Implants, who has or is considering one and why?

[Duey1083]

Hey everyone,

I'm pretty new to these boards and to my diagnosis with Peyronies; been experiencing symptoms for 10-11 months.  I can feel bumpy plaques near the base/left hand side of my penis (discovered by my urologist and he showed them to me and got me to feel them).  As a result, I am suffering from ED (which was my initial trigger, besides the swelling after masturbation, to knowing something was amiss) which seems to be relatable to the symptoms of venous leakage; engorged superficial dorsal and side veins, weak erections that can only be partially achieved when laying down, difficult to impossible to maintain when I stand up, even with Cialis, and constant need for manual stimulation to maintain any sort of erection.

My curvature is starting to develop; last night I noted about a 20-25 degree bend at base when I'm erect (Cialis) where my uro identified the plaques.  

Anyways, since I'm fairly new into this and because I'm suffering from ED, I'm seriously skipping all the drama and just going straight for an implant.  I know that the venous leakage will need to be confirmed by a Duplex Doppler Ultrasound, but I'm wondering for the guys going through this with moderate ED, have you considered just getting the implant?

I'm only 29 and single, so being able to have a firm erection on demand is more enticing than going through years of treatments that may or may not help my situation.  The other thing to consider is time, in that if I wait too long, I may have noticeable loss in length and girth, which would only compound my insecurities.  

Duey

[Pfract]

I understand your idea of getting an implant as a way of sort of solving your problems all at once, but have you read the basics about implants? Although they are a great solution, the process of getting one, and having it implanted correctly by a knowledgeable doctor to maximize their full potential in terms of size (Length and girthwise) is not a walk in the park. And once they are in place, their duration depends on how much you use them. A pretty famous Dr on the world of implants (Dr. François Eid), has a video and he says that if you use them once a month they may last for up to 15 years, but with heavy usage, 3 to 5 years. After that they break, leaking the saline inside and you have to get a replacement (which is much easier in terms of recovery). But it's another operation.

So... before you have a proper diagnostic in terms of exams (doppler ultrasound and others) try to take it a little bit easier, and read as  much as you can on this.  

[Duey1083]

Hey pfract,

I've been reading about the basics of implants for far longer than I have been with Peyronies.  

I understand your caution about it as its a final decision, but not only do I have to worry about pain, curvature, deformity, loss of elasticity and size, I also have to worry about getting and keeping an erection.  It's a lot to digest and come to terms with.

I'm not going to run out and get an implant willy-nilly (lol), but I'm also not going to waste too much time if my condition doesn't improve.  Since I've been battling this for 11 months already with no healthcare support; that's right, 11 months of crappy to no erections, and its already cost me one relationship, I will consider an implant.

Obviously, I'll give treatment with Cialis and Pentox and VED a try for a year to two years max, but if my erectile function doesn't return and there's an obvious leakage, then I'll certainly be considering an implant much more seriously.

I've read about vein ligation and I am not impressed with its efficacy.  From what I understand, the remaining veins begin to over compensate over a bit of time and the ED returns...I can't say anything would be different with scleropathy, but this is my assumption.

[Duey1083]

Also, I believe your estimates on mileage for implants is vastly overstated.  I was just reading through Dr. Eid's website this morning.  At minimum, one can expect 8 years of normal use, plus, if you don't over inflate to hammer hard, you probably get higher durability.

Anyways, you know what we are all feeling...I'm trying to come to grips with everything.  I just dropped my prescriptions off at the Pharmacy and he kind of looked at me like, "really?".   I'm young, not overweight and physically active...I don't look like a regular candidate for Cialis

[Pfract]

 Fair enough, you do have a point. And like i told you, we are in the same boat, with similar symptoms, for different reasons. I just want to try and see if penile re vascularization is a solution for my case first, but if it isn't then I'll have to follow the implant route too... But who knows the future.  

[Duey1083]

Hey pfract,

I'm sorry I don't recognize your country flag.  Where abouts are you from?!  Are you considering travel for medical hell as well?

The biggest fears i would have with the implant are infection, disappointment with final result, durability, and reaction from partners.  But as you said, you need to be careful with which surgeon you elect to go with.  From my research so far, that would be Dr. Eid, Dr. Kramer, or Dr. Karpman, I believe.

Anyways, having a backup plan gives me some relief.

[james1947]

Duey

You may want to checkout for implant Dr. Drogo K. Montague of the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Milam at Vanderbilt University Dept of Urologic Surgery.
Check out also FT as the have 1000's of posts regarding implants and implants doctors.

James

[Pfract]

"Are you considering travel for medical hell as well?

The biggest fears i would have with the implant are infection, disappointment with final result, durability, and reaction from partners.  But as you said, you need to be careful with which surgeon you elect to go with.  From my research so far, that would be Dr. Eid, Dr. Kramer, or Dr. Karpman, I believe.

Anyways, having a backup plan gives me some relief."

Yes i am. Doing my best to go to San Diego Sexual Medicine as soon as possible. It's going to be expensive as hell, but at least i am going to do a lot of tests on the same place, and know exactly what i can do or not in terms of my problem. Just hope that when i get there, i am given "good news" otherwise there will be a lot of crying again... :| As for the doctors you mentioned i agree, they have all rave reviews, although i would maybe go for Kramer, as he is one of the "youngest" in the implant world, and more caring as far as i've read.

As for infection rates, those doctors as you might have read, state they have them at 1/2% which is pretty low. Size loss to me, is the main concern on this.

Also, will you try to use the VED daily? it's always a good policy to use it along with a traction device to gain some size before an implant.... or at least recover from the size you lost to peyronies.

[Duey1083]

Bahaha...I just noticed how my last message was worded, quite accidentally too.  "Are you considering travel for medical hell (I meant help, I promise) as well?"  In all reality, it's not far off base!  

Thanks for the response pfract and james1947.  Yes, I have seen that those infection rates from a good surgeon are indeed quite low.  Good for you man; I'm glad that you are taking that step necessary to get the help/tests that you need.  I truly hope it all turns out well for you and that you get good news too  Do you mind me asking when you are planning on going and what types of tests you'll be having?  Also, what did you mean by penile re-vascularization?

Thank you for the suggestion James; you're right, Dr. Milam is definitely one of the names I've seen at FT too.  By any chance, does anyone have the contact information for the moderators on that forum?  I have desperately been trying to join the forum with two different logins, but I have yet to receive my password to actually log in and post questions (I've been waiting for months to get fully registered).  If anyone has contact information, I'd like to get a hold of the person to see if I can get that moving along.

For anyone reading this, I'm not advocating for implants.  I'm just wondering if people in my boat, with Peyronies, ED, relatively young (29), and probably most importantly, single - without a supportive and understanding partner already by his side, are considering implants.  I have a fairly good feeling my ED symptoms are caused by venous leak.  Both conditions are incurable...I will try ALL oral ED meds first, and I'll try them with cock rings.  What I won't do, is rely on a VED at my age for sex; given the various women I've dated, almost none would be mature or supportive enough to handle that.  I also won't do injections as they are crazy expensive and from my reading have been shown to cause fibrosis (after extensive use) and could worsen the Peyronies Disease condition.

As such, I feel my options are extremely limited; my thoughts are, rather than kick a tire for several years (years in my youth that I could have potentially been having great sex), why shouldn't I embark on this journey with treatment for my ED and Peyronies with the idea of the implant (as a last resort) right from the beginning.  That way, if everything fails (a good chance), I'd be more open/ready to start the process of getting ready for an implant surgery.  Sorry for rambling...

pfract, yes, before considering an implant I would most certainly be using a VED daily; I think the minimum for the implant is at least 2 months prior.  Haha, you and I have been reading/researching indeed

[Old Man]

Duey and pfract:

Strongly suggest that you locate JackPs My History about implants before you do any more research about implants.

He had his done about 5 years ago and has documented his ''travel'' though making a decision about which implant to use and what therapy to prepare himself for the surgery, what to day afterwards and all the final results of his journey through the process.

He used the AMX LGX 700 model three piece implant (not updated as I understand it) which allowed him to have the implant protrude into his glans area. This gave him some extra length, made the glans inflate during erections with the implant and in general gave him a really erection.

So, please refer to his history, give him a PM for any questions you guys might have and I am sure that you will hear from him about ''his journey'' through the implant process.

Best regards to you guys and keep the forum up to date on your decisions and what the results were, etc.

Old Man

[james1947]

Duey

Regarding:

By any chance, does anyone have the contact information for the moderators on that forum?

LWillisjr is the forum administrator. Write a PM to him or send him an email.
You can send him an email by click on the email icon in his forum profile.
JackP blog (Old Man suggestion) you may find in his forum profile.
Not advocating for implant also, I know from the Internet about people as young as 19 that made it and very happy
I wish I had insurance or finance for it.
I suppose you don't have insurance in the US, right to 3 years ago it was US$ 12,000 with Dr. Drogo K. Montague of the Cleveland Clinic. If you want more details, PM me.

James

[Pfract]

"Do you mind me asking when you are planning on going and what types of tests you'll be having?  Also, what did you mean by penile re-vascularization?"

No idea yet. In the process of saving money. As for the types of tests, you can check them all here in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wlQB23osRU the video also describes my situation, or the situation i think i have. Since my symptoms and the way it happened is super similar. But who knows...


"As such, I feel my options are extremely limited; my thoughts are, rather than kick a tire for several years (years in my youth that I could have potentially been having great sex), why shouldn't I embark on this journey with treatment for my ED and Peyronies with the idea of the implant (as a last resort) right from the beginning.  That way, if everything fails (a good chance), I'd be more open/ready to start the process of getting ready for an implant surgery.  Sorry for rambling...  pfract, yes, before considering an implant I would most certainly be using a VED daily; I think the minimum for the implant is at least 2 months prior.  Haha, you and I have been reading/researching indeed "

Basically we have the same idea here. I am also trying to get accustomed to the idea that things might never be similar to what they where in terms of functioning, let alone in terms of length... Also, the majority of the people that have an implant installed successfully say that they wish they should of done it earlier instead of dealing with ED and all it's associated trauma...

[Duey1083]

Thank you for all the replies and feedback guys.  Pfract, it is comforting for me to know that are thought processes are aligned...it's easier to go through the struggle with the support of another guy in a similar situation as me in the same age range.

James, no, unfortunately as a Canadian, I wouldn't have any insurance to cover the cost of an implant in the US.  I don't really have the funds to cover this cost either; I could do it, but I would have to sell off my car and a few other things and possibly have to go into a bit of debt to pay for this surgery, if and when I come to it.

I think I'd have to jump through dozens of hoops just to get one here in Canada, and even if I could get one, I have no control over choosing the surgeon I want, nor do I see that we'd even have the high volume surgeons that the US does for this delicate operation.  I could be wrong though.

Can I ask, do my symptoms sound like those of venous leak?  For the most part, from what I've read, ED associated with Peyronies is usually caused by venous leak due to the deep dorsal vein not being able to close properly during the erection process; am I right about this?  As a result, I get weak and floppy erections that change in nature (get worse or slightly better, maybe 70% full) depending on my position.  Also, I need constant stimulation and even that coupled with my low dose Cialis isn't necessarily enough to keep me hard.  I need to try it out with a girl though.

Anyways, like I said, I will exhaust the options available to me first.  Hopefully I don't get laughed at if I need to use a ring in the bedroom.  It was painful picking up my prescriptions over the weekend...the guy looked at me with disbelief  I just don't see taking ED medication for 30+ years to be a very healthy thing for my body and liver.  Also, I'm not sure if I'd ever be comfortable using a VED in the bedroom at my age.  At the same time, I'm not a fan of the idea of squeezing a third "nut" to pump my dick up, lol.  But, I see the satisfaction rates are very high for the implant.

Old Man, I will read through Jackp's posts and PM him and ask him to share his thoughts with regards to the many questions one might have prior to getting an implant.  Old Man, did you ever consider one for yourself?

Duey

[james1947]

Duey

We are advising on this forum surgery and implant as last resort.
As you have mentioned, you should try out first non invasive treatments.
You may want to see also Xiaflex before surgeries.
Not just with Peyronies, venous leak is one of the main reasons for ED.
Try out Viagra 50 or 100 mg for sex. It helps me, while 20 mg Cialis don't help me at all.
Have to mention that Viagra, Cialis and others are working when you are aroused so I am not sure masturbation will be the way to test those drugs effect.
About VED, used it as treatment very successfully, didn't succeed to use it for intercourse. Maybe Old Man will have some answers for you, you can PM him.

James

James  

[Pfract]

Duey...think with me. Assume you get an implant and there is minimal size and girth loss. Excellent outcome in terms of size. You go on with your life and go on a streak of one night stands. Yes, can't say it won't be a bit awkward at first when a girl sees you inflating an implant, (which takes around 15/30 seconds)but wouldn't it be worst if you couldn't get an erection? Cuz as soon as you are inside her, I bet she will forget that little detail. Also, how many women have breast implants and people are OK with it? Just give it a serious thought and it won't seem that bad. At least to me it stopped looking so bad...  

[Duey1083]

Hey pfract,

You're absolutely right.  I think it would be awkward if one were to engage in a one night stand (I personally don't go for this sort of thing out of preference), but if you were in a long term monogamous relationship, it wouldn't be so bad at all...the way you describe it.

Besides, there'd be nothing wrong with a little playful giggling about it in the bedroom.

Duey

[kovasis]

Duey1083
pfract

I've read your Communication with high interest since i'am considering this step also as a possible Solution to skip the other crap if things get worser rather then good


Implant as early Step to avoid more trouble.... - Peyronies Society Forums

I wonder what you guys had decided at least - The last Post is more than one Year in the past.

So did you decide to have the Implant or is your condition improofed so that this step is no longer at fokus?

mR
kovasis

[Pfract]

No improvement what so ever. The same remains. A lot has changed on my life since that post, and I will gladly talk about it. Pm me