Bob's Journal

[justbob]

Thank you to everyone for the encouraging words. Surgery apparently went very well, and I've now been implanted with a Titan. I have no idea what the measurements are, as that's not really much concern to me. Having a working implant that can do the job and satisfy my wife is really what matters to me, so I didn't even ask. Perhaps it's in some of the paperwork I came home with, but I haven't gone through them in detail yet.

Dr. Kramer, his anesthesiologist, and a couple of the OR nurses came in and answered all of the questions my wife and I came in with. One of the nurses seemed unsure about a few things, but we were able to get clarity from the others, so all good. Once I was wheeled into the OR, it was a very fast process. I was strapped in, drugged up, and OUT. Surgery began shortly after 8, and I woke up around 9:30-9:45. I was pretty groggy, but not all that bad. I wasn't sure what to expect having never had surgery of any kind, so the speed at which I was aware of my surroundings and able to speak in complete sentences was surprising to me. Dr. Kramer came in and gave me a quick recap-apparently my penis had a bit of a rise to it which he had to straighten out, but otherwise everything went smoothly. They then moved me to a wheelchair, took me to the side door where my wife had brought the car, and off we went. We were out before 10:30 and on our way home.

The nurse said to eat fairly light for the first couple days, so we stopped and got smoothies on the way home. I live about an hour away from the office, so we were able to go straight home following the operation.

Since then, I've been laying in bed binge watching Netflix while my wife had kept me fed. I'm pretty damn lucky to have her!

Pain-wise, like most have mentioned, has been very light. Certainly some discomfort, but nearly all of that is due to the catheter. This thing is annoying, and I'm amazed at how quickly I fill it up. I've resorted to keeping a bucket next to the bed to empty it into, then after a few draining sessions I bring the bucket to the bathroom. It may be gross, but the production required to get out of bed and bring the catheter to the bathroom every time is a pain in the ass, and I'm lazy.

Two interesting things I've learned: First if you have gas, it will push urine straight out of your body and into the catheter. I can FEEL it moving, and it's both disconcerting and really funny to me. Second, coughing with a catheter following this surgery is NOT fun or recommended. Seriously, avoid it at all costs. It's the only actual pain I've felt thus far, and it wasn't pleasant.

They want me to keep the catheter in until tomorrow morning, which means I'll likely get very little sleep tomight, but I'll have plenty of time to lie in bed and catch up on sleep as my recovery progresses. From what I hear, removing the catheter may end up being the worst part of the whole process, so I'm totally looking forward to it.

Anyway, there's my update so far. Looking forward to more slow and steady progress!

-Bob

[Waynetho]

They want me to keep the catheter in until tomorrow morning, which means I'll likely get very little sleep tomight, but I'll have plenty of time to lie in bed and catch up on sleep as my recovery progresses. From what I hear, removing the catheter may end up being the worst part of the whole process, so I'm totally looking forward to it.

Bob, if you get this before you go in to have the catheter removed, ask the nurse to *NOT* draw the saline back into the syringe but let it naturally fill from the catheter balloon. Once it stops filling, even if the syringe isn't completely full, start removing it. If they "ASPIRATE" the balloon, it will leave folds and wrinkles in the balloon which will scrape your urethra and leave you in pain and burning for a few days and maybe even a little blood in your urine the first time you pee.

If they let the syringe fill naturally, or at least put a little saline back into the balloon before pulling it out, the slight bulge in the balloon will still be okay to pull out but it won't hurt much at all. It may not hurt at all (it doesn't for me).

My nurse who removed the catheter said in her 5 years doing catheters, she'd never heard that but she complied and it was a breeze to remove, with no pain.

[justbob]

I didn't go in to the office for the catheter removal, I did it at home. They walked me through the process a couple times while we were there yesterday, so I had a good idea what I was doing. Also, I'd read a lot of other people's experiences with it, so I was ready for the worst.

Well, it wasn't the worst, but it was NOT a pleasant experience at all! First off, that tube is LONG! I felt like a sadistic magician pulling that thing out and it just kept coming! The only way I've found of describing the sensation is peeing a constant, solid stream with spikes on it. Took maybe 5-10 minutes between breaks to catch my breath, and I felt nausea and dizziness afterward, but was able to keep it together. There were a couple drops of blood at the end, but not much at all. Great news is I was able to pee about 4 hours later, and while there was a bit of stinging, it wasn't bad at all, and zero blood!

One thing I hadn't read about or anticipated was the struggle sleeping with the catheter in. I'm a side sleeper, and found myself in a poorly planned spot on the bed. The bag needs to stay below you, so on the floor next to the bed. Meanwhile, the tube needs to be pointing downward. Because they had my junk all wrapped up and pointing slightly to the left, I couldn't turn on my right side or gravity would just move everything back down the tube. However, I was on the right side of the bed, so I couldn't turn left either. Lesson for others: whichever way you're pointing, sleep on that side of the bed so at least you have one way to turn!

Otherwise, things are good. Staying in bed and icing frequently. I have a little burning sensation in my penis, but it's very mild. Also, I'm tender on the left side of my abdomen from the reservoir, but again, nothing major. I've decided to stay wrapped up a bit longer based on some of the feedback I got from Dr. Kramer. It's not needed, but sounds like it's worked for some others. We'll see how it looks when the wrapping comes off! For now, onward and upward!

[barrybj_98]

"onward and upward" Good one.

[justbob]

Well, 2 days post-op and still plugging away. Still consistent with what others have said in that there's not a whole lot of pain, just lots of discomfort. Biggest issue right now is constipation, but I'm hopeful that will start to clear up tomorrow.

I've stopped wearing the athletic support during the day, as I find it just squishes everything and makes it more uncomfortable. However, I do find it helpful when I try to sleep as it helps prevent any pinching. Not sure if there are any strategies out there for when to/not to wear the support.

I did venture downstairs today-first time I left the comfort of my bed aside from using the bathroom since surgery. I'm still not doing a lot of walking though, trying to be as careful and take it as slow as possible. Just moving from the bed to the couch and back. My wife has been amazing at taking care of me so far, which has helped quite a bit.

Swelling is also definitely a thing. My scrotum's the size of a grapefruit, and my fat pad is pretty pronounced as well. Trying to ice it often to keep it down a bit. Fortunately no bruising that I've noticed though, so I'll take that as a win.

I am starting to wonder how I'm going to get around with an erection that'll apparently last a month or so until my follow up appointment/activation. I'll be working from home for the next couple of weeks, so that helps, but eventually I'll have to re-enter the land of the living. A bit concerned for when that time comes, but I guess I'll deal with it then.

[Cajun Jeff]

Congrats sounds like your doing well and on schedule. Your swelling should go down within the 2 weeks and it will feel much better.

[justbob]

Hey guys-I'm wondering if someone can either give some words of wisdom or encouragement.

Today was day 11 post-op, and I'm running into a couple weird things:

1. It seems like the pump has gotten attached to my left testicle. I have read some people stating that theirs got attached to their sack, but not to a testicle. To complicate things, it also seems like that testicle has also attached itself to the sack. This makes for a really crowded and cramped situation down there, and it's almost constantly painful. I called Dr. Kramer last week and he said it wasn't to abnormal and it would clear up in time, but it's really uncomfortable. I've tried getting things separated, but have not succeeded in anything other than causing even more pain.

2. I've started getting this sensation that's akin to REALLY needing to pee, like emergency time pee, but not actually being able to pee. I'm wondering if it's just a similar nerve sensation and not an actual need, but it seems really odd to me. Has anyone encountered this?

3. For day 11 post-op, it seems most people are doing fine. I'm not so much. The pain and discomfort has barely lessened for me. I'm not taking any hard drugs, just advil, but I'm starting to wonder if perhaps I've done something wrong in my recovery process and have made things worse. Is a lack of pain reduction at this point normal? I know patience is key, but I can't get past the fact that it seems many stories on here make it sound far easier than it has been for me. I have yet to leave the house, I'm almost always in bed, on a couch, or on a recliner. Hardly active at all. Yet barely any improvement. What gives?

Dr. Kramer offered to have me come in and he'd take a look, but I'm not sure if I'm just being paranoid or something. Never done this kinda thing before, ya know? I'm just not sure if I'm overreacting, or if everything's actually normal and normal sucks for a while.

Thoughts? Advice? Thanks in advance guys!!!

[Cajun Jeff]

Let’s see if I can help. Sorry your still having pain. Ice is your friend. Use it as much as you can. It helps to bring the swelling down.

Feeling like you need to pee? Are you inflated? If so you may not be emptying your bladder when you go. At my 2 week checkup the adrenaline deflated me completely allowing me to pee normal.

Everyone heals differently. My pump felt like it was stuck to my left nut as well. I questioned the Dr. he said it is just the swelling it will or should drop in place when the swelling goes down, It did.

If you have concerns go see the Dr. it is worth the piece of mind.

Best of luck. I was lucky Notas was 3 days ahead of me and we compared notes daily. That kept our anxiety down.

Good luck, hope this helps,

[Txagq8]

Let me second jeff’s sage advice: go see the doctor.

My opinion, fwiw. You or your insurance carrier paid the good doctor for a good outcome. If something doesn’t seem right, there’s a good chance it isn’t. Give him a chance to fix things early before too much healing takes place and things get complicated.

I saw my doc or his Pa on day 2, day 7, day 14, day 28, and the next appt is set for day 49.

My pump is on the left side but not exactly where it ought to be. It’s usable, and I’m using it, but deflating is a challenge. We may opt to move it if if doesn’t relocate by the 3 month mark.

Neither Jeff, notaes, nor I had much if any pain. Then again, none of us heal exactly alike. Still, pain is an indicator and at the two week mark bears investigation.

[Greg1956]

I agree you should go see the doctor. If indeed things are attaching to each other, it’s important to get them in the right position before they lock Inyo that position. Many docs suggest pulling down on the pump bulb during healing to get it into the desired position away from the testicles for ease of pumping. I hope you get it taken care of and alleviate the pain so you can fully enjoy your implant.