Coloplast Titan pseudo-malfunction - bulb freezes after 3 pumps

[QuestionGuy]

I have a Coloplast Titan implant and I think the pump isn’t working correctly. I can squeeze the bulb only 3 times, but nothing seems to make it into the cylinders. The bulb just collapses, and then it only reinflates if I press the deflate valve. It feels like all the fluid is just moving between the bulb and the valve, not from the reservoir into the cylinders. I’ve
tried pressing the deflate button and firm squeezes, but I still don’t get inflation.

Ill try calling the coloplast technical support, and my surgeon in the morning, and if this is just a matter of the device no longer inflating (and doing what its supposed to) , its not so urgent....(I'm mostly concerned about this being indicative of the system perhaps being compromised...in which case what ? does fluid leak out into my guts? could there be infection? or some other serious implications?

if itsw the famous pseudo-malfunction, it seems like this is a common problem, and some resolve it by just messing with the mechanism, but i thought id see if anyone here had 1st hand experience....or maybe some surgeons or professionals know something helpful.

[QuestionGuy]

More information - there is definitely negative pressure in the cylinders (vacume) . they are sucked flatter than they have ever been. When I depress the bulb, and release with the and release valve, it seems only air is in play. So no liquid is being transferred from the reservoir (or the the liquid has leaked out, and there is no liquid in the system)

Does anyone know what diagnostics are possible in the doctors office?

Is it possible to remediate anything in an office? or are most malfunctions requiring surgery?

Can they replace individual components (leaving things like cylinders and reservoir in place)?

....or are revisions basically a nice way of saying "your starting from scratch and repeating the same process you went thru to get the initial implant"

If they "rip & replace" everything on every revision, and some people are doing 2 - 4 revisions in their lifetime, are we not doing even more destruction each time ....to what is left as far as nerves and remaining corpus cavernosum ?

[mxquad]

I would check YouTube to see how to reset the pump by squeezing both sides of the block. I have the AMS and that's how to reset. Since your device is so new if it was me I would try rocking the pump by pumping and deflating several times for a few days until you can get into your doctor. The valves in the pump are tight and need to be worked until normal inflation. When it was installed it was inflated before you left the operation.

Good luck on this and keep us posted what the solution is.

[tooyoung]

More information - there is definitely negative pressure in the cylinders (vacume) . they are sucked flatter than they have ever been. When I depress the bulb, and release with the and release valve, it seems only air is in play. So no liquid is being transferred from the reservoir (or the the liquid has leaked out, and there is no liquid in the system)

Does anyone know what diagnostics are possible in the doctors office?

Is it possible to remediate anything in an office? or are most malfunctions requiring surgery?

Can they replace individual components (leaving things like cylinders and reservoir in place)?

....or are revisions basically a nice way of saying "your starting from scratch and repeating the same process you went thru to get the initial implant"

If they "rip & replace" everything on every revision, and some people are doing 2 - 4 revisions in their lifetime, are we not doing even more destruction each time ....to what is left as far as nerves and remaining corpus cavernosum ?

They stopped replacing the broken part instead they replace the whole unit.

Revisions in terms of recovery is easier (less swelling and pain) because the cavity around the implant has become fibrous...aka the surgical capsule.

May I ask what was the rate of your usage during these 6 years ?

[tooyoung]

I would check YouTube to see how to reset the pump by squeezing both sides of the block. I have the AMS and that's how to reset. Since your device is so new if it was me I would try rocking the pump by pumping and deflating several times for a few days until you can get into your doctor. The valves in the pump are tight and need to be worked until normal inflation. When it was installed it was inflated before you left the operation.

Good luck on this and keep us posted what the solution is.

What's so new ? A surviving 6 year ipp isn't that common.

[QuestionGuy]

To clarify : the implant went in 6 years ago and it has been used very little since then. There was a two year period in the middle, where I was moderately active (2 - 4 hours a week) but no sex at all during most of the 6 years. I did try to inflate once a week (just because I felt that was "the thing to do" )....but this implant was in no way inflated and deflated an excessive number of times. Truth be told...there were entire months I skipped inflating it.

The most profound thing about this malfunction is the negative pressure or vacume conditions within the system right now.

I know the chances of an in-office fix are slim.....but my original surgeon was "a legend", and the original surgery was a big big deal for me.....(expensive doctor/ expensive hospital) I now reside in another state, and I would hate to fly back to the original surgeon to be examined .....if the answer is 99% chance that I need new surgery.

on the other hand: if this is something that "a legend" doctor could fix without surgery (palpation/manipulation).....but my local "average implant doctor" will just throw his hand in the air and say "revision"...then that trip to the "expert" would be well worth it.

Coloplast said that it could be several things, and that the pump sticking issue is a still a possibilty....so I'm praying its not one of the situations requiring a revision.

Also: its not really 3 pumps (as i stated earlier) 1 good hard full pump will leave the bulb also depressed (in a vacume condition). A doctor or an implant engineer (or someone intimatly knowagable about the components of this system) might be able to poke around and feel around to understand what is going on.....so I was hoping to catch the eye of someone like that with my post.

[tooyoung]

To clarify : the implant went in 6 years ago and it has been used very little since then. There was a two year period in the middle, where I was moderately active (2 - 4 hours a week) but no sex at all during most of the 6 years. I did try to inflate once a week (just because I felt that was "the thing to do" )....but this implant was in no way inflated and deflated an excessive number of times. Truth be told...there were entire months I skipped inflating it.

The most profound thing about this malfunction is the negative pressure or vacume conditions within the system right now.

I know the chances of an in-office fix are slim.....but my original surgeon was "a legend", and the original surgery was a big big deal for me.....(expensive doctor/ expensive hospital) I now reside in another state, and I would hate to fly back to the original surgeon to be examined .....if the answer is 99% chance that I need new surgery.

on the other hand: if this is something that "a legend" doctor could fix without surgery (palpation/manipulation).....but my local "average implant doctor" will just throw his hand in the air and say "revision"...then that trip to the "expert" would be well worth it.

Coloplast said that it could be several things, and that the pump sticking issue is a still a possibilty....so I'm praying its not one of the situations requiring a revision.

Also: its not really 3 pumps (as i stated earlier) 1 good hard full pump will leave the bulb also depressed (in a vacume condition). A doctor or an implant engineer (or someone intimatly knowagable about the components of this system) might be able to poke around and feel around to understand what is going on.....so I was hoping to catch the eye of someone like that with my post.

If it's a sticky pump I might blame it on the lack of cycling...If it's really a fluid leak (less fluid in the reservoir) then I will blame it on the crappy reliability of an ipp...as always.

And still the need to cycle daily or every other day is a tedious chore nobody talks about and I don't know why.