observations reading post

[manofsteel]

To all implantees if I can use that phrase, as I read all the posts in implants section. The concensus I get is that the implants work one just has to get a doctor/surgeon that has vast experience in performing implant surgery. As I read the posts I get very excited that whether I want my erection for 5 minutes or 5 hours with an implant is possible.
On another note I really don’t like the term prosthesis it gives me a visual of having a fake appendage such as a peg leg, fake arm , glass eye (nothing wrong with that if you have it and need it) but I think penile implant is the best term for me. Ok enough, let me get off my soapbox… another question I have is would you do the operation again if you had to?

[bob1138]

Welcome manofsteel.
I was implanted with the Coloplast Titan in December 2007 after developing ED Post-Prostatectomy in 2004.
It completely corrected my ED and restored both my sex life and the emotional intimacy with my wife of 45 years.
To answer your questions, if I had to, I would have it done again in a heart-beat.
Hope this is helpful.

Bob

[antelope]

How about bionic boner?

[buckster]

On another note I really don’t like the term prosthesis it gives me a visual of having a fake appendage such as a peg leg, fake arm , glass eye (nothing wrong with that if you have it and need it) but I think penile implant is the best term for me.

I think the medical community uses the term prosthesis to gain acceptance from the general public. Penile implant is easily confused with penis enhancement by most people. If you just think back what you knew about it before you had ED. This is still a big problem and why many insurance companies can get away with not covering ED treatment.
Buck

[buckshot]

Personally, I wouldn't care if it was referred to as a "real deal" or a "fake snake".....the MAIN thing is that IT WORKS! And, yesterday, after having my implant on August 6th., I was able to have my FIRST sexual bonding with my wife in over 16 months AND IT WAS SUPER GREAT!!!Call it whatever you will...I'll call it a MIRACLE and a LIFE-SAVER.

[rlm1818]

another question I have is would you do the operation again if you had to?

YES. Without any hesitation.

The concensus I get is that the implants work one just has to get a doctor/surgeon that has vast experience in performing implant surgery.

I'm not sure that's a consensus, but that was my conclusion. But I would add, I also wanted a doc where I could get multiple references, preferably not filtered by the doc, and I was also interested in the degree of pre-surgical testing.

I wanted a doc who had pretty much seen everything in terms of complications, and knew how to deal with them, especially infections. My doc routinely does a bladder cystoscopy and a sonogram prior to surgery. Not pleasant, and lots of docs don't do that. But, I'm 99% confident that if I had had radiodec's urethral constriction problem, it would have been discovered during the scope and the doc and I could have discussed options before waking up surprised that I didn't have an implant and faced a possible lifetime of incontinence. Similarly, if I had had Stevetex's scar tissue problem I'm 99% confident the doc would have seen it during the sonogram and been able to tell me he might have a problem. Thorough pre-surgical testing can no doubt reveal other issues.

I also read about one doc who had extensive experience and a number of very happy patients, but also had several unhappy patients. I took him off my list of possible candidates for my surgeon.

On another note I really don’t like the term prosthesis it gives me a visual of having a fake appendage such as a peg leg, fake arm , glass eye (nothing wrong with that if you have it and need it) but I think penile implant is the best term for me.

I don't really like either term. But, for me how I describe it depends on who I'm talking to. I haven't discussed it at all, except with a very small number of people. With a medical professional I'd use the full term, inflatable penile prosthesis, or else penile implant. But with a girlfriend (I'm currently single) I avoid both terms and simply tell them I have some artificial erectile tissue that looks, feels and performs similarly enough to the natural tissue that many women never notice if the guy doesn't tell them. If they have more questions, I answer them.

[Jkeats]

another question I have is would you do the operation again if you had to?

In doing my research before deciding to get an implant, I noticed that a majority of men who had already had implants noted that the only regret they had was they wished they had done it sooner. This was a real factor in my own decision to get an implant. Now that I'm five weeks out of surgery, I agree with those guys. Had I understood how bad the venous leak was that I had prior to an ultrasound I had in April (this after trying lots of different ED treatments), I would have done it sooner myself.

[radiodec]

"I wanted a doc who had pretty much seen everything in terms of complications, and knew how to deal with them, especially infections. My doc routinely does a bladder cystoscopy and a sonogram prior to surgery. Not pleasant, and lots of docs don't do that. But, I'm 99% confident that if I had had radiodec's urethral constriction problem, it would have been discovered during the scope and the doc and I could have discussed options before waking up surprised that I didn't have an implant and faced a possible lifetime of incontinence. "

I can see your point but the discussion with my surgeon went this way; yes we could have done a cytoscopy prior to going for the implant, but the results would have been nearly the same, just another procedure would have been added. The obstruction was causing stretching of the bladder and needed to be removed anyway. Since all was already set for surgery it could have been completed at the same time. Otherwise it would have meant having to go back to operate later.

I trust this urologist well, especially on things urological and his opinion at the point he discovered the scar tissue and the bladder stretching was that it could lead to kidney damage. Therefore avoiding removal of the scar tissue was not an option. The implant was delayed out of caution to avoid infections. While it would have been nice to have avoided the surprise, avoiding another procedure to the same result was better.

This urologist's area of highest expertise are prostate and bladder cancer, so I give him respect with regard to decisions about how to proceed around possible problems caused by prostate surgery.


Radiodec