Decision Time

[Boulder]

I've had 4 implant surgeries; Eid, Kramer, Cornel all,three botched me so bad it was dreadful. Dr. Rafael Carrion removed everything and installed a Coloplast OTR last May and I cannot say enough about him, his staff and Tampa General Hospital. All are excellent, my only regret is not finding and using him the first time. Carrion is Cheif professor of the Sexual Medicine Dept. At USF Tampa and volunteers his "off time" at the VA hospital. His father was also a Uro and one of the pioneers of the implant, he ever has instruments named after him. He does over 300 procedures a year and 50% are revisions from other doctors failures. He is truly the best of the best out there, and trust me, I've consulted with them all! Well worth the plane ride to see him.

[bummedout]

3 botched surgeries?!? Now I'm scared. Those are big name doctors too! How did they botch them?

[ableman28]

Bummed out.....I had severe scarring, peyronie, prior to the surgery, but it was so generalized my penis was basically straight. I was injecting a full cc of the strongest trimix made.

Dr. Eid implanted me on July 15.....absolutely the BEST decision I have made in a long time. Erection at first inflation was just as long as with ICP, no loss of length. And, I followed a very aggressive and early inflation strategy......pumped it till it really hurt, and I've gained 1/4" past the ICP measure in his office.

The recovery was nothing. It works as advertised, hard as a rock, and a Coloplast Titan makes for a wider penis. Take my word for it, the wider the better as the clitoris bulbs drop down the sides of the vaginal opening. Wider is better.

[lapiste]

Hi Bummedout,
I'm about your age (33yo). I just had surgery a few days ago, so I can't really comment on the benefits of having an implant yet. All I can say is that the surgery went well and wasn't that painful at all for me. Going for an implant was probably one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, mostly because the irreversibility of it scared the shit out of me. Before making the decision, I started to see a psychotherapist and that really helped me. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't stand my condition anymore and really needed to move forward. The implant was the only way to do so, so I went ahead and got it.
Before deciding to get an implant, I consulted with many urologists and it was absolutely clear to me that, given my age, the implant would for sure need to be replaced at some points, probably mutiple times if I'm fortunate enough to reach late adulthood (implants are supposed to last about 10 years on average). My doctor even reminded me of that on the day of surgery, when consenting for the procedure.
Best of luck to you reaching a decision. I know how hard that process is.
Nic

[jonbaldbg]

I have read 10-18 years, so hopefully you'll get more than 10!

[FlaDon]

Bummedout,

Please do not let the bad experience of one or two deter you. For every one negative outcome, there are probably a hundred very happy campers out there, myself included. With every surgery, there are risks...but problems with implant surgery seem to be rare, infection being the most prevalent. But even then, there are measures that can be taken to resolve it. Here's the deal, most guys who have a successful outcome drift away from FrankTalk because ED is no longer an issue, and you get to a point where you don't think about it anymore. This is true in my case, and I was brought back by a private message from a local guy wanting to know more about my personal experience. So you don't hear from the 'happy' guys over and over again how great everything is. Therefore, please take the negative accounts with a grain of salt. Just my opinion....

Don

[bummedout]

Thanks again everyone. Your suggestions and experiences are going a long way in helping me make my decision. I still want to avoid surgery, but if this continues to eat away at my mind and no other options exist, I'll probably just do it.

[dg_moore]

Thanks again everyone. Your suggestions and experiences are going a long way in helping me make my decision. I still want to avoid surgery, but if this continues to eat away at my mind and no other options exist, I'll probably just do it.

I've been advising guys here for a long time that, if an implant is in your future, don't put it off. Nothing good happens while you're waiting - I put mine off for years and then when I finally took the plunge it was too late. I got my implant in 2008 and never used it once. This is unlikely to happen to you, but it's something to keep in mind.

[bummedout]

I guess the effects from the stroke prevented you from using it?

[bummedout]

Another question for you guys.....does having had a catheter create any future problems, like urethral stricture? I think I have a narrow urethra as it is.