19 Year Old Guy with some Questions about Implants and Scar Tissue

[WindWizard]

Hello all! So just a little background, I'm a 19 year old guy who has suffered with ED for the past 5 years. Having ED at such a young age has been a very upsetting and depressing experience. I have missed out on a lot of the joys of youth, and my confidence has been destroyed on account of my ED. Trying to find out what was causing my ED and what to do about it has also been a very lengthy and difficult process. I've had doctors tell me my ED was all in my head, that it was due to low testosterone or a pelvic floor dysfunction (I do actually have a Pelvic Floor Dysfunction) Eventually I was referred to Dr. Golstein down in San Diego who performed a cavernosography on me and revealed that the reason for my ED was due to moderate scar tissue throughout both regions of my corpus cavernosum. I'm still a bit unsure as to what exactly caused this scar tissue (Though I have a few guesses) but the important thing now is what to DO about it. I can't keep living with ED.

Pills make my flaccid hand lower but barely help sustain erections, and injections are disappointingly ineffective and leave nasty bruises. I have tried some pretty crazy treatment options. Doc Golstein sent me to Greece for a month to try out shockwave therapy done by the head Urologist at the Aristotle University of Thessolainki. While I had a wonderful time in the city for a month, the treatment was sadly uneffective. I've also tried an injection of PRP with Doctor Golstein as a second option. Unfortunately I saw no improvements after this treatment either. Goldstein has recommended trying the treatment twice more with a few months in between each treatment, but given how expensive the treatment is and that I saw no improvement the first time I don't think I'm going to do this. (I'm happy to go into further detail about either of these treatments if anyone is wondering/considering)

At this point, it looks like the only real option towards getting good hard erections again is a penile implant... however, I am hesitant to do so given that the root cause of my ED is Penile Fibrosis in my corpus cavernosum. I've seen some stuff on FrankTalk and read some articles online that seem to indicate that having scar tissue in the corpus cavernosum makes the implant surgery more difficult, and that men with scar tissue are the most likely to loose significant amounts of length, moreso than guys with say, a venous leak, or peyronies. This really scares me. Here are some links to some studies talking about this. I'm not sure if my scar tissue is as severe as what's being discussed in these articles, but I'm still worried.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4443017/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21492405
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16839331

Right now, if I've popped some sildenafil and I'm right before ejaculation, my erect penis measures at just over six inches. However my stretched flaccid length only comes to 5 and half inches. (Although I'm not sure how hard I'm supposed to pull...) My understanding is that the stretched flaccid length is the best indicator of what the erect implant length will be, so I really don't want to loose any more than a half inch. I guess what I'm asking for, is can anybody who has ED due to penile fibrosis inside the corpus cavernosum weigh in on how their implants worked for them? Additionally, I've read a lot of posts that claim that post op as your penis heals and cycling continues you will regain length. Does this happen in guys with corporal scar tissue? I've also read some posts on Frank Talk that recommended using a vacuum erection device for months before an implant surgery to try and "stretch out" the penis as much as possible and avoid length losses, but I'm really not sure what to think of that, can anyone weigh in on whether that's a good idea? I just really don't wanna get an implant and be crushed if loose a ton of length and don't get it back.

I'm also frankly, really unsure about how to choose a surgeon. I wanna go with someone really experienced, especially if my scar tissue adds a layer of complication to this, and right now I think I'm leaning towards Dr. Kramer. He isn't close or convenient, but I wanna go with someone high profile. But I have no idea how much experience he has with scar tissue and whether or not he'll be my best option for maintaining length and avoiding revisions or infections.

And, I suppose the last of my many questions would be, what is the revision rate for these devices? My understanding is that they're said to last a good 15-20 years on average, but I have seen a ton of guys on here who have needed revisions after only 5 or 6 years. This is also pretty concerning, as that's gonna be a lot of money every so often for the rest of my life! Is the AMS or Titan known to be more reliable?

I apologize for the length of this post, but I'm so glad this community exists for guys like me with ED and questions. Thank you all!

[David_R]

My understanding is basically that implants that were done right last around "15-20 years on average" like you said (mine lasted 12) and then can wear out (like other mechanical things). They then can be replaced (like other mechanical things). The guys who only have a few years with their implant before it stops working (or whatever) basically did not have the implant put in the right way. (This is just what I seem to have gathered from stories I've heard here at FT.)

[tomas1]

I don't see how you could get an erection of 6" and not get that with an implant.

My doc never did a stretch length test and said he'd induce an erection while I was on the table and KO'ed.
Whatever he did, it worked and I got my original length back right after activation.
I didn't have any scarring or Peyronies to complicate matters.

I highly recommend using the VED. If you can pump up to your proper length, I think all is good for an implant.
I raelize that at your age this is all devastating and hope you get it fixed asap.

[ED2013]

I had some fibrosis and lost nothing. My surgeon was Dr. Karpman and I highly recommend him. Bay Area, California.

[Edrudd]

Can I ask you something? Did you ever take antidepressants or antipsychotics? They are causing problems in young people like me

[WindWizard]

I had some fibrosis and lost nothing. My surgeon was Dr. Karpman and I highly recommend him. Bay Area, California.

Okay good to know! And you believe that your fibrosis was the main cause of your ED? I've seen Karpman recommended by several other members on this site, so while I think I'm leaning towards Kramer, Karpman is still in my consideration. He's closer to me too... if you don't mind me asking, how much was Implant surgery with Karpman?

[WindWizard]

Can I ask you something? Did you ever take antidepressants or antipsychotics? They are causing problems in young people like me

Nope, while I've been suffering from depression for years I have never taken antidepressants or antipsychotics, specifically because of hearing about how they can cause lasting ED in some people. I'm considering trying some antidepressants soonish, just because my depression has felt a lot more severe lately, but that would be after the implant surgery, in which case, I may not need them after all as I'm hoping I'll be feeling much better after going bionic.

[WindWizard]

I don't see how you could get an erection of 6" and not get that with an implant.

My doc never did a stretch length test and said he'd induce an erection while I was on the table and KO'ed.
Whatever he did, it worked and I got my original length back right after activation.
I didn't have any scarring or Peyronies to complicate matters.

I highly recommend using the VED. If you can pump up to your proper length, I think all is good for an implant.
I raelize that at your age this is all devastating and hope you get it fixed asap.

Thank you for your input! I'm hoping I'll be keeping my length, but I guess I'll have to wait and see. Did you have scarring before your implant? Or was your ED caused my something else?

Excellent! Thank you, I'll try to get my hands on a VED soon. Thank you! It is difficult but I'm just glad that I live in a time and age where implants are an option!

[Edrudd]

wish you you good luck mate. I am 18 and I might go bionic this year also. I am 18 I'm got fucked by this antidepressants and antipsychotic crap. If I don't regain my erectyle function there is going to be more 2 young bionic in this forum this year

[ED2013]

I had some fibrosis and lost nothing. My surgeon was Dr. Karpman and I highly recommend him. Bay Area, California.

Okay good to know! And you believe that your fibrosis was the main cause of your ED? I've seen Karpman recommended by several other members on this site, so while I think I'm leaning towards Kramer, Karpman is still in my consideration. He's closer to me too... if you don't mind me asking, how much was Implant surgery with Karpman?

Venous leak was the root cause. The fibrosis came later. As of a couple years ago around 19k.