My bionic journey starts August 1
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 11:19 am
Wish me luck, gentlemen.
I have mixed emotions about this, but I've been considering it for a while. I'm anticipating a big boost to my confidence once recovery is complete.
I should have provided background. I have had ED for probably 30 years. It started with using an antidepressant (Lexapro, then citalopram, both of which are SSRI's) which are known to have that as a side effect. I also have some inorgasmia, and regardless of what I have tried (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, VED's, injections) I have not been able to remain hard enough to penetrate. I can get hard, but not stay hard, and I suppose the fact that I can get hard has at least caused my penis not to atrophy.
As I mentioned in another post, my surgeon will be Dr. Kevin McVary of Loyola University Medical Center here in the Chicago area. Dr. McVary is a professor of urology at Loyola Medical School, and has been doing about 50 implants per year for the past 30 years. I think I'm in good hands.
I'll be adding to this post as my journey continues! Thanks for all the support!
AUGUST 1 EVENING
Surgery went well today. Pain level is about 3 or 4 right now. I hate the catheter, but it will be out in the next morning. Actually I don't mind staying the night
..it's easier than having to drive to the clinic to have the catheter removed. I don''t know the model yet, but is part of the AMS 700 family. I will find out tomorrow.
AUGUST 2 EVENING
Catheter removed this morning, which was a relief. I did have a bowel movement today at this hospital, which didn't hurt in and of itself, but getting up and down from a seated position is somewhat painful. Peeing is something of an adventure also. Bruising above the penis, and some swelling of the penis itself. The swelling seem to make it difficult to aim. I think I'm pointed straight toward the toilet bowl, but then the stream comes out at a pretty severe angle
I have been able to get by with no opioids -- just Tylenol and ibuprofen. I was prescribed tramadol as needed., but I haven't found it necessary to take that I was also prescribed antibiotics to take 4x per day for the next couple of weeks. I have emailed Dr. McVary, my surgeon, as I still don't know what model of AMS 700 that was implanted, nor its dimensions. Postop report says I got 15cc prosthesis, 2 RTEs of 1cc and 1.5, for a total length of 17.5. I'd like clarification from the doctor regarding the model.
AUGUST 3
Pain not too bad. Alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen, with occasional icing of scrotum. Hope the bruising starts to subside by week's end, but it looks like it will take a while to resolve entirely. Follow up appointment with Dr. McVary on August 17. Here's a photo.
AUGUST 4
Pain is a little more severe than yesterday. Bruising and swelling a bit more severe also. Hope it's just about peaked and starts going down soon!
Here's a photo taken this evening:
AUGUST 6
swelling is still there, but scrotum feels a bit better. I have noticed that the pain is now more because of the bruising, especially ABOVE my penis. Swelling and bruising is quite pronounced there. In the shower I have been pulling down what I think is the pump as best I can. I will keep icing the area above the penis today. I decided to discontinue the Tylenol and ibuprofen today. I think it feels about the same whether I take them or not.
AUGUST 7
It's evening as I type this. The day started out with little change from yesterday, so I decided to once again take Tylenol, and just took one dose of ibuprofen. As the day progressed, I did start to feel better, although I have noticed standing still is still painful near the perineum. Interestingly, I took out the garbage today, and walking seemed to help. Right now the pain is quite a bit better than it was this morning. The swelling seems to be gradually subsiding as well, as the following photo shows.
AUGUST 8
I took a couple of doses of Tylenol today, as there initially was little change from yesterday. But as I type this (around 9:20 PM) I feel much better. The swelling has been gradually subsiding, but until late this afternoon I was not noticing much change in my level of pain, which was still at about a 5 or 6. It has dropped to 1 or 2 now. I also had been bothered by what I thought was my jock strap rubbing against my bruised balls, but I discovered it was irritating my incision. I placed a bandaid over that portion of the incision, being careful not to place the adhesive over the incision. I feel much better!
AUGUST 10
The swelling is way down. The only place it is still noticeable is the pubic area above my penis. I still have soreness. which is worse sometimes than others. Bending to tie shoes and put on socks is still tough, but not nearly as much as a few days ago. I have been doing my best to keep pulling on the pump in the shower every morning. I can feel the block easily, but I haven't been able to locate the pump bulb, which should be directly under it. I'm sure Dr. McVary will instruct me next Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to the additional pain from cycling, but I know it's necessary and will pay off in the long run.
I have mixed emotions about this, but I've been considering it for a while. I'm anticipating a big boost to my confidence once recovery is complete.
I should have provided background. I have had ED for probably 30 years. It started with using an antidepressant (Lexapro, then citalopram, both of which are SSRI's) which are known to have that as a side effect. I also have some inorgasmia, and regardless of what I have tried (Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, VED's, injections) I have not been able to remain hard enough to penetrate. I can get hard, but not stay hard, and I suppose the fact that I can get hard has at least caused my penis not to atrophy.
As I mentioned in another post, my surgeon will be Dr. Kevin McVary of Loyola University Medical Center here in the Chicago area. Dr. McVary is a professor of urology at Loyola Medical School, and has been doing about 50 implants per year for the past 30 years. I think I'm in good hands.
I'll be adding to this post as my journey continues! Thanks for all the support!
AUGUST 1 EVENING
Surgery went well today. Pain level is about 3 or 4 right now. I hate the catheter, but it will be out in the next morning. Actually I don't mind staying the night
..it's easier than having to drive to the clinic to have the catheter removed. I don''t know the model yet, but is part of the AMS 700 family. I will find out tomorrow.
AUGUST 2 EVENING
Catheter removed this morning, which was a relief. I did have a bowel movement today at this hospital, which didn't hurt in and of itself, but getting up and down from a seated position is somewhat painful. Peeing is something of an adventure also. Bruising above the penis, and some swelling of the penis itself. The swelling seem to make it difficult to aim. I think I'm pointed straight toward the toilet bowl, but then the stream comes out at a pretty severe angle
I have been able to get by with no opioids -- just Tylenol and ibuprofen. I was prescribed tramadol as needed., but I haven't found it necessary to take that I was also prescribed antibiotics to take 4x per day for the next couple of weeks. I have emailed Dr. McVary, my surgeon, as I still don't know what model of AMS 700 that was implanted, nor its dimensions. Postop report says I got 15cc prosthesis, 2 RTEs of 1cc and 1.5, for a total length of 17.5. I'd like clarification from the doctor regarding the model.
AUGUST 3
Pain not too bad. Alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen, with occasional icing of scrotum. Hope the bruising starts to subside by week's end, but it looks like it will take a while to resolve entirely. Follow up appointment with Dr. McVary on August 17. Here's a photo.
- August 3 2022
- IMG_Implant_2022-08-03.jpg (115.19 KiB) Viewed 718 times
AUGUST 4
Pain is a little more severe than yesterday. Bruising and swelling a bit more severe also. Hope it's just about peaked and starts going down soon!
Here's a photo taken this evening:
AUGUST 6
swelling is still there, but scrotum feels a bit better. I have noticed that the pain is now more because of the bruising, especially ABOVE my penis. Swelling and bruising is quite pronounced there. In the shower I have been pulling down what I think is the pump as best I can. I will keep icing the area above the penis today. I decided to discontinue the Tylenol and ibuprofen today. I think it feels about the same whether I take them or not.
- August 6 2022
- Implant August 6.jpg (177.12 KiB) Viewed 718 times
AUGUST 7
It's evening as I type this. The day started out with little change from yesterday, so I decided to once again take Tylenol, and just took one dose of ibuprofen. As the day progressed, I did start to feel better, although I have noticed standing still is still painful near the perineum. Interestingly, I took out the garbage today, and walking seemed to help. Right now the pain is quite a bit better than it was this morning. The swelling seems to be gradually subsiding as well, as the following photo shows.
- August 7 2022
- Implant August 7.jpg (97.28 KiB) Viewed 720 times
AUGUST 8
I took a couple of doses of Tylenol today, as there initially was little change from yesterday. But as I type this (around 9:20 PM) I feel much better. The swelling has been gradually subsiding, but until late this afternoon I was not noticing much change in my level of pain, which was still at about a 5 or 6. It has dropped to 1 or 2 now. I also had been bothered by what I thought was my jock strap rubbing against my bruised balls, but I discovered it was irritating my incision. I placed a bandaid over that portion of the incision, being careful not to place the adhesive over the incision. I feel much better!
AUGUST 10
The swelling is way down. The only place it is still noticeable is the pubic area above my penis. I still have soreness. which is worse sometimes than others. Bending to tie shoes and put on socks is still tough, but not nearly as much as a few days ago. I have been doing my best to keep pulling on the pump in the shower every morning. I can feel the block easily, but I haven't been able to locate the pump bulb, which should be directly under it. I'm sure Dr. McVary will instruct me next Wednesday. I'm not looking forward to the additional pain from cycling, but I know it's necessary and will pay off in the long run.
