Timeline of Implant Failure: How long did you wait for your revision surgery?

[Curved-Guy]

I guess I’ve been extremely lucky, the most I’ve waited is 45days. I’ve also always had very good insurance if that factors in as a deciding factor.

[sonnyjim]

I had mine done on the NHS so I guess I’d probably be looking at 6 months to a year or even more.

That’s what is making me feel depressed recently.

I’ve reached the 5 year point with my AMS LGX and I’m wondering how much longer it will last.

Shouldn’t have these worries at 37 years old.

[Discovernew]

Between finding a new doctor (Kramer had left the area), scheduling appointments, then scheduling surgery, it was just over 4 months. Not being able to inflate during that time, I developed a bit of atrophy. When the surgeon measured me for the replacement, she determined the original implant was too large and opted for a smaller unit. My understanding is they usually up size on replacement. This left me 1” shorter with the new implant. I started with a lot of length so not a huge deal, but I kind of miss the big fellow.

Hi HRC714. I'm confused, i remember you wrote before that you had a larger implant on revision and lost size despite that. So did you get a larger or smaller implant on revision? and did you gain or lose size?

[Rider1400]

I also had an initial revision for improper positioning of tips in glans and terrible positioning of the reservoir. Initial visit then surgery about one month later. At the time my surgeon was caught up and wasn’t far behind. Lots of factors can play in with insurance and how busy they are at the time..

[Discovernew]

I also had an initial revision for improper positioning of tips in glans and terrible positioning of the reservoir. Initial visit then surgery about one month later. At the time my surgeon was caught up and wasn’t far behind. Lots of factors can play in with insurance and how busy they are at the time..

Rider, how is your recovery going?

[ElbowRoom]

I haven't had a recision yet. But Dr. Hakky has never made me wait more than a few days for an appointment, and even got me in on a Saturday once because of an issue early on in my recovery.

When.scheduling my surgery he could have done it in 4-6 weeks, but I timed it out three months for personal scheduling reasons.

Assuming insurance doesn't drag it out, I expect that I can get into the OR in 4-6 weeks when the time comes.

[LGXDownunder]

I don't need a revision but can't ignore that implants don't last forever. If going with the same surgeon I'm able to contact his nurse practitioner directly, avoiding the admin desk bureaucracy. I would likely get an appointment within 1 to 3 weeks. His surgery schedule does fill up quickly, he told me that when I was deciding on my existing/original implant. But I'd expect he would try and fit me in quickly, possibly between 2 and 4 weeks.

Private insurance approval is basically a rubber stamp in Australia and doesn't cause a delay. As long as the policy is at the maximum level ("gold") all urological procedures are covered including implants/revisions. Policies meeting that criteria are essentially all the same regardless of insurer. In any case it's somewhat of a moot point as insurance only covers a small part of the surgeon's fee in 99% of cases (hospital and the implant itself are fully covered). The out of pocket cost is horrendous for almost everyone.

So, overall between 3 and 7 weeks is my estimate. Going with a different surgeon could change that timeframe but I wouldn't think by too much. If the implant was "broken" and not functioning I would be using a VED daily to keep the tissues stretched and avoid atrophy while waiting.