I am writing to share my penile implant journey with you. While I was making this decision, I found that there was very little information for malleable implants in this forum as most of the folks here are from US or other countries where insurance covers penile implant and a 3 piece implant would be the most obvious and common option.
However, being in India the only options we have are malleable implants or a 2 piece (ambicore). After several months of research I finally decided to go for it. Though there was a lot of youtube videos on final results from doctors there was not much first hand story or experience on malleable implants in forums.
I am sharing my journey which should help many other folks take better decisions.
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Background: I have been having ed since early 30s, tadalafil worked very well until 2018 and since then nothing worked. Tried different dosages of tadalafil, homeopathic medicenes, cyalis, horny goat weed, etc etc. One doctor started tadalafil 5mg for a month and then try, but still would loose erection during sex. Finally went for Penile doppler test which suggested venous leakage. I didn't have sufficient erection in doppler test as well. Consulted various doctors and everyone suggested that penile implant was the only option.
My Stretched Penile Length was: 6.25" and about 5.5" girth
Options I explored for malleable implants:
1) Indian Shah implant
2) Tactra
3) Rigicon
4) ZSI 100
I held all these implants by hand and tested their bendability and rigidness.
Reason why I chose Shah Penile implant:
I finally decided to go for Shah Penile implant - Not because it was the cheapest option, but I felt it best suited my needs.
Below are the reasons why I went for Shah penile implant:
1) From the advice of doctors and my own research, most malleable implants have a wire running through them.They can be bent at will, this can cause the penis to be bent not just at the hinge but also in between in the shaft of penis. Indian shah implant has no wires through them, just a solid silicon implant.
2) In terms of rigidity the doctor said almost all of them have similar rigidity, However i felt that the tactra,rigicon had a little more stiffness than the Indian implant, However I didn't want the risk developing the bent penis in the shaft.The doctor also mentioned that many of his patients had complained about bendability with tactra, which is why he didn't recommend it for me, especially considering my size.
Rigicon rigi10 was fairly new and didn't have enough data to recommend.
3) Lower Risk of Erosion: One of the major risks I had read of a malleable implant was erosion. The Indian implant had 4 different sections and had different rigidity. The tip( soft 25 Shore A in durometer) - to fit comfortably in glans and avoid risk of erosionThe mid shaft which would run through the corpora and give rigidity (hard 75 Shore A in durometer) The hinge (Soft 25 Shore A ) - to bend in any angle The posterior zone 50 shore A - which goes inside for support
4) Long life with minimal complexity - Because of no wires running through them Shah implant was my first choice as they have the highest life (about 20-25 yrs or more).
The doctor's first choice of recommendation was a 2 piece ambicore, but it would cost me almost 5 times more. I wanted one with sufficient rigidity with least risk of Erosion and one which would not bend the penis out of shape in between. With all this the Indian implant fit in best. The doctor advised that the Indian implant has no memory - However, I didn't think it was a problem as I would be in my underwear on all social occasions, events or sports.
Onwards to Surgery:
I travelled to Delhi via flight, was scheduled to be there for about 3.5 days in Delhi and then return back to my home town. I had decided to get my surgery done from Dr Raman Tanwar after a lot of research. There was a list of tests, ECG, XRay which I had already done ahead of time from my home town to save precious time.
I signed the consent form, few more tests, then I was moved into the private room and waited for surgery to begin. Surgery time was about 3pm and the mast meal was at 9am. I was moved to the OT at about 2:45pm and given an injection on the spine to numb my lower half. I slowly started to feel a tingling sensation in my lower body and soon couldn't move my legs. I could feel the pulling and tugging but felt no pain. A catheter was put in me. Dr Raman kept updating me what he was doing - He cut and measured and informed me that he would be using the WH13 implant for me, they showed me a sealed packet of WH13 and then opened it in front of me. Informed me that was putting in the implant and finally informed me that he is now closing the stiches. He showed me the final result and I was happy with the result - I touched the penis and could feel the implant rigidity. Dr informed me that the implant is upto mid glans. I asked Dr to measure my length and there was no loss in length or girth. It measured about 6.25" after the surgery too. He also showed me that due to the hinge the implant can be bent in any angle. The surgery lasted for about 45 minutes.
I was taken back to the room and for the next 24hrs I was advised not to put my head in an elevated state. 4 hrs post the surgery I was given some water to drink to check if I would not puke, then I was given Khichdi to eat. The nurses kept coming in frequently to give medicines through IV and doctors came regularly to check if I felt any discomfort.
The next day (Day 1 post surgery) - Remained the same in lying down position the entire day except to eat , Catheter was still on. I examined the penis area was heavily bandaged. No pain near incision area, little discomfort having the catheter in me still.
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Day 2 - Catheter removed and removed the heavy bandage to finally see my penis for first time since surgery, I became very nervous to see that my penis was quite swollen. The Dr assured that swelling in the penis is normal and not to panic. Obviously thats better said than done, I started googling about it having nothing else to do and most articles too mentioned the same. The Dr said in my case it was because the tip of my foreskin was tight due to which there was a swelling. There was no problem in the implant or in the incision area. I tried to pee couple of hours after the catheter was removed and it was a whole new experience! I had to hold down my penis with 2 hands like a fire hose and I was peeing in multiple directions and in multiple streams ! I made a huge mess as though I had no control on where I could pee. I also felt slight pain when peeing.
Later during the day I emptied my bowels for 1st time since surgery, again was a whole new experience as i couldn't fit my penis into the pot while sitting. Had to empty my bladder in first before trying to empty my bowels.
Day 3 - The swelling seemed to increase and I felt more pain urinating more of a burning sensation now. I was feeling very anxious and nervous as I had to catch a flight in the evening. Dr Raman reassured me that the swelling would go away in few days, he said this is normal. I had googled that ice packs help to reduce the swelling. I checked with Dr Raman if I can apply ice packs, he concurred. I had bath earlier that morning as per his advice and then he redid my dressing and asked me to remove it after 3 days. Later on in the day, I was given the discharge papers, medications to continue and the implant sticker on my file.
I headed to airport, it was an uneasy journey having a penile implant with a swelling. Never the less had to be done.
Day 4 - Reached home, my wife greeted me and asked me about my health. She was supportive and decided to sleep in a separate bedroom for the next few days to avoid any accidental pushing/kicking during sleep
. I started taking my medication and ice pack every 2-3hrs.Day 5 - The swelling considerably reduced to almost gone, the ice packs really helped. I could finally slide my foreskin back to normal position as the swelling reduced.
Day 7 - The peeing in multiple streams stopped, I've more control in my peeing. Not like before implant though, but still better than the last 7 days. Removed the dressing pad, been applying ointment on the stitches since yesterday. I can feel a tingling sensation and pulling there, hopefully will get better soon.
This is my journey so far - I hope others wanting to make the decision of implant would find this useful. I hope I did the right thing going for the implant. I will keep updating my journal on a regular basis.
Other thoughts:
a) I had over packed for my stay in Delhi - As the entire time I was in hospital robes, pack light just for the incoming and outward journey.
b) I was mighty relieved when I finally got home and got to take the scrotal support off, the scrotal support left red scars on my skin (had to purchase it pre surgery)
c) TIP: The implant inside the body feels a lot more rigid than holding a single demo implant in hand. Remember there are 2 pieces in you and a lot more supporting tissues inside the body. So the rigidity is more and the bendability is lesser than advertised.
d) XXYX underwear helped me conceal and feels great and soft. Bought it on Amazon.
