Cycling – no pain no gain?

[liven2themax]

I got the thumbs up to start cycling 11 days post surgery. I’ve been cycling for about one week now, and I just have a couple questions:

1. How long does it typically hurt for?

2. I don’t have much discomfort until I get close to maximum inflation (18-20pumps). Is the goal to get those couple extra pumps in and hold it as long as you can?

[ThailandBound]

Welcome to physical therapy! …because that’s what cycling is, and to do it properly it’s going to be uncomfortable for awhile.

You’re so new at it that at the upper regions of inflation you’re going to be pretty uncomfortable. At least I was, and still am, 8 months postop.

Right now your mission is two-fold:
1. Prevent the surgical capsule from forming in your shaft.
2. Stretch the tissue and increase your length…. over time.

This is a game of inches. Pun intended.

There’s a lot of different protocols here on the forum, with different doctors saying different things. I’ve seen posts here from guys who were implanted and their doctor didn’t say one word about cycling. It was news to them. We don’t want to be that fellow, for sure.

Remember, where you are now is not where you’ll be in due time. I was shorter than before after the surgery, and am actually a bit longer and girthier 8 months later.

What i do:

Pump up to mildly uncomfortable. This “set point” will change over time. Leave it there for :45 minutes (being new, less time may be in order).

At :45 minutes, i do the famous “Perito Exercises”, bending hard at the base in all directions. Holding it a few moments in the bent position.

I then MAX pump until it hurts too much or i can’t even get another micro squeeze in. I promise, you don’t feel sexy. I set the timer and keep it there for several minutes.

In the earliest days of cycling i could only do this :5 minutes, rapping my knuckles on the table as i watched the timer. Deflate. Now, i keep it at absolute max for :15. After that, it doesn’t hurt like in the early days, but most uncomfortable. Feels like the tips are going to pop out of my glans. If i take a very hot shower i can go beyond the :15 minutes at max…a heavy stream of very hot water on my very hard boner. Hot showers or beth’s really do help.

The good news is that not only has my length been restored, and beyond (a bit), the “90%” i mention is now much longer and harder than the 90% of my earliest cycling weeks. My present 90% i can maintain a solid hour with minimal or no discomfort. It is plenty for sex and allows me mentally to feel aroused and not distracted by pain.

Still, i am cycling 2 or 3 times daily, and every couple of nights i’ll go to sleep with it at 50-60%, then pump up upon awakening.

This is working well for me. The earliest numbness at the incision site and lower shaft has mostly disappeared (took 6 months until it was barely noticeable), and can go full tilt during sex.

So, best wishes. Don’t get discouraged.

[liven2themax]

Thank you, this is extremely informative and helpful!

[newbie443]

My advise is a bit different but a bit the same also. First is all doctors are different as are we as men. Follow your doctors instructions and this does apply to cycling also. Once you are fully healed you can decide if you want to use other doctors and men's methods. I have always post that what you are looking for is a stretching feeling. A little mild discomfort is expected but not pain. As we are different if you start to have pain just deflate and start again at the next session. An example in the AMS DVD is to start by inflating to max and then deflate once a day. Then twice a day. And then slowly increase the time left at max. After I was fully healed and released by my doctor I did pump adding inflations. I would inflate to max and as the stretching feeling reduced or went completely away I would add more pumps or partial pumps to regain that stretching feeling. I still do this when I cycle. It is up to you if you want to do this or any other posted method. To me the key is finding that stretching feeling. As we men will many times feel that if a little is good more is better, we need to be careful not to cause damage. So first follow the doctor who did your surgeries instructions as he/she will know more about you and the surgery. No use to use some other doctors instructions for some other man. Pain is also a sign of the over doing it. Stretching and a bit of discomfort is ok but pain is a warning sign. As was posted above cycling is exercise and as there are no longer natural erection you need to do this to stretch your tissue or it will constrict. This is the work that needs to be done. Different men will have different results. Different amounts of size loss that is recoverable. Different doctors that size differently. And different devices that expand differently. I did what I have posted and had gains out past one year and men who have a full replacement years after the first surgery generally receive a larger device.

The risk for infection is greatest just after surgery and decreases over the first year. For the first 3 or so months this is your biggest concern and the reason to follow your doctors instructions. If you are having trouble and healing slowly and taking longer to cycle well you may want to move that 3 months out to closer to 6 months. 6 months is the most common for a reoperation that is not need for infection or device failure. Just some information to think about before you decide to vary from your doctors instructions.

[liven2themax]

My advise is a bit different but a bit the same also. First is all doctors are different as are we as men. Follow your doctors instructions and this does apply to cycling also. Once you are fully healed you can decide if you want to use other doctors and men's methods. I have always post that what you are looking for is a stretching feeling. A little mild discomfort is expected but not pain. As we are different if you start to have pain just deflate and start again at the next session. An example in the AMS DVD is to start by inflating to max and then deflate once a day. Then twice a day. And then slowly increase the time left at max. After I was fully healed and released by my doctor I did pump adding inflations. I would inflate to max and as the stretching feeling reduced or went completely away I would add more pumps or partial pumps to regain that stretching feeling. I still do this when I cycle. It is up to you if you want to do this or any other posted method. To me the key is finding that stretching feeling. As we men will many times feel that if a little is good more is better, we need to be careful not to cause damage. So first follow the doctor who did your surgeries instructions as he/she will know more about you and the surgery. No use to use some other doctors instructions for some other man. Pain is also a sign of the over doing it. Stretching and a bit of discomfort is ok but pain is a warning sign. As was posted above cycling is exercise and as there are no longer natural erection you need to do this to stretch your tissue or it will constrict. This is the work that needs to be done. Different men will have different results. Different amounts of size loss that is recoverable. Different doctors that size differently. And different devices that expand differently. I did what I have posted and had gains out past one year and men who have a full replacement years after the first surgery generally receive a larger device.

The risk for infection is greatest just after surgery and decreases over the first year. For the first 3 or so months this is your biggest concern and the reason to follow your doctors instructions. If you are having trouble and healing slowly and taking longer to cycle well you may want to move that 3 months out to closer to 6 months. 6 months is the most common for a reoperation that is not need for infection or device failure. Just some information to think about before you decide to vary from your doctors instructions.

Thanks for your reply.
I think I’m healing fairly quickly. The cycling has been going well.. just want to make sure I’m not over (or under) doing it.
You have some good guidance regarding looking for that stretching feeling.. I can definitely recognize that when it’s happening.
Also, I have no intention of straying from my doctor’s instructions.
Good to know a little bit of discomfort this early postop is normal.

[SWorks17]

I got the thumbs up to start cycling 11 days post surgery. I’ve been cycling for about one week now, and I just have a couple questions:

1. How long does it typically hurt for?

2. I don’t have much discomfort until I get close to maximum inflation (18-20pumps). Is the goal to get those couple extra pumps in and hold it as long as you can?

Liven, everyone is different, some guys heal much quicker and don't have as much pain, but for me it took awhile.
For me it was 4 to 6 months before I could get past 45 minutes fully inflated without a lot of pain in my glans.

Yes, that is the goal. My doctor told me to inflate to the max while I took a shower and stay inflated for 20 minutes twice a day.
I did go further than that, when I could get in a warm bath tub, I would pump up to about 70 percent and bend it left, right, up and down for about 5 minutes and then pump up to the max to see how long I could handle the pain.

It gets better every week. Just reach out with any questions, most of us can help, because we have went through the process.

Good Luck Liven,
S-Works