Seeking Tips/Advice for Implant Recovery

[Martin25]

I'm scheduled for my implant on December 13th (yes, Friday the 13th), after two cancellations due to my doctor being on sick leave. I've been on this forum for almost two years and have seen a lot of discussion and advice.

I'm trying to gather a list of tips and advice from men who have had the implant on what made their recovery smoother...and I'd also like to know if there was something they wish they had known. Some of the things that I have gleaned over the months from many different posts are:

+ Icing a lot
+ Use a jock strap (even to sleep with?)
+ Special underwear (David Archer?) other brands?
+ Use a baby sock to cushion the glans if it's sore
+ Bed rest for 48 hrs, per doctor's instructions (other than getting up to use the bathroom)
+ My doctor, Dr. Eid, sends you home with a catheter (till day 3?)
+ Pain killers as needed
*Note Every Doctor is different, but I know Dr. Eid has you activate early, in a warm bath

So...what about it fellas? What am I missing? Hopefully a list of tips for immediate post op recovery all in one place will help others as well, and I will certainly add to it once I'm experienced. (I'm excited...and nervous, of course)

Thank you, gentlemen!

[Rider1400]

Everyone has different tolerances to pain and everyone heals differently. I was very fortunate and had a very easy recovery. Used a LOT of ice first 6-8 days and was able to just lay around a lot the first week but got up and walked around every couple hours.By 4-5 days I was walking around in the yard and by the 7th day was walking around the block. My biggest take and I’ve written this a dozen times. Go into this with a positive attitude! Mental preparedness is a major key.
One month before my surgery date I had a terrible fall and literally tore my arm out of my shoulder. Three completely torn rotator cuff muscles, two partially torn rotator muscles , biceps torn completely off bone, two ribs broken in 3 places. Excruciating pain doesn’t do it justice!! So had major (4 plus hour) shoulder surgery exactly 2 weeks before implant. Spoke to both Drs and they both agreed that it would not be a problem to have both surgeries two weeks apart.Maybe because I had so much pain from the shoulder it made the implant pail in comparison or what but I had almost no issues with pain and almost no swelling.My wife commented many times that I seemed happy the whole time I was recovering!! I would tell her I was happy!! For the first time in 12 years I was kicking ED in the butt!!! Had sex at just less than 3 weeks and it was very uncomfortable but was still amazing!! Keep your attitude and expectations right and the rest will fall in place hopefully!

[Martin25]

Rider1400, very inspirational, thanks!

[Gt1956]

I used Aspercream on my shaft. It helps dull the shaft pain. Its cheap, if you don't use it then throw it away. Don't forget a bottle of each. Ibuprofen & acetaminophen. Again, cheap. If you don't use then give then away

[Graffy]

Had an implant 5 days ago, so I'm speaking from my experience so far.

The first night was the worst. I was kept in hospital overnight and had a drain and catheter in. Even with the strongest painkillers the hospital would give me, the pain made it impossible to sleep.
Since my anatomy is unique they kept me in hospital for two nights. The second night was much better and I managed to get some sleep.
On the 3rd day I had the drain and catheter removed and the implant was also slightly deflated (I'd say from 80% to 50%) which massively helped with the pain.
On the 5th day I have some tenderness but paracetamol and ibuprofen are enough to deal with it. Unless I purposefully try to cause pain to myself there is basically no pain now.

Your list looks mostly fine to me. The only thing you're missing is laxatives. You will need them after surgery and especially if you're taking any opioids painkillers. I'd recommend you get a laxative with macrogol as it's active ingredient, then drink lots of water. If you have any kind of alternate reservoir placement (such as in the abdomen) then I'd also recommend getting some suppositories with glycerine in them. These will help a lot when you need to go but don't want to strain because of the reservoir in your abdomen.

Not necessarily as important but also consider your diet after the surgery. You should be getting enough protein and carbs to maximize healing. I've had surgery 6 times now and healed much quicker than anyone expected and this is mostly down to diet.
Getting rest is also important. One trick I use is taking the strongest pain killers I can an hour or two before bed time. Opioid painkillers will just make you tired anyway but having as little pain as possible makes sleeping much easier which speeds up the healing process.
Also if you are worried about the appearance of any surgical scars, get yourself some silicone scar sheets or gel (the sheets might be awkward to use though so maybe stick with a gel). Once the wound has healed up enough that it has no more sutures or glue holding it closed, use the sheets/gel. They will make the scar look much better and reduce the formation of scar tissue which tends to be tougher and less elastic than skin so on the penis and testicles could be very noticeable.

There isn't much else I can think of really, you should just relax and take it easy for at least a week.

[Martin25]

Had an implant 5 days ago, so I'm speaking from my experience so far.


Your list looks mostly fine to me. The only thing you're missing is laxatives. You will need them after surgery and especially if you're taking any opioids painkillers. I'd recommend you get a laxative with macrogol as it's active ingredient, then drink lots of water. If you have any kind of alternate reservoir placement (such as in the abdomen) then I'd also recommend getting some suppositories with glycerine in them. These will help a lot when you need to go but don't want to strain because of the reservoir in your abdomen.

Adding laxatives to my list, I think I had read that elsewhere on the forum in the past, thank you. I am worried about using the bathroom while I am supposed to be on bedrest for 48 hours, but I guess I will just deal.

PS good luck with your recovery

[Graffy]

Had an implant 5 days ago, so I'm speaking from my experience so far.


Your list looks mostly fine to me. The only thing you're missing is laxatives. You will need them after surgery and especially if you're taking any opioids painkillers. I'd recommend you get a laxative with macrogol as it's active ingredient, then drink lots of water. If you have any kind of alternate reservoir placement (such as in the abdomen) then I'd also recommend getting some suppositories with glycerine in them. These will help a lot when you need to go but don't want to strain because of the reservoir in your abdomen.

Adding laxatives to my list, I think I had read that elsewhere on the forum in the past, thank you. I am worried about using the bathroom while I am supposed to be on bedrest for 48 hours, but I guess I will just deal.

PS good luck with your recovery

My advice is use laxatives a while before your surgery to make sure you're as empty as possible. Then don't use them the first day after your surgery. They usually take a day or two to start working and you should be able to move around afterwards.
I had my surgery on Thursday and the first time I used the toilet was on Monday.

Also if you're worried about being unable to get up for a few days after the surgery, get some piss bottles.

[LastHope]

Good luck! I have the following also in my list to buy:

-Urinal bottle if urine stream is all over the place due to urethral inflammation caused by the catheter.

-Donut pillow or travel neck pillow to drop the nuts while sitting.

-Frozen peas bags for icing when pain meds are not working well.

-Wound dressing wraps/gauze/creams based on surgeon's dressing recommendations.

[jwdetails]

I'm scheduled for my implant on December 13th (yes, Friday the 13th), after two cancellations due to my doctor being on sick leave. I've been on this forum for almost two years and have seen a lot of discussion and advice.

I'm trying to gather a list of tips and advice from men who have had the implant on what made their recovery smoother...and I'd also like to know if there was something they wish they had known. Some of the things that I have gleaned over the months from many different posts are:

+ Icing a lot
+ Use a jock strap (even to sleep with?)
+ Special underwear (David Archer?) other brands?
+ Use a baby sock to cushion the glans if it's sore
+ Bed rest for 48 hrs, per doctor's instructions (other than getting up to use the bathroom)
+ My doctor, Dr. Eid, sends you home with a catheter (till day 3?)
+ Pain killers as needed
*Note Every Doctor is different, but I know Dr. Eid has you activate early, in a warm bath

So...what about it fellas? What am I missing? Hopefully a list of tips for immediate post op recovery all in one place will help others as well, and I will certainly add to it once I'm experienced. (I'm excited...and nervous, of course)

Thank you, gentlemen!

Saw rec for over the counter numbing cream - which helped on the glans with the baby sock. My surgeon also said i could use topical voltren gel over the counter which is like a topical ibuprofen. It helped on the sack around the pump in the first week, using as needed.