From 90 Degree bend to straight - Roddy's Implant Journal

[Roddy]

Hi everyone. I joined this great forum in early 2018 as a means of figuring out exactly what was going on with my penis and how common/uncommon my condition is. I have read extensively through the forum over the past 18 months but without ever contributing - just reading and trying to find some similarities to my own condition. I do now feel that, having just undergone an implant surgical procedure, I'd like to share my own rather unique experiences with everyone. Many reasons for wanting to now do that but the most over-riding feeling is one of being a source of hope and inspiration to other Peyronies sufferers.  My surgeon said it was the worst case he had come across. 5 days post op and fingers crossed all is great so far.

So here's my back story - sorry for the length of this.

My curve is/was ventral (down the way) and very extreme - greater than 90 degrees. The problem for me was that I have lived my whole life with a severe downward curve - which I always assumed was normal until my late teens when I began to realise most penises were either straight or curved up the way. In 1993, aged 22, I visited my doctor who diagnosed (wrongly, but I knew no better) that I had a condition called Peyronies. I was prescribed Potaba for about 12 months which I took religiously without any effect whatsoever. I saw a consultant surgeon who decided to operate and perform the Nesbit Procedure. I woke up from the operation to be met by the surgeon who informed me that I had a perfectly healthy penis, a good strong erection, and no sign of Peyronie's disease. I had congenital curvature and NOT Peyronies and nothing could be done. So off I went to continue with the rest of my young life.

Sex was always very difficult as my curve was so extreme, but my wife and I learned what was possible and what was not. Basically I would always bend my penis up the way for penetration then it would do whatever it did once inside. Over 20 years passed until the 'events' that led to my Peyronies.  The following is how I understand my Peyronies developed but all this hypothesising is done in hindsight after the disease has taken hold. Having sex with my wife 'from behind' was always impossible but what I found in my early 40s was that the strength of my erection was not as good as before, and with the decreased rigidity came the ability to penetrate from behind with a much softer, straighter, penis. During this new time of fun my penis was, unbeknown to me, being forced into a shape against its wishes and with much thrusting etc the inevitable injury took place.

I don't remember any particular event but knew something serious was wrong in 2017 when doing a pee. I noticed, when squeezing my penis, that there was a small, dried-pea sized lump right in the middle of my shaft - like deep in the centre. Alarmed, I kept my eye on it for a while. When it was clear it was getting bigger, I visited my GP (General Practioner Doctor here in the UK) who said he wanted to send me to a Urologist. By the time I saw my urologist the lump had trebled in size quite quickly (3-4 months). He diagnosed Peyronies and said he'd like to observe the condition for a period of time before deciding upon a course of action. In tandem with the growth of the lump, my curvature was now at a rigid right angle ie 90 degrees and intercourse was now distressing and impossible. In the past I was able to bend my penis up the way for penetration but not now. Such was the worry about being able to shape myself in such a way as to penetrate, there was no fun whatsoever.

I've noticed that this forum is mostly  contributed to by men from the USA, where the health system is unlike it is here in the UK. Over here you present to your local hospital, within what's known as a 'health board' each one having maybe 2 or 3 Urologists. Our system, remember, is based upon being free at the point of use and is paid for from Income Taxes. We do not have the luxury of shopping around for our surgeons. Bit of a lottery how experienced or skilled your surgeon is.

My Urologist decided that he would perform an excision of the plaque and a grafting of the area using synthetic material rather than a vein from my leg.

I underwent surgery in May 2018. After surgery I was very swollen and sore. The bandages came off on day 3 and out came the catheter in preparation for going home. My initial response was one of happy satisfaction. The downward curve was almost gone - remember it was 90 degrees prior to the op - and I was very happy.

Unfortunately, within 4 weeks things had gone wrong and I was very quickly back to where I was before surgery but a good inch shorter in length. To say I was gutted was an understatement. There was now severe indentation on the left side of my penis that was not there before. Not only was my 90 degree curve back but also some pretty bad indentation too. It was a really bad sight so it was. I went back to see my surgeon at the start of August. He was disappointed as well and said that he would like to give it a couple of months to see if the situation would somehow correct itself. On October 1st 2018 my surgeon and I decided that the only solution was an inflatable implant so he started the ball rolling. I expected to have the surgery by the end of November 2018 (thank goodness I didn't as you'll find out later). Months went by with me chasing up when the surgery would happen (there was an administrative problem holding everything up). Finally I was given my date as 18th May 2019. During the waiting time, I confided my embarrassing penis problem in an old life long friend who is a vastly experienced surgeon (not urology). He told that I should be patient and try and access the best possible surgeon I could as volume and experience are the number one concern and that I should look upon this operation as the final one and not rush into it. Better to wait much longer for the correct outcome rather than rush into another failure.  He researched my whole condition and gave me the names of 3 high volume, very experienced urologist surgeons here in the UK. I've noticed others mention Mr David Ralph in this forum, who operates out of London, but the surgeon I went to have a private consultation with was Mr Mike Fraser in Glasgow. From the moment I met him I was reassured more than ever by not only his very warm manner but also his clear wisdom and experience. He asked me to start at the beginning and tell him my whole back story. He listened intently and examined me. I had taken photos of my erect penis to show him. He said it was one of the most extreme cases of peyronies he had seen and that, unfortunately for me, the fact it was a downward curve rather than upward made it all the more problematic. He shared with me that, in his opinion, excision of the plaque was a bad decision and a wrong one, that was now going to make his job more difficult. He was, however, happy to give it a go with the implant surgery as, in his words, he couldn't make things any worse for me by trying. My penis was now non functioning. I'd even say that it was beyond 90 degrees now.

Surgery and the implantation were planned for Monday June 3rd (6 days ago). A week before surgery, Mr Fraser asked to see me again. He shared with me that he had been talking to my original surgeon that performed the excision and graft and that he was now  concerned about not being able to get the implant through the scar tissue. He was realistic in his concerns and to be honest this kind of knocked me for 6. I went from excitement to trepidation. However, I knew from doing my homework that I was in very good hands in Mr Fraser.

On Monday this week I underwent surgery. It took about 2 hours. I was implanted with a 3 piece Coloplast Titan. I woke up to find I had a fully inflated erection, bandaged up, with a catheter. Mr Fraser told me he was really quite happy with the outcome. He had managed to get the implant in with no real issue (his initial concern) and that with quite a bit of modelling, was able to get me almost straight. I reckon I have a residual curve of 5 degrees or something like that. He was disappointed that the indentation in the left side was still there but that this seemed unavoidable given the amount of tissue that had been removed first time around with the excision. He said he was interested to see how that would develop and adapt to the implant in the longer term. He said that my original grafting had failed, no idea why, and that it had really just collapsed on itself - hence the curvature back to original extremes. He could also have done a new graft in that area with the implant in place but that would have increased the length of surgery time and the risk of infection considerably. He is not ruling out another graft in future if it doesn't correct itself in time.

What I'm really seeing as different in my case to what I've read from everyone else is that Mr Fraser left me fully inflated deliberately and intends to keep me this way for at least 9-10 days. Don't get me wrong, it is unbelievably awkward being at home with a full erection but I've been lying flat on my back either in bed or on couch while the family are at school. Buying jogging trousers in XXL have helped to disguise the big bulge. Basically I keep my knees bent and don't stand up whenever any of the family are around.

For the first time in my entire life I have a near perfectly straight penis. I am absolutely delighted so far. Remember I have always had extreme congenital curvature and then that was exacerbated by the onset of Peyronies - a double whammy!!  I've to go and see Mr Fraser in 4 days - I'd assume to check on the progress and maybe learn to cycle.

In terms of pain I have been really, really sore. I think the pain is coming more from my testicles than my penis but cannot be sure. I've been taking paracetamol and Ibuprofen to manage the pain as well as a 7 day course of antibiotics. I also have codeine, which I've tried not to take as the effect feels horrible - pretty spaced out. This is Saturday and my operation was on Monday. My swelling has greatly reduced, there's not much bruising now, but the pain is still really intense. I don't know when that will recede?

In terms of size, I have lost a fair bit of length in 2 years. I was 7.5 inches hard 2 years ago but now, after excision and grafting, and the implant, I'm exactly 5.5 erect. I can imagine this will horrify anyone reading it but not me. Sure I'd rather be longer - and maybe in time I will be again - but you've no idea the pleasure I'm getting from looking at my straight erection, even if it is shorter. My wife says I'm "like the cat the got the cream". I honestly am delighted. So far, so good. I know it's early days and I'm intrigued that unlike everyone else, I've been left inflated since the operation. I'll definitely keep you all posted. Thanks everyone for letting me share my experience.

[Stabler]

Hello Roddy,

This is great news and I thank you for sharing it with the forum.

Stabler

[Pfract]

hey Roddy! i read the whole post. Quite the story you shared there. It was very unfortunate what happened to you.
It is not uncommon for doctors to leave patients inflated for the first days. Depends on the situation. Leaving the reservour full after surgery encourages the scar tissue to form around a full reservoir, preventing auto inflation later on.  Not exactly sure why doctors leave the penis inflated, but def have read about it.

Please keep us posted and thank you for sharing this with us.

[TonySa]

Leaving it inflated, or frequent cycling after surgery maximizes the length.  When you go back he'll have you fully deflate for periods if thine so the encapsulation around the reservoir is large enough when full so as to not force an auto inflate if the implant.  

[Hawk]

Roddy,

I can't believe you have been depriving the members of your posts.  Your write-up was superb.  Now that you have piqued our interest in you and your heroic struggle.  Please keep us updated.  I am not at all shocked that you were left inflated.  The only risk is some discomfort and a small scar capsule forming around the reservoir which can cause potential auto inflation because the reservoir has pressure on it when it tries to hold all the saline.  I think the risk will be minimal IF you make sure to fully deflate for long periods as soon as possible.  You might even have to deflate and a few hours later deflate again to be sure all fluid is forced into the reservoir.

I am so hopeful for your outcome and pray the results turn out fantastic for you and your wife.  If the outcome is as we hope, you have given us one more surgeon we can put on our list for our brothers in the UK.

Did you have to pay out-of-pocket since you selected your own surgeon rather than taking one randomly provided by the NHS?  If so what was the cost?

Please turn this into your personal implant journal.  It is so important for all of us but especially those that do not have access to the more commonly mentioned U.S. surgeons.

Cheers!

[Roddy]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. Leaving it inflated so far has definitely allowed whatever scarring is going on inside my penis to form around the implant within the cavernosa, I guess? I hadn't thought anything about the potential for the other scar tissue to form around the reservoir in my low abdomen. Makes perfect sense and worries me slightly. Could lead to some 'interesting' tmes ahead if it auto-nflates without warning. One bridge at a time, I guess. The curve was so extreme he went all out to fix that maybe. I'll find out when I meet Mr Fraser on Wednesday.  I wish I had photos to show you of the pre-surgery bend but they were on my phone and I got rid of them ASAP in case anyone stumbled upon them.

Yes, Hawk, you are absolutely correct about the NHS. I had been told that unless there was very good reason why 'your local Urologist' from your own Health Board could not perform the operation they would not pay another Health Board to perform the operation on their behalf when it could be performed by them. All finance and politics. As it turns out, I was just exceptionally lucky as Mike Fraser works for my local Health Board. Upon finding out that Mr Fraser was one of the leading Penile Implant surgeons in the UK, in terms of volume and experience, AND that he worked for my local board, it all fell into place for me. My own surgeon, who had performed the excision and grafting first time around, was one of Mr Fraser's colleagues but decades behind in experience. I made an appointment to see Mr Fraser at his private clinic (£250) and explained to him that I didn't have private medical insurance. He agreed to put me on his list on the NHS. Yes, there would be a wait but I was now under the care of an experienced surgeon. I was very happy and very lucky that things happened the way they did, geographically speaking.

I'll be very happy to update as I go along.

[Roddy]

So this is day 7 post implant surgery. As I stated in the first post of this journal, I have been left fully inflated since last week. Does anyone else have the experience of this? I think my wounds are healing well but, unlike everyone else whose stories I've read, I'm in a lot of pain. Every day I hope it will be better than the previous day but that's not the case. I've spent the last week lying on the sofa doing nothing but watching box set after box set and I'm bored out of my mind. Whilst doing this I experience no pain at all. As soon as I get up and walk around, stand and make a sandwich or a coffee, I'm in a lot of pain. For long enough it wasn't particularly local to either my penis or scrotum but seemed to just be a coming from that area in general. I wonder if it's the pressure inside my penis? I hope there's nothing wrong? I've never had a raised temperature and the swelling has all gone so I'm telling myself there's no need to unduly worry about infection etc. Rightly or wrongly, I don't know. I was going to call and ask for my surgeon for reassurance since I've scoured this forum and haven't found anyone else with the same post-operative pain. I haven't called as yet as I'm seeing him in 48 hours from now. What do you think, guys, is it because I've been inflated for a week?

[Hawk]

As I understand it, it is only 2 days until you see your surgeon.  That will be a big moment since you will get a lot of answers (write all your questions down in advance).

I suspect your pain is primarily being inflated.  Some other surgeons do leave patients either inflated or partially inflated after surgery.  Most complain about pain.  All of us that are sent home deflated and begin to cycle within a week experience pain when inflated longer than 30 minutes so I cannot imagine the discomfort.

Hopefully, you will be deflated on Wednesday and hopefully, you will begin to cycle then.  You should be able to get a key ring exact size model of your Titan one-touch pump.

Ask if you can lie down in a tube of hot water.  It will make cycling far easier.

[Roddy]

Thank you, Hawk, for your prompt reply. Really appreciate your support. I'll not lie, the pain is quite intense having been inflated 24/7 for a week now. All for the greater good, I hope. Pardon my ignorance, or maybe it's the drugs affecting my brain, but what's the key ring for?  

[Pfract]

So you can learn how to deflate and practice where the buttons are to help you out where things are positioned.  

[TonySa]

I was left partially inflated, painful but not as painful as fully inflated from what I hear.  Hang in there and take any pain meds the doc prescribed, even if it's just Tylenol.  Let us know how it goes at the docs.

[Hawk]

I want to be clear here that whether or not you can lay in a tub has to do with whether your surgeon water-proofed your incision/incisions.  Some men have more than one incision.  I do not think you mentioned whether you have a scrotal incision or a pubic incision.

IF you can lay in a hot tub it will make cycling much easier because it will totally relax the skin on the scrotum making the pump and deflate button much easier to locate.  It will also provide pain relief while pumping and while inflated.  I wonder if you will have pain from inflation considering that you have been inflated for over a week.  During inflation have the keyring model of the pump right with you.  It will help you orient how your pump is turned and how to locate the deflate button.  A Titan takes some conscious effort to deflate. It is not something you can do accidentally.  It also takes more pressure to depress the inflate bulb than you would expect. We will discuss that more when you get the go-ahead to begin cycling.

I would try some alternating hot and cold packs to help with the pain until Wednesday.  As Tony said, take pain meds if they were prescribed.  If not take both Advil and Tylenol since they can be combined.  Do NOT take Tylenol with any prescription pain meds unless you are positive they do not have Tylenol in them.  Most oxycodone like Percocet do contain Tylenol and you can overdose on Tylenol.  

Good luck brother!

[Roddy]

Post-Op Day 9

Saw my surgeon, Mr Fraser, today. He was very happy with the outcome so far, so that's good to know. He took 'the edge' off my inflated erection which allowed me to go home without holding a jacket in front of my groin. To be honest he only deflated partially so I was eager to get home and deflate as much as I could. Soon as I got home I ran a warm bath like you guys suggested. Great advice, thanks. Once I was relaxed in the bath I had a good feel around in my scrotum - Hawk, my incision was in the scrotum) with my 'key ring' to hand (like you said earlier). I must agree with Stepone from another post on here, my bits in there are very tightly packed and I struggled to get my balls out the way to locate the deflation button. I persevered for what seemed like ages and managed to deflate a a fair bit but nowhere near fully. The pain in my scrotal sack from trying to depress the magic button was so bad that I eventually had to give up. So I would say it felt about 70% deflated. I'm very conscious of the advice from you guys that I need to fill my reservoir so that scarring around it doesn't become an issue - if it hasn't already become an issue. Within 5 minutes of coming out the bath, the pain was intense again in what feels like my balls and the very base area of my penis. Again, I've spent the best part of 3 hours lying watching tv as lying seems to be the only time the pain is not there. Soon as I get up for a walk to have snack, a pee or drink or whatever, the pain starts again. When I said to Mr Fraser today about the pain he said that all guys have different levels of pain and different experiences post op. He said that if it's still as bad 1-2 weeks from now then that would be an issue but not just now.

Something that is worrying me already is that I'd swear my penis is getting inflated again without me actually touching the implant. It may be my imagination, and I hope it is, but I've tried to deflate in my bedroom without even getting as close as being able to locate the depress button. My scrotum is pretty packed out and I can feel the inflated ball but no button above it. Like Stepone said, it's like it has moved up behind my balls right under the base of my penis. This seems so difficult! If it were not for all the experiences I've read on here - all experiencing the same initial difficulties, I'd be overwhelmed and would be quickly demoralised and defeated but because of you guys I know it's a long struggle initially but that I will win and I will get there. Thank you everyone.

I'm off for another bath and another attempt at deflating this new bionic willy of mine.  

[Roddy]

So I had another bath and squeezed and squeezed and squeezed till my nails were cutting right through my scrotum skin, and given that I have nails bitten right down, that's an indication of how hard I squeezed. I tried to keep my fingers as flat as possible but surely it doesn't always take that amount of pressure? If you imagine standing looking down at your own penis, and that your head is 12 o'clock and if it were perfectly flaccid, the penis would hand on 6 o'clock. Well, after all the squeezing it is sitting out at 5 o'clock. So more deflated than before but still not fully deflated. I'll try again tomorrow morning. I'm aware that I'm at least 5 hours ahead of you guys in the USA.

[Roddy]

Post-Op Day 10

Had a bath this morning with the intention of cycling. Was in the bath for a good 30 mins and even tho my scrotum was nice and relaxed, I could not inflate the pump. Didn't matter what I did I just couldn't do it - seems to have no give in it at all and stays rock hard when I press it. Add that to the worst night yet since the operation in terms of pain and I'm at rock bottom now. I just want to phone my surgeon and ask: why can I not deflate this properly? Why can I not depress the pump at all? Is there something wrong? Why am I continuing to be in this level of pain? I came in to find the phone number of the hospital and thought I'd google 'cannot get Coloplast Titan to pump up'. From watching a video that was posted on FT I noticed that the guy was standing rather than lying and was pulling the pump down the way as he squeezed. So I tried the same. At last there was a clear pressing down on the pump and I could feel the pump move in and out like squeezing a tennis ball or the likes. I became immediately aware that my penis was starting to inflate - no doubt about it. Guys, the pain in my penis shaft was like nothing I've ever felt. Truly excruciating. I lay down for a rest for 5 minutes before trying again. Totally gutted to see that my erect penis is nowhere near as straight as it was post surgery! I wonder if the penis I've had this last week was the result of some pretty extreme modelling. The downward bend is still there. So disappointed. I've now stood back up and pumped another few times. My dick feels like it is going to explode with the pain. I lay down for 10 mins thinking that I'll go back and try and inflate more. Having just stood back up and tried, the pump has be one impossible to squeeze again. What the hell is going on here? Why do they have to make this thing so difficult to press on? Not a good design at all. I appreciate this is a long road to recovery but the pain I'm experiencing is quite overwhelming- I wonder if the trauma that's going on for me is a result of just how MUCH of a mess my penis was in. I wish I had preop photos to share with you but basically my penis was straight from base to middle and then it turned full 90 degrees down the way with no gradual bend - a very extreme bend. I'm going to try uploading 4 photos I've just taken. You'll see the extent of the dent on my left side where the graft was and failed leaving an indent. Mr Fraser said he'd maybe look to graft again in future if the implant doesn't fully correct it. To be honest tho, that's not as big an issue as the curve still being there - which it wasn't pre- deflation yesterday. Thoughts and opinions welcome please?

Thank you.

[Hawk]

Roddy,  I empathize with you over your pain and difficulty.  

First a few questions,
1. It appears that your incision on your scrotum is horizontal rather than verticle with the raphe.  Is that correct?
2. Did you get clearance to sit in a tub of hot water?
3. Did you get approval to cycle?
4. What pain meds are you taking?
5. When do your stitches get removed?

Pain and pain tolerance varies significantly among patients and from one procedure to another.  Your pain as you describe it seems a bit excessive, but you don't mention if you are taking any pain medication.  My greatest pain was sitting.  I was fine laying down or walking.

I am surprised that your doctor did not have you deflate and inflate at least a few pumps in the office to teach you how to find the deflate button without so much difficulty.  I assume that he did give you clearance to cycle.

As long as you stay infection free, ALL OF YOUR DIFFICULTIES WILL VASTLY IMPROVE!  Everyone has their own unique experiences with the misnamed "Titan One Touch" pump.  
IN THEORY, you are supposed to be able to give one 2-3 second hard squeeze on the deflate button and lock it in the open position and release your grip on the scrotum altogether.  You can then deflate by using either one or both hands on your penis.  It is uncommon that men can do this in the beginning.  With me, it took 3 months before the pump broke-in, my scrotum toughened up, and I mastered the exact grip needed to make the "One Touch" work like that. On occasion, It still takes a couple of attempts.

Typically men have to depress and hold the deflate button down because they cannot press hard enough to lock it open.  While pressing the deflate button, they use the other hand at the same time to squeeze the penis with their other hand.  Their deflate button does not lock open.  Some men get it to lock open from the beginning, for most it takes weeks or months, for some, they never get it to work, and it always is a two hand operation to deflate.  It is important to know that IF you get the valve to lock open, then the first squeeze after you deflate takes significantly more pressure than the subsequent squeezes.  That first squeeze has to move the valve from the deflate position to the inflate position.

As far a digging your fingernails into your scrotum, I have found that the deflate button is easier for me to depress if I depress it with the side of the first knuckle of my index finger rather than the tip of my finger.  I think that part of my finger has less give and focuses the pressure right on the button better.  I place my thumb on the back side and then use my other hand to stabilize the pump so the whole unit does not shoot out of my hand from the pressure.  If you are trying to lock the valve open, you can also use the other hand to assist your grip hand to increase your grip strength. If you are only partially depressing the deflate button, you need your other hand to squeeze your penis.

ALL OF THIS SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A STRUGGLE, BUT IT IS NOW DONE ALMOST AS AN AFTER-THOUGHT!

Remember that you can move your scrotum skin around (sliding it over the pump), so you are not always squeezing the same spot on the scrotum.

One reason your penis still looks bent is that you are nowhere near fully inflated and it certainly looks like a lot less than the 90-degree bend that you had.  Both the immediate effect of full inflation and the gradual effect of cycling your implant over the first few months will make a big difference.  If the dent is due to a loss of tissue, it may remain, BUT it will only add more stimulation to your partner than one consistent diameter, so if that is your only issue in the end, I would not sweat it if it were me.

Finally, if you hang at 5 O'clock when deflated at just ten days out, then you are fully deflated.  The new stiff cylinders typically take months to get to their optimal hang plus you probably still have a little swelling in your penis.

Lay in a hot tub, inflate, relax, then inflate some more, relax and inflate some more.  Until you have improved at deflating, you might not want to inflate to the maximum or wait until the pain is distracting before you deflate.  When you are crazy with discomfort it is not the time to be urgently trying to find the deflate valve.  Try to deflate, relax in the tub then try again, relax then try again.

May the force be with you Roddy.  I am confident you will soon post that this is the best decision you have ever made.

[Pfract]

I pretty much don't need to repeat hawk's words. In your situation, given your curvature and previous surgery and dent I would say that you would be having some increased pain from your penis stretching out. I enlarged the pictures and was amazed at how big the dent is. But do keep an eye out for an infection and your fingers crossed.

As for the curvature correction, browse through ''curved's'' journal and see how is curvature was and how he says it improved so far. Only with time and you mastering inflation and cycling it.

Please keep us posted and good luck with this. I hope I will be implanted too, sooner rather than later.  

[Roddy]

Thanks, once again, for your support guys. Without this forum and your support I wouldn't have a clue what's going on down below or how to inflate/deflate and certainly wouldn't have the reassurance that, in time, everything will calm down. I'd have thrown the towel in.

Pfract, thank you. I hope you get your date soon and you too can experience the highs and lows of what I'm going through - what a large number of you all have gone through.

Hawk, I always await your responses to my posts with anticipation. As a man of years experience in all of this, and someone who clearly has researched the whole area, your input has been first class and so supportive. I genuinely thank you.

In answer to your questions, yes my incision is horizontal. Must be a reason for that? Secondly, I never asked was it ok to have a warm bath but I did tell Mr Fraser that I intended to, given the advice of everyone on this forum that cycling is easier in a hot bath. He said that it would maybe be more difficult as it makes everything slippy. But I did it anyway. Yes I've had permission to cycle and that's why I started last night. The medication for the pain has different names to what you guys seem to have over in USA/Canada. The drugs that I've used to try and control the pain are paracetamol and ibuprofen, and when they were not strong enough I moved to Dilhydrocodeine and then onto Co-codamol. After today's extreme pain mentioned in the previous post, I made an appointment with my Doctor who prescribed me Tramadol Hydrochloride - which is a morphine based drug. I've to take 2 50mg capsules 4 times a day. Hopefully that will work. My doctor had a look at the scrotum stitches (dissolvable in time by the way) and my penis in general and said there is no sign of infection. He said the extreme pain will be coming from the trauma of the insertion of the implant. He said that it's perfectly normal for me to struggle with the pump due to the amount of inflammation and general swelling of the area. He too said that given how bad my preop bend was that that's a big improvement.

I agree, Hawk, that sitting appears to be the most intense pain along with standing in one position.

I'm very disappointed that Mr Fraser didn't allow me time yesterday for a proper demonstration of cycling. Like I said already, had it not been for you guys and the numerous articles and videos I've read/watched I'd have been left high and dry to work out what to do. Point of note: what the hell did people do before the internet? What a Godsend.

"Remember that you can move your scrotum skin around (sliding it over the pump), so you are not always squeezing the same spot on the scrotum". Thank God you said this as my early observation was that this area is going to become badly inflamed if I'm always pressing the same area of skin against a hard plastic object. That clears that up, thanks.

Mr Fraser wants me to keep the implant inflated as much as possible to try and correct this bend over time. I've to see him again in 4 weeks when hopefully everything will have calmed down and I'll be able to try some "nice sex". Fingers crossed - seems an eternity away but I WILL get there! I'll be doing plenty of lying down over the next 4 days as the US Open is about to start which gives me the perfect excuse to lie still glued to the TV.

[Hawk]

Thanks for the kind words Roddy.  I am glad to give whatever help I can because having been there I place a huge value on accurate information.  information is indeed power; power to make informed decisions, power to overcome adversity.  I thank you because every post you make contributes to that knowledge base for thousands of men who never post.

I am not sure if you discussed concern over reservoir encapsulation with him.  It is not really critical that you did since it would mostly just give some interesting insight into his thoughts.  The process is pretty well understood.  I would be certain to find hours a day when I could be 100% deflated.  This might mean deflating then re-deflating an hour or two later in case you had some fluid forced back into the cylinders.  This will not only stretch the reservoir capsule but it will give the tissue in the penis a little break since there is some minor concern with erosion of penis tissue if it is under constant tension from an implant such as a malleable implant. This is seldom an issue with inflatable implants. One schedule you could try is to totally deflate at night since just your position will make it less likely for any backflow to occur.  It might also give you a more comfortable nights sleep.  You can then inflate for various periods of time throughout the day.  Cycling less often for longer periods of time will, of course, mean less trauma to your scrotum than frequent cycling for shorter periods of time.

With a Titan, 100% deflation will be obvious because you can feel the cylinder are flat along their length.  This might be slightly harder to feel if you are still a little swollen.  You will also very likely feel folds often called dogears at some point on each side.  

PS: The horizontal incision is just a preference that some surgeons use.  The only downside is a somewhat visible scar that is completely invisible if made vertically on the ralphe.

[Roddy]

Post-op Day 11

Just a brief update for anyone following this journal. I hope me doing this will provide others about to go through an implant or those who have just been through an implant, some real insight into what they can expect. Obviously all cases are purely individual and different. Was fully inflated over night and slept very well - with thanks to the 2 x 50 mg Tramadol I took at 5pm and then again at 10pm. I awoke at 3.30 am and took some more. When I woke up at 7.30 am I felt really spaced out (not in a good way) so thought I'd take it easy with the drugs. I waited until the family disappeared for school/work and until I didn't feel as spaced out before I had a warm bath. Once again, the bath helped relax my scrotum and without it I doubt I would have managed to deflate. There was a fair amount of flaffing around on my part but I did manage to deflate much easier than yesterday. I'm taking Hawk's advice and giving the reservoir some hours with the fluid in it. I'm comfortable lying on the couch watching TV but just got up to make a coffee and the pain in my testicles is quite bad - a really sharp pain. Surely that's me digging around in there that's creating that pain. I intend to inflate later today - probably after dinner around 6 pm. Must say I'm not looking forward to that after yesterday's pain during inflation. We'll see how it goes and I'll report in later.

[Pfract]

Hey Roddy. I didn't understand when you said ''you slept fully inflated and felt good'. Weren't you in great pain while inflated? Or you made a mistake and you meant to say you slept fully deflated?

As for fully deflating, Dr eid (hawk's surgeon) sends his patients home fully deflated and starts inflating at day three or four. Pain permitting. (not sure I mentioned it before.)
You say he wants to keep you inflated for long periods of time. That seems to be consistent with an aggressive cycling protocol.

One thing you said that made me think was this :

I'm very disappointed that Mr Fraser didn't allow me time yesterday for a proper demonstration of cycling. Like I said already, had it not been for you guys and the numerous articles and videos I've read/watched I'd have been left high and dry to work out what to do. Point of note: what the hell did people do before the internet? What a Godsend.

That is exactly one of the problems many people face while going through this procedure and it bothers me deeply.  A lot of doctors don't take the time to properly instruct patients on inflation techniques nor give them cycling tips to  improve their outcome. Itsucks  

[TonySa]

Thanks for updating Roddy!  I'd just second hawks idea of being fully deflated while sleeping.  Pain is NO fun, but it will soon be behind you.

[Roddy]

Hi Pfract/Tonysa

I did indeed sleep fully inflated - and slept like a kitten too - all as a result of the morphine based drug that I'd taken at 5pm then 10pm last night - a powerful drug for sure. I needed that due to a real surge in pain yesterday. To be honest with you, I've been inflated at night more than not since my surgery on June 3rd so I have developed ways of lying in bed that allow me to sleep. I would not have slept last night, however, if it were not for the drugs. Also totally agree about the lack of practise I had in the surgeon's office - kind of left to my own devices and like I've said already, if it wasn't for this community, and all the great advice, I'd have been at rock bottom. Anyone wishes to ask any questions relating to what I'm going through just now, I'd be happy to help - just as I have sought the advice of others on here.

Take care,

Roddy

[Roddy]

Just inflated 20 minutes ago. I need some advice please from as many guys as possible who have had an implant. Pumping with the internal pump was difficult for sure but I accept it will get easier in time. No problem there.

Once again, same as last night, I've never known sharp pain like it in my penis. Horrific pain guys. Like someone has inserted a knife inside my dick and is scraping it around. Unbelievably sore - like nearly passing out/vomiting sore. If this is normal at the start and will get better in time then I can accept that as my penis tissue adapts - sore as it would be. I am very worried tho that this pain is the sole consequence of my natural penis wanting to take the same shape as it has always taken ie a massive turn down the way whilst at the same time the inflated tubes are doing their very best to do the absolute opposite and straighten him out. End result - utter agony. Did anyone else have as severe a bend that has gone through the same level of pain?

[Roddy]

Sorry for the moaning but it is very extreme.

[Roddy]

My wife, watching me in agony, told me to deflate. She said "look it's been an hour inflated, in absolute agony, just deflate for tonight." I was trying to ride it out but turns out to have been good advice.

The good news is that I deflated relatively quickly. Man did that immediately reduce the pure hellish pain of the erection. I'll go through the whole thing again tomorrow.

Any advice from someone as badly curved as me would be most welcome.

Roddy

[Pfract]

Sorry, I know I am not implanted but I have seen this suggested: how about  you trying pain medication so you can inflate daily? Like. Sleep deflated and take it to inflate 1hour a day?  I wouldn't say the narcotics but pain killers and itry it out to see if it lessens the pain while inflated?

Also... I am under the impression you had a graft put in but then it retracted so you where left with the dent? Is that correct?  

[Roddy]

Yes, Pfract, that's correct.  

[Pfract]

I wonder if that makes it more painful to you? May I ask is you read "curved's journal? He had some bad pain too from all the severe plaques he had.... What about using medication to inflate and bear the pain. What do you make of that?  

[Stepone]

Roddy, so if I understanding you are 11 days out from surgery and you've managed 30 plus minutes. I can only tell about my pain, but I only inflated for the first 3 weeks when I was in the hot bathtub and when I had taken a pain pill. I had scar tissue from previous Nesbit surgery to correct a 90 degree side bend and hinge. So sometimes the pain was like knife cutting.
Everyone experiences pain differently, but I also had a beer or a shot to help too, but the pain did diminish over time, so if the pain is getting less, you are probably heading in right direction. Everyone is so different, but it seems to me that you might be rushing things in your expectations.
I know it's very frustrating, but I just had to hang in there.
I called my doctors nurse a few times and she was comforting, but pretty much said to hang in there. This is not an easy process, but with your young age, hopefully you will get to a point that the pain drops off. Hopefully Hawk will weigh in with his thoughts. He is a compassionate guy with lots of helpful hints. Hang in there bud.

[Roddy]

Thank you Stepone. Delighted to receive your reply and your words are very encouraging. Perhaps I am expecting too much too soon? This is  post op day 12 for me and without doubt the most pain free day so far in terms of general testicle, groin and penis area. That constant ache doesn't seem to be here today - which is progress. Apart from my 30 mins inflation earlier, which was jaw-dropping pain as I've said already. That went away quickly tho with deflation. Worried I'm guilty of boring people taking about the pain all the time, but it is that extreme, and that's where I'm currently at. This morning when I literally rolled around the floor and couch heavy-breathing and cursing for 30 mins, I decided enough was enough and deflated.

I now know that the big issue with deflation for me is just separating my balls to locate the deflation switch. I know this will get easier in time but for now I can quite easily, with patience, recognise the small ridged circle with my finger tip that indicates the deflation button. I have worked out that lying on my back to deflate seems easier for me - perhaps it's gravity allowing more fluid to travel down the way towards my reservoir than up the way if I were standing.

I'm actually sitting in the garden typing this, with a coffee, so important to recognise small amounts of progress. Before today, sitting upright was painful yet here I am sitting in the garden for the last hour - pain free.

I'm going to inflate again later - I'll make sure I take 2 Tramadol 30 mins before I do but I know from this morning that even with the strong drugs, the pain is still intense.

I've been reading Merrix's journal and am only on day 13 so far but am very glad to have recognised a lot of similarities and now, again, am reminded of how this is a LONG TERM journey.

For anyone that has followed my journal so far, you'll remember that I came out of surgery fully inflated. I was utterly delighted with the work that Mr Fraser had done and had managed to correct a 90 degree bend to honestly between 2-5 degrees. If it stayed like that I would have classed that as straight given my life so far living with an extreme bend. Problem is tho that in all my attempts to inflate so far, my bend is really quite severe. As minutes go by, the bend lessens and gets better as if it's adjusting and stretching slowly but the pain stops me from keeping it inflated. I was brave enough this morning to wait 5 minutes and then pump some more. Enter even more pain - back in the hot bath under the water to try and mask the pain, back out the bath for another couple of pumps, then back in the bath for 5 minutes before I had to deflate due to the pain.

You see, here's my dilemma: if post operation Mr Fraser was able to leave me 9 days with a full erection and pretty straight, it shows it is possible. Only problem with that tho is that I was flat out cold on the operating table whilst he managed that. God knows how. I'm getting nowhere near the level of straightness he got but I am aware that the pain is stopping me from fully inflating.

Because I was so bent before there is definitely internal trauma going on as I try and pump my man up. I'm sure this is what is causing the extreme pain. Will it go away in time? If so, why? What would be happening in the passage of weeks that would decrease that pain? If that pain were to go away I know I could sleep inflated (if there was no pain) and that would give a good chance of 7-8 hours stretch to my penile tissue while I sleep.

I'll stop now, have some dinner, and try inflating again in an hour or two.

Cheers guys.

Roddy

[Stepone]

Roddy, I apologize for not reading all your posts prior to my last reply. Somehow I missed it on my phone.
So I had a surgery to fix my bend prior to the implant, but I lost considerable length.
So what I was left with were two indentations on both sides of my cock. I did notice that when I am fully inflated they are gone.
I did have very tender, pain causing dog ears where the indentations were, but as time has passed by, the dog ears have become softer and less painful, but I am going on 6 weeks.
Have you had any dog ears? (Folds in the two cylinders).
I stayed overnight at the hospital where the surgery was performed and they kept me inflated overnight. When they deflated me, it was very painful even with the morphine drip.
I think that time will eventually cure your painful inflations, but could it be yours is more painful because you are stretching to correct the bend, which stretches the scar tissue from the bend and then stretching tissues which is the normal part of inflations due to the cylinders being in your cock. So I am thinking you are experiencing a double whammy, so to speak.
My thoughts are be patient. I know when I was at 4 weeks, the pain was still making me wonder if I had done the right thing in having surgery.
I still have a way to go, but it seems like all the sudden, things drastically improve.
Again, you are still too early in your journey to expect more.
I truly feel your pain and your urgency to feel better. Stay strong and courageous, you will get through this.,
Oh I almost forgot, deflation has caused me many shots of pain. I know it is so hard to find that button. I have actually pressed and my fingers slipped, causing horrific pain when the pump shot out between my fingers. Horrible!!!!
It's a long learning process, be patient. You just have to find the easiest and least painful way to do it....and what seems to work for a week all the sudden hurts like hell.
This is a real trial and error process. Stay in touch, as this is important stuff.
StepOne

[Roddy]

Thanks, StepOne. Thanks for your detailed reply. I am obviously expecting too much too soon and I think you are spot on with the 'double whammy'. If guys who have been implanted due to ED feel pain on inflation then, yes, I will also feel that same pain but like you say, the 'double whammy' of trying to straighten out a severe bend and stretch that scar tissue will be producing lots more pain. I've reconciled this whole pain journey that I've set out on as something that I'll simply have to grin and bear over months till it's better - need to up my pain threshold so to speak. I will manage this.

And yeah, I've had a few 'pump fly out my grip' moments so far, right into my testicle and it is an extreme shock to the nervous system to say the least!!

Thanks again for the support.

[SW01]

Just hang in there. Literally and figuratively. It gets better. I have to say i never had a wtf moment at all. My only wtf moment was a wtf why the f## did I have to go through 4 urologists to find one who would do the right tests to tell me I had a venous leak and would never have a hard erection long enough for sex.

Scheduled my implant as soon as I could when I found out. Only a 30 to 35 degree peyronies bend though but it was getting worse. Titan implant took most of it out. Getting better and better with time. Almost straight now after about 3 months. Still some pain though. Inflate about 30 to 45 minutes at night most days. Miss some days occasionally though. Happy as a tick on a farm dog and so is my wife.

Had some interesting times around week 3. Pump moved on me and I was inflated for several days. Painfull is not the word. Had to visit doc to tell me deflate button was now facing out. I literally had been pressing the side of pump so hard pump was flexing. I had keychain to so it is a learning process. Now press button squeeze and get about 4.30 hang. No worries now.

Had some gurgling when titan decided to start fullydeflating.  Worried me for sure.

Never ever thought I made the wrong decision. Patience. Patience, and more patience.

Wish you best. Try not to fret to bad. It gets better.  

[Roddy]

Thanks SW01. Just inflated again there and lasted for 20 minutes before I had to bail out. Far too painful. I'll just keep going - at least twice a day every day if I can. Once again tho, deflating is no bother for me and inflating is ok - just the actual pain once inflated is my issue.

[Hawk]

Roddy, I suggest when you post with an update that you put a header on your post that says  _____ Days Post-Op.  That way we can keep up with where you are in recovery without doing the math.

I just looked back over my journal to refresh my mind and at your stage, I could only go 30 minutes at a time.  Keep in mind that was laying flat IN A TUB OF HOT WATER.  I could have never done that out of the tub.  As it was I watched the clock for a countdown to hitting the release button.  Every second made a difference at that point.  It was however more burning in the scrotum and pressure in the penis rather than sharp pain.  I would interrupt the pain signal by dribbling hot water on my penis or dragging a washcloth across my penis to distract me enough to squeeze out another minute or two.  

So, at your stage post-op I could stand several minutes of slowly pumping up in hot water.  When I finally got it pumped up I could go a maximum of 30 minutes.  Near the end, I would try to force in another couple pumps right before I deflated.

Soon you should notice it getting less uncomfortable, maybe not daily improvement but clearly weekly improvement.

[Roddy]

Post Op Day 13

Considerable progress this afternoon. I had a not-too-good sleep last night as the pump seemed to be lying touching my right testicle and it kept waking me up - not so much painful but more nippy. Had 2 Tramadol about 11 am to try and shift the nip. About 1.30 pm I ran a hot bath ready to go through the usual hell. Being very mindful of Hawk's post, above, I decided I would pump up then get into a bath and see how many songs I could stay inflated for. Great simple advice, Hawk, and once again I thank you for your wisdom.

I managed to pump to about 70% and was alarmed/confused/delighted by the lack of the usual excruciating pain that comes as soon as my penis starts to go hard. I stepped into the bath and as usual the heat was immediately comforting. So, eh, here's the thing. I realised pretty early on that the excruciating pain was not there! Wow! Why? How good! All these emotions and then remembering "take all the advice from the guys, Roddy, this is a major step forward but don't get carried away. A light at the end of the tunnel nonetheless."

I decided to leave it like that for 15 minutes - pain free in the bath keeping my body and penis under water. I had to fight the urge to get out and pump up some more. Ultimately, the urge won and I got out to pump more. To be honest, it was really difficult to pump any more and the ball (not my ball) had no give in it. I think I got another 2 or 3 pumps. Then came the pain. That horrific, mind bending pain. Fine I said. I asked for it. Bring it on for as long as I can take more. I lasted for 24 minutes in total from first pain-free pump to deflation.

Sure the last 4 minutes were horrible but prior to that it was the most bearable yet. I hope that was a turning point in my recovery. Tomorrow will tell - or tonight if I have the courage to go again.

The responses I am receiving from you guys are an unbelievable support and reading all your own journals and experiences is inspirational. Lots of truly resilient men on this forum. And Hawk? Where do I start with Hawk. I have noticed that not only has he repeatedly replied to me and given me sound advice (as have you others and you know who you are and I really thank you) but I notice reading other men's journals that Hawk has repeatedly time after time responded to and reached out to SO many sufferers. You should be canonised, sir. A legend.

So anyways, day 13 has brought me some much needed good news. Onwards ...

Cheers,

Roddy

[Pfract]

This was very very nice to read! Hopefully a turning point like you said.  

[Roddy]

Post Op Day 13 - update

It's currently just before midnight on Sunday and I decided at 10.15 tonight to inflate again and see how sore it would be. No hot bath but I was confident after today that if I didn't max out the inflation I could hopefully cope.  I've been sitting with 80% erection watching the US Open with nothing more than an uncomfortable pain. The totally excruciating agony of Thursday, Friday and Saturday appears to be behind me. What wonderful progress in one day. Anyone reading this in future, and suffering, needs to hear about how quickly my intolerable agony has turned to just pain - manageable pain.

Bring on tomorrow.

[Roddy]

Post Op Day 14

Hi everyone. Officially 2 weeks since my surgery and now making great progress. I woke up this morning a bit tender down below but probably due to cycling I'd think. I have the house to myself so thought I would inflate and see if yesterday's good progress continued. I inflated at 9.10 am without having a hot bath. It was quite sore and I could really feel the tissue getting stretched out. It's 11.10 am just now and I have been inflated now for 2 hours. I don't see any reason to deflate as it's not sore. I have definitely turned a corner now - out of nowhere. So many of you guys were correct that it takes patience and perseverance.

I have been worried about my curve but that too I can tell is a matter of prolonged inflation over weeks/months like Mr Fraser pointed out. As things stand, this penis right now is 100% better than the mess I had pre-surgery. It was indented to the left and then a full turn down the way. As things stand, I'd be happy if it stayed as it is now but I'm led to believe it will get better still over the longer term. A lot to go through but early signs after only 2 weeks are very encouraging.  

[Hawk]

Great news Roddy.  I appreciate the kind words.  It gave me a mixture of humility, a little amusement at your enthusiastic endorsement, and some gratitude that I had actual evidence that I had helped an actual human being I have never met rather than just spending time typing words on an impersonal computer screen.  Thank you.

I am sooooooooo glad to hear about your improvement.  Pain is a strange thing.  Studies have shown that the degree of pain we feel is associated (to some degree at least) with what we interpret the pain to mean.  If we think the pain indicates a serious problem it feels more intense than the same level of pain that we think is just a temporary occurrence with little significance.  It seems clear now that you are on the mend.  Your pain means your penis is improving, getting larger, getting straighter, becoming able to have sex on demand in any position for as long as you or your partner desire.

I am puzzled by one thing.  You pumped up before you got in the tub and got out to finish pumping up.  Why???   Especially those last pumps to top off should have been in the tub because not only does the heat relax the scrotum, but it increases healing blood flow to the penis and helps mold the scar tissue.  I am not sure I went into this with you but it does one more very important thing.  IT BLOCKS PAIN SIGNALS.

I have never heard anyone else explain this and I have discussed it with a couple of doctors that are personal friends, but this is my experience.  I have used HOT water to block pain for three conditions with significant success, herniated disc, kidney stone attack that lasted a month, and implant cycling.  The first two were so painful it was almost enough to cause insanity.  (Some say that it did)   I learned that if I gradually made the water as hot as I could stand it, that it stopped the pain while I was in the water.  It gave me no residual effect.  As soon as I stood up the pain would return.  I theorize that the nerves have trouble carrying heat sensation and pain sensations at the same time.  It might be more accurate to say that the brain has trouble interpreting the pain signals.  At any rate, it works.  It is very important however that the water has to be so hot that you could never step into it.  The contrast is too great.  You have to get into a hot bath and then make it gradually hotter by letting just the hot water to slowly run into the tub as you occasionally stir the water around.  I would get it so hot that I would always take A LOT of ice water with me to drink.  I would even pour it over my head so I would not generally overheat my body.

I know this sounds extreme but it gave me relief when my daily intake of maximum opiate drugs would not.  With the kidney stones and herniated disc, the problem was that I had to eventually get out of the water before I died.  With a new implant, you just deflate then get out.

If the serious pain is only toward the end of your inflation cycle, then you can get in half-way through the cycle but do not get out before you deflate. As I improved I used to pump up in the bathroom, shave, etc.  Then, as the pain started to build I would get in a hot shower.  The hot water droplets hitting my erect penis almost immediately eased the pain for the last 15 minutes.  A hand-held shower attachment works great for that.

[Roddy]

Day 14 - Update

Thanks, Hawk. I absolutely agree that the hot water in the bath reduces pain significantly. No argument from me there.  The reason for pumping outside the bath water is that I watched a video of some guy going through his inflation technique (cannot remember where I saw it) and he looked as though he was pulling the pump down to the very bottom of his sack - not violently or to the endangerment of damage to the pump - and at the very bottom of his sack he seemed more able to inflate. I tried to copy his technique and found it more successful than when lying in the bath. I've adopted this method standing up now and find it works for me best. I think standing maybe isolates the pump better with help from gravity. Then I got back in the water. Same kind of pattern for me with deflation too. I find lying on my back with me taking my time to locate that little circular depress button works best. Again, gravity from me lying on my back and my man pointing up seems to work best and helps the solution flow back to the reservoir easier.

On that topic, I'm very aware of the importance of fully deflating and work hard at it but my penis stays kinda hard - like what an imperfect erection might have felt like before I became bionic. I've read on here that that's common at the start as the penis tissue is quite swollen still. Any thoughts? My penis is flaccid enough to point down enough to get track suit trousers/jogging trousers on (unfortunately my clothing of necessity just now).

And while I'm on this subject, I've read a lot from you guys about pointing your flaccid penis up the way under your trousers. I'm afraid that is not at all possible for me. My penis will not move in an upward direction at all - it's like it's rooted to my groin bone. Same has to be said for movement left and right - no real movement at all. Even when deflated. What I would say tho is that my penis has spent its entire life hanging down the way when flaccid and it appears to just want to continue to be kept that way. Don't get me wrong, when inflated it points out the way and not downward so I'm not worried about that. What it also means is that I will never have an upwardly pointing penis. This is a non issue for me as all I desire is a straight one compared to what was before.  Know what I mean?

By the way, I've been inflated for 4 hours now. I'm going to deflate and go for my first long (ish) walk in the country.

Thanks,

Roddy.

[Hawk]

It is normal at this stage with a Titan that you do not point down more than about 4 O'clock (maybe higher when deflated).    You are likely to find however that as your deflated angle drops so will your inflated angle.  You want to preserve this so you do not end up with a downward pointing erection.  Such an erection is certainly usable but most men, given the option, would prefer an upward pointing or at least a straight out erection.

To preserve this you should not put downward pressure on the penis where the cylinders exit the body.  If you go slightly past this point and bend the cylinders that is preferred since it does not put stretching pressure on the internal part of the cylinders that are supported by the scar capsule.  Part of the internal cylinders are not inflatable but solid.  If you expand the capsul it is like making a posthole too large to firmly hold a post.

[Roddy]

Ok, thanks, Hawk. I've taken 3 photos to make it easier to discuss this. The first 2 you will see my angle when flaccid. It seems about 5 o'clock from what I can see. The 3rd one is me gently pulling my penis up the way. It will not move beyond that position. What do you think I should do?

[Stepone]

Roddy,

Now I am confused.
I can't imagine being pumped up for 4 hours! I mean I can make 45 minutes now, but that's tough and I am almost at 7 weeks.
Are you being to aggressive?
What did your doctor say?

Without going back through all your notes, was you penis pointing up or down, prior to surgery?
That being said, my penis angle when soft is now at about 3pm when naked.

I position my penis up against my stomach most the time, I have found several kinds of underwear to help me with this, but sometimes it will move and fall down so it is about 3pm, but pinned against my belly. This can be painful, so I will have to rearrange my stuff.
Sometimes I will walk nude around the house and swim in the pool, this is the most comfortable.

When I am not pumped I wear my penis upwards. Do you do this? This is what my doctor told me to do.
When I am pumped, my penis is pointing up at about 10pm. When you are pumped, what position is your penis in?

stepone

[Roddy]

Hi StepOne.

Remember that I was left fully inflated for 9 days after surgery and during that time I simply lay around the house with massively oversized trousers trying to hide the fact I had a fully inflated erection. I never experienced any pain from being left inflated until I was deflated on day 9 and later that same night inflated again to begin cycling. It was then that I experienced the worst pain of my life - unbelievably horrific pain, as I inflated and my penis stretched. That was Wednesday Day 9 and the pain was horrible and intense through Days 10-12. Yesterday (Day 13) was the turning point and the pain from inflation was a tiny fraction of what it was. Then today it was hardly there and I was inflated for 4 hours. Perhaps the inflation from Day 0 to Day 9 has something to do with that?

On the other issue, I suspect I am biologically 'made' differently. I know what you mean when you say your penis can be flattened against your belly. It is the OPPOSITE for me and must be because I had a congenital curvature down the way. I can (and always have been able to) put pressure on my penis to angle down the way in the same easy way you pull up the way. I cannot pull my penis towards my belly button. Engineered differently. I will take Mr Fraser's advice on this one.

Incidentally, I'm feeling a bit of unusual pressure coming from my reservoir in my groin/stomach. Feels how a pulled muscle would feel. Any thoughts on that one guys?

[Hawk]

Do not read much into daily differences in sensation.  As you heal you will get little random stabbing pains like a needle stick here and there.  Some days you will get a set back with more pain in your scrotum, penis, or reservoir.  All of that is normal for several weeks.  It just gets slowly better and less frequent.

You look rather straight to me already.  Remember, pain is progress at this point.  It is more accurate to say discomfort is progress.  If you can be pumped up for 4 hours with little discomfort, I would pump it more even if I had to use two hands to squeeze the pump bulb.  

I think your deflated penis looks like a pretty good hang at this stage.  Wear how it is comfortable but if you cannot go straight up from the point it comes out of the body, I recommend the shaft (cylinders) come straight out of your body for a 1/2 inch then bend the shaft/cylinders so it points down (like an upside down J) you do not want to put any downward torq on the part that is inside of the body.
 

[Roddy]

Day 14 - Update

The ironic thing today is that whilst I was inflated for 4 hours this morning, I had little if any pain. In fact, the longer I stayed inflated, the less the pain got. Now, however, my penis is aching and I can't stand up for any length of time without lots of pain in the penis. This is especially bad on the underside from the base to the halfway point. In fact, come to think of it, that'll be where my peyronies plaque and scar tissue will be! Wonder if that's what the pain is? Is it getting repeatedly stretched with every inflation? It feels like it's going to explode! Or is it simply a reaction to having a 4 hour erection - real or prosthetic?!

Roddy

[curved]

I would bet it is the plaque getting stretched and after deflation reacting to the stretch.... I would take it as a good sign that your are really getting a stretch on the plaque.  It is very similar to what I experience although I do not inflate for as long as you do so any pain after deflation subsides very quickly.

[Pfract]

Hey Roddy! You just mentioned that the penis is getting very sore underneath.  Right around the area where you had that awful curvature. Given your last updates and this point in particular, I'd say it's very encouraging to read.

I also want to take the time to say thank you for posting the photos. It is something which is not to be taken lightly, since it's such an intimate part of us. But it does more than a thousand words to encourage others that might be on the brink to try this procedure or are wondering what to do now that they have tried several treatments and they all failed.

Please continue to keep us posted Roddy. I'm happy to be here seeing you beat peyronies for good!