with men's stories filed under Peyronie's, Prostatectomy, Diabetes, and miscellaneous of reason's for their ED and what their experiences with implant surgery has been. I'm also looking for pictures so that men can see what the penis looks like shortly after surgery, through the recovery period, and what the end result looks like. Did you experience much pain after surgery. Your thoughts and feelings on having the surgery and was what you expected. What you are happy about, not happy with. It's your story and I don't want it sugar coated. The men who read my blog are looking for the truth and I've tried to do that. I've also tried very hard to describe my experiences and the response has been overwhelming. I've heard from men from all over the world and I'm just blown away by the outpouring of emotion. So if you would like to help other guys, especially Peyronie's patients, send me from time to time your experiences and if you are comfortable with, include pictures. Many of the men have told me the pictures are invaluable. Hearing a story separately is great. Putting a picture with it is off the charts. This blog that I have started is the only one of its kind anywhere on the internet. It covers a topic that is very difficult for men to contemplate. Implants basically mutilate the penis permanently. And there is no turning back, so men really want to be sure of this before going into this surgery. That was my motivation for creating this blog and eventually, I want to turn it into a permanent website. So Tom, thank you for your email.
Bob

Thanks for your response Bob.

My story and recollection of pain is very fresh as I am still at home recuperating.....I had the surgery Friday afternoon!

I was TOTALLY freaked out about this condition and possible solutions to it. It became a mad obsession for the past 2.5 years. After losing my wife in 2002, I was as healthy and horny as any guy in his early 40's. But within 6 months, I started getting a strange coldness in the tip and left side of my penis.
NOBODY could tell me what it was. Not ONE UROLOGIST ANYWHERE....they all said it was probably mental!

In retrospect, what I think was feeling with the beginning coldness was the beginnings of scar formation from years of competitive biking. A few months after the coldness started, I finally met a beautiful girl and started dating. After the first 2 weeks, I noticed that the coldness problem was now interfering with normal erectile response. So I started occasionally relying on a low dose of cialis....seemed to be a solution for a time.....but within 4 months, this became less reliable and I noticed a shrinking flaccid state and a left curvature starting to develop at low pressure levels of erection. It was then that I first started to worry that my problem could be Peyronie’s Disease.

Despite this presumption, it took me over a year before I travelled to see my first Urologist who specialized in Peyronie’s. Then I travelled some more,....I saw 5 guys around the country who claimed to be specialists in Peyronie’s cases. However, even with this specialty designation, I found most of these guys to be quacks who just wanted to do endless tests before cutting on you in some way or starting you on some bizarre drug cocktail or herbal regimen. Despite what any of them said, my own research was slowly convincing me that the only true reliable cure for the Peyronie’s condition was a penile implant. Most of these docs would not tell you that,....mainly because none of them were implant surgeons! And none of the implant surgeons "specialized" in Peyronie’s because it was such a small subset of the implant market that it was not worth their time......Peyronie’s patients were just another customer to them. It took me 2 years to figure this out.

The story from there is very long and tedious, because changes took place microscopically over the next 2.5 years. Sometimes I actually thought I was getting better,, then it would take a turn for the worse.
Despite what you may read about Peyronie’s running it's course in a year, it’s often is a progressive disease that just keeps getting worse. Fast fwd to 2007 where I found myself this Spring with a constant, noticeable curve while erect, less sensitivity on the left side, unreliable responses to a constant (3x per week) regimen of Cialis (I too hated the side effects) and a flaccid state that was so shriveled, cold, curved and insensitive that I felt feelings of inferiority around other men. It actually affected my ability to sleep, relax, and to just be myself around family, friends and co-workers. I could still have sex, but it was with great anxiety, not as much feelings of pleasure (Cialis makes it harder to orgasm) and a penis that would become embarrassingly small and lifeless just minute’s after intercourse (I had to hide it from her view). My girlfriend was aware of the Peyronie’s problem,, but discouraged me from surgery as most would. She was NOT aware of how much I gulped down drugs and how miserable I was through every day frantically digging in my pockets, worrying about my dwindling flaccid state.

Oddly, my final decision was based not on the desire to be ABLE to have sex (I still could with heavy Cialis) but to ENJOY sex again, enjoy passive intimacy (holding hands, cuddling on the couch, pressing hip to hip while kissing) and to walk around the office, the gym and home feeling like a man again who has not had his penis amputated!

As of right now, I am laying around in great pain, but already satisfied with the feeling of 100% of me restored in my underwear! It is like what I am sure a breast cancer amputee must feel like after getting breast implants. Bob, I even think I am still capable of getting a little hard as I can feel it down there when my girlfriend cuddles with me in her night gown while I am on the couch recuperating....it gets engorged! But best of all, I feel like I finally have something pushing back against all that damned scar tissue that has been slowly and literally squeezing the life out of my penis for the past 3 years.

Even if it shrinks (my doc say he thinks I may actually gain length), even if it has a softer head (it looks and feels good already), even if it has a slight curve (it still does now, uninflated), then that will all be ok, because It feels SOOOOO good to have my normal flaccid size back in my crotch. My state of mind in the past 3 days has been nothing short of remarkable....I am me again!! Even with 4-5 hours sleep from the pain of recovering I am in a great mood, i am joking and confident,......cocky!
Maybe that is where the term comes from?!

I will keep you posted, but for now all i can say is that after obsessing about this decision for over 2 years....all the way up to the moment before they put me under sedation, I have no regrets.

Feel free to use my story, but not my name.

Talk soon,
Tom

Fred's Penile Implant Pictures

2007-08-24T22:29:00.001-05:00

Fred is a frequent reader of the Penileimplant website and has submitted the story of his experiences with his Penile Implant. Please read his story below.

Fred's Penis in the flacid state with an implanted AMS 700 Ultrex Penile Implant

Fred's Erection: AMS 700 Ultrex Penile Implant

Fred's Penile Implant Experiences

2007-08-24T21:58:00.001-05:00

Hi Bob!
I did a little recapping without trying to write a book. I could probably reduce it down further if you need but here are the highlights of my trip....what a trip!

Dear Readers:

A couple of weeks ago, I asked for your submissions and pictures and detail your experiences with your Erectile Dysfunction and how you came to have a penile implant surgically implanted to cure your ED. Today I am happy to introduce to you Fred who took me up on my request. It is only through sharing our experiences, can the men who are coming behind us can learn what to expect should they choose this form of treatment.
Fred had his first implant way back in 1991 and has recently had an AMS 700 Ultrex implanted to replace that first implant which failed. I wish to thank Fred for submitting his story and for furnishing pictures of what is a successful outcome. Fred lost his prostate due to cancer as have many of you who read this website. This is Fred’s story

I will highlight my adventure with the AMS 700 Ultra planted firmly within. The story began with a late night call from my MD in effect said get your house in order. In '91 not much was known about prostate cancer other than take it out. After surgery, a month later, it was just as iffy. I still felt healthy except I couldn't get an erection any longer. So much for "nerve sparing!" By this time I had shed a lot of inhibitions from my redneck days while attempting all kinds of experiments which included looking at a lot of 'dicks' on-line to see if I was normal, and did a thing with a prostitute that didn't work to well.
During the after surgery years, I ran my butt off, drank gobs of water, ate different, built muscle, got rid of my company, got in on trials with a new thing called Caverject, went into UCLA Emergency three times with the biggest, (and most painful) erection the world (emergency waiting room) has ever seen and did even more experiments with herbs, pumps and lots of reading. By this time I was ready for one last try before the needle...gads...a gay thing! I was willing to try anything. So I went to a bath house in LA where a guy worked me over in ways I never thought of. I did in fact rise to half attention with a blast off. But, most important I knew it was the final straw. I had a problem (slow learner). The final, really final straw was that I was stuck so many times that the trimix became unreliable. Clearly, something different had to be done!
'Stage right', implant time. After surgery ('93) this cute nurse removed my bandages and I became depressed. What a mess! Dinky little dick, bruising all over my pelvic...."gads what have I done to myself now". A few weeks later, bruising was gone, dick was still swollen (too bad it wouldn't stay fat that way", and it was stretched to full length,(about 4 3/4 inches)...like big deal! Making the best of it over the months the swelling went down and the length would stretch to about 5 1/2 inches...hmmmm usable. But at least it worked! Prior to surgery, I used one of those cheap pumps and kept pumping it to the max and leaving it pumped up. Apparently that did some good in that it might have assisted the surgeon in installing the max size.
About 5years later, dick size was almost 6 inches x about 1 5/8 dia. One evening, the tire went absolutely flat! I felt a little pop and nada! Went to a new urologist who said it needed to be replaced. Here we go again! So, I used the pump for two weeks prior to surgery in the attempt at keeping what I had. After surgery, very little bruising and a fat swollen weenie. After the bandages were removed, it looked like I lost ground and complained to my urologist that he short changed me. He was supposed to remove the old and measure against the new. Well, make the best of a 5 and a halfer'.
Today, two years later I am up to a respectable 6 1/2 inch by 1.3/4 and when I am really up to it, I can hit almost 7 x 1 /78. Now I'm a happy camper........and so is my wife of 43 years. After all of the experiences, I am a different person. No mo redneck, but I still vote republican, and a whole lot looser and tolerant of the people around me. I am sure that each has his own story to tell and I am equally sure to each, it was as adventure he never though about until it was happening. And of course there are stories within stories.
To anyone reading this and contemplating the installation of an implant. if you have a problem...................fix it. The odds are you will not be unhappy.....well after it's its all done anyway! You will embark upon a journey whereby you cast aside things you learned in Catholic school or your parents taught you, and you will be a more understanding person......and, that ‘isn’t all bad!”
Fred
Don’t have any before pics but here it is pumped and unpumped. Know this, after installation your dick no longer goes into the body when it’s cold, it always hangs out. Also, for those having had prostate surgery the bladder gets tied to the pelvic floor. The result is the penis tends to bend down and will never point up again....tears. Some, like me, have complained of it being shorter. Give it time and keep it pumped up. Dam thing grows...nice huh.

Request for questions, comments, and suggestions for future topics

2007-08-14T13:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers:

I have asked several men who are actively interested in the subject of Penile Implants, what can I add to this blog that might be of interest to other readers to see. I've received a few suggestions and I plan to research and add my thoughts on several different topics of interest that have been requested.

I also send out the same request to all of my readers to feel free to post requests, questions, and suggestions in the comments section of this blog that you would like to see or would be of interest to the other readers of this website.

Also, please feel free to give to your doctor, the address of this website and explain to them that it has a great deal of information for men considering penile implants. Tell them why you find the information useful and why you believe it might help other men seeking information on Penile Implant Surgery. I built this blog website to benefit all men who have severe ED and are now considering possible penile implant surgery. Fear occurs due to the unknowns in life.

And tell them that I would welcome their comments, suggestions, and advise for men considering implant surgery as well. They to can post them in the comments section of each entry or submit their comments or concerns directly to me via email.

The website address is: http://penileimplant.blogspot.com

My email address is: bbacon15@yahoo.com and my name is Bob.

I do respond to all submissions and I really do appreciate your comments. They serve a purpose in educating other men in this difficult subject. Impotence is a difficult burden to carry for any man. And it seriously effects our partners. They suffer the pain that you have whether we realize it or not. Many are kind, patient, and understanding. My wife is the love of my life and I really appreciate her love, support, patience, and understanding more than she will ever know. Please let your partner know how much her help and support means to you. I know she or he will appreciate hearing it from you.
Thanks to all my readers.
Bob

Size after Penile Implant Surgery: A Discussion

2007-08-13T13:58:00.001-05:00

-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of grrich2763
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 6:36 AM
To: Bob
Subject: Hi Bob

I am wondering what you think of the letters from the guy who lost 2", only starting with 5". I'd be very disturbed at this, and be talking to my surgeon. My Urologist said whatever you can produce with a VED we can produce with an implant. I can get my cock out to between 6 and 7 with VED, but can't stretch it flaccid quite that long. I'd be very content with 6, esp if hard all the time, and when I want.
I also would not worry about a little bulge in my package when I was dressed, I'd probably figure out how to enjoy that.
Gary

Good Morning Gary:
I'd be one pretty pissed off guy. Somebody didn't size that implant correctly. With the AMS Ultrex, it can expand out to about 20%, so say the guy has 5 inches, that's an inch at least that it can potentially correct. I haven't got the tape measure out since my six week post op anniversary and I was within a quarter inch of my pre implant size. That's because in order to pump the implant up hard enough to reach my original size, it's going to hurt under the glands where the end of the cylinders are, That area is going to have to build up sufficient scar tissue between the tips of the implant and glans tissue and then expand out around the cylinder walls somewhat surrounding the tips of the implant. That takes time. I pump my implant up every morning and evening to keep things stretched out and flexible and to keep the scar tissue capsule pushed back in order for the cylinders to expand to their fullest. If his implant had been sized correctly, the average loss, other than men who have had a prostatectomy was a tenth of an inch average after 6 months Post Op in the studies. I keep in touch with my uro and bounce questions off him from time to time, Dr Weinstein has been doing this surgery for over 25 years at the University of Missouri Hospitals and Clinics, and he has informed me that a properly sized implant should not cause more than a half inch loss in size, other than in Prostatectomy patients. Further, he told me that the above average loss in length with prostatectomy patients occurs in 1 out of 3 men where they loose an inch or more. Doctors don't have an answer of why that occurs. 2 out of 3 Prostatectomy
patients have outcomes like all the rest of the men with an implant who are properly sized. I prefer reading Euro Today which is the European version of the Journal of Urology that we have here in the U.S. and as they tend to be more realistic and don't gloss over the disadvantages like American Urologists sometimes do. One of the studies that they did on size is at:

http://www.urotoday.com/42/browse_categories/erectile_dysfunction_ed/european_urology__penile_length_alterations_following_penile_prosthesis_surgery.html

The other group of men who have size problems with their implants are men who have severe Peyronie's Disease in their penis, and the amount of problems they have is based upon how bad their scarring becomes. Scar tissue impacts severely the ability of the penis to stretch out and expand in both girth and length. All of the two
piece and three piece implants can expand the girth with some men experiencing a thicker girth after implantation. I personally have experienced at 6 weeks an increase in girth of a quarter inch. The Ultrex manufactured by AMS is the only implant currently on the market and approved by FDA to expand the length of the implant. Over time, it can expand the tissue of the penis in both length and girth providing there is not scarring to prevent the stretching of the penis. I expect that the Ultrex will bring me back to my original length and I know I've gained a little in the circumference of my penis. We guys who have had the implant and those men considering having an implant have to realize that when we are at the point of having this surgery, many of us no longer have the healthy penis we had as young men. Time and disease has taken a toll on us. That said, if the doctor does a good job sizing the implant,
we should expect an outcome of an erection that is pretty close to the stretched length that should be taken prior to surgery. And it should be agreed with the doctor that we realistically expect an outcome of no more than one inch or less loss of length of that stretched length. The surgeon also ought to be honest and up front with every patient about these realistic outcomes. He should inform the patient and their partner if present, about the state of the glans penis or head will not, in most cases become engorged with blood during the erection and instead will remain soft. The cylinders are placed just under the surface of the glans. Mine are approximately a little over a quarter of an inch from the surface of the head of my penis. The outer glans tissue on the sides of the head of my penis remain soft with the hard tips in the middle and on each side of the urethral opening following my pumping to an erection. I can't get any more specific than that to describe what the head of the penis is like after the implant is installed. The head is only hard where the ends or tips of the cylinder is placed in the glans. The rest remains soft for most men. I did ask Dr Weinstein about whether or not Viagra or muse would help to engorge the head of the penis. He told me that he would not prescribe muse in that you have to insert an instrument into the urethral opening and this could introduce bacteria into the urethra that could potentially cause infection of the implant. He told me that Viagra might cause engorgement in some men. There is a company doing trials with a cream that has alprostadil in it which is the same ingredient used in caverject. If that becomes approved in the US, then that drug will have a real capability of causing engorgement of the glans for us implantees. It's sold in other parts of the world under various names. The one that I'm familiar with is Aprox TD. It's in phase 3 trials currently, I believe. I hope it gets approved soon. Will have to give it a try if it does.
Bob

Posting from a fellow Penile Implantee

2007-08-05T14:41:00.001-05:00

This is a message from Court H who had his implant procedure back in April 07. Court has his implant procedure performed by Dr Perito, a world renown implant surgeon who practices in Coral Gables, Florida. Dr Perito performs hundreds of implants a year. Court and his wife Beth have allowed me to include previous posts on my blog.

Well, it's been since April 26 th since I had my implant. My initial
reaction was not good. I was not prepared by my surgeon for the initial
loss of an inch of length and the loss of the rigidity of the glans. So,
effectively, I really lost an inch and a half of effective erectile tissue.
My initial reaction was great dismay at the loss of length and finding out
that the loss of the rigidity of the glans left my wife feeling like I
wasn't effectively making contact with the roof of her vagina and therefore
she couldn't feel me inside her anymore was depressing to say the least. I
sent several emails to my surgeon explaining the situation to him and he
assured me that, in time, some of my length would return did give me reason
for hope. He suggested daily genital massage, which my wife without fail,
performs nightly for about 10-15 minutes and a regimen of cycling the device
5-6 times a day, keeping the erection for about 2-3 minutes per cycle would
provide us with our maximum outcome. I have regained about a quarter of an
inch of length so some improvement has been seen. As far as the loss of
firmness of the glans is concerned, my wife came up with a fantastic idea.
We bought the smallest silicone beaded cock ring we could find and placing
it directly behind he ridge of the glans does give a little rigidity back to
the glans but most importantly gives back the sensation of ring of the glans
making contact with her G spot.
One thing I want to stress to anyone considering this procedure, discuss
with the surgeon who will be performing the procedure the potential loss of
length and have them perform a stretch test to see what you are actually
able to achieve. I have been in contact on other forums with others who
have had this procedure for a variety of reasons, prostatectomy, extreme
vascular degeneration and severe diabetes among other reasons and the
majority of them were not prepared adequately by their surgeons for the loss
of length and rigidity of the glans. Some have reported getting goodly
amounts of their length back, some have not. I'm not trying to pour cold
water on anyone considering this procedure I just want each of you who are
considering this procedure to make as informed a decision as possible.
My wife and I are learning how to make love to each other, to a degree, all
over again and we are having success and I do see a bright future ahead so
it was worth it even with the initial shocks and adjustments. I hope I have
made a positive contribution to this board and will continue to post as time
goes on.
Best wishes to all of you,
Court182

Coment from a Reader

2007-08-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

new comment on your post "Just some comments about using my implant.":

Very encouraging Bob, this sounds like the function I am seeking, just need to get by the worries expressed occasionally, cockhead limp, loss of length, etc. Staying hard and in after while spooning sounds great, never could do that b4; your wife now has the best sex toy. If she's ok with you telling, like to hear more. Can you talk about your experiences with it now masturbating?? How about partial pumping while just walking around, to give you that fullness for the sake of eroticism. Can you pump it some without undressing, just grab the pump through your slacks and squeeze for some filling. How long can you leave it like this, no discomfort, etc? I don't have google acct yet, so will leave this anonymous, you know me on Y as grrich

Gary:

Thanks for posting and asking.

Men who have had a prostatectomy often lose some length of their erection. My Urologist, Dr Stephen Weinstein of the University of Missouri, Hospitals and Clinics was asked by me about this. Dr Weinstein told me that one in three men loose length with the implant following a prostatectomy. He told me, that what he does is he resects the bladder and repositions the bladder lower in the abdomen to make up for the lose of length of the ureter that went through the prostate. Now that sounds likeit should be standard procedure Gary that all Uro's should be doing. And they may be doing just that. I just don't know. Yet, there are guys reporting some significant loss of length with thw implant who have lost their prostate gland previously. I just wish I knew the answer. I haven't lost any real length of my erection following my implant surgery. I'm within a quarter of an inch to my old Bi-mix length. I've also gained a quarter inch increase in the circumference of my penis. With the Ultrex implant, thats or a pretty typical finding among men with severe ED like me from diabetes or other causes. Men with Peyronies, usually experience straitening of the penis from the implant. There is a procedure for severe scarring with in the corpora involving making an incision length wise about 2/3's the length of the corpora and removing the scar tissue within. The surgeon then places the cylinders of the implant within the corpora and then sutures the corpora and sutures the penis itself. This is a much more involved surgery and takes much longer to heal and recover. But this is supposed to be very beeficial for men who have had severe Peyronies Disease. I don't have any figures off the top of my head on how many are being done or who's doing this type of surgery, but I read a couple of articles in the medical library at where I work in a couple of the urology journals about this particle procedure and how effective it is for men with severe fibrosis. How this might effect future erections would be a question to the doctors who perform this particular surgery. Your typical implant uro might also be able to answer questions on it as well.
As to your questions concerning masturbating with the implant.
I have masturbated several times since my implant surgery, and I find that while I pump my penis erect, I don't pump it nearly as hard as you need for intercourse. I like a little flexibility in my penis during masturbation, expecially when I'm not particularly in a hurry and want to lazily play with myself for awhile. I also find that I'm not pumping my implant really hard when my wife is going to perform oral on me. My girth is thicker than average, and by not pumping my girth as thick as it can get, it makes it easier for my wife to perform oral on me. You don't have to have a rock hard erection to ejaculate most satisfactorily by either oral sex or masturbation. And by leaving your penis semi hard, you can hold back coming a lot easier and go longer. And if your partner tires easily trying to perform oral on you, give them a break and leave yourself less firm. My wife suffers from a dry socket in her jaw and this causes her discomfort if she has to open her mouth as wide as she can to accomadate my full size. Women who experience discomfort why performing oral sex will appreciate you doing this, and I'm finding my experience with my wife giving me oral to be much better for both of us. She doesn't tire as bad from stretching her mouth to accomadate me and I don't get nicked by her teeth as she would do with a very firm erection. Walking around with a so so erection is fine also. When I first started pumping, the head of my penis was extra sensitive and if I left things anything but totally flacid, after awhile the head would get sore within my underwear and under my clothes from the friction and pressure of my clothes. It was more comfortable at first to be completely flacid. That is getting less and less of a problem the longer in the healing process I get. Within a month, that should be a distant memory for me.
Also, you've got to understand that you have two cylinders running the length of your penis so I never become totally flacid anymore. I'm usually sticking out there about 4 inches all the time now where as before the implant, I would only be 2 1/2 to sometimes 3 1/2 inches flacid. With the implant, your going to be showing a package all of the time. What you see in my pictures of my flacid cock is what I have showing all the time now. When I undress in the locker room or take a leak, I'm going to show about 4 inches of cock. Thats the minimum size I can get anymore. It's not really noticeable unless your wearing tight clothing, but it's there. As for pumping through your clothes, I can do that without too much trouble. The pump ball lies in the bottom of your scrotum and it is easy find and access. I can even deflate through my clothes. You are going to find out that after you are healed up, you can inflate yourself to whatever firmness you like, anytime and for however long that you want with out harming yourself. I sometimes like to walk around in my underwear with a partial erection just to catch my wifes eye and give her some ideas.
Before the implant, the spongy tissue that filled with blood, needed to have blood exchanges or the tissue would die, and scarring would occur if an erection lasted for over 4 hours maximum. In reality, I think 3 hours maximum was even better. With the implant filling the corpora, you don't need blood exchanges, so you can stay hard as long as you want. You still need to empty the implant and expand the reservoir as the body builds a capsule arouond the reservoir. You don't want to collapse the reservoir so that it can't collect the fluid from the implant. If that happens, you'll be walking around with a hard on all of the time and that won't look or feel natural. Gary, the confidence that I now feel with the implant has jacked up my sex drive to unbelievable heights. I have sex on the brain all the time now. I feel better about my sex drive and sexual satisfaction now more than at any time of my life. Maybe I'm a kid right now with a new toy. But I've never had this much fun with a toy before. Good luck on your future implant surgery. Bob

Testosterone Replacement

2007-08-01T09:20:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers:

I'd like to touch on a topic that I've researched heavily and have lived with for around 14 to 15 years and that is Testosterone Replacement Therapy, (HRT) or Hormone Replacement Therapy as it is also called. One of the syndromes that people who have autoimmune diseases have is a greater likelihood of having other endocrine problems. I have Juvenile Diabetes or Type 1 diabetes which is an autoimmune disorder where antibodies attacked my Beta Cells in my pancreas and destroyed them. Without Beta Cells, there is no insulin production. In my thirties, I discovered that my libido was starting to take a nose dive. After finding that there was adequate hormone to stimulate my testicles to produce testosterone, I opted for a needle core biopsy of my testicles and it was discovered that the cells that produce testosterone were slowly being destroyed, so I started taking shots of Testosterone Cypionate. As time went on, a single shot a month left me going up and down and I felt on a roller coaster of emotions. I was as PMSy as my wife. So my doctor put me on a schedule of taking a shot every two weeks. Then I went to every week just so I didn’t have too great a fluctuation. Ahh, the not so fond memories of jabbing an inch and a half, 23 gauge needle into my butt. Those days ended approximately 6 years ago with the advent of Androgel. Androgel is a topical gel containing 5 grams of testosterone that you rub onto the skin of your body. It came in 2.5 gram and 5 gram packets at the time I started using it. I would apply mine every morning after my shower. Androgel now has a more convenient pump bottle in addition to the packets that supplies you 1.25 grams with each pump and I really like using the pump. It’s so much easier to use than tearing open foil packets everyday and the price is cheaper. Also, it is much easier to titrate your dosage so that you are not getting too much or too little testosterone each day based upon your blood tests. I like to apply the testosterone to my skin and then have blood drawn two hours later. I like having a testosterone level around 800 milligrams for my am level. I know that is the level where I feel my best. A testosterone level below 300 mg is too low for any man and yet many doctors don’t want to start replacement therapy until a man’s level is 200 mg and below. If your doctor won’t treat you and shoot for a morning level of 600 mgs to 900 mgs, find yourself a different doctor. The best doctor to see is a Urologist and have your prostate checked at the same time. Low testosterone exhibits itself by symptoms of depression, low sex drive, poor or no erections, high cholesterol readings, and feelings of lethargy or no energy. Low testosterone will slowly result in significant bone lose. Men who have low testosterone also are at a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease, i.e.; heart attacks and strokes. Low testosterone just makes everyday suck in so many ways, that it leaves you feeling like why even get out of bed. A word of caution, if you are having problems with obesity and diabetes, you need to get off your butt and exercise along with replacement of testosterone. Having too high a level of body fat results in too much aromatase being produced by your body fat. Aromatase is an enzyme that breaks down testosterone and the end product is estradiol or a form of estrogen that is produced. Estrogen has a higher affinity for testosterone receptors than testosterone has. What testosterone that doesn’t get converted to estradiol, is bound with Sex Hormone Binding Globulin and become non bioavailable or in other words, your body can’t use. What this means is the amount of bound testosterone cannot attach to testosterone receptors and is thus useless to you. The amount of free bioavailable testosterone that is available to your body to do all of the anabolic things that testosterone does along with sex drive and physical well being just isn’t there. This results in two things happening. You need free, unbound testosterone to attach to testosterone receptors to obtain the full effects of the testosterone. If all your testosterone is converted to estrogen or becomes bounded testosterone, you don’t have any effect from the testosterone no matter what your levels are. And two, estrogen starts breast development and depositing fat in the hips. I have a good friend who has this problem. His breasts are so large, that they fill his wife’s D cup bras. Thats bad and he knows it. Unfortunately, he chooses not to try and change anything.
Take care
Bob

Just some comments about using my implant.

2007-08-01T08:44:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers:

I just received a comment from an anonymous poster thanking me for my candor and for having this blog. I know exactly what he means about finding any information from actual implantees and their experiences along with pictures on what everything looks like and feels like following surgery, recuperation, and actually enjoying sexual relations with the implant. There just isn't anything like my blog out there on the internet. That was my motivation for creating this blog in order to help men and their partners learn from me and others in order to make an informed decision on a treatment that can really have a significant effect on a man for the rest of your life. I'm very happy that I chose to have implant surgery and I am advising any man to give this surgery some significant thought. I'm really enjoying both oral sex and intercourse with my wife as is she. It's like being 20- again. No more getting up and taking a painful shot or planning sex and taking a pill and waiting for results. No more worries of whether or not I'm going to get an erection and stay hard to completion. It takes 6 to 12 pumps and I have an erection as hard as any 20 year old guy, but with one difference. I can stay hard for hours with the implant. I can fall asleep spooning my wife, with my erection inside her. We both love that feeling of staying connected. I've woken up to my wife moving back and forth on my cock in the middle of the night and she's having an orgasm!!
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and just enjoy thrusting into her vagina for awhile, sometimes to ejaculation, sometimes not, and while I'm moving inside of her, shes asleep, but she'll moan and I know a part of her is enjoying this and all this is just in the past few weeks. I'm finding that the implant is opening up a whole new sexual world for me and my wife as I can now do things with the implant, that I never could do before. It's like having the 6 million dollar bionic penis. One of the topics of concern on Penile Implants Support group is possible partner rejection of a man with an implant. In my case, I don't have a large scrotum, so on my right side you can feel the pump for the implant. I've talked to men with larger scrotums and the pump isn't as noticeable as mine is. I'm pulling and tugging on my scrotal skin in hopes of stretching it to a larger size and it may do that on it's own. Who knows. But guys, let me let you in on a secret. Women fight self esteem issues their whole lives. Are they pretty enough, is their butt too large. Are their breasts too small, too big, saggging. Do they look too fat. They have to live with periods and all the charming surprises that it throws their way. They worry how their vagina looks like to us, tastes like, and does it smell bad to us. God, if they only knew how in heaven we guys are when we get anywhere near their vaginas. With all the self esteem issues that they carry around all their lives, expect them to be curious about your implant. Answer their questions honestly and after they experience all the advantages that your implant offers them, the vast majority of women are going to accept it as a normal part of you. As my wife has comented on mine, I'm harder, slightly thicker in girth, my penis still tastes the same. My ejaculate is the same. I ejaculate with force and with the same volume. My sensitivity hasn't changed any. My genitals still look quite normal as the pictures that I have posted as well as Dan's photos. And for some reason or other, I have been horny as hell over the past several weeks since I got the ok for sex. I have a new sense of confidence in my sexuality. I may be making up for all the missed oportunities that I had because taking a shot just didn't seem worth it at the time or was maybe more hastle then I wanted to deal with. Sex for me is fool proof. I can't loose. I know without any doubt that I can perform anytime, anyplace, and if I was so inclined, with anyone. No man has that kind of security unless they have an implant. There were a couple of times in my life, when I was younger, I had to pass on a couple of good looking opportunities because I had too much to drink and she was very willing. I was very willing, but the the man down below my belt would not wake up. I'd have donated a testicle to have this implant then. Take care all.
Bob

Talking about Implant Results

2007-07-28T18:36:00.001-05:00

Below are pictures taken on July 28th of my genitals following a two month healing period following Penile Implant Surgery. I've had an AMS 700 Ultrex implant surgically implanted. The Ultrex allows for expansion in both length and girth of the penis. The implant allows a 20% enlongation and while it takes up to 6 months to obtain the maximum possible expansion of the device, I am very satisfied with my current erection from my implant. I've enjoyed great sex with my wife and it has been very enjoyable for both of us. I have the same sensations that I felt prior to the surgery. The orgasms are strong and my ejaculate is the same volume and force as I've always experienced my whole life. The glands of my penis stays somewhat softer than what I used to experience, but because the ends of the cylinders are located just under the glans or head and furnishes the hard feeling to my wifes vagina. We've experienced intercourse about a dozen times in the past two weeks and I've asked her to close her eyes and concentrate on the feelings of my penis thrusting into her. I asked her, do you feel any difference from before the implant with how I feel inside her now? Her asnswer is no difference what so ever. It feels great. The only way that she can tell that I have an implant is when she can feel the pump within my scrotum. Guys With an implant, you have the best penis that modern science can build. It looks natural, feels naturals, is warm, and tastes perfectlly natural to your partner. You have the ability to bring pleasure to your partner for as long as they want, as hard as they want, and as often as they want. Anywhere, anytime, you are the ultimate male lover. Your orgasm does not change. It's the same as it was when you were a young man. The only difference is when my orgasm pushes my ejaculate out, my penis stays wonderfully hard and erect. Ladies. No longer do you have to be frustrated because the guy has his orgasm, and you are so close. Don't stop, you urge him, but he can't because he's gone soft before you can finish. Well, never again for the guy who has an implant. Ladies, he is going to keep thrusting hard into you until you stop having exploding orgasms. You are really going to enjoy your guys new ardor. Don't wait. Don't hesitate to have this surgery if you really need it. My spouse and I are glad that I had this surgery. I now wish that I had not endured the injections as long as I did. As you can see from my pictures and from another implantees pictures, our genitals look entirely normal following the surgery. Both flacid and erect, I'm not at all ashamed of any one seeing my genitalia. I'm not ashamed to make love to my wife, or if I were single, make love to any women. I have complete confidence, more than I have ever had in my entire life, to have long, hard, and satisfying sex with any women. I can satisfy any women. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind of that.

Two Months Post Op Erection from Implant

2007-07-28T18:26:00.001-05:00

2 month Flacid Post Op Pictures

2007-07-28T17:45:00.002-05:00

Penile Length Following Implant Surgery

2007-07-17T16:11:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers

An often heard discussion on Penile Implants is the discussion of size following implant surgery versus size prior to implant surgery. A lot of factors enter in the length of the penis following the surgery. This topic should be covered fully by any Urologist who does implant surgery so that men who are about to have this surgery, have realistic expectations and knowledge of possible outcomes. I would dare say, that a realistic outcome by the patient is the number one reason to influence how a patient and their spouse perceives whether or not they are happy they had the implant surgery. Prior to any surgery, men ought to know that the glans or head of the penis does not become engorged with blood during sexual intercourse with the implant. This is often the reason why the length of a man's penis is shorter than the length he experienced with either a natural erection or with intercavernosal injections. Expect to loose a 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch in length due to this very reason. Also, expect the penis to be shorter in length 1 month post op than at 6 months post op. Men who cycle the implant daily, will stretch the penis. A least in the size of the girth, but should also see some improvement in length as well. Their is only one implant that expands length wise and that is the AMS 700 Ultrex. All of the other implants are pretty much sized to the maximum length that a man has that can be achieved when the tissues are stretched. That is why I went with the Ultrex implant. It can achieve a possible increase of up to
20 % in length. A man who penis is 5 inches could potentially increase one inch. That is probably not going to happen as the penis can only be stretched so much, so each man's experiences will be different. For men who received a prostatectomy prior to the implant, you men need to realistically expect to permanently lose an inch or more. Below is an article that appeared in the European Urology website detailing a study on realistic penile length results of men who had the surgery. Participants were measured post surgery for flacid stretch length and then measured at post surgical at one month and six months. Each man's final results are going to vary some. I hope you find the study informative.

http://www.urotoday.com/42/browse_categories/erectile_dysfunction_ed/european_urology__penile_length_alterations_following_penile_prosthesis_surgery.html

Paste the above address in your web browser. This site really gives a good explanation on penile length following implant surgery.
Bob

Dave's Pictures

2007-07-11T08:18:00.003-05:00

Erect 4 weeks

2. Flaccid at 4 weeks

Flaccid at 7 weeks

Flaccid 1 at 7 weeks

Erection at 7 weeks

Erection Pic 5 at 7 weeks

Erection at 7 weeks

Erection Picture 3 at 7 weeks

Erection 2 at 7 weeks

Erection Pic1 at 7 weeks

Erection Pic at 4 weeks

I wish to thank Dave for submitting these pictures of his genitals at Post Op Week 4 and Week 7 following Daniel's Penile Implant surgery. Read his Story below.

These pictures are copyrited and are posted for educational purposes for men with long term erectile dysfunction and their partner's who are giving serious thought to possibly seeking a penile implant as a solution to their ED problems. I began this blog as an aid to men to hear first hand accounts of penile implantees as well as their spouses views. I welcome all submissions.

Bob, here are pictures, flaccid, 1 semierect, and several erect, at 4 weeks, just after I began to pump, and this week, which is my 7th week. The flaccid at week 4 was 4 inches, the erect was 4 1/2 inches. The flaccid now is 4 1/2 inches and the erect is right at 5 inches. You'll notice that it points slightly to the right for some reason...all of the tubing is just to the right of my pubic area, and then goes into the abdomen, and the pump is on the right side of the scrotum.

Dave's Story Followed by pictures

2007-07-11T08:16:00.002-05:00

My name is Dave J. In January, 2005, I had a TURP, after having had years of recurring prostate infections. A week later, at my follow-up visit to the urologist, he informed me that the tissues they took from the TURP and sent to the lab had cancer..a Gleason of 6. My options were to do nothing, (watchful waiting), which he did not recommend at my age (58) at the time; have radiation, or surgery. I felt my best choice was to be rid of the cancer so I chose the surgery. I had a Radical Prostatectomy in March, '05.

I immediately began using Viagra/Cialis to assist in resuming normal erections. I had a few times of "fullness" over the course of the next couple of months, but nothing near an erection. In June '05, I began using Edex injections. They worked well, but I had terrible pain and 3 hour erections each time. Intercourse had to happen quickly, because once the pain began, it was too painful to do so. I also began using a VED for therapy in July '05.
Within a few weeks, I noticed that my penis had decreased in length and girth, and was bending to the right. In October, the urologist insisited that I discontinue the injections because I was damaging the tissue within the penis, causing fibrosis. So, I did. I continued to use the pump, and had only 1 successful intercourse with it, as the rings could not keep the blood in the penis.

I used the VED as therapy every night for at least 15 minutes over the next 19 months. Natural erections would occur only occasionally, during the night, but never sustainable for intercourse. And, because of the fibrosis, they were very small both in length and girth.

My urologist wanted me to have the implant, but I was reluctant. We had at least one very "tense" discussion, but he insisted it was my last option if I wanted intercourse. So, in April, I agreed to have the surgery, and scheduled it for May 21, 2007.

Recovery was painful for the first two weeks, but began to be less so by the third week. At the 4 week followup, he pumped it up, and told me to continue to do so daily until my next visit. I did as he said, sometimes several times a day, to try and stretch the tissue.

Before the prostatectomy, i was 5 3/4" flaccid, and 7 1'2" erect, and often when I was REALLY in the mood, 8". After the surgery, I was about 4 1/2 - 5" flaccid, and erections (with injections, before damage) was about 6". After the implant, I was only 4" flaccid and 4 1'2" erect. I've gained about 1/2" in both as I've been stretching, and hopefully will gain at least another 1/2" or more. Sex is different being so much shorter, but still most enjoyable.

It's a difficult decision, and there is no return, but I'm glad I made the choice.

Penile Implants--What to expect and how to prepare

2007-07-09T21:04:00.001-05:00

Penile implants — What to expect and how to prepare

Penile implants are artificial devices implanted inside the penis that allow men with erectile dysfunction (ED) to achieve an erection. They're also sometimes used to treat Peyronie's disease, a disorder that causes bent or painful erections. There are two basic designs:
Inflatable. Also called hydraulic, inflatable implants can be pumped up to create an erection and then deflated.
Semirigid. These implants are always somewhat firm.
First introduced in the 1970s, penile implants were the most reliable treatment for erectile dysfunction until the 1980s when medications injected into the penis became available. In the 1990s, oral agents such as sildenafil (Viagra) were introduced. These medications have since become the most popular erectile dysfunction treatment, but they don't work for all men with erectile problems. About two-thirds of men with ED will respond to oral medications — but some men can't take them, or the medications don't produce satisfactory results. For these men, penile implants are an additional option.
Penile implants require complex and permanent surgery, and there is a risk of infection and a risk that the device will malfunction. But, since these devices were first introduced, new materials, designs and surgical procedures have greatly improved outcomes for penile implants. Most men who have the procedure and their partners say they're satisfied with the results.
Penile implant surgery can be costly but may be covered by Medicare and other types of insurance.

Who is it for?
Erectile dysfunction can be caused by a number of health problems and injuries, and can be a complication of certain surgeries. Depending on the cause of erection problems, implants may be the best treatment choice. Penile implants are a good option for men with erectile dysfunction who can't take medications or for whom medications don't work. Some men make the personal choice to receive an implant rather than using alternative means to restore sexual function.
Implants are also used to treat some cases of Peyronie's disease — a condition that causes internal scarring that can lead to a bending of the erect penis, painful erections and other problems with sexual function.
Most men with erectile dysfunction opt for a penile implant only after other less invasive methods prove ineffective — these include oral medications, medications injected into the penis with a needle or via the urethra (the tube that carries urine and semen through the penis), and use of a vacuum pump device.
A penile implant procedure may have a higher risk of failure if you have immune system problems, a chronic health condition such as diabetes or are at high risk of infections.

How do you prepare?
Penile implant surgery is usually done at a surgery center or hospital by a urologist.
Most candidates for penile implant surgery are evaluated by their surgeon to determine the cause of their erectile dysfunction and to assess their risk of a surgical procedure.
Once you and your doctor have determined that a penile implant may be a good choice for you, your doctor will help you understand the procedure, the risks and potential complications, and the type of implant that suits you best. Include your partner in the consultation with your doctor, if appropriate.
Follow your doctor's instructions about taking medications before and after your surgery. Often, during the two weeks before and after penile implant surgery, your doctor will tell you not to take medications that can alter the function of the platelets in your blood and can increase the risk of bleeding. Your surgeon should review your medications and suggest alternatives if you're taking medications that might make the surgery riskier.
Your surgeon might suggest that you bathe with antibiotic soap for three nights before your surgery to reduce the risk of infection. Do not shave the surgery site yourself.
You may be dismissed the day of surgery or may stay overnight, depending on the circumstances. Arrange for someone to drive you home from the surgery center or hospital.

How is it done?
Penile implant surgery usually takes between one and two hours and can be done under a general or spinal anesthetic.
Normally, spongy tissue inside the penis fills with blood to create an erection. To insert the penile implant, your doctor will stretch these tissue-filled chambers inside your penis (corpora cavernosa). After measurements are made and appropriately sized prostheses are selected, the cylinders (either inflatable or semirigid) are then inserted into the two chambers. With an inflatable implant, your doctor will also place a pump inside your scrotum, and possibly a fluid-filled reservoir in your lower abdomen, depending on the type of implant you receive.
There are two basic types of penile implants:
Inflatable implants There are two- and three-piece inflatable implants.
Three-piece implants use a fluid-filled reservoir implanted under the abdominal wall, a pump-and-release valve placed inside the scrotum, and two inflatable cylinders inside the penis. Before you have sex, you pump the fluid from the reservoir into the cylinders to cause an erection. After sex, you release the valve inside the scrotum to drain the fluid back into the reservoir.
The two-piece model currently available in the United States works in a similar way to a three-piece design, but the fluid reservoir is part of the pump mechanism implanted in the scrotum.
Semirigid rods This type of implant is always firm. The penis may be bent away from the body to have sex and toward the body to conceal the device.
In the United States, inflatable devices are the most common type of penile implant.
Three-piece inflatable devices are used in about 80 percent of penile implants.
Two-piece inflatable devices are used about 15 percent of the time.
Semirigid devices are the least used, accounting for about 5 percent of implants.
Although less commonly used, semirigid devices are less complicated, easier to place and have less risk of mechanical failure. Inflatable devices are more costly than semirigid types are, but they're more natural because they can be inflated to create an erection — and deflated at other times. Inflatable implants also reduce the possibility of damage to the inside of the penis due to constant pressure — which can be a problem for some men with semirigid implants.
Although semirigid implants are mechanically simpler — and early inflatable designs often had problems — improved design, materials and construction have made modern inflatable designs much more reliable.
The decision about which type of implant you should have is based on both your preference and your medical situation. Your doctor may advise one type of design over another based on factors including your age, risk of infection, and health conditions, injuries or medical treatments you have had in the past.
Type of implant
Advantages
Drawbacks

Three-piece inflatable
Creates a more natural erection than does a semirigid implant
Creates a firmer erection than does a two-piece implant
Can take pressure off the inside of the penis by deflating the implant when not in use, reducing the chance for injury
Most costly of all implant types
Has more parts that could malfunction than does any other design
Requires the most extensive surgery of any implant design

Two-piece inflatable
Creates a more natural erection than does a semirigid implant
Mechanically simpler than a three-piece inflatable implant
Less costly than a three-piece inflatable implant
No need to implant a separate reservoir in the abdominal wall, as with a three-piece design
Can take pressure off the inside of the penis by deflating the implant when not in use, reducing the chance for injury
Requires more extensive surgery than does a semirigid implant
Mechanically more complicated than a semirigid implant
Results in a bulkier scrotum than with a three-piece device

Semirigid
Requires the least extensive surgery of all penile implant types
Less parts than any other design, so less of a chance of malfunction
Least costly of all implant types
Penis always semirigid — not entirely hard or entirely flaccid
Less easy to conceal under clothing than other devices
Constant pressure on the inside of the penis, causing injury in some men

The three-piece inflatable penile implant consists of inflatable cylinders inside the shaft of the penis, a fluid reservoir under the abdominal wall, and a pump inside the scrotum.

The two-piece inflatable penile implant consists of inflatable cylinders inside the shaft of the penis and a combined fluid reservoir and pump unit in the scrotum.

The semirigid penile implant is bent upward for sex; and toward the body for concealment under clothing.

What can you expect during the procedure?
Immediately before surgery
Penile implant surgery is usually done under either spinal or general anesthesia administered by an anesthesiologist.
Within a couple of hours before the surgery, you may be given antibiotics to reduce your risk of infection.
A tube called a catheter may be placed into the bladder through your urethra to drain urine. In most cases, the urinary catheter is removed the in the first 24 hours after surgery.
During surgery
Your surgeon will make an incision below the head of the penis, at the base of the penis, or in the lower abdomen.
Next, your surgeon stretches the spongy tissues in the penis that would normally fill with blood during an erection. This tissue is inside the two hollow chambers called the corpora cavernosa.
After flushing the area with antibiotic fluid to prevent infection, your surgeon will choose the correct size implant and seat the cylinders inside the penis.
If your doctor is implanting a two-piece inflatable device, the pump and valve mechanism are placed inside the scrotum. For a three-piece device, your surgeon will also implant a fluid reservoir under the abdominal wall through an internal incision.
Once the device is in place, your surgeon will sew the incisions closed.

Recovery
Most men go home within 24 hours of surgery.
You will need to take antibiotics as directed by your surgeon to prevent infection.
Following surgery, wear loosefitting underwear and clothing. Men with an inflatable device will need to make sure the scrotal pump stays in place during healing.
Most men can resume strenuous physical activity about a month after surgery. You can resume sexual activity four to six weeks after surgery depending on the type of implant you have and the instructions of your surgeon.

Results
New designs and surgical procedures have improved the function and safety of penile implants. Although implants are the most invasive and least often chosen treatment for erectile dysfunction, they have a very high satisfaction rate. Over 90% of the men who have the procedure, and their partners, say they're satisfied with the results. Many use the devices to have sex several times a week. Men with Peyronie's disease who have the procedure report slightly lower satisfaction rates.

While most men are satisfied with their penile implant, there are some things men should know before choosing to have the procedure:
Implants cause an erection, but they don't increase sexual desire or sensation.

penile implant will be shorter than the erection you had naturally in many implantees. Some implantees recover their length in time. But for others, they can loose an inch or more. And some men will have a 1 to 3 cm increase with the AMS 700 Ultrex. Know this and understand this before your implant surgery. You have to expect that some length will be lost and you will have to live with it. Prostate surgery for cancer causes the worst loss. Stretched flaccid length prior to surgery is a good indicator or predictor of final length.

Also understand, the glans penis does not become engorged with blood and remains soft in most men. Some men use viagra or cialis to engorge the glans penis (head of the penis) during intercourse.

Some partners feel that sexual pleasure is diminished by their lack of involvement in creating an erection.
This surgery is permanent. If your implant is removed, you will not be able to get an erection.
Infection is a possibility, especially if you have diabetes or certain other health problems. An infected prosthesis has to be removed and replaced. Currently less than 2% for antibiotic coated implants.
You may have reduced sensation in the head of your penis. In some men, this improves when they also take phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis) and vardenafil (Levitra).

Risks
Infection Penile implants sometimes become infected. Surgery to replace the prosthesis is almost always necessary to treat an infection.
For men who are not already at higher risk of infection because of an underlying health condition, infection rates are low — about 1 percent to 3 percent.
Men with diabetes are at higher risk, with an infection rate of about 8 percent.
Men with a spinal cord injury have about 9 percent risk of infection.
Men having revision surgery — surgery to adjust or replace an implant — have about a 10 percent risk of infection. Men with diabetes who have revision surgery are at higher risk.
If an infection occurs, it's usually not until weeks or more after surgery. In some cases, an infection occurs years later. Symptoms can include long-term pain, a component of the prosthesis sticking to the skin, or rarely, a component that breaks through the skin of the penis. With inflatable models, the entire prosthesis can also become infected.
More serious infections — which in most cases start within weeks of surgery — can cause swelling of the scrotum, drainage of pus and fever.
Malfunction Although new penile implant designs are very reliable and may last a lifetime, they can malfunction. For example, in some semirigid devices, internal parts can break down over time, leading to a prosthesis malfunction. In inflatable devices, fluid can leak or the valve or pump device can fail. Surgery is necessary to repair or replace a broken implant.

Looking ahead
New implants coated with antibiotics have reduced the incidence of infection, but more studies are needed to determine how effective they are.
Manufacturers recently released a three-piece inflatable implant with a lock-out device to prevent the device from accidentally inflating on its own. More research is needed to see how well this device works, but initial results are promising.
Because some men who have their prostate removed to treat prostate cancer have erection problems, experts are studying whether implanting a penile prosthesis at the same time the prostate is removed is appropriate.
The best solution to erectile dysfunction would be to repair the damaged tissue that caused the problem in the first place. Research is currently ongoing to devise injections of materials that would repair damaged penile tissue to allow natural erections to occur.