3.5 weeks post-op with a Tactra 9.5 mm: feels like a pencil, about an inch shorter, no fullness

[apokillum]

Hi everyone. I'm 36, and I had a Tactra 9.5 mm × 17.5 cm malleable implant placed on 16 October, so today I'm at day 25, about 3.5 weeks out. I'm writing because I'm struggling with how things look right now and could really use some perspective from people who've been through it.

Some background: I dealt with ED for a while before going down the implant route. Using high-dose Cialis and Viagra + Testorone, I managed to have satisfactory sex but I reach a stage where I was avoiding sex due to fear of ED.

I'd also had hyaluronic acid fillers in the past. Before choosing surgery, I saw several urologists in Mexico City, tried other options, and spent a long time weighing an inflatable against a malleable. In the end I went with the Tactra and had it done in Guadalajara.

Physically, recovery has gone well. I have no pain at all, the stitches are out, the incision has healed, and I can bend it down with zero discomfort. Pointing up, it sits a little below 90 degrees, which I understand is normal at this stage.

What's really getting to me is how it looks and feels. It feels like a pencil: thin and rigid, with no fullness at all. It's about an inch shorter than before, and sensitivity seems lower. There's no expansion and no sign of blood flow yet. I'm cleared for sex from this Friday, but honestly I'm too embarrassed to try with it looking like this.

To make it harder, my surgeon is ghosting me. I've messaged him and called his office asking for a callback, and I've heard nothing. I booked an online follow-up with him for Friday, but it hasn't been confirmed, so I don't know if it will happen.

My questions for anyone with a malleable:

1. Did you feel like this at 3 to 4 weeks, and did it improve?
2. When did blood flow and fullness come back for you, and how much girth did you regain?
3. Did any of the lost length come back as the tissue relaxed?
4. How long should I wait before I start to worry that this is how it will stay?
5. Should I consider switching to an IPP right away, or is it too early to judge?

Thanks for reading. Any honest experiences would really help right now.

[ready2go]

i have a tactra , 13mm rods . when they first removed to bandages ,my first thought was ;why is it so skinny? its my opinion the 13mm rods where not large enough . but thats a done deal .
after some time i started to notice getting girth back from blood flow . 6 months ? i cant remember . for instance before the implant with a good erection [pde5 adding it] when i put my fore finger and thumb around the shaft ,i would be squeezing it , now it went from having a gap between my grip and the shaft to where there is no gap but not have to squeeze the shaft . much better but not as much as before . still im hard 24/7 and get extra girth when doing the deed .
other wise when there isnt any it remains the same girth
unlike ipp's AFTER a long recovery from what members here have reported ., they can gain back their girth and length ...sometimes ,and when it isnt broke down . knock on wood .
i wanted and tried HA fillers so that the shaft would be fuller and plump when i was not naturally engorged and would have even more girth when i was in the mood .
but that didnt go well .i had swelling that did not go down after weeks so i had it dissolved . if that has worked for you in the past ,you might consider that to add girth.
the loss of length , there is nothing that can be done for that aside from changing to an ipp and hoping that goes well ....or a revision with larger size rods? i dont know if that is feasable or not .
i have considered it myself as i could have it done in india for in the ball park of what 20cc of HA fillers would cost in thailand . the filler i had done was in the philippines .
they were secrecitive of what brand they used , and perhaps not skilled for the job ?

[apokillum]

Thanks for taking the time to reply and share your experience, I really appreciate it. I'll be honest, though, it's not very encouraging to hear. Fullness taking possibly 6 months, and no real fix for the length besides switching to an IPP, is hard to take when I'm already feeling low about it.

In my case it isn't even very hard right now, and I'm not confident enough to have sex with it as it is.

It's good to hear the girth did come back for you with blood flow and that you get extra girth during sex. Do you remember roughly when you first noticed any improvement, even a small one? And are you glad overall that you went ahead with the Tactra?

Thanks again.

i have a tactra , 13mm rods . when they first removed to bandages ,my first thought was ;why is it so skinny? its my opinion the 13mm rods where not large enough . but thats a done deal .
after some time i started to notice getting girth back from blood flow . 6 months ? i cant remember . for instance before the implant with a good erection [pde5 adding it] when i put my fore finger and thumb around the shaft ,i would be squeezing it , now it went from having a gap between my grip and the shaft to where there is no gap but not have to squeeze the shaft . much better but not as much as before . still im hard 24/7 and get extra girth when doing the deed .
other wise when there isnt any it remains the same girth
unlike ipp's AFTER a long recovery from what members here have reported ., they can gain back their girth and length ...sometimes ,and when it isnt broke down . knock on wood .
i wanted and tried HA fillers so that the shaft would be fuller and plump when i was not naturally engorged and would have even more girth when i was in the mood .
but that didnt go well .i had swelling that did not go down after weeks so i had it dissolved . if that has worked for you in the past ,you might consider that to add girth.
the loss of length , there is nothing that can be done for that aside from changing to an ipp and hoping that goes well ....or a revision with larger size rods? i dont know if that is feasable or not .
i have considered it myself as i could have it done in india for in the ball park of what 20cc of HA fillers would cost in thailand . the filler i had done was in the philippines .
they were secrecitive of what brand they used , and perhaps not skilled for the job ?

[lasthope2.0]

I agree with ready2go, and he has explained this really well.
Assuming you were not undersized in girth or length, your shaft will feel fuller when you have good residual engorgement. That depends entirely on your degree of ED and mental arousal. ED is a spectrum. After you are cleared by your surgeon, a daily 2.5 mg or 5 mg dose of tadalafil can add a boost if your blood flow is suboptimal.

If you are undersized and your corpora require rods thicker than 13 mm, an IPP might be a better fit, provided you can accept the potential for mechanical malfunction at any time.

For the first 3 months, your main focus should be on recovery and complication-free healing. I hope your residual blood flow is still good after recovery and that your shaft feels fuller and stronger when you are aroused and stimulated. This is what I’d focus on whenever I switch back to a malleable.