FrankTalk.org

11 Week Update:

Brief Summary from the past:
- Implanted on Sept 13th
- Pump activation at 2 weeks
- 3 weeks started cycling when pump was easier to access with scrotum swelling almost to 0
- Had very slow intercourse at week 4 -- quite uncomfortable though and at weeks 5-6 I had no sex due to discomfort
- It was probably about 6 weeks that I wasn't aware of my penis throughout the day, except occasionally, and when I could do most workouts comfortably including running
- By week 7 I could enjoy sex as discomfort was minimal, though some positions (where the penis was moved up or down from the 3:00 position) were still quite uncomfortable

Now at 11 weeks:
* Have been cycling once a day with this routine:
30 pumps -- this gives a hard enough erection for intercourse, (I think 20 pumps would be the minimum for a decent hard erection) -- these are quick momentary squeezes (so not a full deflation of the bulb)
Then intercourse (about twice a week), or manual stimulation for 20 minutes or so
Shower
Add another 15 to 20 pumps to attempt to max out and leave it for 5 minutes, then deflate
The first 30 pumps are pretty easy, for the last 20 I have to be more conscious of isolating the pump which means grabbing the top of the pump and holding it steady while trying to pull the pump bulb a bit out and pulled so that it can't escape the harder squeezes -- in this case the skin is pulled more tightly against the bulb and in this way I can "contain" the bulb.
I'm not maxing out the bulb yet, so I could probably push this further
I feel like if I did this twice a day it might aggravate things, but many guys do and it seems fine
In the first month after activation going to max caused me to see stars, have mild sweats and shakes . . . so it was borderline too intense -- now it is much better. Going to max would be too sensitive and uncomfortable for sex for sure, and it does cause a bit of pain, but not nearly the degree that it did a month ago.
* For intercourse, the head and shaft definitely engorge with stimulation and add about 1/4" to the length
* Most positions are now pain free with only mild, momentary discomfort
No issues with oral, but when the wife does manual it can be a bit uncomfortable as she rubs the head a bit too hard, so there's still a bit of sensitivity there
* To fully deflate takes me 2 times of pressing and holding the deflate button. I deflate then after about 5 minutes I can hit the deflate button again and squeeze out more
Isolating the deflate button requires me to pull the pump out and forward, otherwise the button is partially blocked by the testicle and the testicle doesn't like the pressure that I apply when trying to deflate.
The pump normally hangs straight down and partly behind the testicle -- to inflate and deflate I pull the bulb forward and out so that rather than pointing straight down, it's now about 60 degrees or so from the normal hang

* Miscellaneous stuff:
My urine stream with the bigger, slightly stiffer implanted penis is fuller, so it's more like a fire hose than a water hose, ha
Angle of inflated penis is 3:00, some days it is at 3:15 and some days at 2:45 with an average of about 3:00
Length has increased 1/4" to 3/8" over about 5 weeks; from tip to stomach it is almost 5 1/2" -- I think at activation is was just under 5"
No noticeable change to girth -- that's at 4 3/4", though it's still oval, it seems to be getting ever so slightly more round
The initial 30 pumps can be done in about 40 seconds ( my first few weeks took 20 minutes ). Deflate is probably about half that
The erect penis can feel cold as others have mentioned -- stimulation though gets it warm as blood does flow in there
Since the penis is hard and my anxiety is now much lower, I find it much easier to be stimulated and have cum start flowing. Orgasms are much much stronger -- the first 6 weeks after activation, the strength of the orgasms coupled with the penis discomfort was almost enough to make me pass out -- not really, but you get the idea -- I usually had to stop moving during the orgasm. Now I can keep moving throughout the orgasm as the pain/discomfort is near zero
With the now larger implanted structured penis, I have to make some adjustments -- you know the Superman exercise? You lay on your stomach and lift your upper body and lower body off the mat -- this puts a lot of pressure of the torso. I have to point my penis up to do those otherwise the pressure on the downward pointing penis is too much
I mountain biked and it was ok, but when pedaling or doing anything which causes the slightest amount of pressure on the scrotum, I can be aware of the pump in there as it gets pressed up against the testicles. I think this will become better over time but I did find myself squirming a bit now and then and I found that I wanted to pedal with my knees out a bit to reduce pressure on the scrotum

Thanks for your detailed update, helps a lot, I’m only 3 weeks post opt and healing well, no sign of bruising and no swelling just tender at the reservoir area where they cut muscle tissue but pump sits low and easy to access, doctor wants me to wait 6 weeks to activate but may try earlier

nbriley --

Glad your pump is easy to access and you are healing well!! I remember feeling a bit tender there for a few days, so it should resolve shortly.

Have you started feeling around the pump to identify the components? I did that probably at about 9 days or so, then did brief pump and deflate with the doctor's consent and direction on day 12. it took me a about of month of manipulating the pump, before I really got comfortable with the whole thing and now I find pumping and deflating pretty simple. In the beginning I remember breaking out into a light sweat trying to pump up and it took like 20 minutes of doing a few pumps, waiting a few minutes, etc. It will probably be a bit of a struggle at first but it definitely gets easier over several weeks.

A few minor additional notes on how things are now . . .
* I mentioned the fire hose like urine stream, on the con side I find it dribbles a lot more now afterwards, so I usually put a small amount of tissue on the tip any dripples after urination -- I think it might just be that before I could more effectively drain it out and squeeze out all the urine by pushing up on the scrotum and now I don't feel comfortable doing that.
* I'm fairly thin so although you can't see the reservoir, I can feel it with certain stretches -- for example, if I'm sitting down and the left leg is out at an angle and I stretch towards that foot then I can feel the compression on the reservoir -- it's one of those odd kind of sensations like there's something there pushing inward, so no pain or discomfort, just odd and I can't stretch as far as I used to

Airwolf,

Great report. I'm in about the same place as you in all regards except for my pump placement and still having some discomfort with intercourse (not enough to stop me ). Dribbling after peeing is a bummer, but the good news is the implant stopped my stress incontinence.

Size report is just like yours, except I don't have your girth -- never had a lot, but it's definitely less than it was.

Having revision on the 13th to get the pump moved. It's right at the base of my penis and uncomfortable with intercourse.

Good to hear from you. Glad you're doing well.

Bob 2.3

Thanks Bob,

You're a valued member here and provided a lot of support via PM to me. Good luck on the pump revision. I still have some healing to go but for the most part I would say sex is 80% great and 20% discomfort. About 6 weeks ago those numbers were flipped which led to awkward sex, so healing takes patience for sure.

Kevin

AirWolf wrote:A few minor additional notes on how things are now . . .
* I'm fairly thin so although you can't see the reservoir, I can feel it with certain stretches -- for example, if I'm sitting down and the left leg is out at an angle and I stretch towards that foot then I can feel the compression on the reservoir -- it's one of those odd kind of sensations like there's something there pushing inward, so no pain or discomfort, just odd and I can't stretch as far as I used to

Does doing a stretch like that cause any auto-inflation from the pressure on the reservoir?

Hi Warren,

It's not enough to cause auto inflation, just pressure that alerts me that something is there. Based on that pressure I don't stretch as much as I could but my instinct is I could stretch like I used to and it would be fine.

Kevin

Airwolf,

Awesome detailed reporting. Highly doubt I could do as well. I admire your PT efforts during recovery. In the future if you’re still having issues on the bike, check out Eliptigo. More effort than cycle and no sitting. A real workout, you just don’t go as fast. Think I’ve pushed 18mph once.

Thanks again for posting your journey.

Carl

AirWolf wrote:you know the Superman exercise? You lay on your stomach and lift your upper body and lower body off the mat -- this puts a lot of pressure of the torso. I have to point my penis up to do those otherwise the pressure on the downward pointing penis is too much

There's a yoga pose I do like that. Do you think wearing a jock strap would help keep the penis pointing up?

AirWolf wrote:I mountain biked and it was ok, but when pedaling or doing anything which causes the slightest amount of pressure on the scrotum, I can be aware of the pump in there as it gets pressed up against the testicles. I think this will become better over time but I did find myself squirming a bit now and then and I found that I wanted to pedal with my knees out a bit to reduce pressure on the scrotum

Biking after the implant is my biggest concern. I'm even taking one of my road bike saddles to show Dr Eid so it understands how concerned I am. I'm on my sit bones when riding and without much pressure on the scrotum so hoping this won't become an issue. Can you feel the RTE's or tubing at all when on the bike? Do you feel like the implant compromises your biking enjoyment at all?

Thanks Carl for the tip -- I have done elliptical running but am going at a slower pace than previous -- I'm hoping to get back up to speed.

Warren,
I do think a jock strap might help as it may hold the scrotum up and contained and in this way prevent the jostling of pump and testicles that is a bit uncomfortable
The issue I have while biking is just how thigh movement causes the testicles and pump to slide against each other ever so slightly -- no pain, just makes me aware of them and at times a bit of an odd sensation
I do worry while biking if I ever slam my scrotum into the frame, or go over my handlebars (has happened twice in my ten years of biking) it could be quite painful, as well as possibly damaging so not sure how to protect that, maybe a cup??
The implant does make it so that I can't 100% enjoy biking due to awareness of the scrotum and fear of falling, but I'm hoping it will become less sensitive over time, and I'll try some type of support in the near future

Kevin