The Current State of Penile Implants & This Forum

[Wooody]

Obviously there's been a lot of heated conversations over the last few months around the reliability of IPPs, and IPPs vs MPPs etc. At times it's gotten personal, and ugly between some of the members and it hasn't been healthy for the forum.

I'm writing this post because I'm hoping to see a change here moving forward... where we can engage in meaningful and respectful conversations about these issues without insults, personal attacks, name calling, questioning peoples accounts etc.

That being said, I'd like to share my thoughts, and hear what other's think as well, about these issues.. I'm hoping this can happen between everyone respectfully!?!

First of all, I'm no doctor or expert.. I'm just a guy that's recovering from ED with an IPP (Titan classic) and happily enjoying recovery from it, so far. I do admit though, that in the back of my mind, on rare occasion, I do think about "what if it fails". But, I have no problem sleeping at night... except when I'm having fun w my fiance

As I see it, based on the studies I've seen, read, been discussed here, what my dr has told me, etc etc... I think the claimed 10-20 year life expectancy for IPPs seems to be more the exception than the rule.

I see 2 reputable urologists.. one for my TRT and the other for the IPP. My TRT dr says expect around 8 yrs from it. My other dr says I should get over 10. I'll be stoked if I can get 8+, but will be happy if I get 5. I'm fortunate in that I have good insurance, and I have funds should I need it.. and I am older (not close to being on medicare yet), but in good shape & health (former competitive body builder - retired 3 yrs ago) and a fast healer. I also believe and trust my IPP Dr when he tells me that the rate of infections with his new and revision surgeries have declined dramatically with improved protocols and processes. I can't speak to other Drs methods, results etc.

I acknowledge though, that if today, based on the current state of IPPs, if I was much younger, and/or didn't have insurance or a good financial situation, I would strongly consider an MPP... out of necessity, not preference. I'm not here to argue which is better. They each have their pros/cons etc and both can be effective at curing the ED problem, which at the end of the day is what truly matters, right?

I really like my Titan, however, it's clear that it has a weakness - tube fractures. Other failures seem to be much more infrequent. My Dr says they're working to redesign the tubing out of the same material as their cylcinders, Bioflex, which has proven very durable and reliable. Who knows if this is true, but I hope it is.

As for Boston Scientific IPPs, I don't have any personal experience with them. However, the Tenacio pump recall confirms what my Dr told me early this year about their pumps. He used to use both Coloplast and BS products but has now chosen to use only Coloplast IPPs. He co-authored a study recently that I shared here which showed results consistent with other studies in regards to multiple points of failure in BS IPPs vs primarily single point of failure (tubes) with the Coloplasts.

I'm not here to argue which is better or more reliable, etc, but to simply state what I've heard and read etc and that I think the products made by both companies can and should be better made to be more reliable. I also don't mind if you disagree with any or all what I've said. I invite discussion. Rational, objective, respectful discussion.

Another issue which was posted about by tooyoung is detailed in a video recently produced by Dr Taj. The Dr details how medicare is starting to deny coverage for penile implants in some states. I don't think he stated that just IPPs or all penile prosthetics are being denied or why, but obviously this is very concerning! I invite tooyoung to repost this as an informational post to the forum for discussion. Respectful discussion, please!

ED is such a deeply personal and debilitating problem and for many, this is the only place we can freely and openly express ourselves.This place has been invaluable to me in so many ways and I'm grateful to be part of this community. Let's keep it at least as great as we found it

Peace to all!

[ready2go]

well men only have 2 types to choose from , hopefully for men in the near future ,the manufacturers get their act together and make tubes that can handle a little pressure and pumps that don't stick and fail
and malleables should come in larger than just 13mm rods for guys with more girth

[JohnHC]

I came here for information before making the jump. I did tons of research and got a lot of good info from this forum. Everybody has their own passion and some just take things too far. I stay on here to pass on my own personal experiences even though my experience has been the type to really try a person's mental stamina. Now I also take most things with a grain of salt and can usually weed out good info from biased info or info based on emotion. If someone starts getting out of hand I will usually ignore them and just not reply as that's what they're looking for, to get under your skin and get a response. I think and hope that those of us on here are truly here to help out others and bicker and cause trouble. This is a very touchy and personal condition that some have real issues opening up and discussing with other people so I hope everyone will be considerate and not cause issues, it doesn't help anyone by being rude. Just my two cents

[GoodWood]

My sense of the state of ED treatments, implants, and this board specifically is that it is robust and healthy. There are several effective oral medications. In the US at least they have become extremely affordable. (Mark Cuban’s CostPlus Drugs)

Shots are effective as well and equally inexpensive.

Implants are more challenging. (I can only speak to the situation in the US.). Several of the best surgeons are based here but our for-profit insurance industry is difficult to navigate and leave many men, particularly those under the age of Medicare, without benefit coverage. I count myself lucky that my insurance covered my implant, but I STILL had to pay around $6500 for my percentage of the procedure & device. The tech of the devices is remarkable. Would it be great if they last forever? Sure. But considering the beating these things take (they don’t call it ‘beat your meat’ for nothing) it’s amazing how long they last. Artificial joints, artificial heart valves, pacemakers, defibrillators, deep brain stimulators…. They all wear out and fail to one degree or another. It’s not for a lack of trying or research funding either. Problems that affect old men get more funding than any other age or gender. But I like all those other devices penile implants will continue to improve. If I get 10 years out of my Titan I expect when it’s time for a new device there will be new models and possibly new surgical techniques involved.

This forum seems to be doing well. There are constantly new guys seeking information and support. It’s common for guys to fade away once they have found a solution to their ED and settled into their new routine. Thankfully enough guys stick around to offer assistance to new ones and pay it forward. The recent problems with a member who seemed to be making multiple accounts, posting in reply to himself to further an agenda seems to have sorted itself out. Reaction to this was pretty strong. No one likes being manipulated. Overall this forums seems to be able to police itself effectively.

If anyone hasn’t checked out the chat function, drop in. It’s a useful place to get info, support, and just hang out with other guys. Sometimes there is no one in the that but other times there are 6 or 7 guys talking about whatever comes to mind.

I’m incredibly grateful for implants in general and this site specifically. Thanks to Paul, who saw the need and created this at a time when there was a desert of information and support for guys struggling with ED.

Take care Brothers.

[dj_soros]

Thank you, Woody. I am more than willing and happy to move on from the drama. Having ED sucks, and having it at a young age is salt on an already deep wound. Having my humanity denied is annoying too, but no where near as ED, lol.

My main grievance is the way US health coverage works. I was considering draining my savings for an IPP. Even with my good insurance covering 80 percent, I still had to pay ~8-9k for my MPP. I would prefer to save for retirement than maintain a penis emergency fund.

We are all grown men here, so there should be nothing wrong with discussing uncomfortable realities, and we should be mature and willing enough to engage with and address them.

Niceguy’s and principles’ experiences were what convinced me to deeply consider an MPP. Duke_Cicero’s journal nearly brought me to tears to see someone around my age so satisfied with an MPP. It showed me there was a way to “cure” my ED without worrying about money and sudden surgeries. As cheesy as this sounds, Duke is my hero.

I asked my surgeon how long IPPs tend to last in his experience, and he told me around 13 years. I think you can have a more optimistic outlook, Woody.

[ElbowRoom]

well men only have 2 types to choose from , hopefully for men in the near future ,the manufacturers get their act together and make tubes that can handle a little pressure and pumps that don't stick and fail
and malleables should come in larger than just 13mm rods for guys with more girth

I don’t think pressure capacity is a problem for the tubing…it’s more a matter of the tubes moving, bending, kinking, and rubbing against each other and/or other structures.

I will be getting a Titan, and I wish it didn’t have the tubing issue. I’ll be requesting the Classic pump because it’s slightly more durable in that regard. That said, statistically the vast majority of IPPs survive over 5 years. My hope is that mine survives until the next revision of Titan is released with more durable tubing. Dr. Hakky told me that’s coming and he’s seen the improvements, and expects them to go into service in 4-5 years (blame the FDA approval process for the time frame).

[ElbowRoom]

My main grievance is the way US health coverage works. I was considering draining my savings for an IPP. Even with my good insurance covering 80 percent, I still had to pay ~8-9k for my MPP. I would prefer to save for retirement than maintain a penis emergency fund.

I understand this. However, there is no free lunch and medical care and devices are expensive. The US healthcare system seems expensive, but I’d argue that that costs here are at least more transparent. If you live in a country with socialized healthcare your surgery might be “free”, but you pay for it with higher tax rates on your income so that on a net/net basis it might even be more expensive.

Also in many of those countries, if you don’t like the government care you’re offered, you have few or no options to self-pay unless you leave the country.

I’m not trying to turn this into a political debate about which system is better, I’m just pointing out both have advantages and flaws and the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence!

[dj_soros]

My main grievance is the way US health coverage works. I was considering draining my savings for an IPP. Even with my good insurance covering 80 percent, I still had to pay ~8-9k for my MPP. I would prefer to save for retirement than maintain a penis emergency fund.

I understand this. However, there is no free lunch and medical care and devices are expensive. The US healthcare system seems expensive, but I’d argue that that costs here are at least more transparent. If you live in a country with socialized healthcare your surgery might be “free”, but you pay for it with higher tax rates on your income so that on a net/net basis it might even be more expensive.

Also in many of those countries, if you don’t like the government care you’re offered, you have few or no options to self-pay unless you leave the country.

I’m not trying to turn this into a political debate about which system is better, I’m just pointing out both have advantages and flaws and the grass is often greener on the other side of the fence!

Yeah, fair point. I should also count my blessings since there are so many high-skilled, high-volume surgeons to choose from in the US.

I found the whole insurance process strange. They quoted me ~15k if I paid out of pocket, but my insurance was charged ~37k, based on the math of my 8k bill. I guess that is the amount they contractually negotiate with the provider. I am still waiting on the anesthesia bill.

Why are there two different prices? I thought they would charge the insurance closer to 25k. It seems to vary a lot between insurance plans and medical providers.

Still, I should feel fortunate, because some guys end up taking out loans.

[Wooody]

I asked my surgeon how long IPPs tend to last in his experience, and he told me around 13 years. I think you can have a more optimistic outlook, Woody.

https://youtube.com/shorts/YiUxIro-0_E? ... -Ma_ZDmOaM

This doctor said for the young it's usually 7
Oliver Kayes said it's 5
On Eid's website it says 8-12 for a couple of uses per week
I think but I may not remember correctly david ralph said the same thing.
I think hakky said the same thing too indirectly..because he had mentioned that a mpp lasts longer than an IPP (logically) then he mentioned that mpps last for 10-15 years which I think is an average for mpps making.

I don't even count on these what I count on is MAUDE reports which always show ipp lasts less than 10 years...ranging from few months to 10 years (10 years is usually an outlier)...if I were to pick a median range from what I see on MAUDE it would be 3 to 7 years...but again keep in mind that implant population mean age is 60 (less sex frequency).

I don't want to be Plato of this forum but I think mechanical failure doesn't give a shit about one's optimism or pessimism...they are two faces of the same coin.

I hear you. With what was available at the time, I made a choice that best suited my goals and tolerances. I'm not very optimistic with my expectations because I use it 5-6 days a week, and sometimes we get pretty rough... I try not to get too rough, but sometimes we can't help it To Elbow's point, I think the current Titan tubes care how rough and abused they are treated. I'm also hoping they upgrade it before I wear this one out

My Dr told me a story about one of his patients. He's got a patient with a huge dick that works as an escort. He's had multiple revisions over a period of a few years because he, and the women he's with, are VERY rough. He said hard grinding and really rough reverse cowgirl were the cause of some of the breaks

[ready2go]

8-10 years service life with a ipp, for would be good at my age . I was offered a ridgcon in Egypt for $8500 , i had the funds , but I'm just not interested with the system . If i did get one ,i might have loved it , idk . -if it didn't malfunction in a matter of months or a few years . and ridgcon did have issues with their pump as well right ?
i probably would have got one of those ,with A defective pump .
With my mpp , i miss my pre-op girth ,big time . i had 2 different girls over for fun .one last night and the other 4 days ago . and i gave up on climaxing .
Before when i did doggie and the with 6 " girth i had , that position always felt great. And was a great way to finish . i would have been done HA fillers by now, if i had not injured my back and got stuck at home .
so in my wishful thing mode , i think if they made a malleable with more choices of rod diameter, as in larger. And then were able to inject a gell to bring the penis back to pre-op size and length and girth . With it sealed permanently . That would be my dream implant .