Injection more feasible than implant for a young man ?

[mr.skin]

Today, after undergoing vein ligation last summer (back then the implant seemed the last resort, injections did not work, and I showed some ectopic veins) I got a more or less proper erection (no glans engorgement, almost one inch shorter than before ED and the vein ligation) with 10 ug pge-1. It really is making the decision more difficult. I did not like the length of my "new" pecker, but I guess it s the same length I would receive with an implant.

But being single in my twenties and facing enough insecurities regarding girls / women bc of my 8 year long journey with ed and barely any experience i cannot picture myself dating and then sticking a needle in my dick right before going back to bed whilst I still have a lot of pain in the penis.

on the other hand it is still more natural than an implant which will eventually fail. not speaking of infection or other technical improperties.

I really cannot make my mind up.

theoretically speaking - being in a steady relationship for a longer period of time would lead me to go the way of the injections.

I really hope for some advice

[Gt1956]

I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news. If you read many old posts you'll see plenty of members that wasted years of their lives living with ED. Hoping for some type of miracle to happen.
I strongly suspect that your penis will continue to shrink, slower if the injections now work. You have many years ahead of you. Even if you only lose 1/16" of an inch in length per year. How many years can you hold out waiting for a miracle?
There seems to be a common feeling amongst members with implants that they wished that they had it installed years earlier. That they would do it again without hesitation. Guess what, you are "years earlier" now, today. Members are wanting to go back in time & you're actually there now so to speak.
Where ever you live, even if you started the process yesterday. An implant surgery is going to take time to get done. Follow some members timelines. Add it up. Time to research a surgeon, convince your healthcare provider that a young man deserves the ability to have an erection. Finally surgery & a reasonable time for recovery. These things don't happen fast even in countries with great healthcare systems. All the time that this takes, you're most likely shrinking.
Think about what I've written, search your soul. See if you can see a way for a better outcome. Let me know where I'm wrong. I promise, I won't be offended by a logical reply.
I've done the thinking. I've done the waiting. I'm in the same situation as all of these older guys. Even if I pay for my implant. I have a hard time seeing it happening in less than a year. My wife, bless her, is thinking this fall.
Best of luck to you. Please visit here often. But above all else, read posts. Search by some key words. It will enlighten you....it did me.

[LeRoastBeef]

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[Michael99]

Dude, as much as it sucks to hear you going through this it's a massive relief for me to hear of your experience as I'm in pretty much the same boat. In my 20s, nothing is working as it should (it hasn't for years) but I ignored it due to other issues with my health which were more important at the time.

Now that I've sorted those other things out the ED has become painfully obvious and really hurts. I've tried vein ligation and for a period of perhaps two months had my normal erections back and then some. But... over time things gradually reverted...

Pills have never worked and so the consultant says that an implant may be the last step. I'm also torn between waiting to see if things improve, waiting to see if a better treatment or dare I say cure arrives... and facing up to the concept of the implant which is itself terrifying...

All being said, I think now I'm finally accepting that losing more years of my life to this based on what ifs will be more hurtful to me. From reading what I have so far it seems that choosing the implant will not impair feeling, may impact length slightly though at same time can increase girth, and despite the cost (both financially and mentally)... It IS capable of giving me back a life.

A life in which I can be with someone I care about. A life in which I can have a romantic partner again. A life in which I don't have to turn away people who then think I don't care for them. It HURTS.

I'm meeting with my consultant to discuss surgery options in the next weeks! Am terrified/elated/paranoid and a million other things just thinking that I may finally be this close to the end of my fight with not just the ED but my other health issues that plagued me for years.

I hope things go well and if you or anyone else around our age wants to talk please do. Or if you're young and have have the implant I would very much appreciate being able to ask you questions. Best of luck lads!

[HomeTeam]

From my personal experience do NOT use injections long term. I wish I would have listened to my then urologist when he told me the injections were not a long term fix but eventually make matters worse. He was right.

The problem with injections for a long period is that your body gets use to them and eventually you will need a stronger dose to keep the erections strong. Also, your start to get scars inside the penile shaft from the needle at the site of the injections. I literally ran out of room on my penis to inject a fresh spot that wasn't either sore or scarred from fibrosis. Once the scaring and fibrosis starts you loose the elasticity in your penis which will lead to a shorter less flexible penis that won't stretch out as long.

My opinion is get the implant before using the injections for too long while your penis is stretchy.

[TANGERINE]

Here is how I see this:

1) reasons to try injections first:
a) it is not permanent and it will not mess you up (though agree that you do get scarring and this side effect can make getting an implant more difficult)
b) once the injections start to fail (usually in 5 to 7), then you will be in the easier decision place where you can go in to having an implant with "nothing else to lose"
c) since you are in your twenties, you are quite young for an implant, and you should emotionally realize that you will likely need a new implant every decade.

2) the downside of injections
a) terrible way to be in the dating scene ("excuse me while I go to the bathroom to put a needle in my dick")
b) terrible way to live with a spontaneous sexual girl ("hmmm--I hope she does not make a move on me in a place where I can't hide away to do the injection")
c) the fear of a missed needle placement -- which means that you might not get hard

I went through the sequence: Pills-->caverject injections-->caverject + pills --> trimix injections--->quadmix injections--->quadmix injections with ring and pills--->implant

This sequence took place over a 20 year time span. Sex was always stressful and always planned, and living with the fear that "she might want spontaneous sex at a time that I am not ready" was a bad weight on my back which clouded my desire to be a free sexual being.

So, If I had to do it over again, knowing what I know, I would have used pills until they quit working and then gone straight to implant.

You should be aware that Dr Eid , in a video interview (available on the internet), states that :

"Penile implant is indicated as treatment for ED in situations where a man emphatically rejects the other modes of less invasive treatment"

Moreover, he has also stated that

"no young man should be forced to suffer 20 years with ED before getting an implant"

Of course, my recommendation to you to just go for it without wasting much time on injections is improperly easy since I had such an easy surgery recovery and such a great result. I doubt that I would have had the courage for implant had the injections still been working.

You should know that I really regret not getting the implant when I was in my forties, even though it would mean that I would get a revision or two or three in my lifetime.
If I were dating, I think an implant for a guy with bad ED is absolutely needed---otherwise you just will not have the confidence to approach the hot girls (remember, hot girls like confidence, and it makes up a lot for mediocre looks on your part if you have stud like inner confidence and backbone)

You only live once, your twenties and thirties are your peak sex years. Your forties are good sex years. your fifties are sort of like extra innings because the women around you likely will not be into sex so much anymore (menopause). After 60, sex will only be worth it if you have a younger woman who is into it.

My point is their is a sort-of biological clock to think about here as well, so, as dg_moore has stated:

"..nothing good happens while you wait..."

And as a final point of inspiration, here is a famous quote:

" Good things happen when you go for it." Alan Webb

[Gt1956]

I've tried to make decisions in my life based upon the best data currently available. So from that perspective, waiting for a miracle treatment or cure is false expectations.
Do the math guys. Have you seen any reports of research that has reached any kind of laboratory break thoughs. Not me either. Even if there was something on the horizon. Now comes the studies & trials before FDA approval. Then whatever drug company owns it is going to price it sky high. Insuance companies won't cover it either at first release. I propose that it ain't happening in most of our sexual lifetimes.
In my mind, ALL data points towards an implant. Everything else either stops working or has the potential to damage your penis.
Legitimate contrasting view points are welcome. Discussion amongst intelligent adults is a good thing. Thanks for reading this.

[antelope]

Good medical practice for ALL ailments is to try the less invasive remedies before moving on to more invasive remedies--like surgery. That being said, I have had great success for some years with injections. I will consider an implant when--and only when--those injections are no longer effective.

Not all guys on the site feel the same way. In any case, we'll support your journey whatever it may be.

Here's to hard times, buddy.

[oldbeek]

With less than 40 injections, I started to develop scar tissue and a 15 degree bend at midship. My RP , URO said to stop them before I get to screwed up to get an implant. First consult with implant Dr, he said stop injections immediately. Take this for what it is worth. Everybody is different.

[DougAnd]

You can tell that we all beat around the Bush because it is not our decision to make it's yours. If I sway you and you hate the results whose to blame?
Most guys fall in love with their implant. Chances are good that you will too. And that when it fails you will be first in line eager to get it fixed and exchanged for the newest model.
You can only imagine what it is like to be as hard as you like when you like and for long as you like. That's all I'm going to say.