Pumping

[thegatter]

Ok, I know I have already posted about this, but I just need a little more advice, or maybe a little more encouragement. My surgery was Sept 11 so I am well beyond the time frame where I can give my new guy a ride. However, pumping is still a problem. I have the technique down, using two hands, and I do pump it enough where I think it's serviceable....however, it is NOT standing straight out like I thought it would be.....And, the tips hurt awfully after just a moment or two.

WHY doesn't AMS come up with a better way to pump? THERE MUST be a better solution. I am 62 yrs old and in generally good shape...but I can't imagine how difficult it would be if I were older or if my hands/thumbs hurt too much to do this.

Suggestions on pumping. Do I pump it as far as I can, then wait? and pump some more? Or, once I have pumped it to the max, is that it?? Will it get easier? If so, when?? Will the tips stop hurting? If so, when??

I am disappointed in the difficulty in pumping.........wish it was easier. Wish there was some sort of remote.......battery operated........

[buckshot]

Gatter...I share your thoughts....I am 78 and had my Titan OTR implant on August 6th. Pumping it up requires some more time and effort than I thought would be the case. I get a couple of "easy" pumps then the pump gets really hard and I have to give it a couple of minutes of "soften up" time before I can get in another couple of good pumps. I use the 2-handed procedure...and it does seem to be getting easier with each time I use it. My uro/surgeon tells me that it all looks good and to keep on doing what I'm doing and just HAVE PATIENCE. I'm using it a lot and my wife and I are BOTH enjoying the benefits that the implant is giving us after going through the ED and a long, dry spell. Stick with it, have patience and just know that it's going to get better and better for you! JOE/Buckshot

[bob1138]

Gatter,

I was implanted with the Coloplast Titan in December 2007 after developing ED Post-Prostatectomy in 2004.
After almost 5 years, the inflation and deflation procedures are almost second nature to me.
Stick with it --- however, you say "the tips hurt awfully after just a moment or two" --- you might want to ask your URO to check this --- maybe the position can be adjusted externally.
Some guys have also suggested pumping while sitting in a hot bath to loosen things up in the beginning.
It should be helpful for you to read posts by other Bionic FT members.
Hope this is of some help.
Best of Luck,

Bob

[buckshot]

Bob...it's really good to hear from you again.....your input and advice meant a lot to me in making the decision to have the implant surgery...Gatter, Bob is an enormous source of good advice, listen to what he has to say.......JOE/Buckshot

[SteveTex]

Gatter, I'm now able to get just about 8 pumps in before the bulb gets very hard to squeeze. At the beginning I got as many as 18 pumps in, but now i get to the same spot with only 8 pumps. I count that as progress.

Starting at about 8, the bulb is very hard to pump and i'm going to try to get another 2 or so in each time. As far as the tip, it was really sore at first, but now after two weeks is less so. Although still a bit. Again, I'm assuming that is due to the stretching each time. Try pumpin to the max and then deflating it some. Keep it that way for an hour. you should see continued improvement.

[knotreel]

Gatter, you might find it easier to pump by using small squeezes when the bulb gets difficult to squeeze. With small pumps you can apply more hydraulic pressure with less effort by your fingers. It sounds like you have not made as much progress as you would like and as others have said, the daily pump up work out is the way to get your unit in shape. You should spend the hour at max daily as Steve said, it will take a while, couple of months maybe, for you to be able to keep it fully inflated. It will be tough at first but keep working at it. I find it convenient to pump up before I get out of bed in the morning, sort of like the old morning boner that was in the past. I sometimes tried pumping up while reading a book as while in bed at night, but if I went to sleep and forgot to deflate I woke up an hour or so later with some pain. This all takes a while.

[edgh20guy]

Lot's of good advise here. Yes, stick with it and it really does become second nature in time! You must remember that these materials are very hard (and therefore durable) so they take time to "break in".

[bluis6214]

5 months post op and still managing to get a couple extra pumps each day. Can get 20 full pumps and then every few minutes 2-4 partial pumps. I inflate twice a day until I start to feel a little discomfort and leave it inflated for an hour. I've gone from 5.5" x 5" to 6.75"x 5.5" since about August. The key is to know what size implant you have so that your goal can be realistic. My doc told me that he implanted the 21cm cylinder AMS LGX and that each cylinder is 12mm in diameter. I figure that I have maxed out on girth and have exceeded my expectations of 6.25" in length. I plan to keep on inflating daily until I don't notice any more stretch. My wife is content with what we have... I keep going for more gains as insurance against scarring. Scar tissue does not stretch and is not our friend. Lost 1.5" in length and .5" in girth from scarring not the implant.