Penile Implant Experiences and Questions.

My implant was installed on March 5^th of this year. It will be five months next Wednesday. I had my AMS 700 CX Inflatable Penile Implant put in as part of the same operation as my AMS 800 Artificial Urinary sphincter. I also had my incisional (umbilical) hernia from my RP fixed at the same time. It was a two-surgeon, one Operating Room tag team match.

Of the three procedures the implant was the least involved and gave me the least trouble during recovery. The AUS had to be done twice. My surgeon was just finishing up when he went to insert a catheter through the deactivated cuff and it wouldn't fit -- nor would a cystoscope. He had to open me back up and put in a larger cuff placed farther from the bladder. When he was finally done he tagged up with the abdominal surgeon who went on to have even more trouble with the hernia. In addition to the open incision over my navel (which I expected) I woke up with eight additional laporoscope punches like buttons on a double-breasted coat where he had gone in to tack down a much larger sheet of mesh than he had expected to use.

So, given that I had two surgeons poking around in my nether regions for five hours through a total of nine incisions... given all that, my recovery was about what you'd expect. I spent several days doing my impression of a beached whale (unable to use my abdominal muscles at all) and when they finally got me up and walking I was so uncomfortable that I didn't even realize that the reason my feet hurt, too, was gout. I honestly don't remember any pain at all that I could blame on my implant. There probably was some but it kinda got lost in the other discomforts.

The doctor had left it mostly inflated after the surgery -- to keep surrounding tissues from healing too tight, and to discourage bleeding. I don't remember when he deflated it -- probably after about a week. The first time I pumped it up myself was about a month after surgery. I had been given a DVD and I'd watched the instruction video from several times. It worked more or less as the video suggested but the implant seemed smaller than I had expected it to be. It pumped up nice and hard (and not too painful although it did ache a bit) and was a perfectly sensible size, I suppose, but I am a big guy and I felt a bit like I had received a transplant from a horny and fully potent smaller man.

One "excuse", sort-of, that implant surgeons mention in their reporting when they talk about their patients' perception that they have lost size is that they (the patients) have simply forgotten their pre-impotence size and remember themselves as bigger than they were. In response to this I can point out that I was a regular trimix user and I only had to cast my mind back a few weeks, not years. The funny thing is that with trimix my erections would depend on my remaining vertical -- if I laid down so did Mr. Unreliable -- but with the implant the results are pretty disappointing when I stand up but seem better when I lie down.

The pump for the device is about the size of the seedless red grapes you see at the grocery store and, initially, I found it hard to operate. You have to give it just the right kind of squeeze to engage the one-way valve that lets you pump it up. Trying to do this with your fingertips is frustrating. The pump is a bit slippery and your fingertips tend to slide off. It works better, at least for me, if I grasp the pump bulb between the first joints of my thumb and my index finger. That spreads the pressure over more scrotal skin (making things more comfortable) and gives the muscles of the hand more mechanical advantage. The pump is less likely to slide out from between and I can usually get the one-way valve to engage on the first squeeze. Ten squeezes is probably enough but I generally do 15 or more, just to be sure.

Having gotten those caveats out of the way I can say that, while I might wish for a bit more of a good thing, it is a good thing. It works reliably and well and the results are quite usable for anything one might wish to do. My testosterone level continues to recover from my two years of ADT and I expect that I will remember what it is I "wish to do" any day now.

How is the glans, is it like during a normal erection?

So do you feel(apparently) that you have lost some size compared to Trimix injections and/or pumping? If so, I wonder why that would be, since you go in the OR with that size and then are pumped up immediately before you leave the OR and stay pumped up for a while? I would have thought that would at least equal to what you went in with.

Tall,

In theory one could imagine a role for trimix for men with implants. There are three erectile chambers in the penis -- the two sides of the corpus cavernosus and the corpus spongeosus (as I recall). Both of my CC chambers are currently filled with bits of inflatable tubing that might leak if injected and such an injection wouldn't do anything. There is some remaining tissue around the implants that might respond but it would be difficult to target for injection. Injecting the CS might work. It consists of a fairly thin layer around the urethra (which would also be a difficult target for injecting) plus the glans which, I suppose, could be injected but, candidly, the idea gives me the shivers. So, no, injections are out. Muse or trimix gel might do something, though... but probably not enough to justify the cost.

BillyBob,

It is possible that some of the percieved loss of size is the lack of a glanular erection. In theory I might recover some if my part of a nerve wakes up, but currently there isn't much going on there.

Tall,

Actually, the ruler isn't as necessary as you might think. Most guys tend to know the general length of their members by remembering how it measured against the width of their palms.

BTW- Someone has invented a new design that doesn't require a ball button or hydraulics to operate. Instead, it relies upon a 1000W magnetic induction motor to warm up and expand a nitinol (nickel/titanium shape memory alloy) prosthesis. It takes 2 minutes to warm up to 107°F, but they can cover it with an insulating material for comfort. The prototype was 22 cm, which sounds party size to me. It's just in animal tests now, but maybe it will be ready for prime time by the time you're ready to trade up to a new model.

Beyond the pump: Use of magnetic induction to activate a penile prosthesis

Hmmm. I can see a thermally activated implant providing a second line of defense on the dating scene. If the woman who seemed so hot in the bar ...

It seems that Google has a copy of the patent if you are curious about the memory metal member.

22 cm? YIKES!

thanks for the post!!

I am meeting with the urologist on the 13th of this month to schedule an implant. I've used everything else under the sun with no results what so ever, and although its only been 14 months I see no reason to wait any longer for Mr. Happy to wake up.

Again, thanks for the post, answered some questions I had and also gave me a few to ask the urologist when I see him.

Id like to know is the Ams 700 cx is a good chose im getting mine done of feb 4 2020 . I asked my doctor and if im going to be the same size he said yes to me he said they full it the fluid for a full erection size for the right size for you .

Pat707,
There are two commonly used brands of penile implant and they both have two versions. The AMS 700 comes in CX and LGX models and the Coloplast Titan comes in the Titan and Titan Touch varieties. They are all pretty comparable. I have an AMS 700 CX and, like Tom, I would slightly prefer an LGX although it's not a big deal. If the device ever fails and has to be replaced I might switch but, failing that, I'm OK with what I've got. There aren't any big differences between any of them. They all have the same parts and they all work the same way. The Coloplast devices are a bit stiffer, both when inflated and deflated. This potentially makes them better for guys with long members and guys looking to correct a Peyronie's disease bend. They are also more rigid when only partially inflated which may make them easier to use for men with poor hand strength. The AMS devices, on the other hand, are more naturally soft when deflated. The AMS 700 CX model is slightly more rigid than the LGX when inflated -- making it a better choice for correcting Peronie's Disease curvature -- and the LGX is the only device of the four that gets longer with extra pumping.
Here's a video where a doctor compares AMS and Coloplast devices. He doesn't get into the different models but it's a good overview.
Implant comparison: Coloplast vs AMS for Penile Implants

Peester,
If you put a ratchet arm on the spur gear worm screw, the unit would vibrate as it was engaged.
Both participants might enjoy the ride up as well as down.
Jeff

At lease you can bang again.

darn...when I read this thread I’m grateful for a low risk diagnosis and being able to choose a simple radiation monotherapy. PCa treatment choices become so much more complicated for intermediate and high risk and guys suffering from BPH. Best wishes to all you guys suffering from these complications. I’m also grateful for the people on this forum for helping me make an informed treatment choice. I’m hopeful this thread offers some insight and help.