All Input Sought

[Quester1]

Hi, all, I am brand new here and would really appreciate your sharing of experiences, information and advice. I’m 64, and have suffered from ED for decades. While pills like Viagra/Cialis have become less and less effective (I recently took 100mg Viagra and got next to nothing); Trimix injection (at least 20-25 units on syringe) is now the only reliable remedy. Vacuum pump doesn’t really work (won’t induce good erection). However, I do often still wake up middle of night or mornings with an erection, often hard enough, but soon goes away. Yet recently I took 25 units Trimix, and to boost confidence used 50mg Viagra, resulting in hours of erection that scared me! (There have been a few times like this). My really understanding doctor let me try smaller amount Trimix plus high dosage Viagra, hoping I will graduate from Trimix.

So questions: is there anyone who “graduated” from Trimix this way? Is the graduation sustainable? Does my near priapism show I can still be saved from the final, daunting implant? If so for how long? Is the worsening of ED is a certain, steady process (eg will injection be less and less effective like pills)? Has anyone used Trimix gel? Also, as the prothesis won’t extend to the glans, will the glans remain in shriveled deflated state even when prosthesis inflates? I am also extremely apprehensive about the loss of sexual sensation or the feeling becoming unnatural, uncomfortable; and failed operation (please share any of such experiences). Any insurance against failure?

I thought even if I could depend on injection forever, it’s still less convenient and “natural” than the prosthesis. What do you think? Thanks a lot!

[Lost Sheep]

Welcome to the forum, Questor1.

I sympathize with your situation. Have you taken the time to read through old posts/threads? You will get a bolus of information much greater and quicker than waiting for answers to trickle in from current members. Also, some great information from members no longer active may be had.

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.)

I recommend documenting your size (length and girth) by careful measurement and photographs. Make sure your measurement protocol is repeatable. The most widely used measurement is to press a measuring tool against your pubic bone just above your penis, compressing the pubic fat pad as much as possible and measuring (straight) to the tip of your penis (not following the curve to the tip, but just straight out like a shoe store measures your foot to the tip of your toe.) Girth is measurement of circumference at the midpoint of your penis. Some choose to find the girthiest part, instead. Usually the two points are the same or very close.

Size loss is not particularly common. But V.E.D. Therapy is helpful in maintaining size, elasticity and tissue health by flushing blood through those tissues. I favor a daily protocol of vacuum application to full erection and releasing to full flaccid (takes about two minutes to go through the cycle) and repeating that cycle for 30 minutes. Twice a day. This has been documented in medical journals, but another protocol is simply vacuuming to full erection in the vacuum chamber, leaving it for 30 minutes and releasing, twice a day. Neither protocol involves constriction rings.

Welcome to the forum.

[Old Guy]

Welcome to the FT forum Quester1.
All good questions you ask. Many men have gone through ED but discussing it is the first step to help. Like Lost Sheep said, many posts here have lots of info, stories, results and gripes to answer many of your questions.
My 2¢ worth- Started around age 55 when my erections started not working. I could wake with a morning erection but before I could do anything with it would be down. With wife's stimulation it was a maybe. Started Viagra then. It worked good for maybe 2 years and had to up the dose. One year later at the higher dose side effects were migraines the next day and it wasn't giving me erections. Started Trimix injections then. Maybe 2 years and then had to up the dose almost every time I used it.
The main issue I had with pills and injections is the scheduled sex.
Recovery from my surgery was tough, but the implant is so easy to use. The wife loves it.

[Quester1]

Dear Lost Sheep and Old Guy, thanks for your quick response and encouragement. I’ll try to find time to read the old threads, yes; but meanwhile if anyone can give me a short direct answer to the questions I currently have that would be great. Have you both had implant done? Your wife likes it, but what about you? How does sex feel to you with the prosthesis? Please point to any difference before/after the operation. I also wonder if the constantly deflated glans performs penetration just as natural and how it feels during sex? Does implant delay premature ejaculation? BTW, I’m seeing Dr. R. Va—, NYC who I’ve been told to be one of the most experienced doctors in this surgery, yet he is quite understanding and lets me try other things before making a decision. Thanks guys!

[Lost Sheep]

Dear Lost Sheep and Old Guy, thanks for your quick response and encouragement. I’ll try to find time to read the old threads, yes; but meanwhile if anyone can give me a short direct answer to the questions I currently have that would be great. Have you both had implant done? Your wife likes it, but what about you? How does sex feel to you with the prosthesis? Please point to any difference before/after the operation. I also wonder if the constantly deflated glans performs penetration just as natural and how it feels during sex? Does implant delay premature ejaculation? BTW, I’m seeing Dr. R. Va—, NYC who I’ve been told to be one of the most experienced doctors in this surgery, yet he is quite understanding and lets me try other things before making a decision. Thanks guys!

Implanted in 2017 and my lover loves making love with me. Durable erection - no arguing with the benefits of that. She cannot tell any difference from before the implant because she did not experience my penis before implant. We had not met.

My sensations in sex are very similar to what I had before implant. Physically, I cannot tell the difference, but memory is malleable, and I am sure there must be a difference. The greatest difference is in my degree of confidence. I do not have to worry if I will be able to stay erect enough to stay inside her or give her enough time to orgasm. I don't even have to worry about whether or not I will stay rigid enough long enough for even ME to orgasm.

The engorgement of the glans should be unaffected by the implant. Different blood supply and mechanism of arousal for that. If you are trying to make love and are not aroused, she may feel the implant tips (without glans engorgement). But I have found, once love-making starts, glans engorgement follows.

[Witheringhog]

My blood flow to the glands is the same before implant. Sex feels the same, but better really because i am always fully hard. Orgasms are WAY!!! More intense after the implant. I hated the side effects of pills, headaches and stuffy nose, trying to plan for a bang, just got old. I could only orgasm once in a while because my erections failed so fast.

I love the implant, my wife notices no difference. I have good blood flow to the glands, that remains good after the implant. I still get morning swell, not my old natural morning wood but still nice. I am not sure i could name a negative of the implant, i wish i had it 10 years ago. Having it in my early 20s would have been fun, I didn’t have ed at all back then but being able to cum and keep going would have been so fun back then.

I dont like pills, of any kind really, everything has a side affect it seems to me, the implant is such a nice option.

[Quester1]

Thanks to all you guys who are kind enough to share your valuable experiences and input. I’m now waiting to see if and how I’ll “graduate” from injection, although I feel that even if by any chance I do graduate, that might still be for a short time before things go “downward” (your thoughts?). And injection is not really a solution because of all the hassle including the needles, timing, too much/little dosage…), AND in all likelihood it may progressively become less effective requiring progressively higher dosage until it turns into a fiasco (how much is too much, and you penis taking the hit over and over), if that’s the case all the wait could be a waste. But I am still apprehensive. Has there been any complete failure for this surgery where not only the surgery itself did nothing to help with the erection and worse, your equipment is ruined forever? Please do share any honest tale that you know of. Appreciate it!

[CigareVolant]

In my opinion, it's time for you to get the implant. I was at the state where pills still worked sometimes, but it wasn't reliable and I didn't like the stuffy nose side effect. I didn't want to mess with pills or pumps (love spontaneity!), so I got an implant a year ago and have no regrets. Thrilled in fact. If I had known then what I know now, I would have gotten it at forty-nine instead of fifty-nine.

[ThailandBound]

The success stories far outweigh the horror stories. There’s a reason that over 90% of guys report a positive satisfaction rate. Those are pretty good odds, i’d say. I’m one of the 90%+.

For me pills and injections worked for awhile, until they didn’t….or at least were unreliable and a hassle. I was diagnosed with veinous leakage. Trimix gave me a great boner, for :20-:30 minutes (a heavily loaded syringe), but since i like to play a long time, my dick was finished before i was.

I made the journey from being mortified at the thought of an implant, to having an implant, over the span of a year or so. I promise I, and most all of us here, have experienced your understandable trepidation. Chances are high that when you are ready, you too will be the next success story.

ED is suffering. Our confidence, sexual pleasure, sense of manhood, all take a hit. It sucks. My theory is that grumpy old men are grumpy primarily because of ED. And most will live with this great disappointment until the day they die. The vast majority. Not us.

Here, if you’ll really take the time to binge-read the stories from brothers past, you’ll discover that you truly are not alone. Many have walked this path. You’ll read some outrageously colorful stories of men, some happily married for years, some gay men, some sexually adventurous men who swing, men as young as in their 20s and some in their 80s, whose implant restored them to vibrant and colorful sex lives. I’m one of them.

You’ll begin to see consistencies in recovery tales. The early struggles. Overcoming discomfort. Doubt. The novelty and strangeness of pumping that bulb to get an erection. Wondering, daily, “when will i feel normal again?”.

I’m exactly 8 months postop. If you’ll do a search of my screen name you’ll find my early journal. I was terrified. Overall, i had a great recovery, and am truly back in the saddle. I literally can fuck my lady for a solid hour, which she loves. Sometimes, i’ll spoon her up next to me and we both will fall asleep with my cock in her ass. Never was able to that before.

My flaccid feels different. When soft, anyone can feel the cylinders and the tips. When hard, it’s a railroad spike (if i want). My lady tells me she cannot tell i have an implant when hard. Hell, we’ve been out with her friends before when she tells me to go “make it hard” in the bathroom. She then brags to her friends about how her boyfriend is “ALWAYS horny!”. I return and she then invited her friends to have a feel. The reactions are priceless, and my girl acts so proud. We make a game of it now. She likes to do the pumping honors. She loves it.

Sure, i miss the spontaneous wood of bygone days. But man, considering the option of this and NO wood, it’s the best choice i’ve ever made for myself.

We’re all unique, and your journey will be too. Best wishes.

[Quester]

I can’t agree more the implant changed my life. I went from pills originally I started with 25mg of viagra that went to 100mg then eventually it got to the point I only got a headache from them.

Went to plain aprostidile (CaverJect) developed mild PD doctor suggested implant to fix both ED and PD.

I still get some semi wood at night and when excited so feeling is there just not hard enough to do anything with. When pumped up I like the look over all. Wife likes we can have sex more often no limits on how much medication. We’re playing almost daily sometimes more than that.

In my case I love the implant and fully intend to wear it out. If it breaks I’ll get it replaced. As often as I need to until either I can’t have sex anymore do to medical condition or I’m dead.