Operation: Colossal Titan - Swandive's Journal

[swandive_xxx]

DAY ZERO
Today is my last day with a busted dork. I'm 51 and married. Diabetes and neuropathy have progressively robbed me of an effortless boner for more than a decade. It's a familiar tune: I started with pills, moved onto injections (which got old fast), now I'm taking the bionic leap. I've lost more than an inch of length due to atrophy. In my twenties, I was 6.25". Now closer to 5" with trimix. This loss of size is from not being able to achieve full erections and less frequent sex. I was unaware the penis is literally a use it or lose it proposition. File that under: Things I wish I'd known when I could have done something about it.

My surgery with Dr. Krug at Huntington Urology Specialists in Los Angeles is tomorrow morning. I've done a tremendous amount of research here and elsewhere to get a full understanding of what to expect. So much so that I'm not nervous about the surgery. I'm genuinely excited. There was a moment during my pre-op evaluation where the cardiologist doing the EKG said I might have to post-pone and I was pretty pissed off until that was resolved. I'm ready to do this.

So, in the lead-up, I've been soaping my junk with their special soap. I've got the jock straps, towels, ice bags, urine jug, etc ready to go.

I'll be getting the Coloplast Titan with the classic pump. Dr. Krug suggested this over the Touch model as he feels it's more reliable. He's also going to remove some scrotum "webbing" along the shaft. I don't have a lot, but I figured I'd request it. "Hey doc, while you're down there..." He said he's happy to and will use his discretion for how much to remove. He also said I can safely expect additional girth. Last, he's been careful not to explain everything he will be looking for and doing -- like maximizing my corpora's potential with the Titan inserted halfway into the glans. I'm confident he's a good choice.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who has shared their own chronicles. The information has been invaluable. I wouldn't be this excited and eager without knowing all the ins and outs of getting a brand new dingus installed.

[Wooody]

Good luck with your recovery, and welcome to the brotherhood!

[ElbowRoom]

Congrats on making a life changing decision. I’m sure you’ll love it. Just make sure you take it easy the first couple of weeks.

[SWorks17]

Congratulations! And Welcome to the Bionic Brotherhood!

I hope all goes well, we’ll all be here to help answer questions when we can!

Your Bionic Brother in Texas
SWorks

[swandive_xxx]

DAY ONE - it’s amazing to now be living the experience I've read about from so many of you. I arrived via uber before sun up. The nurse that prepped me kept things light-hearted while I signed documents and stripped down and got into the gown. Dr Krug came to go over everything once more. We shook hands and I saw him next in the surgical room. They knocked me out and when I came to, the deed was done.

Dr. Krug put in a 18cm Titan, no rear extenders. Sorry I don’t know proximal and distal. Tubing went in through the scrotum. Reservoir went in the lower-right side of my abdomen (separate incision). In my case a catheter was used but removed before I woke up. No drain either. It’s all wrapped up but I’ve been told to remove that tomorrow and shower.

One thing that surprised me is he told me to use the Hibiclens tomorrow on everything but the incisions. I know some here have been advised it inhibits healing but I’m going to follow his instruction.

Dr. Krug called my wife and gave her a little more detail. Apparently there was something he had to cut through (scarring? Not sure) to make way for one of the tubes. I’ll get more detail on that when I see him next in six days for our first follow-up. He wants to see me at one, three, and six weeks. No mention of a cycling schedule yet.

I’m inflated but can’t really tell to what degree with all the gauze. I was expecting to be there in recovery longer but was released within an hour of waking. My wife and dog picked me up. Few things feel as good as when your dog greets you like you’ve been gone for a year.

Home now. Pretty minimal pain. I’m staying put in my recliner and icing but getting around is no problem. However, that first piss is no joke. No blood but pure fire!

[GoodWood]

Congrats!! You are on the right side of it now.

Ice ice ice ice ice ice ice.

Did I mention Ice?

When the bandages come off an infant sock worn on the penis like a condom really cuts down on discomfort.

In no time at all you will be better than new.

[edjohn]

When the bandages come off an infant sock worn on the penis like a condom really cuts down on discomfort.

don't forget ice

[Rider1400]

I had same serious pain for first couple days upon urinating! After surgery. Asked Dr why it burned so bad thinking it was from simply having a catheter placed. Surprised me when he explained they use a hook threaded into the urethra and out thru the top of glans and put your penis on stretch while doing surgery. After hearing this I watched several videos and you can see it being installed on one of them and can see the string on several others. After two days it just stopped hurting. I later had a revision and they left catheter in for 48 hours then after removal I had no pain! Guess the little hole from hook had closed up.

[swandive_xxx]

Ahh, okay. I can see that in the middle of the top of the head. Was only expecting the two snake eyes. Thanks for sharing that detail.

[swandive_xxx]

TWO WEEKS POST-OP

Let me summarize the last 14 days for you.

DAY 2 & 3 - I removed the wraps early on Day Two (24 hours post-op). I made a mess of the floor as blood dripped everywhere (from the bandages, not me), and bending over to clean up made it a bigger pain in the ass than it sounds.

Penis looked small, "slightly inflated" as my surgeon put it, glans looks offset to the left of the shaft and rotated a bit (more on this later) with four individual smake bites. I was expecting two at East and West, but had two at North and South as well.

Dr. Krug called me directly to see how I was doing. I asked about the scarring he ran into, and it turns out it was a bigger complication than I realized. He explained like this:

Apprarently my proximal corpora on the left side was in bad shape. Lots of scarring and weak tissue. While dialating, he said he worked meticulously and carefully, but even so, the dialator perforated the proximal corpora. He persisted and was able to do a Sling Suture to keep the implant anchored. A Sling Suture is used to manage proximal corporal perforation by anchoring the cylinder base securely. He'd only seen this once before!

After our call, I went back to icing and resting. I found the pain manageable. Didn't need the Tramadol I was given. Ice was very effective at numbing the raw burn I was feeling. I used this guide.

Which brings me to what I think is the best pre-op purchase I made: a jug to piss in. This was easily the most I don't know what I'd do without it item I was grateful to have on hand. I also found the commonly recommended baby sock, jock strap, ice packs, and compression shorts. My shopping list:

Piss Bottle (32oz was the perfect size)
Baby Sock (good size, soft and cozy)
Jock Strap (I cut a hole at the front-top to slip my baby socked penis through to keep it straight and pointed up)
Ice Packs (much better than peas and four were enough so I could rotate one or two at a time)
Compression Shorts (these were the most expensive item, and I'd say if you already have snug underwear to keep things from moving around too much, you don't need these)

DAY 4, 5 & 6 - I look at the first three days as the "pain feels raw and burns (especially in the shower)" while the second three days were marked by dark purple bruising and a bruising pain that was more substantial than the previous three days. Pain basically went from a raw burn to a bruised and battered feeling, the latter sucking a lot worse. My skin turned purple above the base of my penis and along my perineum. My doctor would later tell me this was blood that escaped during surgery, settling into the skin. It was totally gone after three days.

Like many, I found this stretch to be the most painful period. I used Tramadol a few times a day, ibuprofen, and supplements with 5-10mg of THC. In my case, I didn't find Tramadol to be as effective as the THC and ibuprofen, but it did help. The Baby Sock and Jock Strap were also instrumental here.

The most important takeaway from this time is that icing off and on, really paid off. I've had zero swelling the entire time. I was basically doing 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off. And of anything, ice was the fastest and most effective way to numb out the pain.

DAY SIX
I was supposed to go in for my first follow-up but it was just too much to ask. The pain in my balls and along my perineum would spike anytime I was out of my bed or chair. So I spoke to Dr. Krug on the phone, and we agreed to push it back a week. I wanted his eyes on things because I'm diabetic and a higher infection-risk, but he seemed satisfied that things were going well based on my verbal description.

CONCLUDING THE FIRST WEEK
I look at this first week as the most difficult (duh), but specifically, the latter half of it. Those first few days weren't all that bad other than the catheter burn when I'd piss. It was when the bruising emerged and the type of pain changed into something akin to being punched repeatedly in the taint and balls that I staying in bed and hobbling around taking baby steps to swap my ice packs or go to the bathroom.

Also by the end of the first week, penis was looking a little fuller and straighter and less like it was in a car crash, which was reassuring because no matter how many times you read that the early aesthetic concerns are unfounded, and to just be patient, it can be a little scary.

WEEK TWO
Walking or sitting up was extremely difficult going into this week. I stopped wearing the jock strap as pointing my dick upward was causing significant pain around the base. Felt better to just let it hang. The perineum pain, I would later learn, was caused by the special Suture Sling used to anchor the proximal end of my left cylinder. I requested more Tramadol, but had also tapered down to only using it once or twice a day, usually in the evenings. I continued to ice obsessively, keeping nearly all swelling at bay. I did not get to enjoy the grapefruit-sized ballsack, so many have written about here.

DAY 12
I woke to discover the pain that was impairing my mobility was dramatically lower. I was even able to resume helping my wife with our dog (feeding, cleaning paws, etc). Which was welcomed because not only is the pain exhausting, so is being stuck in bed all day. Plus, I had my follow-up with Dr. Krug in a couple of days and was relieved I wouldn't have to reschedule again.

DAY 14 - TWO WEEK FOLLOW-UP WITH DOCTOR
I drove to my urologist's office (only 10 minutes away), and it was the first time I'd left the house since the surgery. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I wasn't expecting any cycling, most of the surgical glue had fallen off, and I just wanted to be reassured that things were looking good. To my mind, an infection would be devastating. With the memory of the pain and difficulty still very fresh in mind, I couldn't imagine doing another surgery to remove the prosthesis.

Dr. Krug and his assistant came in. I told him I had turned a corner just two days prior, pain-wise, and was feeling pretty dang good. I laid down so he could take a look. Usually, the assistant would turn around in these scenarios, but this time she didn't. Made me think about how these doctors have to look at a dozen different dicks a day, and if there was such a thing as "dick fatigue". Like, do they ever just get absolutely sick of seeing them? I probably would. I know when I was researching and reading here, the amount of dick pics (which I'm ultimately grateful for) got to be... a lot. And I'd literally close my laptop to take a break.

Anyway, Dr. Krug looked things over. No infection, removed the remaining surgical glue that I was afraid to touch, and then... with ample warning, started to inflate. After about three pumps, I told him to stop. It was too much. My scrotum was still very sensitive to the touch, and my dick was clearly not ready for cycling. He saw a picture of my dog on my iphone's lock screen and started asking me about him (I imagine as a way to distract my mind), but no, there was no ignoring the pain. I couldn't go any further.

So instead, he said he would fully deflate me. That sounded good, but that hurt pretty bad, too. I could tell he was doing something akin to the Dr. Perito Exercise by massaging, bending, and helping the cylinders settle into place a bit more. Which was something I was glad to have him do, so I balled my hands into fists and beared with the discomfort. After about five minutes, I was sore and deflated, and pulled up my pants.

When I got home, I took a look at my dingus and was pleased to see Dr. Krug had been able to straighten things out a bit. Glans was no longer "off-center" from the shaft and was showing a little more length. I haven't measured anything, but just from eyeballing it, I say from Day 1 to Day 14, I gained 3/4" in length back -- maybe a full inch.

I'll see him in another two weeks for another follow-up, and then again at six weeks, where he mentioned, "I'll show you how to use it". I wonder now if he only meant for cycling, or if I'd be cleared for sexy time too.

If I'm being honest, I'll probably start cycling on my own before then.

Right now, my biggest question is: will the proximal sling suture that anchors the rear of my left cylinder keep me from regaining length over the coming months?

I assume that the reclaimed length that most men experience is tied to the cylinders moving forward more as they stretch and fill the corpora cavernosa. Will this anchor be effectively holding the left side back? I hope not.