32 year old. 11+ years with ED. Finally bit the bullet.

[ItsTime]

Thank you gentlemen for having this place to share on a topic that feels like such a shameful secret anywhere else. I've been browsing these forums for years looking for advice and help, and that all finally culminated in me getting a Coloplast Titan implant on 9/9/16. 14 days post-op. I'm hoping this will be the start of a new chapter.

When I was 21, I married my high school sweetheart. On our wedding night, we attempted to have sex for the first time (both were virgins), and I found I wasn't really able to penetrate her for longer than a few seconds. We chalked up to newness and performance anxiety, and figured we'd try again tomorrow. Fast forward a few weeks of frustration and borrowing of some viagra pills, and I found myself at the doctors. Every professional I talked to said the same thing- you're young, you're healthy, you're just overthinking it. He prescribed me some cialis to boost my confidence, and sent me on my way.

The pills worked okay, but only if we started and finished within a few minutes. We used them for the next couple years with varying degrees of success. It grew more and more difficult to want to submit my wife to what seemed to be painful, quick sex, or sex that ended with me deflating and feeling ashamed. I went to a urologist who ordered a cavernosography, and I was diagnosed with significant venous leak. Being from the middle of nowhere, he recommended a few specialists, and I landed on one in Boston- Abraham Morgentaler. I traveled to visit a few times over the next couple years, and we tried some various hormone therapy methods, but ultimately was told, it's venous leak. There's no cure. Keep using the pills if they work for you, and when you're ready, the only solution is an implant.

As an otherwise healthy 23 year old, an implant seemed insane. Was it really all in my head? Did I really want to do something so irreversible at such a young age? What if something went wrong? Besides, we could KIND OF have sex. So I just kept up with the Cialis. Years turned to a decade of marriage, and the pills didn't work very well anymore. A "successful" sexual encounter with my wife happened maybe one out of every four or five times, and the anxiety was crippling. Without saying so, my wife was clearly terrified that sex was going to end in my being disappointed and ashamed, and we both avoided sex. After going back and forth with my local urologist (who advised AGAINST an implant, saying people who got them never really liked them), I traveled back to Boston some 7 years later to say I wanted the implant.

Unfortunately Dr Morgentaler was no longer working with patients unless they paid an annual $5,000 to be in a specific club, but one of the people he trained, Dr William Conners met with me and agreed to do the surgery.

So that's my story. Here I am 14 days after the procedure. I'd be happy to answer any questions, post any pictures of the process, anything to help someone going through the mess of ED. Thank you guys for your boldness and your bravery. Hopefully it can continue to bring brothers out of the darkness and into the light.

[ItsTime]

I just had my first post-op yesterday. It was a little disappointing. Throughout the process of preparing for surgery and then sitting around here for the last couple weeks, I read everything I could on the Coloplast Titan, what to expect post-op, etc. From everything I read on here, it seemed like it would obviously be the Coloplast Titan OTR, because they've been around for a few years. I never thought to ask.

When I arrived at my appointment and he showed me a replica of my implant, I noticed that the release block looked different than the hundreds of diagrams I had been looking at of the OTR. That's because he implanted me with the old model, that requires you to hold the valve while you manually pump yourself flaccid. I don't know why it disappointed me so much, but I just felt like such an idiot for not asking ahead of time. Now I have a more difficult model to operate for at least the next 10+ years.

Additionally, my pump seems to have floated up to the top of my scrotum, so his attempts to deflate me dang near killed me! I had to physically move his hand from junk three times, because the pain was so bad I couldn't speak. I've never felt anything like it. He then explained that I'd have to pull my pump down towards the bottom of my scrotum a few times a day over the next few weeks to try and correct the positioning. When he demonstrated I damn near passed out. Stunningly painful.

So here I am fiddling with my pump, trying to discern just what I'm dealing with, but it just feels like a bulb and then just a blob encasing it, with no distinguishing features to locate the deflation points. Is it just scar tissue? Is it going to get better?

I just want this whole thing to go well. I feel like so much is riding on this implant, and it was such a journey to get to this point.

[rglassva]

Hang in there "time" - I'm five weeks out and haven't been "activated" yet. . . but I know there's still swelling and from what I hear from many of the guys on here, the pump will tend to drop once things settle down. . . but keep up with what the doc says. . . I can definitely find the bulb that is the pump but can't make out the release valve - it's too high and in the swollen area.
Glad you took care of it. . . who's to say what's too young. . . almost every guy on here will tell you - "I wish I hadn't waited so long"
Good luck, keep in touch, and happy to share "war stories" with you if you want - pm me anytime.
Keep the faith!

Rick

[Vagabond127]

Hi there its time. Congratulations on your bravery. I hope you have many years of enjoyment.

There are a FEW on this site who will tell me my question has already been answered. BUT I'm talking specifically about YOU. How was your first day through first 7 days pain wise?

[FlaDon]

Echoing what Rick is saying here....give it time, plenty of time. You will be second guessing yourself with every little pinch, swelling, ache, burn, bruise, etc. I know I did. Most of us go through the "WTF have I done to myself?" phase. The type of implant you have doesn't matter, in fact, I have the newer "Titan Touch" and my doctor still suggested I hold the release button down while squeezing my penis to drain the fluid out. I questioned the "one-touch" method, and he said, "Yes, it will work, but it takes quite a while for it to deflate that way, sometimes like 30-40 minutes, and it still doesn't deflate as much as it will if you squeeze. So don't worry about that at all. All makes and models of 3-piece inflatable implants are great in that they restore erectile function in a way that is more spontaneous and 'natural' than any of the other methods. I've had mine for 18 months and am thrilled with it. No regrets whatsoever. I'm older, but I didn't have any ED issues until about 3.5 years ago. Mine came on suddenly, and I ended up with the implant within 2 years of my first treatment for ED. The guys here on FrankTalk are a great resource, in a way a lot better than some of the "professionals", because we have "been there". There is no better place to ask questions and seek advice than from this great group of guys. You've discovered a great resource. Welcome to the "Bionic Brotherhood".

[lapiste]

Hi,

It seems we have a lot in common. I'm just one year older, was implanted just 5 days after you, and have suffered from venous leak my entire life. So far I've been happy with my implant, even though it's not that easy. Pain fluctuates quite a bit, but what annoys me the most is that my implant won't stay deflated. I can inflate it without problem or too much pain, but no matter how much I deflate it, some fluid goes back in and I'm left with a permanent semi-erection. Quite uncomfortable and embarrassing...

I hear it all gets better over time and many of the issues that we initially experience will progressively disappear with time. We just need to hang in there. We'll get used to operating the implant and hopefully we'll get to enjoy it a lot. We just need to remember that things will steadily improve over the next few months.

And you can rely on the love and support of your wife, which I'm sure will help a lot throughout the journey!

Take care

[charlesr]

Initially, trying to make out the pump and the release mechanism seems impossible. It is so foreign! After six months, it's easier than the remote on your TV.

[dirtman1993]

Be patient as as you are saying, it takes time and my first inflate was 2 months after surgery due to swelling. It is over 6 months now and will continue to inflate twice a day and one guy here took 2 yrs. to recover what he had. Take your time, enjoy with the wife or girlfriend and it only gets better.

[ED2013]

Congrats! Give it some time, and you'll be having fun!

[PFracture]

Hey there! Nice to see someone on the younger side of the scale. I am almost 30 and just have been suffering with ED for 2 years, following a penile fracture, and can't imagine what it's like to live with this for so long. I am doing all the necessary to head for the implant route, but it's still going to take some time. Anyway... good luck and keep us update! hope you get to enjoy it from now on!