Considerations about implant now or later

[Chevalier]

I am still struggling with the decision for or against an implant.

I still have some erectile function, and if I add 25mg of Cialis or 100mg of Viagra to my 7.5mg of Cialis daily, I have - halfway - decent sex. However, only with the help of my own manual work beforehand and in a familiar environment. Taking a woman aside at a party and having spontaneous wild sex in the toilet or foreign bedrooms - impossible. But that's exactly what makes sex good sex...

I'm 50, very fit, healthy, look more like in the late 30ies, could have almost any woman I want.

My - European - urologist advises me against an implant now:
"Do it when you're 60. If your ED develops like in the last years, that will be about the time when pills and injections will no longer work, then an implant is really necessary, but not now. Its too invasive for what you have right now."

What my orthopaedist tells me, on the other hand, is the following: "You already have a lot of osteoarthritis in your knee joint and hips as a result of doing professional sports in your youth. You may need artificial joints in 10-15 years' time."

And then I think to myself: And then - in my mid-60s, 15 years in the future - a penile implant is supposed to give me the sex life I don't have now?? Sorry, but thats simply not very wise...

That can't be strategically intelligent life planning.

From a bird's eye view, what my urologist is advising me to do (or: not to do) is nonsense, isn't it?

[dan_bionic]

yes, you are right, get an implant as as soon as possible, so you can enjoy your sexual drive as you like.
Don't wait till you are 60 and especially, if you'll need hip replacement.
Do it now and enjoy Sex, fucking NOW young hotties is the best you can do!
Dan

[SWorks17]

I am still struggling with the decision for or against an implant.

I still have some erectile function, and if I add 25mg of Cialis or 100mg of Viagra to my 7.5mg of Cialis daily, I have - halfway - decent sex. However, only with the help of my own manual work beforehand and in a familiar environment. Taking a woman aside at a party and having spontaneous wild sex in the toilet or foreign bedrooms - impossible. But that's exactly what makes sex good sex...

I'm 50, very fit, healthy, look more like in the late 30ies, could have almost any woman I want.

My - European - urologist advises me against an implant now:
"Do it when you're 60. If your ED develops like in the last years, that will be about the time when pills and injections will no longer work, then an implant is really necessary, but not now. Its too invasive for what you have right now."

What my orthopaedist tells me, on the other hand, is the following: "You already have a lot of osteoarthritis in your knee joint and hips as a result of doing professional sports in your youth. You may need artificial joints in 10-15 years' time."

And then I think to myself: And then - in my mid-60s, 15 years in the future - a penile implant is supposed to give me the sex life I don't have now?? Sorry, but thats simply not very wise...

That can't be strategically intelligent life planning.

From a bird's eye view, what my urologist is advising me to do (or: not to do) is nonsense, isn't it?

Chevalier, Dan_Bionic is right, don't wait! Get it now while you're still in good shape/health and you can have great sex.
If I would have been single at your age and I was having ED, I would have been looking for a solution.
I got my implant through the U.S. military health system. I had went to urology clinic at Brooke Army Medical Center about my prostrate and I filled out a questionnaire that had also asked if I was having sexual health problems. Yes, I was already 63 but they brought up the permanent cure to ED, the IPP, they brought me a video to watch about the whole process.
It's a big step but I'm glad I got my implant and probably should have done it sooner but I'm married and I wasn't getting laid everyday. Pills were working but barely in my 50's and early 60's and it was getting worse.
I don't know your system over there, but I would get an appointment to another implant urologist.
I get laid way more now that my wife started taking hormone replacement pellets a year ago.

Good Luck,
and don't give up,
SWorks

[alans4570]

When you read these posts you will find that most guys will say, "I wish I had done it sooner ". I fall into that category. I started having problems in my fifties. I tried the pills and lost vision in my left eye. So, I went to injections and had problems with my right eye. In my case I wish I had skipped the pills and injections and went straight to the the implant. My implant has been great. My advice is to pick a great surgeon and go for it.

[Nocturne]

I am in very much the same boat as you. ED started at 41, probably due to very low T, very high Lp(a), and psychogenic factors. Even with T restoration and pills, it took months to get enough functionality to have regular sex and 2-3 years before I really started to trust my body again. The tolls of anxiety and depression over this were real.
The most recent 7-8 years have been good (I’ll be 52 in August), and I’ve been with the same loving woman all of that time (we’re married now). I can have regular sex but it’s like you describe - I need a degree of time and stimulation (mostly mental; I almost always get hard while lying next to her and getting her off with my fingers), and outside of the familiarity of our bedroom it can be difficult.
In fact, the ED came roaring back for me about a month ago when we were on a private vacation together - same as the first time. I’m still trying to recover. I know it’s gotta be mostly psychogenic this time (as in, if I weren’t anxious about it, my wheezing jalopy of a dick would still get me to where I gotta go), but again the toll of anxiety and depression are real.
And now, my wife has her own issues with vaginal dryness brought on by menopause. Lubing up after I’m ready provides the 30 seconds or so it takes for me to worry about losing it and lose it, and lubing up before we start makes me feel like the pressure is on and increases anxiety, so…
I’m also staring down the barrel of a likely OHS for my aortic valve stenosis (brought on by high Lp(a)) sometime in the next decade, and terrified that it’s going to align with ED progression JUST SO such that I’m out of commission for a year or two before I can get the implant when I need it.
The medical establishment prefers conservative treatment and the “ladder” of pills, then injections, then the VED, and then and ONLY then an implant that actually works and solves the problem. And your insurance company will sure as shit use that fact to leave you twisting in the wind as long as possible. There is a certain cruelty to it.
Here’s what I’m currently planning to do:

1. I’m giving it a few months to see if I can tamp down this latest bout of psychogenic ED. It sucks but I’ve done it before.
2. I meet with my urologist in August. I’m going to suggest we start shifting to injections, at least for those rare private vacations so I won’t be so prone to go into a tailspin like the one I’m in now.
3. I’m also going to be very up front with him about the fact that another reason I want to use the injections is so I can say I have used them and they don’t work for my day to day lifestyle, by way of building a case for the implant ahead of time, for when I need it.
4. The next time I fall into a bout of “psychogenic ED” will be the last. I’ll pay out of pocket if I have to. I’m not going through this a third time.
5. I’m going to meet with a high volume surgeon like Eid shortly after I meet with my urologist, just to get a second opinion. I have a feeling that a surgeon will be more likely to encourage the implant, as every workman tends to see most problems as a nail when they’re equipped with a hammer.

And that’s my plan, right now. All assuming I *can* pull out of this bout of psychogenic (which of course is only partly psychogenic because if I had my old 25-year-old functionality and response - erections that kicked the door in and barged in like they owned the place - I wouldn’t be having any anxiety at all).

The medical establishment’s directive to try the least invasive, most conservative solutions first (even if they are less likely to provide a satisfactory resolution) is not without merit, especially considering the permanent nature of the implant and the small but real chance of complications. But it’s also a valid point of view to be considering your likely lifespan and how you want to be spending the remaining years ahead of you.
Me, I’m likely to live maybe 25 more years (if I’m lucky) due to heart issues (got a severe blockage in my RCA now). Like I said I’m almost 52. If I had an implant tomorrow, I would likely only need one replacement over the course of my life, around age 62-67. I’d still be hale and hearty enough to undergo that revision at that age. And then I likely wouldn’t live long enough to require another one.
Do I really want to endure 15 more years of anxious, restriction-heavy sex with pills, willpower, and injections, just to avoid one revision surgery in the future? Because that’s the most likely trade off for me. And while I’m not convinced I “need” an implant right now, I’m also not convinced that my answer to the question I just posed is “yes”.
In the end, you have to make your own decisions for yourself. Remember, it’s YOUR body and YOUR life. Insurance will try to squeazel out of paying for it like they do with everything, but it may be worth it to you to pay out of pocket for this thing rather than letting them hang you out to twist in the wind for an extra decade.
It’s a tough choice and I truly sympathize with you. You’re not alone. The best thing you can do is be your own advocate. As long as you have the means to pay for it out of pocket, YOU are the one who is really in charge here. You don’t actually need anyone’s “permission” but your surgeon’s. Good luck.

[HikerMan]

I am still struggling with the decision for or against an implant.

I still have some erectile function, and if I add 25mg of Cialis or 100mg of Viagra to my 7.5mg of Cialis daily, I have - halfway - decent sex. However, only with the help of my own manual work beforehand and in a familiar environment. Taking a woman aside at a party and having spontaneous wild sex in the toilet or foreign bedrooms - impossible. But that's exactly what makes sex good sex...

I'm 50, very fit, healthy, look more like in the late 30ies, could have almost any woman I want.

My - European - urologist advises me against an implant now:
"Do it when you're 60. If your ED develops like in the last years, that will be about the time when pills and injections will no longer work, then an implant is really necessary, but not now. Its too invasive for what you have right now."

What my orthopaedist tells me, on the other hand, is the following: "You already have a lot of osteoarthritis in your knee joint and hips as a result of doing professional sports in your youth. You may need artificial joints in 10-15 years' time."

And then I think to myself: And then - in my mid-60s, 15 years in the future - a penile implant is supposed to give me the sex life I don't have now?? Sorry, but thats simply not very wise...

That can't be strategically intelligent life planning.

From a bird's eye view, what my urologist is advising me to do (or: not to do) is nonsense, isn't it?

I agree with the others on this thread.
At 50, your physical and sexual prowess is not what it was in your 20's and 30's
and it will only continue to fade from this point forward.

If your pills are working -by all means continue...
But for the short time I dealt with ED. I hated every moment of the see-saw battle I had with
those things.
Sometimes it worked and sometimes they didn't.

Pretty F-ing depressing when your lady is on all fours and your dick isn't cooperating.
Even after you've done everything beforehand to prevent it.

At your age you will probably need one- maybe two more implant replacements
If you go the IPP route

I would still move for an implant ASAP.

Best to you.

[Kodixx]

Chevalier, like others above, I often hear "wish I'd done it sooner". What I haven't heard is "sure wish I'd waited". That said, there's some percentage of implantees who experience difficult outcomes -- and I'm sure some would say "wish I'd never done it". Almost everything comes with some risk. Like you my problems started in my early 50's, and I'm in the "wish I'd done it sooner" group.

- Chuck

I am still struggling with the decision for or against an implant. From a bird's eye view, what my urologist is advising me to do (or: not to do) is nonsense, isn't it?

[wunhunglo]

I am still struggling with the decision for or against an implant.

I still have some erectile function, and if I add 25mg of Cialis or 100mg of Viagra to my 7.5mg of Cialis daily, I have - halfway - decent sex. However, only with the help of my own manual work beforehand and in a familiar environment. Taking a woman aside at a party and having spontaneous wild sex in the toilet or foreign bedrooms - impossible. But that's exactly what makes sex good sex...

I'm 50, very fit, healthy, look more like in the late 30ies, could have almost any woman I want.

Since you have a functioning penis I recommend you read the blogs carefully to understand the downsides. It IS NOT the same as your flesh and blood penis performing for hours on end. You will be able to perform on-demand but without arousal it will not feel (or look) the same. I am also in my 50s with the body and stamina of a 30 year-old and still require a) Viagra, b) manual stimulation, and c) excitement from doing something (or someone) new.

I am glad I did it but you owe it to yourself to read the tradeoffs.
Good luck!

[Gt1956]

Chevalier, I'd call your urologist a fraud. Does he offer you a time machine to go back & have all the sex that you missed out on?? Just checking, I didn't think he did.

Btw, have you told him that your using multiple ED drugs at once? 100mg of Viagra is the max dose in the USA. If you're hiding how bad your ED is you can't expect good advice from him.

[ElbowRoom]

I have seen many men state they wish they'd gotten their implants sooner. I've never seen anybody state they wish they'd gotten an implant later.

Make of that what you will.