How do I know what fully deflated is?

[Flip_5]

I just had an appointment to deflate my implant. I can get it down to the point where I feel some krinkles and the tubes make a very subtle squeeking sound as I press on them and they flex around. The penis itself is also a little more flexible than it was. But it points up at 2 o clock and still looks quite full. Did you find that when it was new you experienced something similar but it then changed over time to became way more flexible? or was it very flexible right from the get go and immediately pointed down to 6 o clock on your first few deflates?


(right now my valve is 'covered' which makes it really hard to operate still).

[Lost Sheep]

I just had an appointment to deflate my implant. I can get it down to the point where I feel some krinkles and the tubes make a very subtle squeeking sound as I press on them and they flex around. The penis itself is also a little more flexible than it was. But it points up at 2 o clock and still looks quite full. Did you find that when it was new you experienced something similar but it then changed over time to became way more flexible? or was it very flexible right from the get go and immediately pointed down to 6 o clock on your first few deflates?


(right now my valve is 'covered' which makes it really hard to operate still).

If you read through old posts (which I recommend because some of the answers you will find there within a couple hours of reading may not come from current members for a couple of days and some wisdom from members no longer active may get missed entirely), you will see many comments about the inherent stiffness of the Coloplast tubes.

Coloplast tubes are made of a material they call "bioflex"which is fairly stiff all by itself, uninflated. Many members report that it gradually softens over time. Months. As I understand it, the more you use it, the quicker it softens, but you should hear that from someone who has a Coloplast. I have an AMS LGX which is made of a different mateiral which is a lot more flexible and "drapes" (until I inflate it) more naturally than the Coloplast. Easier to deploy for urination, too.

When you can feel the krinkles and folds you are pretty well deflated. If you bend your penis in the middle, you will feel some folds that people here call "dog ears". They are the same thing you get when you bend a water hose or drinking straw.

I cannot tell you how to determine if you are 100% deflated for absolute certain, but when I want to deflate completely I wrap one hand around the shaft of my penis and sqeeze, one finger at a time, to "milk" the saline toward my body (the opposite of how you milk a cow) and then repeat. Since my penis sticks out a bit from my hand, I also try to poke the glans down into my hand (like you would squeeze an accordion). I don't know how easy that will be with a Coloplast.

At that point, I will speculate that you will see your cross-section as rather flat and be able to palpate the tubes inside your penis and roll the folds and krinkles around quite a bit.

I hope this helps.

[Lost Sheep]

Short answer:

Yeah, you are going to stick out for a while. Take advantage of that and wear underwear that keeps you pointed up. Scar tissue is still forming and you will appreciate an upward-pointing erection. The base of the implant will be held in the orientation in which it healed. Once a couple of months has passed and you are fully healed and the Coloplast tubes have softened a bit they will be able to bend down so you penis will hang (or drape) more naturally. But you will probably never hang at 6 o'clock again (my opinion). But your erection will be outstanding.

Implants are not a perfect treatment for ED (and certainly not a cure). But they are as close to a true cure (for a man for whom the other treatments are ineffective) as we have.

Count your blessings.

[AverageBloke]

Hey Flip,

I'm almost 6 weeks out of surgery and my deflated still points out to about 4-4:30pm. It will take time through cycling to soften the cylinders and you will get better at deflating. The way I deflate is I hold the deflate button and squeeze my penis at the same time for about 10 seconds. My penis looks pretty deflated but still sticks out so I can't point it down at the moment. I've purchased a comfortable large jockstrap from amazon and I plan to start wearing my flaccid penis up just for the first three months.

Also I read your journal, in regards to the pump still being stuck... Ask your surgeon if you can start soaking in a hot bath. Hot baths really soften up all the tissues and let you feel all aspects of the pump better. Give it some time the pump should dislodge and be in a good position. If it is still a problem after three months then you can determine with the surgeon if you need a revision. And I would also be asking why it ended up like that, was it poor pump placement? Did he ever ask you to do gentle tugs on the pump daily in the first 2 weeks to keep it in place? Some surgeons do and some don't.

I would follow your surgeons instructions as they know what is best. Give it time and be patient. I couldn't find my deflate button at first because it was covered in tissue but now my pump is hanging lower and the tissue is going away.

[Lost Sheep]

In addition to asking your surgeon (and here), the Coloplast Patient Liaison is there (provided by Coloplast at no charge to you) to help you with these sorts of questions. The PL often knows tricks and fixes that even the surgeons don't know about. Also has more time to spend with you on the phone and can walk you through how to do stuff.

The PL is a valuable resource and knowledge base. Use him/her.

[Old Guy]

My Coloplast Titan is still fairly stiff after 2 1/2 years, but nowhere like it was for maybe the first year. It hangs down my left leg, but there is a bulge in my pants that I never had before. I can tuck my penis between my legs to sleep on my stomach, laying on it isn't comfortable.

[Masonjames]

I've had my Coloplast for one year and nine months now. It hangs naturally now but it's a shower and not a grower. I don't even think about it unless I am using it and then everything is great. Love my Coloplast and my abilities now.

[stmfttr]

I've had my Coloplast for one year and nine months now. It hangs naturally now but it's a shower and not a grower. I don't even think about it unless I am using it and then everything is great. Love my Coloplast and my abilities now.

Agree 100%!
stmfttr

[Confusedjourney]

I have the coloplast and I Harv many issues with deflating from the beginning. It’s very sensitive and u have to get the exact spot. I use to fish around a lot and it would take me 15 mins to deflate because I would get the right spot then lose it and then get it again. 6 months in now I finally got it right. What helped was getting a good angle by switching hands. Now it’s real easy. You’ll figure it out. Best of luck!

[Flip_5]

Thanks so much for the encouraging & helpful replies guys. It's great to be able to reach out and share what's going on with other people going through the same.

I'm still struggling at deflation but I think I'm already getting better. It used to take me an hour plus of fiddling to inflate and deflate and now I've cut that down a little bit.

I'm in touch with the coloplast support person too so I usually ask them the same questions I ask here.