Update: 22 days after surgery.
The recovery is still going well. The degree of discomfort in the third week is considerably less than in weeks 1 and 2. The greatest discomfort is not (directly) caused by the surgery, but by (recurring) hernia complaints. Normally I exercise several times a week and sleep on my stomach. That is not possible at the moment, which may be why the hernia complaints are suddenly becoming so acute. I still take ibuprofen and paracetamol (acetaminophen); I want to start phasing this out next week.
The feeling in the penis and glans is good. The glans appears to engorge to the same extent as before the surgery. Probably because the glans is fuller than immediately post-surgery, the ruler now shows + 0.5 cm in length, the circumference has remained the same (since the previous update).
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I realize that I never did the length measurement correctly; I read here on the forum that this should be "bone pressed" (I always measured down to the skin). Even though I have little body fat, this makes a difference of + 1 cm. So 1 cm should be added to all previous length measurements. Current measurements: 21.5 cm length x 16 cm circumference.
I inflate the implant for the duration of my shower in the morning and in the evening. When the cylinders are fully inflated, slight pressure can be felt in the glans. However, this discomfort has already decreased considerably.
The results exceed my expectations. I had anticipated that at least one of the less favorable scenarios would occur: prolonged pain or discomfort, inflammation, a loss of sensitivity in the penis, a significantly smaller penis, etc. However, none of these scenarios occurred.
Do I regret not having this surgery performed sooner? I previously wrote this (in another thread):
Luther wrote: Whatever my decision, it will cause regret: regret for not making this decision earlier
or regret why I screwed up a fairly well functioning dick... Seems a cath-22.
Yet I have no regrets. “Rider 1400” in that same thread expresses my thoughts exactly:
Rider1400 wrote: Do I wish I had done it sooner???.. NO!!! Did I wait as long as I should have???? Yes!!! You need to be completely committed to getting it done before having it done. It helps with recovery and every other aspect to make up your mind totally that it’s what you want, therefore I had no regrets. I did a ridiculous amount of research, and you should also. That way you have few if any surprises and you can expect and be prepared for the challenges you’ll face after surgery.
One last thing: I have received questions via PM about my experiences with doctor Van Renterghem. I can also share them here. My experience with both Doctor Van Renterghem and the team supporting him (nurses, etc.) is very positive. Emails or phone calls are responded to quickly and the care prior to and after the surgery was good.
When on the forum "the best surgeons" are discussed, forum members always refer to the same names: Eid, Perito, Kramer (in the past), Hakky, Clavell. Nothing against these doctors, but their positive reputation is also related to their visibility and the fact that they are good marketers. There are doctors out there who are less visible to the (American) public, such as Van Renterghem, that may not have the same talent as salesman but are at least as skilled as doctor.
26cm Titan (no RTE), Dr. van Renterghem (Belgium), October 2023.