1st deflation: more pain than I anticipated

[ditchman]

I am now two weeks post-op, and, per my surgeon's orders, just deflated the device for the first time tonight since it was left partially inflated following surgery. I feel a little better, less uncomfortable. But, damn! Pushing that button in and holding it for 4 seconds the first time is a real painful bitch of a process. I don't know how that is going to work on a more casual basis. I'm hoping it will become second nature, and based upon what other guys say, it will. But, I still have a lot of questions and some anxiety about how difficult/painful inflating and deflating the device will actually be when the time comes. I'm sure it will be worth it to have sex with my wife again, but I'm sure hoping that the pain involved in the process will subside over time as the pump and device gets broken in.

Also, I don't really feel flacid. Yes, my shaft is now pointing down "droopy" compared to sticking up erect since the surgery, but the shaft still feels more rigid. I take it that is normal?

Can anyone comment or advise me, here? I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and got through the surgery with minimal pain and swelling, off pain meds within a day after discharge from hospital (2 days post-op). But I feel like I just squeezed the hell out of my ball sack and am still feeling a little pain 1.5 hours after deflating. I followed the instructions to the letter, held the device in just the position recommened in the diagram. But, wow, it is certainly not as simple as flipping a light switch, if you know what I mean.

[omega52]

Hey Ditchman,
Congrats on your new implant. I had my Titan placed Dec 19th. The absolute hardest thing about mine was the deflation. I am right on board with you. It took me awhile to deflate mine the first time. I sqeezed like hell and it still would not deflate the first time. Scared the hell out of me. I panicked. Things are much better now although deflation is still the hardest aspect. Yeah the flaccid state stays big. It is hard to know where to put it. Mine doesn't droop. It stands semi-erect but seems to be getting a little better. Deflating can leave your nutsack sore for awhile. You sound pretty normal to me.
Omega

[bob1138]

Hi Ditchman,

First, congratulations on your new Penile Implant.
I was implanted with the Coloplast Titan in December 2007 after developing ED Post-Prostatectomy in 2004.
The Implant completely corrected my ED and restored the emotional bond with my wife.
We celebrated our 50th Anniversary on September 8, 2012 and have taken full advantage of my Implant for the past
5 years and counting.
The first month or so is the hardest in that your body is adapting to the Implant and you may have some residual
Post-Surgical swelling and hypersensitivity.
This fades with time and, personally, my Titan Implant just became a part of my body.
My suggestion is to be patient and follow your Implant Surgeon's directions .
Looking back, the discomfort I experienced for a brief period following my Implant was a small price to pay for the
total return of my manhood.
Wishing you a lifetime of enjoyment with your new Implant.

Bob

[radiodec]

Yep, the first time is painful. Just think all the tissure down there was disrupted to allow the pump to settle in. Pain goes away quickly, though. The inflation is at first uncomfortable as you stretch things out. For me, now 4.5 months post implantation, there is little discomfort except for when I am doing my daily stretches to prevent the buildup of excess scar tissue.

You will get to where deflations is totally painless, and pumpumping up to "working" inflation is not uncomfortable. Since I have the AMS 700 LGX implant, I am trying to slowly push it to maximum expansion. This requires inflating until it is definitely uncomfortable and leaving it at that level for about 5 minutes. You can have sex while pumped to this extreme but it isn't near as much fun, though your lady might like the little bit more.

Hey, as I continue to heal and learn, it is fun to have an adjustable erection.

David

[ditchman]

Thanks for the replies, guys. It sure helps to know others have experienced what I am going through. I have a really positive outlook on the whole thing, and feel I have had such a good healing and recovery experience these first two weeks. I guess I just like to know what to anticipate. I was able to get the device deflated the first time last night, but it was a bigger production than I thought. I woke up this morning and the pain from deflation was gone.

Now, the next hurdle (at least psychologically) will be learning to inflate the device with some dexterity and without killing my nut sack. But, I won't have a chance to do that until I see my surgeon again toward the end of April. Before the operation, the anxiety was all about the procedure itself. Post-op, the anxiety is all about the anticipation of learning new things and hoping that it all comes together and works like it is supposed to, and that the pain of using the device subsides in time.

Thanks, again, for all your encouragement.

[Bxguy1]

I am standing by waiting for my own titan implant so I am following this thread and others religeously trying to be prepared and know what to expect (to be forewarned is to be forearmed so to speak)...So i can say I'm pretty sure I read on FT about your situation of intruding on the still the tender sack for a deflation attempt and it was suggested to take ibuprophen (I'm guessing the max dose of 800 mg with food of course) an hour or so before your attempt at it and also to apply heat (microwaved rice-sock) to loosen things up for easier access...anyway, I know I'm not talking from experience so please double check this!! Good Luck!

[Dave92014]

Ditch, I am 4 ½ months post-op and have the AMS CX, the same as you do. I visited my doc post-op at weeks 1, 3, 4 and 7. The first three times the operated the pump and the last time he taught me how to pump. The first three times when he operated the pump I had a lot of pain, the same as you described. By week 7 I had found that my left side of my scrotum was much more sensitive to pain than the right side. So at week 7 when I pumped I slid the pump over to the right side and it was much less uncomfortable. The pain involved went away fairly quickly after that and now pumping or deflating is essentially pain-free. I still do slide the pump over to the right side of the scrotum though as the left side is still a bit tender.

One thing my doc told me was to squeeze the penis with one hand and at the same time press the deflate button with the other hand. Doing that I have never had a problem deflating. Doing that might solve the deflate problem you had. I was semi-erect for the first few weeks but that eventually went away. I think it was caused by swelling in the penis that took awhile to get healed up.

Regarding how much pain you are going to experience along the road, the AMS CX only expands in girth whereas the AMS LGX expands in both girth and length. I think the guys using the LGX might experience a little more pain as they stretch out the length. On the other hand it might be worth it to get more length so I am not knocking the LGX. I am satisfied with the results with my CX though.

Someone else on FT said that it takes months, not weeks to get fully healed up and fully operational. That is my experience too. How long that takes seems to depend on the person so don’t worry too much about the exact rate of improvement. Let the process unfold as it will, and in a few weeks you will be fully operational and happy with the results.