FrankTalk.org

Hi everyone,

This website is a Godsend. On February 9th 2016, I went bionic (I had venous leakage) Coloplast Titan. Not the one touch pump/the previous pump model. My doctor is a high volume surgeon with a great track record but not much of a bedside manner. Makes it difficult to ask direct questions and get direct answers back. That is why I am turning to frank talk. The surgery went well, I was activated 3 weeks later and began having sex 2 weeks after that. I cycle the titan at least once a day for 1 hour taking it to the max pain. On August 9th, 2016 (the 6 month mark) I was cycling when I felt the pump/bulb pop. Went to my doctor 2 days later and was told something had malfunctioned. Surgery was set for September 6th, 2016. I went under not knowing if the whole system would have to be replaced or not. I lucked out (not so sure now) only had to replace the pump/bulb (same type) and reconnect everything. Turns out that I had split the bulb open the last time I cycled. I was told how unusual this is/how nothing like this ever happens, etc. Post op 11 weeks, cycling one night I felt like I couldn't pump the bulb anymore. Things didn't feel right/not completely hard. I felt around the pump/bulb and I noticed an indentation on the side of the bulb. The bulb had caved in a little making it impossible to get more fluid in. When I hit the relief valve the indentation would correct itself, but once I started pumping it would happen again. The next day when I went to cycle again the problem seemed to have corrected itself, until the other night. Now I'm starting to get a little nervous. Below are my questions, I am open to any and all advice. Thank you.

1. Am I somehow getting air into the pump/bulb, if so how? - This is stopping me from completely maxing out the cylinders.
2. Is it possible during the 2nd surgery that the pump was reconnected incorrectly or maybe the hoses shifted and are being pinched?
3. Am I doing something wrong? I will say this, the previous pump/bulb felt much better/seemed to work more smoothly until it broke.
4. Was not enough fluid put into the reservoir during the 2nd surgery in order to make it more difficult to over pump? This was not a problem right after the 2nd surgery.

Damn, Wings! You sure are lucky. Hey, I'm no authority on the possible problems of the bulb, but I think my common sense would tell me you aren't doing anything wrong. These devices should in no way break just because you are pumping them. Unless, that is, you get the bulb hard and continue to pump hard with some kind of "hands of pliers!"

Dr. Knoll told me that I did not need to push the pump "wall to wall." He said to just give it a squeeze and repeat. That has been working for me. (AMS)

Good luck with this.

My AMS/Boston does this fairly often. I just mentioned to someone a few days ago that I squeeze the release valve and it will refill the bulb and then I can get on with pumping. I think it is a valve stuck in mid position issue with my brand.

My AMS bulb goes flat too. Sometimes quick squeezees will fill it up. If not I deflate a little. Works every time so far.

wings1995 wrote:Hi everyone,

1. Am I somehow getting air into the pump/bulb, if so how? - This is stopping me from completely maxing out the cylinders.
2. Is it possible during the 2nd surgery that the pump was reconnected incorrectly or maybe the hoses shifted and are being pinched?
3. Am I doing something wrong? I will say this, the previous pump/bulb felt much better/seemed to work more smoothly until it broke.
4. Was not enough fluid put into the reservoir during the 2nd surgery in order to make it more difficult to over pump? This was not a problem right after the 2nd surgery.

Hello Wings,

1. Doubtful you are getting any air from inside your body.

2. No, it wasn't reconnected incorrectly, but hoses can shift and pinch. You made need to adjust it.

3. Doubtful you're doing anything wrong, but you may need to rotate the pump to ensure tubes aren't pinched. I have to do this once in a blue moon.

4. Underfilling isn't unheard of. Only your doctor knows.

I've had 3 Titan OTR pump/tube failures, and 1 AMS pump failure. When the pump is replaced, the tubing is spliced to the new pump using a coupler that is somewhat like a PVC pipe coupler. This splice was the cause of my multiple failures. A small leak would form at the connection and fluid seeped out until there wasn't enough to fully inflate. On one occasion, the actual tubing split like a ruptured water hose. That was instant and catastrophic while attempting to inflate.

My current AMS 700LGX works flawlessly for 2 years so far, but I can force it flat with a 2 handed grip. I don't do that but it is possible. I did it a few times when learning the AMS pump.

I also dimpled the TITAN pumps. Every single one. Just keep using it and if it fails, do what you have to do. Let' your doctor check it out and see what he/she thinks. Good luck...

Hard Drive,

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and to respond back. As a matter of fact, thank you to everyone who has responded back. It means a lot.

Sorry, I should have thought a little more before I typed in air getting into the pump/bulb.

3 OTR – Replacement’s and 1 AMS? God Bless your patience and resolve. I figured the new tubing was spliced and a coupler was used to make the new hook up. Your thoughts on the tubes being pinched and the pump/bulb being rotated makes a lot of sense. I will keep it in mind when going through the pumping up process. I just keep wondering if I should have insisted on a whole new replacement unit instead of leaving it up to the Doctors discretion. To be honest the thought of having to start completely over really shook me up. I went into sort of a funk/depression after I was told. So when I came out of surgery I was elated to learn that he had only replaced the pump/nothing else. But now I’m 2nd guessing all of my decisions. The last thing I want or need is to go for a 3rd surgery in less than a year. What I’m going to do is monitor the situation and try to work with it for a couple of months. If I’m not happy I will go to a different high volume Doctor and start over. I will also start to look at every option available to protect myself.

Wings,
Sorry you're having problems. Please let us know when they're corrected so we can celebrate with you!
Donnie