FrankTalk.org

Hello.

Im 29 years old, I was just prescribed injections, I have been reading some horror stories though, This doesnt seem like a solution long term or any way I would like to live for the rest of my life. I am trying hard to figure out some hormonal solution to my issues, but so far nothing seems to be working or helping. I am not married and due to being single the last 10 years, i still need to "date around" i look young and im an attractive guy and i feel like i still have the opportunity to have fun in my life and find someone really special if only i wasnt dealing with this issue. , viagra, cialis, etc.. basically does NOTHING for me

Just a few questions.

1. Once you are implanted, is that "it" or can it ever be removed in the future and go back to trying natural? like lets say hormonal situation improves, my hormonal situation is complex to explain, but sometimes it gets better as people become older, like lets say in another decade or two, but i dont want to lose the peak years of my life waiting around for this hedging my bets.

2. Does it feel "wierd" at all? I know when you have a normal erection you have this pleasent sensation of a full penis and arousal, does having sex with an implant just feel the same as having sex with a limp penis or do you have full normal sensation and feel "natural"? I just dont want to be implanted and feel permanently dissapointed with sex the rest of my life. like i know they said you dont "lose sensation in your skin" but to me like just skin.. if my penis is limp just rubbing it doesnt feel particularly good, it feels much better when its "full" and aroused.. like the "hardness itself" feels good vs just a limp penis feeling

3. I read once someone complain that with the implant "their head was still soft" and they had discomfort getting it in, is this kind of issue common? Does the tip still get hard/semi hard if you are aroused? as I do get semi-hard when aroused its just never "good enough"

4. Are you able to "hide" the implant at all like if you are having hookups/ casual sex with someone, or do you have to forewarn everybody in advance of your situation, can you "stealth" it and play it off as a natural erection? can you stealth it easily and several times with the same person? like lets say you have a friend with benefits you see once in a while you dont want to disclose your whole health records to them..

5. Do you really need to go to some sort of famous or big top doctor to have an implant if you want to just have a good job done and maintain your length and girth, or can you just go to a good doctor? Does insurance cover it? I am currently low income and im on government insurance in large part due to my health issues.. but i have a "network" and have been able to pick one of the best urologists in the state who will work with me on anything who luckily takes my insurance, im not sure if government insurance will cover it (medicare/medical usa), if not does private insurance cover it? Quite frankly i do not have $20,000 raw cash to just drop on this, there is just no way i can come up with that money im only 29 years old.. right now i dont even make all that in 1 year and due to my health and depression issues, im barely able to maintain a full time job

If you go to a regular doctor and you get a "regular" job done, can you go back later and have it re done with some top doctor like lets say when i have the money and have a better job done with it?

6. do you end up with any large scars/marks on your penis?

7. does having an implant prevent natural orgasm/ sperm production/ ability to be fertile and procreate?

8. At 29 i have had the last 9 years of my life stolen from me with ED, and have been on the verge of sucide and mental breakdown basically, I would say the isolation is causing a "full blown mental crisis" at this point..i waited too long to push for solutions and ive reached a breaking point.. i just got injections, good news is they work, bad news is im not sure how i will be able to date very well with this, and how sub optimal my life would be from this, if i am not able to resolve my hormone issues within the next year, i will have to consider them "unresolvable" and will have to consider some sort of "permanent solution" to my ED, is it worth it to jump in and have the implant done?

sorry for the long list of questions this is like a "life changing issue" so i hope you can understand

1) once you have an implant you can never go back to having a natural erection with or without it.

2) It feels natural after it gets broken in. My LGX had a natural feel flaccid but still a rubbery feel. My Titan crinkled like a potato chip bag when flacid till is was months old but now it is soft and feels natural. Both feel natural erect.

3) My head is mostly soft. It does not get huge purple swollen like it did before but some people it swells as normal.

4) If someone feels your ball sack, they are going to feel the pump and tubes to it but there are tubes that go to your balls, right? The Titan pump is shaped like your balls. The LGX pump is the shape of a concrete block. Does anyone have rectangular balls? Both are harder than your balls. If they are counting, they will find three after an implant. Who counts while having sex? What is wrong with explaining you had to have a surgical repair due to an unknown (or known) injury if the question arises?

5) Some local yockals do good work. Some suck at it. Experience counts if you do not want to gamble on 'let's see how many times they can cut my ball sack or dick open' . Medicaid does not cover implants. If medicaid pays for private insurance for you, the insurance "might". Some policies exclude implants or "any procedure that promotes conception". If you have the promotes conception clause, the doctor has to state another reason for an implant like peyronies or pain to get around it. Medicaid will not pay the co-pay. As far as I know, Medicare is the only government run program that will cover it.

6) the scar is very very difficult to find when done properly.

7) An implant will not change your chances to impregnate. It just makes you hard. Sperm and cum are the same.

8) Like injections, an implant has a process to make it work. You have to pump it up. Some are lucky that they have good grip and in 3 or 4 hard squeezes can do it. Some take 30 pumps. The important part is 'whomever' loves you for YOU as a person, not just for the process that makes your penis fully functional. Injections take a few minutes to work. An implant a few seconds. Maybe 15-20.

Never apologize for questions or wanting to learn. The only dumb question was one that was never asked when seeking knowledge. Cheers man.

improvement87 wrote:Hello.

Im 29 years old, I was just prescribed injections, I have been reading some horror stories though, This doesnt seem like a solution long term or any way I would like to live for the rest of my life. I am trying hard to figure out some hormonal solution to my issues, but so far nothing seems to be working or helping. I am not married and due to being single the last 10 years, i still need to "date around" i look young and im an attractive guy and i feel like i still have the opportunity to have fun in my life and find someone really special if only i wasnt dealing with this issue. , viagra, cialis, etc.. basically does NOTHING for me

Just a few questions.

1. Once you are implanted, is that "it" or can it ever be removed in the future and go back to trying natural? like lets say hormonal situation improves, my hormonal situation is complex to explain, but sometimes it gets better as people become older, like lets say in another decade or two, but i dont want to lose the peak years of my life waiting around for this hedging my bets.

2. Does it feel "wierd" at all? I know when you have a normal erection you have this pleasent sensation of a full penis and arousal, does having sex with an implant just feel the same as having sex with a limp penis or do you have full normal sensation and feel "natural"? I just dont want to be implanted and feel permanently dissapointed with sex the rest of my life. like i know they said you dont "lose sensation in your skin" but to me like just skin.. if my penis is limp just rubbing it doesnt feel particularly good, it feels much better when its "full" and aroused..

3. I read once someone complain that with the implant "their head was still soft" and they had discomfort getting it in, is this kind of issue common? Does the tip still get hard/semi hard if you are aroused? as I do get semi-hard when aroused its just never "good enough"

4. Are you able to "hide" the implant at all like if you are having hookups/ casual sex with someone, or do you have to forewarn everybody in advance of your situation, can you "stealth" it and play it off as a natural erection? can you stealth it easily and several times with the same person? like lets say you have a friend with benefits you see once in a while you dont want to disclose your whole health records to them..

5. Do you really need to go to some sort of famous or big top doctor to have an implant if you want to just have a good job done and maintain your length and girth, or can you just go to a good doctor? Does insurance cover it? I am currently low income and im on government insurance in large part due to my health issues.. but i have a "network" and have been able to pick one of the best urologists in the state who will work with me on anything who luckily takes my insurance, im not sure if government insurance will cover it (medicare/medical usa), if not does private insurance cover it? Quite frankly i do not have $20,000 raw cash to just drop on this, there is just no way i can come up with that money im only 29 years old.. right now i dont even make all that in 1 year

If you go to a regular doctor and you get a "regular" job done, can you go back later and have it re done with some top doctor like lets say when i have the money and have a better job done with it?

6. do you end up with any large scars/marks on your penis?

7. does having an implant prevent natural orgasm/ sperm production/ ability to be fertile and procreate?

8. At 29 i have had the last 9 years of my life stolen from me with ED, and have been on the verge of sucide and mental breakdown basically, i just got injections, good news is they work, bad news is im not sure how i will be able to date very well with this, and how sub optimal my life would be from this, if i am not able to resolve my hormone issues within the next year, i will have to consider them "unresolvable" and will have to consider some sort of "permanent solution" to my ED, is it worth it to jump in and have the implant done?

sorry for the long list of questions this is like a "life changing issue" so i hope you can understand

Hi, I understand well your desperation but there isnot need to be suicidal, I assure you there is a light at the end of the tunnel, just be patient.

1- Once you get implanted there is not coming back, an implant is final, if it is removed for what ever reasons you will need to get another one. Pills and injections will not Work if the implant gets removed.

2- I was implanted almost two months ago so I still adapting to it but so far I can tell you sex is very similar than before, still hurts a bit as my penis is very tender but I am confident it will get better. On the positive side, the empowering I feel about getting an erection at anytime for a long as I want is incredible, I am very satisfied with the implant and based on what I have read on this forum most guys are also very satisfied.

3- When I am aroused my gland can get hard but it is not always the case, however, the sensation is always good and I find my orgasm are now stronger than before.

4- in my case people will not know the implant is there unless I tell them or someone grabs the pump in my scrotum. I donot think there is need to worry about it.

5- i live in Canada so the surgery is covered by our insurance, however, if you are not happy with the results you can always do a revision with a different doctor if needed. Please keep in mind we are talking about major surgeries so it is very important to have as few of them as possible because the risk of infections and other complications. The key is to find the best doctor you can, so when you pick a doctor donot rush into surgery, ask all the questions you may have, ask for a list of other patients treated by the doctor and talk to them, check in this forum as maybe other members could have been implanted by the same doctor.

6 - As my implant was done thru my scrotum it is very hard to see the scar, it is almost gone after less than two months.

7- I donot think so but check with other members.

8- as mentioned above the implant is final, so it is a very important decision and you should take all the time you need to evaluate your options, talk to doctors, other patients, members on this forum. it is also very important you understand well the risks, there are low but they still there.

Welcome to FrankTalk,

Alibaba has good advice which I will not repeat. But his is a voice to heed.

Here is my first advice to you:

When I first joined FrankTalk, I took a couple weekends to read through two and a half years of posts/threads with titles that interested me and appeared informative. I recommend this to you. It will give you a better basis for forming questions and understanding the answers. This will also help get your medical team to accept you as a contributing partner in the decision-making.

I also recommend doing extensive research on your chosen urologist/sexual health physician and interview him (or her) pointedly and make yourself an integral part of the medical team. (Of course, many men choose not to do that and I cannot fault them - just do what is comfortable for your personality and approach to your medical care.)

You have good questions. I hope to read some of the other answers you get, but right now it is half past nine PM and I have not had my evening meal yet.


Implantation forever destroys any erectile function; count on that. There are exceptions where an implant makes improvement, but these are rare, fleeting and definitely marginal; not to be counted on.

Absent surgical misadventure, the feeling of sex with an implant will be just as it was before. There may be some slight differences and that feeling of arousal as your penis awakens to sexual desire is not there, of course, because it does not stand up without you pumping it up, but that is inconsequential. Orgasms have been reported to be delayed or even absent by some men, but I think that is due to the nerves having been traumatized (insulted) in the operation but they do recover. I have observed this in my own experience, but the loss, even in the early stages of recovery was minimal.

Glans and other spongiosum tissues will be much the same as they were before surgery. If they engorge now, the probably will after. If they don't now the probably will not after.

I will skip #4 for the moment.

One of the top surgeons in the world told me to "Find a surgeon in love with his craft" and you will be in the hands of a surgeon who puts his patient's welfare above all other considerations. (Dr. Eid) The surgeon I chose told me that if he was not in the military, urological sexual function would be his specialty. We got along and he appreciated my attitude. He told me, truthfully, "You will be overflying a lot of good surgeons if you go to the East Coast (I live in Alaska).

You can have revisions if the first go-around is done poorly or if/when the implant fails. But it is best to do it right the first time around.

Scars are usually inconsequential and hidden in the seam of your scrotum with the scrotal approach or in the circumcision scar if the surgeon uses that approach (assuming you had a circumcision) or will be visible if the surgeon uses the pubic approach.

Fertility will be as it was before the implant.

Now, for #4

I advertised for a "lab partner" to journey with me from impotence to implant on a dating site (Plenty of FIsh, you may be familiar with it, as it is Canadian, I believe). I got a lot of kudos for my courage and honesty in coming right out and laying out the whole story. Some advice not to do it, but mostly positive reactions and a few volunteers. The seemed to respect that I acknowledged (rather than denied) that I had a problem and, what's more, determined to take action to fix it. People respect that.

I believe that being up front about the E.D. (whether pills, injections, suppositories or whatever, including implant) is the way to go. Depending on your social circles, of course.

I have found that women are incredibly supportive if they feel trusted, respected and safe. I also opine that any woman who would be put off by the fact that you have/had E.D. is not someone you want to invest a lot of time in.

Life is too short to miss having sex and too long to endure without it.

Out of curiosity, how do people get funding for this? Seems like to just drop 25 thousand in cash you have to be pretty wealthy.. do they provide funding/downpayment etc? obviously this is about the price of a good car..

improvement87 wrote:Out of curiosity, how do people get funding for this? Seems like to just drop 25 thousand in cash you have to be pretty wealthy.. do they provide funding/downpayment etc? obviously this is about the price of a good car..

That can be complicated. Even with insurance coverage there seems to always be the "got ya's". That is the list of things that are either not covered 100% or require a co-pay. Sometimes a sizeable co-pay.
I've seen cash prices as low as $19,000 USD. Last that I heard that was Dr. Karpman's fee. Yes, an amount that large is starting to look like big money even to those of us that have been fortunate in life. The reality is that $19K only buys a cheap import car or a used nicer car. Forget newer trucks & SUV's.
In my world, if my insurance balks at coverage then I'm only a bit over a year from Medicare that I hear will cover it. If partial coverage is offered by my insurance company then I'll spend some of my retirement savings to cover it. I'll make my existing cars last a year or 2 longer to avoid needing that money for some vehicle replacements. That is my life, my plan.
Now there is a medical finance company called CareCredit. They offer no interest financing but there is a long list of strings attached.
#1: They seem to count on you making some payments late. Their late fee is pretty stiff IMHO.
#2: The minimum monthly payment will NOT pay off the loan in the length of free interest. If you don't pay off the loan in the agreed free interest period. They hit you with interest back to day one at a fairly stiff rate. Yes, they'll charge interest on the payments that you've already paid.
I gather that you are income short. I get it, been there before. There is basically only two implant companies. Some polite inquires to both of them might find you a "patient assistance program". Where the implant is at a reduced cost. Not sure about the doctor/hospital fees.
To get all of this accomplished will take organization & steady inquires. It won't be easy but it is viable options.
Good luck.

Thanks for that tip, yea 20 grand isnt an expensive car by any means, but its expensive to buy something like that for cash outright without a payment plan and long term financing over several years.

not many people of modest or even middle class means i think can easily afford that

improvement87 wrote:Thanks for that tip, yea 20 grand isnt an expensive car by any means, but its expensive to buy something like that for cash outright without a payment plan and long term financing over several years.

not many people of modest or even middle class means i think can easily afford that

Believe it or not. Lots of people do not finance cars. All you need is the self discipline to save the equivalent of the payment every month for a few years. Actually it is cheaper. Why pay outrageous interest to some souless bank?
I'm a long ways from wealthy. Likely very middle class. Regular saving of money, even small amounts can really add up. It's the exact same math as borrowing to save. Just cheaper cause you are not paying 15% or more to get something a few years early.
Anything worth getting isn't easy to do. Over paying to get it is the easy part.

Gt1956 wrote:

improvement87 wrote: Regular saving of money, even small amounts can really add up. It's the exact same math as borrowing to save. Just cheaper cause you are not paying 15% or more to get something a few years early.
Anything worth getting isn't easy to do. Over paying to get it is the easy part.

Perhaps I'm hijacking the topic a bit but can't resist pointing out that typical auto loan finance rates are nowhere near 15%... more like 4.75% these days. Also some deals to be had in that regard....for example Mercedes had (maybe still have) a special finance rate for their certified used cars at 1.75% * At that sort of rate even if flush with cash, one would come out ahead to finance the vehicle and invest the saved cash.

===========

*As I recall, the "catch" was you got that rate only if you financed for 36 months...but that was ok with me.

Evinrude wrote:

Gt1956 wrote:

improvement87 wrote: Regular saving of money, even small amounts can really add up. It's the exact same math as borrowing to save. Just cheaper cause you are not paying 15% or more to get something a few years early.
Anything worth getting isn't easy to do. Over paying to get it is the easy part.

Perhaps I'm hijacking the topic a bit but can't resist pointing out that typical auto loan finance rates are nowhere near 15%... more like 4.75% these days. Also some deals to be had in that regard....for example Mercedes had (maybe still have) a special finance rate for their certified used cars at 1.75% * At that sort of rate even if flush with cash, one would come out ahead to finance the vehicle and invest the saved cash.

===========

*As I recall, the "catch" was you got that rate only if you financed for 36 months...but that was ok with me.

Lots of catches in the auto financing. Those advertised rates are full of hooks. Specific brands, age of car, models, length of contracts & don't forget credit scores. I worked with several guys that regularly got hit for high rates. Then there is a ton of money hide in the back end that nobody sees. I have several family members in the auto biz. The stories of gouging are epic. The back end money can easily exceed the finance charge that you do see. That teaser rate brings in a lot of money, that's why they do it. Just one man's opinion.