Implant questions

[IwillbeatPD]

Hey everyone,

A Penile implant is one of two options in considering to fix my hourglassing and to make sex possible again (the other option being maybe ETG). I'm 36 years old and I'm an athlete. I've always had a great sex life, so enjoying that while I'm still young is very important to me. I definitely don't want to wait around wasting years of my prime. However, I certainly am giving it a full year to give it a chance with natural methods first just incase that does work (wishful thinking). If not, some questions about implants and my situation:

1. It seems everyone steers clear of implants for people who are younger. I understand it's likely I'd need at least one more revision, but I mean, what's the alternative? Never having sex? I'd understand pursuing other options if I was stable enough to at least have sex. Any other downsides to being younger with an implant?

2. I'm an athlete and do fitness competitions, so my body fat is incredibly low usually. I know with an implant they have to put the reservoir in under the skin. Would that be visible on someone with hardly any body fat? Or is it under the muscle where they put it? Also, I've read you have no restrictions for working out or physical activity after being cleared by the doctor. But based on your experience, would it impact my life in anyway other than having to pump it before sex? Would it get in the way while working out? Can it irritate you on the inside from running? It just seems like the friction of running could make it rub against things inside the scrotum?

3. For a single guy like me who wants to date and enjoy his sex life, how does sex play out in a situation where the girl doesn't know you have an implant? Is it usually pretty easy to get a few pumps in here and there without them noticing? From what I understand, as long as they're not trying to bend your flacid penis around, and they don't have their fingers all in your balls...it would be undetectable. Is that right? Does sex go as normal otherwise? No limitations for how intense, etc?

4. For those of you with hour glassing, did the implant fix that? I've read different things from different people and it seems mixed. Which I largely believe that to be due to the surgeon doing the surgery. I believe I read something a while back from a Dr who said, when a patient has hourglassing they try to disrupt the fibrous plaque from the inside out when inserting the tube so that the tissue expands as usual. Id also assume with a titan implant, the increase in girth would help fill it out some.

Id truly appreciate any wisdom you all can share on the points above.

[Trapper]

Hey man,

I don't have an Implant but am looking into one as well. Similar case as you: Hour glassing, 31 year old athlete with great sex life until injury, interested in knowing more about dating with an IPP.

I have a doppler scheduled monday and if it shows i'm screwed I will be talking to a young man over the phone that my surgeon implanted just to talk about his experience with the device. Happy to ask your questions and report back any findings.

[IwillbeatPD]

Thanks Trapper!

Yes definitely keep me posted. Would love to hear any insight and how your journey goes on this as well.

[JustAGuy2020]

Hey IwillbeatPD. I think I can help with some of your questions.  I have Peyronies Disease which (prior to implant) meant a significant curve and hinging at the base (not exactly hourglassing but similar). I am 55 and married, so I won't have as many revisions as you and I don't have the issue of trying to avoid a partner noticing.  I received a Coloplast and am very happy with it.  The incision / grafting that I received as part of my surgery has completely resolved the curve and hinging.  

With regard to keeping your implant / pumping secret from a partner, I do think that is possible once you have totally gotten the hang of pumping.  

With reservoir placement, I am not an athlete with low body fat but I cannot tell where my reservoir is.  My Dr placed mine in Reitzeus space, which I understand to be behind the abdominal wall and therefore not near the skin.

I do not particularly notice the implant while doing my normal stuff (I walk 5 miles / day).  I think most guys with implants are able to do the things they normally do.

I would suggest that if you are currently totally unable to have sex, that you consider moving ahead with an implant as soon as you feel comfortable.  My biggest piece of advice would be to find the best surgeon you can.  You don't mention where you live, but generally Eid (NYC), Hakky (Atlanta) and Levine (Chicago) are mentioned here a lot as the best of the best.  Personally, Levine did my surgery which I am completely happy with.  If you are not 100% comfortable with the surgeon or the answers you receive, I strongly suggest 2nd or 3rd opinions.  Good luck.

[Jimmi85]

Like JustaGuy i had Peyronies, and my 90 degree curve made sex pretty much impossible. Although i still had good ED function, the fact that i could not adequately have penetrative sex made the decision easy for me, and the number of revisions I may need did not even come into the equation. i am now pretty much straight except the top where the cylinders are a little short but this does not give me any issues. At 36, and assuming you live to a normal life expectancy, you will likely have at least four revisions, assuming they each last approx. 10 years. As long as you choose the best surgeon possible, a revision is deemed easier on the patient and it is likely you will be upsized with each revision.

I do not understand why implantees would want to keep their implant a secret from a partner, whether that be a fling or a long term relationship. They will find out at some point, and my experience has only been positive, and when you think about all the pro's , why wouldn't it be? But, to answer your question, my bulb makes a quiet squeaking noise when I inflate, and I can quite prominently feel my tubes in my lower shaft, although a better surgery/surgeon would likely not make this quite as noticeable.

You also have to remember, you will not get 'hard' naturally, so if you are fooling around and you haven't pre pumped, if she doesn't know, you will have to improvise. A lot of guys say they will nip to the bathroom to pump up in readiness, but i can't help but wonder whether a girl will wonder, especially if she is more than a fling, why you always do this and she never see's you 'getting larger'. My girlfriend is fully aware of my implant, i told her before we met, and she loves it. I tend to pump whilst I am going down on her or whilst she is giving me oral to make it feel like she is making me hard. The squeaky noise does sometimes kill the moment though!  

I can't feel my reservoir, and i believe it is under the muscle and not the fat so it shouldn't be noticeable. I don't have any issues with sporting activities although riding a bike now is uncomfortable so i have unfortunately knocked that on the head.

Hope this helps!  

[Dent4ever]

Im considering the same and Im in the same boat.. I tend to keep my body fat in the single digits at least a few months out of the year, so id be curious. I don't fear infections or pain, because most of these can be greatly mitigated by a great surgeon. The variable that keeps me from taking the plunge is really the revisions plus failure rate. Ive seen these all over the place.. one guy on another forum (35 ish) has had his problem free for almost 15 years.. some others have pump failures at 7-8 months in. Wish they made these more reliable but that's just wishful thinking, you almost must be within range to your original doc so that any revisions can be done within a reasonable amount of time

[Trapper]

Hey Dent,

I would think revision surgery would be easier than the initial surgery and have a lower complication rate since they are just swapping out the device that your anatomy has already conformed to?

[IwillbeatPD]

This is what I read as well. Supposedly your recovery is easier and shorter, but the surgery is longer (as expected since they have to remove and clean before installing the new device.

[Dent4ever]

Hey Trapper, I can just go off other anecdotal reports. Both my parents are in the medical field though.. redoing surgeries can always carry more complications as per our friend below. I read the same.. its easier on you but id go back to the same surgeon of course if I can. Eid for example is stellar by all accounts but retiring in a few years. Im personally close to Dr Yafi in SoCal so that's who Id go with. IDK if its worth waiting for the new Titan 5 years down.. My goal is just to put this behind me as Ive been griping with this for over a decade and its not getting better. This is such a complicated disease since I just don't see a medication solution but the 3d printing and such for SMC tissue has already been done on rabbits.. either way its surgery but Version 1.0 is always risky. I guess if I was 50-60 age range I wouldn't be so concerned with revisions. And hopefully future versions will get rid of the pump/reservoir/tubing.. I don't understand why they break so much. Its like a car, runs smoothly or you can get a lemon lol. BUT, you can't get a rental with this in the interim lol.

If someone can help me wrap my head around and accept being bionic at 42 years old and move on id greatly appreciate it!

PS: I appreciate all of you and knowing Im not alone trying to figure this ailment out

[Stepone]

Hey guys, your posts have certainly been an interesting read. I researched and found this article which will only add fuel to your decisions about implants. https://tau.amegroups.com/article/view/15191/html
I guess you need to ask some questions....
how bad is my sex now?
Am I enjoying life?
Do I enjoy sex 50% of the time? 25%? 75%?
Have I tried other ways to fix the problem?
Have I exhausted all the possible fixes?
What other questions could you ask?
Can I make a decision today based on what I know?
I don't know what you need to ask in order to reach a decision. I know when I buy a car, I base on consumer reports, price, appearance, mileage, etc. and then I make a decision. And then after I make the decision, I second guess. Did I get the best deal? Did I buy the right color? Should I have waited to get a lower price? Should I have waited and bought another model?
Decisions are tough, but sometimes I have found I waited too long and wished I had made the decision sooner.
It's like an aunt of mine. She suffered for years, because of knee pain, she didn't travel much, she couldn't do the things she wanted to do and then at age 70, when her husband died, she decided to get her knees done. Now at age 71, she says she wished she would have gotten them done when she was 50. She dances, has new friends, and started dating. She tells everyone to get the surgery to regain their life.
I know other people who have had knee implants that do poorly, but the overwhelming reply is much better satisfaction and less pain.
Do a google search on satisfaction rate of male penile implant.... or something like that and you will find all sorts of ratings that are all around the 85 to 95 satisfied rating. The more recent ratings seem the highest.
I fought with this decision too, my only regret is that I didn't do it when I was younger.
StepOne

[IwillbeatPD]

Hey Step!

Great insight I really appreciate it. Being new to this it definitely been an interesting 3 months to say the least. Lots of different emotions and questions in my head. I took a week break from this forum just because I feel like I gained most of the insight I need here, and not to be selfish, but I'm not trying to think about my problems everyday. Mindset is huge and I'm choosing to live my best life while I can.

In my head I've bounced around between implant, PEG, and ETG. Ultimately the two that would even be reasonable right now are implant and ETG. I realize being just a few months in is very early to be thinking about any of the above- but I'm a proactive guy and want to be prepared for anything that could come. Just educating myself.

In any case, due to recent events I don't think I'd do an implant. By recent events, I mean I actually attempted to have sex, twice, and both times were fine- even though the first time I was freaking out wondering if I could or if my dick would break. Anyway, I proceeded with caution of course and didn't go all out like the old me would have. I was careful and certainly didn't let her get on top. If anything felt weird I adjusted positions. One girl of course asked to get on top, in which I pretended I just "forgot" before finishing lol...but the story ended well both times. I do have to say, the mental satisfaction of just knowing you can have sex is incredibly satisfying. Even if it's slow or careful sex- I'll take it. Oral sex has been fine too and I've had no issue there. I did wonder if the girl thought anything of the hinge, but honestly I don't think any of them noticed. I don't think it's uncommon for any guy to not be just rock hard EVERY time. So I would assume if she noticed any bending she assumed I was maybe 75% hard.

Now back to your point, I think everyone needs to evaluate their exact situation and what's right for them. So many factors to consider honestly it would be too much to even try to list. For me, I have to ask myself. Assuming my condition stays the same-would I be okay with having careful sex the rest of my life? Or would I proceed with surgery (implant or ETG). Honestly, even though I don't like my situation I've accepted it. It's like a sports injury. If you tear your bicep, sure, you can do SOME things with the bicep after...but it will never be 100%. But 80% could be good enough for most- so you accept it and make life modifications accordingly. It's the same with pyronies for me. I'm modifying my sex life for the next 1-2 years. According to Dr Trost, and members of the forum, hourglass tends to show improvement after a couple years. The hourglass smooths from what I read and it feels less disconnected. I firmly believe in the body's ability to heal and adapt- as with any injury. So my hope is in 1-2 years I'm a little better (cosmetically and functionally). If I'm not, then I'll certainly explore ETG with Brian Christine. I actually have an appointment with him soon just to get his opinion. But I think skipping ETG and going straight to implant at 36 is overkill, especially if I can have some type of sex now. I do understand the guys here who are sick of dealing with this and have been at it for years though. I mean we all make a choice. If you're completely miserable, can't have sex, etc...I'd do the implant in a heart beat. But if you can have sex, and you're still happy even with a couple adjustments to your sex life- I'd say wait on the implant.

I like to have a girl on top as much as any guy....but would I rather have a girl on top or would
I rather have my own natural (and functional) penis? Would I rather have an implant and go through the downtime, revisions, risks, paint points of being single with an implant constantly trying to hide it...or...not do anything, have no risk, and make minor modifications to my sex life (like telling a girl she can't get on top due to a sports injury).

Sorry, long post, but I hope this gives some perspective to anyone struggling with what to do.

I will say, cosmetically, I may eventually due ETG regardless if after a couple years the hourglass still bothers me. But from what I read, this procedure is generally a walk in the park compared to others with very minimal risk.

[Stepone]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Yes, only you will know when/if it's time.
My sexual satisfaction was only at 25% of the time or less, and because of the failures, it made the psychological impact on sex even worse.
If you are having successful sex, give it time.
One more thing, because of people like you...you honestly share your thoughts and feelings on this website, you are helping a lot of other people who read the posts.
Best wishes.
Thank you,
StepOne