Posted 10/15/2012 11:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Nick
I am probably the one that you were referring to - I think my post was something like "decided to go bionic, need your prayers".
I have never regretted my decision for one moment. I just wish that I had decided to do the implant sooner, as I lost some length over the past few years relative to pre-prostatectomy, presumably because of the lack of regular erections. I got the AMS 700 LGX implant. Although I recovered sooner than some and tried sex at almost 4 weeks post-op, I think I wasn't completely comfortable until about 8 weeks out.
Benefits:
- Total spontaneity again! I can get an erection as hard as any in my lifetime (and then a bit) within about 10-15 seconds, without any trips to the bathroom, no needles, no worrying about SE of headaches from the medication, or waiting for it to take effect. I can adjust the hardness as well, so depending on position, I can reach optimum for each situation. A total Godsend.
- I can last forever! If I finish before my wife, I can just keep on going as long as she likes. No discomfort.
- The whole prostatectomy process left me feeling somewhat emasculated, and this made me feel like I got my manhood back. Able to please my wife again.
- No anxiety about whether I will lose an erection part of the way through intercourse, that was a problem even for the injections for me. Sex is enjoyable again, and not a chore, like I felt before the implant (and after the prostatectomy).
Disadvantages:
- Just the pain from the surgery, which was not nearly what I had feared. I awoke from the surgery, which was outpatient, feeling relief about being comfortable; I was on pain meds for a number of days. You can check my previous post, which I tried to write as a diary for the first month post-surgery.
- The biggest hassle was that you had to keep about a 75% erection for the first few weeks. Some docs want you to keep the erection for over 2 weeks, for me it was only about 10 days. The idea is that you want it to point upward or straight out, not downward, and the first couple of weeks of it pointing upward realize that. I went to work, however, and no one was the wiser, it was against my stomach.
- Some have complained about some loss of length, for me I think it might have been a half inch or so. The LGX over time can restore at least that much, and I believe that at 6 months I have increased a bit. For me, I had Peyronie's, where there is a crookedness, so in actuality it was effectively longer, at least relative to getting the job done; it points straight out now.
I was worried about the choice of doc, since mine only performs about 1 per month, but he did a splendid job (I am in Southern Cal). I can't recommend anyone in Canada for you, though. As my prostatectomy surgeon called it, "an implant surgery is not rocket science"; I think she considered prostatectomy to be much more challenging and complex.
Nick, your timeline sounds similar to mine - I had the prostatectomy in March 2008. Sounds like you have had time to try the alternatives like I did, and are ready for the next step. PM me if you like, I'll be happy to answer any specific questions you have.
Jeff