Six months after implant

[Beardman]

Hi, just wanted to let folks know about my experience. I'm a 68-year-old now who had robotic prostatectomy by Dr. David Samadi in 2011. Great result on the cancer (negative margins, undetectable PSA ever since), and on the continence front (never an issue). But no erections post-surgery. To be sure, there wasn't much hope, since I was already dependent on Cialis before the surgery.

I tried injections for a while after the surgery, but particularly suffered from an aching sensation when chemically erect, so I gave that up after trying different formulations. I also didn't like the process and lack of spontaneity.

I then let the years pass, and had a limited love life as a result. I was capable of orgasm while flaccid via manual stimulation, mine or my wife's, and resigned myself to that.

Then last year, I began thinking about implants. I found this board and read it very thoroughly. I can't recommend FrankTalk enough -- it was invaluable to me. Since I live in Philadelphia, I visited Dr. Bruce Garber, who is a local high-volume implanter. I am of scientific background and temperament and asked him a lot of questions. He didn't seem comfortable discussing details of his procedure with a patient, which turned me off.

Based on what I read here, I debated seeing Dr. Andrew Kramer in Baltimore or Dr. Francois Eid in New York. The two cities are about equidistant from me. I decided to check out Dr. Eid, since I liked his extreme emphasis on avoiding infection via his No-Touch Technique. I corresponded with Dr. Eid through his website, asking detailed questions about my case, how my robotic prostatectomy would impact the implant procedure, and so on. Dr. Eid answered all my questions himself in detail via email -- and I wasn't yet his patient and he had never met me in person!

I went to see him in New York, and he was completely forthcoming about what he does, how he does it, why he does it, and what I could expect and not expect. It was one of the most satisfying doctor-patient conversations I have ever had. I had Dr. Eid do the implant in September 2016. I arranged to stay in a hotel in New York for 72 hours post-surgery so I could stay on my back for 48 hours as directed without interruptions for travel. Everything went well during and after the procedure. Removing the catheter myself was no problem. I found the pain tolerable. I used the high-end pain meds for a couple of days and went to Tylenol after that. The hot water baths were essential and I did them religiously, several times a day, as hot as I could stand, for 40 minutes each time. I found being on my back essential for the first week or so.

In my case, the tenderness didn't subside as fast as I hoped. When I went to see Dr. Eid for the checkup to activate the implant, I was still too tender, so we set another date a couple of weeks later. That time we went ahead and activated. I followed instructions religiously to inflate at least daily to stretch scar tissue. Over time, this became easier. So did finding the button to deflate, which was difficult for me for a long time, but I eventually got good at it. Also over time, the soreness when inflating went away. Basically, I was experiencing no discomfort after two months post-op, even when inflating. And inflating has become easier and faster. The pump has softened, as Dr. Eid told me it would, and the number of pumps needed to complete inflation has dropped from 60 or more to less than 50, since more fluid is now pumped with each press.

Dr. Eid implanted me with a 24 cm Titan Coloplast + one RTE, for a total implant length of 25 cm. I had been concerned about penis size, since I had been fairly long and thick prior to the prostate surgery, and I felt I had lost some length in that surgery when my urethra had been reconnected minus the prostate in the middle. But I spent some months before the implant surgery stretching my penis manually, hoping to recover the length I thought I had lost. It seems to have worked. Now, after the implant, I am the same I was in my earlier days, both length (measuring the top surface, 7.30 inches from pubic bone to tip of glans), and girth (6.25 inches circumference).

BTW, because the Coloplast is almost full-length when uninflated, I have had to deal with underwear issues after the implant. In the past, I was a boxer shorts guy, but that doesn't work now, especially when wearing jeans or similar abrasive cloth -- too much friction on a loosely hanging penis. Similarly, trying to work our at the gym or ride a bike doesn't work with a free-hanging penis in boxers or exercise shorts, and regular jockstraps have pouches that are too small. So do standard briefs and boxer briefs. In the end, I found the Andrew Christian underwear line a life-saver. I use the Trophy Boy model, but there are others as well. They enable my penis and testicles to be held and controlled in a properly-sized pouch which works under regular clothes and also while exercising.

Sex is now fabulous. As many people have commented, having complete confidence in one's erection changes everything in bed, and to some extent out of it, too. In bed, it liberates one to pursue any sexual position one wants. When fighting ED, it sometimes is best to stick with the missionary position, since the pull of gravity helps the flow of blood to the penis. After the implant, there is no need to worry about any of that. I found that I could indulge my creativity and sensuality as a lover since I didn't have to think about the possible impact on my erection. And out of bed, there is a knock-on effect. Maybe there is a slight unconscious swagger in my step, or maybe I'm just not thinking about my ED in the back of my mind all the time, for example when I see a sexy commercial on TV or a pretty girl walk by.

Bottom line, this has been a complete success for me. I recommend Dr. Eid, and his very nice and capable office staff, extremely highly. I know some others have had unfortunate experiences with this kind of surgery, but I'm ecstatic with my result. As many others have said, I only wish I had done it much sooner.

Michael

[Edward58]

Michael, Thank you very much for your detailed, informative post. Your scientific background shines through! I wish i was told or educated myself about "stretching" exercise to prevent length issue. I had surgery schedule for 3/29/17, then cancelled by Urologist due to my apprehension. He willing to proceed when he is convinced i am 100% ready to proceed with implant of Titan 3 pc from Coloplast. My ED is a result of Prostatectomy and has caused me severe depression affecting my entire life and relationships. I married very young (16) and still married 42 years later to same woman. She has been very supportive throughout entire ordeal.

I look forward to getting "fixed) and back in the saddle!

Edward

[alibaba]

Beardman,
Very good report. I am glad things went so well. I've corresponded with Dr. Eid and also found him as you described.
I always thought AC undies in Trophy model were similar to show-it-tech which I found uncomfortable and gave a way. I wore the Blow line which is big up front. How does the Trophy line compare? I may have misunderstood but thought the trophy model was the one they put the plastic faux piece in to enhance it. I particularly like Blow has very wide elastic waist. Thanks.

[Beardman]

Alibaba,

You can get some AC undies with a so-called "Show-It" feature, which the website says is "a hidden 'comfy cup' that gently lifts and provides excellent frontal support and enhancement. This horseshoe shaped inner cup is lined by soft elastic and adds up to 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) to a man's frontal measurement and provides the biggest natural enhancement of any underwear in our line."

Most of the AC models have some items with the feature and some without it. What I buy are Trophy Boy boxer briefs without the feature. There are also briefs and thongs available with and without the feature. Trophy Boy is the AC model with the largest natural pouch. There is also the Almost Naked model, which has a slightly smaller pouch, but is still much larger in the pouch than standard underwear.

Michael

[Beardman]

Edward58,

I completely understand your depression from the ED, and your apprehension about the surgery. It took me years to become "ready" for the implant. Your hesitation is very normal.

The main advice I can give you is to make sure your surgeon is very experienced at this procedure. It makes a huge difference whether the surgeon has done dozens or thousands of these. It's really worth traveling to get to one of the top guys, who seem to do much better at:

(1) avoiding infection, which is the worst;

(2) avoiding complications, like differently sized cylinders, or leaks, etc.;

(3) undersizing the implant because of surgical timidity, which will leave you unhappy with your length and give you an erection that doesn't extend to the penis head;

(4) using too many rear-tip extenders, which makes the erection wobbly;

(5) making too big an incision, or too many incisions, or an incision in a location designed to make his surgery easier, but not your recovery or your cosmetic result.

And so on.

As others have written in this board, top guys include Dr. Eid in NY, Dr. Kramer in Baltimore, Dr. Perito in Florida, Dr. Cornell in Austin, Dr. Garber in Philadelphia, and a few others.

Best of luck to you!

Michael

[robertm]

Are there any doctors that this group would recommend avoiding?

[williamb]

I think that it is Dr Kansas (nothing negative here) in Austin TX not Dr Cornell. I used Dr Cornell in Houston and had horrible results , was revised by Dr Kramer and very satisfied. Palace01 also used Dr Cornell and had the same results, he had a revision by a different Dr in Houston. I realize that anyone can have less than perfect results at times, but how it is handled will say a lot. My first Dr was quite arrogant and denied anything being incorrect, Dr Kramer revised with an implant of almost 2" longer than Cornell installed initially. Do your research, ask questions of the Dr and ask questions of his patients.
Dave