I am 63 Panhead

[Boulder]

I went into the closet due to some very unkind remarks I made about my 3 failed implant surgeries and the surgeons that worked on me. After my fourth surgery, and the only successful one, I have only one word to say... "Dr. Rafael Carrion" teaching professor and the Director of the Sexual Health Dept at USF. He flys under the radar, no fancy website, no expensive suits or shoes, no bad mouthing any other doctors, a true caring professional. I cannot praise him, his staff and Tampa General Hospital enough! The man is unbelievable.

I had the surgery May 17th and wanted to be sure this one was a success before I posted anything. My first two implants were Coloplast the third an AMS CX and I am now the proud owner of a brand new Coloplast and loving it! To be blunt the AMS was a far far inferior devise. I would compare it to a Ford vs Ferrari and a cigarette vs a cigar.

Questions? Fire away.....

[Lost Sheep]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Happy about the Coloplast success. Having replacement parts/repairs on cars go bad is one thing, but body parts?

Are you willing to share details of what made the AMS device unsatisfactory? Was it the device itself or improper sizing or a surgical judgement (sizing, placement, etc) For your experience to be the MOST useful to us, these details are vital.

I know that some prefer the AMS because the Colopolast is a little too stiff when deflated and some prefer the Coloplast because it is (I am not clear on this part) girthier than the AMS and stiffer when inflated. From what I know of the AMS' construction, it might be able to have a bit more expansion in girth between deflated and inflated, but I have found no testimony to confirm that supposition. Details, do tell.

Thank you for your testimony.

I am deciding what to do about my own erection difficulties and it looks like an implant will be in my future, so your experiences could be life-altering for me as well as countless others here.

Lost Sheep

[stiffupperlip]

After 4 surgeries did you lose any length? And what went wrong with the AMS? I thought you said Dr. Cornell did a good job. Or was it a matter of you not liking the AMS CX?

[Boulder]

I'll answer Stiff first. Yes, I lost some length due to scar tissue, but gained 50% girth. Do I care? A little but having girth and a railroad "spike" is more important to me. When I ask my lady friends their personal preference some say long and skinny some want a guy built like a tuna can, but they all want good and stiff. Actually most women aren't porn stars anyway and they prefer oral sex much more then being "banged" all night long. Especially the ones over 50. I've never performed oral sex on a woman and had her not come back for more...even when my AMS wasn't functional. It's all about the connection with most women and the ones that just want to be banged that's fine too, but they are rare.

As far as Eid, Kramer and Cornell doing or not doing a "good job"? In answer to that I think all three did what they thought was best and at least two of the three are in private practice and do the procedure for profit, I'm unsure of the third and what arrangement he has, but let's just say none of them do it out of the kindness of their hearts. I will not bash, demean, or bad mouth any of them. I'm only telling my story. But let me tell you this, if they claim they can do this procedure in 10-15 minutes and that they can do 10,12,15 guys in one day....run! Remember you only have one penis and he's your best friend! My last procedure took almost 3 hours. If you want Jiffy Lube, then go for it. I want my Ferrari treated with respect. Dr Carrion only had one other patient last May 17. And by the way he does over 300 procedures a year, of which 50% are revisions from other doctors mistakes. He wouldn't tell me who, he's that professional. But one of his nurses did tell me its mostly from the assembly line "big" named guys. And yes she's a cutie, and yes I did get her number!

No, I do not like the AMS. The two advantages of that devise are;
1.) it does deflate easier.
2.) it is "softer" when deflated
That's it!

Disadvantages;
1) it comes out of the box completely assembled
2). Due to #1 above if you are in between sizes they must put extenders on it so the pump won't sit too high in your scrotum and rub the bottom of your penis raw, which is what mine did even with the 3cm extender. Very painful! And when you have extenders, your penis will have a "hinged effect" which makes it difficult to stay in your partners vagina no matter how long your penis may be. The Coloplast tubing can be custom fit to your anatomy. I prefer the pump as low as possible and behind my testicles, instead of in front and high up against the bottom of my penis, it's much less painful and easier to get used to. I ride motorcycles and street bicycles so this is VERY important to me.
3). The AMS just doesn't get as hard as the Coloplast, perhaps others here can comment on that. The bio flex material of the Coloplast is thicker and more durable. I could pump my AMS all night and it would NOT get as hard as the Coloplasts. I like the woman on top and when she's riding away it won't stay in in that position or most positions if it's not hard enough. And again, those of you with the AMS please speak up, I've had both and my observation is it's not even close.
4). As I said Girth, the AMS doesn't even come close. If you hold an AMS in one hand and a Coloplast in the other you will see what I mean. Have your surgeon show you both, I know they have samples in their desk drawers. Dr Carrion has them displayed in the exam room.

One final comment about Dr. Carrion and his entire staff and Tampa General Hospital. I've never been treated so well, efficiant couldn't be a better word. I never had to wait more then 5-10 mins. The whole building is state of the art with many specialties grouped together. Dr. Carrion did a cystoscope at my first meeting with him to see if there was erosion in my urethra, thank g-d he found none. But he did find that the cylinders had "crossed" over eachother which was not good news. Upon finding that he then sent me down for a CT scan to check my entire devise.

Dr. Carrion also works with a nationwide nursing agency and luckily there is one in Naples where I live. He prescribed a nurse to come to my home every day for the first 12 days to check, clean and change the incision site. Insurance paid! None of the others even thought to do that. He gave me written detailed instructions upon release from the hospital. None of the others did that either. In fact, none of the other 3 even came in to take out the catheter or check on me! It was always a nurse.

Tampa General is a hospital of excellence! Clean, efficient, good food and caring people. Beat the heck out of even Lennox Hill in Manhatten, and the UofM Hospital in Baltimore I must say was filthy, with people working there who looked like they were just pulled in off the street. I shudder even today when I think about my experience there.

That' about does it. If you have any other questions about this four year journey, feel free to ask!
Be well all!
Boulder

[hardernharder]

Hello,
Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Very happy that things are working out for you!
Did Dr. Carrion use scrotal approach?

Best wishes.

[Boulder]

Hardrnharder, yes he did the scrotal approach. He doesn't like pubic because it's too close to the nerves that control your orgasms. Since the other three did a vertical scrotal cut, Carrion went horizontal to avoid the same incision site and thus an infection. Very smart man. His dad was also a Uro and helped develop the first implants. He has instruments named after him.

[cumstein]

I am really glad I read your post. You have had 4 procedures by 4 different docs and have had both devices. A rare view of the docs, devices etc. Very Valuable information, thank you and glad you were successful . I also liked your comments on women, especially over 50. I think you are dead nuts on.

Could you talk about how the doc's treated you after surgery and especially after it was clear the surgery failed?

Also like to know your thoughts on infra pubic vs scrotal approach. I am starting to research this, I have no other options left.

I can google cystoscope and what that does. Best

[psyched123]

I have the AMS CX and, now that Dr. Kansas has it working perfectly, I'm very happy with it. Dr. Kansas showed me both the AMS and Coloplast and said that, if his repair of Dr. Morey's work wasn't successful, he'd put in either one I wanted.

What I noticed was that, deflated, the Titan was significantly bigger and stronger looking than the AMS CX. I totally get the comparison of cigarette to cigar. However, when he pumped them up to full, they are almost exactly the same size. It seems that the material used in the AMS is softer and more expandable, whereas the Titan material is stiffer. I think this difference accounts for the AMS being more comfortable when flaccid.

Happily, my wife and I are using mine everyday and so, I already have lots of experience with my AMS. I can't imagine getting my implant any harder and stiffer than mine gets when fully pumped up. Totally does the job and, yes, it is quite comfortable when deflated.

Dr. Kansas will do either but leans strongly toward the AMS. He says that with AMS the higher comfort and the softer tip results in patients that are happier. He sees no real difference in size when inflated. So, I'm very happy now with my AMS, but, who knows, when the eventual time comes for replacement, I might opt for a Titan. Change makes life interesting.

[Boulder]

Cumstein,
Two of the four didn't see me after the surgery but they did 2 weeks post op. 2 of the first three are so egocentric they wouldn't admit they botched the surgery, one of them tried to refer me to his friend the "pain" specialist, thats when I lost all respect for him. Only one admitted (after over a year and a considerable amount of pain) that the cylinders were too long and had to be replaced. And one tried to make me feel like it was my fault not his, again these guys have huge egos! I wish my penis was 1/10 the size of their egos.

Carrion was the only one who remained professional through the whole process. Still does. I can call or text him if anything appears abnormal. He truly cares.

My opinion on the scrotal vs infra public is only what I've read and heard. Since I've only had the scrotal I really can't speak about the infra pubic. Do your research.

Psyched123, I can only speak from my experience and I've had both. I had a 150 mile motorcycle ride today and barely noticed the equipment and I'm only 9 weeks out. And I wore tight fitting jeans. I couldn't have done that with the AMS...ever! I'm not trying to endorse either devise I'm simply stating my experiences with the two. I'm happy that you're happy with yours.

[cumstein]

thanks Boulder. I ride motorcycles too. Having the pump behind the scrotum sounds like a big help.
Would be nice to know who treated you well and who didn't after their surgeries failed. I understand your reluctance to mention them......