FrankTalk.org

Quick background: RP four years ago, salvage radiation earlier this year. Doing well so far with everything except increasing ED. I used a porn shop pump after surgery for rehab, then tried pills and trimix. At this point, neither the pills nor the trimix work well enough for penetration. I don't feel ready yet to consider an implant, so am rethinking the pump.

The pump I used (and still have) was pretty inexpensive, but has a vacuum gauge and a large rubber o ring to seal the pump cylinder against my body. It was ok for rehab but not for intercourse. Problem was that the scrotum would get sucked in through the o ring and break the seal, and if I tried to use a cock ring I had to first remove the cylinder and o ring, which deflated the erection. I stopped using it after a couple of months and went to pills and trimix.

So now I'm back to rethinking the pump, and have read extensively the very useful comments and advice so many of you have posted. Problem is, there is so much information that I'm now confused, and have not found answers to a couple of basic questions I have, even though I've read the description of different pump types on the main page. So I'm hoping someone will give me some specific answers to help my confusion.

From the postings here I conclude that the foam penile sleeve is the way to go to avoid the scrotum being pulled through and the hinge effect of some thinner round body shields. The links for the company listed on some posts no longer work, but I did find the sleeves at uandmetime, which seems to be the new site for USA Medical Equipment. So I've ordered both the standard and extended penile sleeves. Also based on the postings here, I ordered the Osbon Erecaid tension bands (from a different store), because the ones I had were crappy.

So now I have penile sleeves and osbon tension bands coming, but I realize they probably won't work with my cheap pump. My pump has no way of putting the tension band around the cylinder prior to pumping. And I don't know if the base of the cylinder is of the right size to fit over the penile sleeves. I did an extensive search over old posts to try and find compatible pumps that work with the sleeves and tension bands but either I missed them or they're not to be found. The only posts I found referring to sleeves or bands only discuss how great they work, but not what type of pumps they work with.

Sorry for the long post but my basic question is, what specific brands of pumps will work with the foam penile sleeves and the osbon tension bands? I realize there are differences between the pump designs, and I can go ahead and choose between them but I don't want to wind up with a bunch of incompatible parts. So if I could have a couple of specific compatible brands, I'd be grateful. Or, if there's a single "kit" pump that has all the necessary ingredients, I'd be interested in that as well.

Thanks in advance!

reachout,
Basically you would use the desired size foam sleeve ... next, remove the sleeve from the bottom of your pump. Just place the pump tube flat onto the foam sleeve (may need some lube to get a proper seal) then pump to achieve erection.

Now for the ring ... most cheap pumps will let you disconnect the hose from the tube. Then slide the ring over the tube ... when ready you can manually slide the ring into place. Or you can place the ring on after the sleeve ... yes the pump will still produce an erection pumping thru the ring.

There is also a "Encore ImpoAid Erection Ring Kit" ($29.00 - uandmetime.com) ... which is basically a cone used to slide the ring over the pump tube.

I would also recommend doing a little trimming around the base of your penis ...

Thanks Bionic. So it sounds like the rings and sleeves might work with a number of pumps. I'll try them on the pump I have when I receive them. Also, since my pump really isn't designed for intercourse, I'm going to order the vacurect and will try it with the osbon tension ring and the foam sleeve I've ordered. I'm waiting for my urologist to sign off so I can get it through Medicare. I'll let you know how/ if it works. It's my last shot other than an implant.

I used a non medical pump for several years and had good success in regaining and maintaining my erection after slipping on my Osbon tension band after exiting the cylinder. Just use lots of lube and stretch the band while pulling the band down to the base. Once around the base, use your fingers under the band to work it down a little bit more.

I also found that if you hold the cylinder tight against the bottom of your shaft while pumping, it helps prevent scrotum "suck in." I have also read that guys tie a cord around their scrotum and pull it down while pumping.

Reach,

As far as gettin the rings onto the cylinder, It can be done, even Osbon "D" rings (pink or grey) .. which have lot of tension in them. However, some cheap tubes have a flared end -- that could be problem getting those on.

Be prepared to have your ring shooting across the room a number of times until you get the hang of putting them on. That said make sure you aim the tube towards a wall or non-cluttered part of your room or you'll be searching all over the bedroom for that damned ring.

Also you need to lube the outside of the tube a bit - otherwise you won't be able to slide the ring on or off when you need it.

On keeping scrotum out of the tube, yeah the sleeve should help some, but for the most part you just have to hang on to your balls almost the WHOLE TIME you are pumping .. they WILL sneak in if you don't. A bit of a juggle if you are manual pumping (bulb style) AND steadying the tube AND holding your balls. An electic pump frees up one of those three hands.

Finally, depending on your girth and are using a standard diameter tube, it might be a tight squeeze when used with a penile sleeve since they take up some thickness. Even when I use a medium diameter sleeve it'll swell to the diameter of a Encore oversize tube ... and the larger sleeve even more so. And that is a 2" inner diameter tube.

With a smaller tube .. well .. just make sure you lube the outside part of the sleeve (as well as the inside so you can get everything out when the time comes.

J

Here's an interim report on my (so far) unsuccessful efforts over the last few days. I now have my original non-prescription pump with a gauge, a Bonro Vacurect, and an Encore electric/manual. I also ordered an Osbon ring and a foam sleeve for good measure. If none of these things work, I may have a yard sale on sanitized VED devices

The original actually produces the best erection because of the higher vacuum. But it has a flared end, so I have to take it off and slip on the ring, which makes it deflate too much. I tried pumping with the ring on first, but didn't get as much of an erection. I may keep trying it, but another issue is that it's pretty cumbersome, so breaks the mood. The ideal may be to shave off the flare so I can place a ring at the end, but it would have to be smoothed out very well and I don't have a good tool for that.

The Encore electric didn't produce enough vacuum, but the manual pump was better. It has promise, but the snapping of the ring off the cylinder was a big wake up call. I tried it with the foam sleeve, but the ring over the sleeve didn't tighten enough to keep the erection. Also, I felt like I was wrestling an alligator getting the thing set up with the ring on. Again, not the greatest for the mood.

The Vacurect is by far the best in theory, very easy to use, but so far no usable erection. Still playing with the size of ring, and hope to find one the right size. I also tried it with the osbon ring first but couldn't get enough blood in to cause an erection. I may also try it with a bit of levitra first to get the blood going, though I really don't like the pill's side effects.

I''m far from giving up, I realize I need to find the right tool and learn how to use it well before game time.

Reach,

Glad to hear you are Gearing Up with all the essentials for the pump.

On the sleeve + ring -- yes you will need two rings. What size osbon ring did you get? Pink with a 'D' on it??
I use one of those and a Grey (with a "D"). Those are pretty snug for sure (i used to use a D and a Larger one -- can't remember what the letter was ). Anyways if you have some other rings I suppose that would be ok to include with the osbon ring .. two of anything will be better than just one osbon.

On the electric side of Encore. I had a slight issue early on (although not right from the start) where it stopped sucking vacuum too soon. I ran a little rubbing alcohol thru it thinking some lube got into the 'pump' and that seemed to fix it for the next 3 years. But the electric is kind of self-limiting so you cannot overpump -- which could be bad.

And if that twist-to-eject sleeve on the Encore does not give you enough room to perch two rings on the half inch space, just take it off and 'eject' the two rings by hand.

Keep on trying .. have you done the trimming of your pubes? That helps a lot too.

J