Txagq8 wrote:Joho: congratulations on your 18 cm LGX. Granted, my bias is inevitable as that’s the only implant I’ve had and I’m just now approaching the 5 year mark. But based on my experience, and talking to a lot of guys on here, you’ve got the equivalent of a Toyota pickup truck installed. It might last damn near forever and it’s not likely to cause you any trouble once you get the hang of it. (My ‘98 Tacoma has 380,000 miles and I’ve replaced two clutches, one of which died trying to teach daughter to drive a standard)
Hard bulb/hard to pump: we’ve all been there, done that. When I first started pumping it was like squeezing a rock. I didn’t think I was accomplishing anything. But I could tell I was moving some fluid because I’d hit the deflate button and feel the buzzzz as fluid went back to reservoir and pressure equalized. Even now after about 25-30 short squeezes my bulb gets hard. I just keep going because I like it as hard as I can get it.
My speculation on why it’s hard: early on, it’s new. But age and body temperature does cause it to limber up. But think for a moment what the LGX does. It’s designed to increase in size, both length and girth.
When you have a deflated cylinder in a body cavity with room to expand, it’s going to be fairly easy to pump. You’re not pumping against any resistance. Only when you fill the cavity and start to expand against surrounding tissues will you meet resistance. Where there is resistance, there will be increased hardness in the bulb or difficulty in pumping.
Those cylinders they’ve installed in you….at the 8 day mark they are right up next to swollen, angry tissues that are aggravated from recent surgery. That doesn’t mean you don’t pump because you want that stuff stretched out to avoid limitations due to scar tissue. That’s why you follow doctors instructions on pumping early on. Different doctors abide by different protocols (I had a real start pumping early guy) but they all seem to get us to the same finish line.
I’ll echo earlier posters. It’s waaaaay too early in your recovery to worry. At your point I felt good but my dicklet looked like hell and I was thinking WTF?
A year from now, if you’re like me, you don’t even think of it as a mechanical device. I just had a defective part replaced. My implant is as much a part of me as my nose, fingers, toes, balls, and let’s not forget the uvula.
Well...the standard driving test here is in a manual, but I couldn't replace a clutch if I needed to!
It is reassuring to hear you talk about the hardness of the bulb, as many others have. I just get a bit disconcerted by getting the 'pop'. Then, 2-3 pumps later, it's hardening up again. My paranoia leads me to 'not enough fluid/kink in tubes (I can feel the tube alongside the left cylinder)/not enough fluid in the reservoir'. And it does feel hard, but it's not my full erection if that makes sense? I'm not looking for instant length regain, but understanding what's happening is a challenge.
I guess also, I am working out the tension between the good knowledge of many FTers 'it's too early to expect too much' vs. the doc's 'get pumping quickly'. Physically I feel stronger every day. But it'll be good to feel progress (though not rush it).
Anyway...good luck with the Tacoma and thank you again
