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Hi everyone,

I'll be implanted in a couple of weeks. My surgeon is Dr. Hakky. He doesn't want his patients to take a shower for 2-3 days. Not until the dressings are removed, after which I'll be able to take a shower. But no bathing can be done for 4-6 weeks.

What's the difference between shower and bath? Showering is done without soap, I guess? Other than the bathtub itself, soap is the only difference, right? If that's the case, I won't be able to use a soap for 4-6 weeks?

There are surgeons who prefer watertight sutures (e.g. Eid). Hakky is not one of them. Which means I have to keep the insicion area as dry as possible. So how can I take a shower without involving the incision area? I can always turn my back, but water is water. It'll be splashing and sprinkling.

I've been reading FT threads, journals, success and horror stories. I'd like to think that I learned a lot about IPPs. But English is my third language, so I may have couple of amusing questions like this one. Hope you can help.

I think from what I understand is they do not want you soaking in a tub because of possible bacteria in the bath tub and causing infection in the incision

What Alax2869 said is true. A shower is running water and will drip off your incision, very little chance for water to infiltrate the incision. Sitting in bath water gives the water more of a chance to soak through the incision. Bath water is usually full of bacteria after washing up. You do not want to risk dirty water entering and getting an infection. Soap is OK to use when you shower, just be gentle around the area. You don't have to go weeks without getting clean.

I don't know how I decided to bring the soap issue into the equation. Of course, no bathtub. Immersing the incision area in water could be dangerous. Duh.

Textbook Occam's Razor moment for me. Sorry for the silly question, thank you for your understanding.

For anyone wondering, this is the full protocol from Hakk'y discharge instructions: "Do NOT shower for the first 48 hours following surgery. No direct water contact for 5 days following surgery (Shower with your back to the water). Do not scrub your incision until ok by physician."

My position was very similar. No baths and a shower after a couple days.

Each doctor's protocol is different. I follow what he told me to and had no issues.

Dr. Eid's protocol insists on 2-3 hot baths daily on the third day post-op along with cycling. He does not want you to shower, or if you do, only after the hot bath.
His infection rate is the lowest at .4 %. That is one out of every 250 implants.
He emphasizes the early cycling as well, facilitated by the hot baths, to minimize capsulization (scar tissue) around both the cylinders by inflating, followed by full deflation to prevent the same issue surrounding the reservoir.
He has well over 7000 performed since 1988.
IDK...Who is right.
I guess it is the same debate one might have regarding penoscrotal vs. infrapubic
or Coloplast vs. AMS.
No definitive right or wrong amongst either methods.