Implanted 12/13/24, Challenging Recovery

[Martin25]

Day 10, saw NP

Dr. Eid is away but I went in and met with his nurse practitioner who is excellent. He examined me and said I was progressing. Said I had extreme swelling and hematoma, but both are improving. He asked if I was trying to locate the pump and release button while in the warm baths I was taking. I told him that the pump is easy to find, but I can’t locate the release button. He asked me if I would like to try in the office… I said OK and then he said that he would get some pumps in first. The pump is very, very hard and stiff, which I have heard is true for a while. The nurse practitioner also told me that my pump is kind of high in my scrotum, and that it should come down over time. He got in a few pumps which was painful, and then he pressed the release valve, which was very painful. And then he said it was my turn. I got a few half pumps in…surprisingly this classic Titan pump did not make any squeaking sound. I was able to locate one side of the release button with my index finger, but I could not locate it on the other side with my thumb. It was difficult because I am swollen and very sensitive and also because the pump is very high in my scrotum. So when I tried to press it, the nail of my thumb which was relatively short, I could do better I realize, pinched into my scrotum. It was very painful, and the nurse practitioner got a few pumps in and asked me how I felt. I said I could tolerate it. He said he was going to see another patient and I should try to find the release valve in the meantime.

I tried and tried, but I was not able to press the release valve on both ends. I could only locate one end, but for some reason I couldn’t locate the other button which was just on the opposite side. It did feel good to have the penis partially inflated. Even when it isn’t inflated it sticks out at 3 o’clock, which is strange. I guess there is always a little fluid in it right now. But it felt rather stiff after only a few pumps, so that is encouraging. It is about an inch shorter; I’d better get that back. Dr. Eid does a measurement before surgery after he injects you and does an ultrasound. I measured 5 1/2 inches, which Eid wrote on on a form and which he said would be my size. Right now I’m about an inch short of that, but it wasn’t fully pumped up, and I haven’t been cycling…

Nurse practitioner returned and deflated me. I then was able to inflate using three fingers and got some good pumps in. Realize it is very difficult to squeeze, but I finally ‘felt’ it, I felt the fluid moving!
NP said to sometimes bend my penis down several times a day and to hold it as long as I can tolerate it because I have had it pointed up constantly. He doesn’t want scar tissue to develop. He told me to continue the hot baths and to return in a week to have the stitches removed. I mentioned that the gauze pad I keep in my special underwear with a sack still spots blood from the incision, and he said not to be concerned. I also double checked if it was a problem to immerse in water, and he said it was not.

All in all a successful day. I am significantly improved from just four days ago. Still not able to resume anything close to normal activities, but I realize now my lower back is very tight and sore from being so hunched over because it’s difficult to walk with the swollen testicles. But now that they are somewhat better I am forcing myself to stand up straight when I walk. And I’m able to get on a yoga mat to do some simple stretches. I feel hopeful and that I am on the road to recovery…

[Donkeykong]

Glad to hear things are improving. It seems you bled more than usual, which may be something I'm prone to as well. Do you take any medications that might interfere with blood clotting?

[RMJ9224]

i couldnt find the deflate button on my MS pump, my girlfriend on the other hand could. i think there is so much sensation initially when you have swelling you feel the pain from the swelling, you feel the skin being touched you feel you touching the skin but when someone who doesnt have to deal with thoes sensations feels it it feels pretty obvious to them. if you have a significant other who is willing to help you deflate you get a lot more confidence in not being stuck inflated haha

also merry xmas

[nuance]

Day 10, saw NP

Dr. Eid is away but I went in and met with his nurse practitioner who is excellent. He examined me and said I was progressing. Said I had extreme swelling and hematoma, but both are improving. He asked if I was trying to locate the pump and release button while in the warm baths I was taking. I told him that the pump is easy to find, but I can’t locate the release button. He asked me if I would like to try in the office… I said OK and then he said that he would get some pumps in first. The pump is very, very hard and stiff, which I have heard is true for a while. The nurse practitioner also told me that my pump is kind of high in my scrotum, and that it should come down over time. He got in a few pumps which was painful, and then he pressed the release valve, which was very painful. And then he said it was my turn. I got a few half pumps in…surprisingly this classic Titan pump did not make any squeaking sound. I was able to locate one side of the release button with my index finger, but I could not locate it on the other side with my thumb. It was difficult because I am swollen and very sensitive and also because the pump is very high in my scrotum. So when I tried to press it, the nail of my thumb which was relatively short, I could do better I realize, pinched into my scrotum. It was very painful, and the nurse practitioner got a few pumps in and asked me how I felt. I said I could tolerate it. He said he was going to see another patient and I should try to find the release valve in the meantime.

I tried and tried, but I was not able to press the release valve on both ends. I could only locate one end, but for some reason I couldn’t locate the other button which was just on the opposite side. It did feel good to have the penis partially inflated. Even when it isn’t inflated it sticks out at 3 o’clock, which is strange. I guess there is always a little fluid in it right now. But it felt rather stiff after only a few pumps, so that is encouraging. It is about an inch shorter; I’d better get that back. Dr. Eid does a measurement before surgery after he injects you and does an ultrasound. I measured 5 1/2 inches, which Eid wrote on on a form and which he said would be my size. Right now I’m about an inch short of that, but it wasn’t fully pumped up, and I haven’t been cycling…

Nurse practitioner returned and deflated me. I then was able to inflate using three fingers and got some good pumps in. Realize it is very difficult to squeeze, but I finally ‘felt’ it, I felt the fluid moving!
NP said to sometimes bend my penis down several times a day and to hold it as long as I can tolerate it because I have had it pointed up constantly. He doesn’t want scar tissue to develop. He told me to continue the hot baths and to return in a week to have the stitches removed. I mentioned that the gauze pad I keep in my special underwear with a sack still spots blood from the incision, and he said not to be concerned. I also double checked if it was a problem to immerse in water, and he said it was not.

All in all a successful day. I am significantly improved from just four days ago. Still not able to resume anything close to normal activities, but I realize now my lower back is very tight and sore from being so hunched over because it’s difficult to walk with the swollen testicles. But now that they are somewhat better I am forcing myself to stand up straight when I walk. And I’m able to get on a yoga mat to do some simple stretches. I feel hopeful and that I am on the road to recovery…

For how long is one supposed to point the penis in a particular direction to avoid scar tissue from being formed? I thought people pointed it upward so they can have a 2'o clock angle.

[Martin25]

Day 10, saw NP

For how long is one supposed to point the penis in a particular direction to avoid scar tissue from being formed? I thought people pointed it upward so they can have a 2'o clock angle.

As far as for how long, I think every Doctor is different, anywhere from two weeks or more. I do know it is NOT because it would help with a 2 o’clock angle. The vast majority of penile implants are at 3 o’clock, pumped up. When I was able to get erections naturally, I was always at at least 2 o’clock, sometimes 1:30 o’clock, so it is a trade-off…

[Martin25]

Glad to hear things are improving. It seems you bled more than usual, which may be something I'm prone to as well. Do you take any medications that might interfere with blood clotting?

I’m on blood pressure meds, but I don’t think they interfere with blood clotting…who knows?

[Martin25]

i couldnt find the deflate button on my MS pump, my girlfriend on the other hand could. i think there is so much sensation initially when you have swelling you feel the pain from the swelling, you feel the skin being touched you feel you touching the skin but when someone who doesnt have to deal with thoes sensations feels it it feels pretty obvious to them. if you have a significant other who is willing to help you deflate you get a lot more confidence in not being stuck inflated haha

also merry xmas

Merry Christmas to you too, and all the other guys!

My girlfriend, who has been great and supportive and who has been staying at my place helping me with a rough recovery (she even snuck in her cat, pets not allowed in my building, so she could stay as long as needed), has not wanted to know too many details…I mean she has seen it, but not examined it…I would not have been able to get in and out of the bathtub without her help for a few days after catheter removed. I hope to ‘reward’ her (and myself) sometime soon in 2025

[Martin25]

Day 12

The good news…swelling down significantly since the beginning ; I am able to stand up from seated position with discomfort but not shooting pain

On other hand, still seem far from normalcy…have only walked around apartment—scrotum still swollen enough to make walking uncomfortable…my perineum continues to be sore and painful…yesterday tip of penis started burning a little, which concerned me, but I think it’s because a piece of skin flaked off. You know how they make the two pin pricks at the tip of the penis to pull through the cylinders? Well, the scab on the right side fell off so now that skin is raw.

Very low energy… I have a tendency toward night sweats, which I now take medicine for, gabapentin. Since the operation, even with the medicine, I wake up with my T-shirt completely drenched as well as my pillowcase, in the middle of the night. I can’t sleep for more than three hours consecutive.

I continue to have ‘spotting’ of blood from the incision, which concerns me, but didn’t seem to raise alarm bells when I brought it up with the doctor a week ago, and then his nurse practitioner. I was told to continue with his policy of warm baths… I find it strange to immerse the testicles, if the incision still occasionally bleeds, but I will follow what the doctor says…

So, while I am still at peace with my decision to have the implant, the recovery has been even rougher than I thought (in part because my doctor told me repeatedly I would be fine in a few days)…I didn’t expect to feel like I was just generally sick… I had brain surgery in January 2024 and the recovery from this has been harder, though of course, with the brain surgery, my life was at risk. Getting an implant and having the surgery is not for the faint of heart…

[RMJ9224]

Day 12

The good news…swelling down significantly since the beginning ; I am able to stand up from seated position with discomfort but not shooting pain

On other hand, still seem far from normalcy…have only walked around apartment—scrotum still swollen enough to make walking uncomfortable…my perineum continues to be sore and painful…yesterday tip of penis started burning a little, which concerned me, but I think it’s because a piece of skin flaked off. You know how they make the two pin pricks at the tip of the penis to pull through the cylinders? Well, the scab on the right side fell off so now that skin is raw.

Very low energy… I have a tendency toward night sweats, which I now take medicine for, gabapentin. Since the operation, even with the medicine, I wake up with my T-shirt completely drenched as well as my pillowcase, in the middle of the night. I can’t sleep for more than three hours consecutive.

I continue to have ‘spotting’ of blood from the incision, which concerns me, but didn’t seem to raise alarm bells when I brought it up with the doctor a week ago, and then his nurse practitioner. I was told to continue with his policy of warm baths… I find it strange to immerse the testicles, if the incision still occasionally bleeds, but I will follow what the doctor says…

So, while I am still at peace with my decision to have the implant, the recovery has been even rougher than I thought (in part because my doctor told me repeatedly I would be fine in a few days)…I didn’t expect to feel like I was just generally sick… I had brain surgery in January 2024 and the recovery from this has been harder, though of course, with the brain surgery, my life was at risk. Getting an implant and having the surgery is not for the faint of heart…

Fantastic news about the swelling, i did say "any time now" seems like your on my timeline of events, by day 16 i was managing 1 mile walks. i was actively making an effort to do so (yeah you look a bit daft coz you'll still walk with a strange gait) also this is when the flaky skin hit hope you dont find your self going through that, sleep was a nightmare. Also i have to agree, i didnt expect to be feeling as run down by the surgery as i have been, even now 4 weeks in im still fairly low energy. not sure how some of these guys are returning to work after a week or two. i booked the rest of the year off, hospital only gave me a two week sick note i called my doctor and got it extended to a 6 week one and im glad i did.

[Martin25]

Day 13, morning I really feel like crap today. During the night, the pain in my perineum area was intolerable. I took pain meds at 6 AM and decided to ice the area and after an hour or so it started to feel better. I purposely wore white underwear overnight, with gauze pads by where the incision on the scrotum is and also a baby sock on my penis. I guess the gauze shifted because while the gauze had a little spot of blood, there were about a half dozen blood spots on the underwear. I emailed the nurse practitioner at my doctor’s office to see if that should be any concern. Dr Eid emphasizes warm baths, but I just can’t wrap my head around how this is a good thing to immerse the testicles in water when there is some blood seeping out. If I don’t hear back from the nurse practitioner, I will give him a call. Have any other guys who have had the scrotal (vs infrapubic) had blood spotting this far in? It’ll be two weeks tomorrow.
Girlfriend leaves tomorrow morning for California and I’ll be on my own, but that’s OK. Just thinking that there is absolutely no way I’d be able to go to work after two weeks. I’m still not driving and I haven’t gone for any walks or anything. Thank goodness I’m retired.