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I got my three piece inflatable implant a little over two years ago. In the beginning it took about ten or eleven squeezes of the bulb to get hard. Now it takes about 40. And even then, following penetration my wife sometimes asks me to pump myself up a little more. Is my system wearing out? Do I need to have the whole apparatus replaced, or just parts of it? I love the implant so much more than pills and injections, but I want it to be as good as it once was.

"as good as it once was" ?

Is your implant (once you get it fully inflated) not as good as it was shortly after implant (after you were fully healed, of course)?

Once you have it fully inflated, does the rigidity decrease over time?

Are your 40 squeezes as "full" or "deep" as your 10 squeezes were?

Thank you, Sheep. It’s almost as good now when fully inflated compared to two years ago; but not quite. It doesn’t deflate much, if any. I know that because I sometimes forget to manually deflate it and I’m still hard in the morning. And I do pump it as hard and deep as before.

If I read your post correctly, the same size depressings of the pump bulb that (two years ago) gave you full inflation now get you only a quarter of the way there (taking 40 instead of 10 to get fully inflated).

Or put into a question, "Do 10 pumps get you 25% inflated, 20 pumps get you 50% inflated 30 pumps 75% inflated and 40 pumps get you to 100% inflated and that 100% is not as full as what (two years ago) 10 pumps achieved?"

That's a puzzlement.

Not quite, Lost Sheep. Ten pumps today get me to about 75% of full hardness. The next 30 pumps take care of the other 25%. It’s frustrating for it to take that long. And as you know, with this type of system, the head is always soft, making it very important that the shaft be made as hard as possible.

When I first got my LGX, a year and a half ago, it took about 15 to 20 squeezes to get fully hard. Now it takes around 25. I get most of the erection during the first 20, and the last 5 or so are partial squeezes to fill in the rest. Don't know what is "normal" as this is the only one I know about, but I wasn't surprised by needing more pumps. I figured the cylinders had gotten a little bigger and needed more fluid.

Not sure, however, what you're experiencing. Might be a good time to see your doctor. I haven't seen my surgeon since the activation, perhaps I should check in with mine, as well.

Quincy.

cowboybob wrote:Not quite, Lost Sheep. Ten pumps today get me to about 75% of full hardness. The next 30 pumps take care of the other 25%. It’s frustrating for it to take that long. And as you know, with this type of system, the head is always soft, making it very important that the shaft be made as hard as possible.

Starting to make more sense now. Less of a puzzlement. The final pumps may be not as effective as the first ten.

Here's how I imagine that might happen. There may be some amount of stroke volume that does not get delivered into the implant. It may into the inherent elasticity of the mechanism - so a 10cc squeeze might be partially consumed by the elasticity of the pump bulb and connecting tubes, so might only deliver 5 cc of saline into the implant's inflatable tubes.) Just a guess. When the implant was new, the pump bulb and connecting tubes may have been stiffer. Kind of like a rubber toy balloon. The first time you inflate it, it is difficult. After a few times, it is easier. I will guess you will not see very much change in the future from the performance parameters you have now.

Thank you, Quincy and Sheep. Yes, it could just be the parts loosening up. In any case, I do really like having the implant. The very expensive operation was covered by Medicare, and it’s SO much better than pills or injections. I can get hard, my wife and can have intercourse, and if we want to have intercourse again we can do it. All I need to do is simply choose to stay hard, rather than hit the deactivation button.

I have had my AMS 700 Implant since January 2020. One question I have never gotten an answer to is why sometimes it takes 10 pumps to get hard., next time it may take 16 pumps, next time it may be 21, next time it may be 31 pumps. Never a consistent number no problems or complaints just noT consistent in pumPs.

I believe the answer to your question can be found in the posts above. Basically, unless you have a calibrated machine doing the pumping for you, the amount of pressure/time you spend on each hand-pumping action will vary from one time to the next. Therefore, you will experience the need for a different number of pumps to achieve the same result you want. Make sense?