Lee's Story

This is a message I received from Lee. He has quesions and concerns.

One thing he says about the differances in the Coloplast and the AMS LGX us regular size guys need to read it how the two feel different. For us men less than 7" this is from a man that has had both.

Jack

Good Morning Lee



After reading your message I had some concerns and sent a copy to Todd Doran at Vanderbilt for his opinion.



Let me go through your message and address my concerns and when I hear from Todd I will let you know what he says.

--- On Sat, 7/14/12, Leland Spring <> wrote:



From: Leland Spring <>
Subject: Penile Excercises
To: jwp104@att.net
Date: Saturday, July 14, 2012, 4:45 PM


Jack

I have very much enjoyed your posts in the blog. I e-mailed you a couple of weeks ago, I have had 4 implants done and am now recovering from # 4, surgery was on July 11, My uro has told me to start pumping. He said to pump it once a day for 15 minutes each day.
4 days seems real early to start inflating the implant to me.
He is not big on the AMS 700 implant, I don't know why he's not much of a talker.
He is probably old school and stuck on the old ways.
I had him install an AMS 700 LG .
Good for you!
Do you mind sharing who the doctor was and where he is at?
That is what I had the first time I had one and it was good for me, then I had a coloplast titan put in, two of them. Since my penis is less than 7 inches long it felt very stiff , not comfortable for my wife.
Thanks for letting me quote you. Todd and Dr. Milam have told me this but you are the first patient that has told me.
I would like to know if you could give me some more info, be more specific about the pumping you did when you first started pumping after surgery. My main concern is that I gather as much info as possible for the first three months post op so I do not miss any steps and insure my best chances for great success with this implant.
Was there any certain routine you followed as far as pumping was concerned?? Time, length of keeping implant fully pumped and how many times a day?? Did you do any special therapeutic exercises?
I am going to give you the entire routine at the end of this post, I am also attaching the AMS Double Handed Method of Inflation. The pump is very stiff until it is broken in. The key to starting the pump is to grasp the pump firmly and squeeze hard and quickly release this will activate the pump. I am also attaching a user's guide. Any questions let me know.
Any response that would help me be successful would be appreciated. If you would like to share this post feel free to do so.

Regards
Thank You
Lee

This is the inflation routine I used and was recommended by Dr. Milam and the staff at Vanderbilt.
You may only want to do this once a day for the first 6 weeks. After that do it twice a day. A hot shower or bath can also be helpful while doing the inflation.



Twice a day, every day for the first 18 months, inflate the implant for 15 minutes and hold it. Then every 3-4 minutes squeeze the pump a few times to help the ipp inflate to it's max. When you deflate the implant hold down the deflation button for about 6 seconds and then squeeze your penis from the head to the base a few times to get the fluid back to the reservoir. This will do a couple of things, give you a more natural flaccid look and make the implant easier to inflate the next time.



You should have been told to keep your penis up on your stomach for the first 6 weeks. This will help you heal straight and be less painful. I found that the Jockey Pouch Briefs did a great job helping. They have a special H cut that will help hold you up. I got mine at Macy's and Kohl's. I like them so well I still ware them and get them online at jockey.com They offer about the same support as a jock strap without the discomfort.



My concern for you,at this early stage, is pain and discomfort. If it is painful or very uncomfortable take 800mg of ibuprofen about 30 minutes before you inflate.



It takes the LGX up to 18 months to fully expand in length. (The last time I say Dr. Milam,last August, he said he is now seeing men with expansion up to 3 years.) You may not be happy with your size at first but do not despair. At 3 months post op you will see expansion, for me it was 1/2". Since my implant 10/08 I have gained back almost an inch and a half.



Anything else I can help with let me know.



Jack

Double Handed Inflation Method

I have been getting several email lately from men having difficulty inflating there implant. The AMS Double Handed Method is a great solution and I am posting a copy here. From AMS Enclosed is the standard User’s Guide for your general reference. However, you may prefer to use both hands (left-hand thumb over right-hand thumb on front side of the inflate bulb, with left-hand index finger over right-hand index finger on back side of the bulb) to squeeze the inflate bulb HARD/FAST to “pop” the valve into the inflate position, rather than just using one hand on the inflate bulb. This method will stabilize the inflate bulb between your fingers and provide you with double the squeeze strength. Be sure that after each complete squeeze of the inflate bulb, you relax your fingers and allow the bulb to refill. To give slight, partial squeezes will only increase greatly the number of squeezes you have to give the pump bulb because you’ll be pushing very little fluid into the cylinders with each little squeeze. After the initial very HARD/FAST squeeze of the pump to activate it, each subsequent squeeze of the inflate bulb is done with firmness. Follow the deflate instructions as shown in the AMS 700MS User’s Guide. Best regards, Elizabeth Rae AMS/Worldwide Senior Patient Liaison PH: 800-328-3881, ext. 6261 011609 USER TIP Fully depress the inflation bulb and hold it for 3-4 seconds after it is depressed. Release your grip on it and wait 5-8 seconds while the bulb refills with saline solution from the reservoir. Repeat that process over and over until the desired firmness is achieved. A stinging sensation is noticeable as the corpora cavernosa is stretched tighter and tighter -- a sensation that will disappear over time. Jack Other Tips: When you deflate the implant hold down the release button 4-6 seconds. Then squeeze your penis from the head to the base a few times. This gets most of the saline out and give you a more natural flaccid look, it also help with inflation the next time.

My Implant 3 1/2 Years Later

3 & ½ Years Later

I was at my local urologist for my check up yesterday. It has been 3 ½ years since he sent me to Dr. Milam at Vanderbilt. We chatted a while about the urethral puncture by another local doctor and then my progress to date.

Since I was hurt just before Thanksgiving getting hit while walking in a parking lot and having a ruptured disk he wanted to check the implant. At first he jokingly asked, “Do you get to use that thing”. I told him only 4 to 6 times a month.

He inflated my implant and was very pleased with the results and that it was not damaged when I was hit. I said something like peyronies did a number on me and he said you have had a great recovery.

My recovery has been a great gift from God. It restored the pleasure of marital sex that God intended for us to have. I fully believe that marital intercourse is a gift of pleasure from God.

I tell both men and women, yes I have women write me about their husbands, about my progress. All I asked for was a usable erection and with the skills of Dr. Milam and the staff at Vanderbilt I have so much more.

I don’t mind sharing my story and the results of my research. No I am not a doctor and am not any part of a doctor’s practice, hospital, or device manufacturer, just a layperson that has done tons of research and willing to share.

As we all know our penis is our pride and joy. In my case at 18 I was about 6”. At 50 I had gained weight and was about 5 ½”. That was just before peyronies struck. I lost a lot of length. At my stretch test just before my implant is was 4” on my best day. When my implant was activated I was measured at 4 ¼”, at my 3 month check up I was measured at 4 ¾” and at my one year check up just under 5”. At 18 months I had started to regain glands erections and was almost 5 ½”.

Last August I went back to Dr. Milam because of my bladder problems. I was sure I needed another TURP. I had a cystoscopy and Dr. Milam said I had an over active bladder and that another TURP was not in my future all I needed was Enablex. That has worked well for me.

During our conversation Dr. Milam and I discussed many things. One of his comments was he was now seeing men with expansion up to 3 years. When I got home I checked and sure enough I was just over 5 ½”.

I have learned many valuable things along my journey. The number one thing men need to know is the size of your penis does not make you a man. One day I asked the beautiful green-eyed girl I married is how does my penis feel to you now. (We have now been married over 43 years.) She said “Jack, you feel just the same as always.”

The first night home after my implant was activated I lay on my back with a hard penis sticking straight up. No Shots, No Pills, No VED and constriction ring. Just me!! I felt normal again for the first time in years.

The first several weeks with an implant there is a learning curve on using it. At one year I thought this is great how can it get better. Well it did. At 18 months my glands erections had returned. At 2 years I again thought it could not be better but again I was wrong. Today 3 ½ years my wife and I are like young lovers. I am 69 and she is 71. We have more fun now than when we first married.

My advice to any man needing an implant is do not use a general practice urologist. A Male Sexual Function / Urodynamic Specialist is the kind of doctor you need. If you have lost penile size, have peyronies or any related penile problem you need a doctor skilled in using the special instruments. For restoration of penile size the AMS 700 LGX is the only implant that expands in both length and girth. A good graphic is at www.amslgx.com/ To my knowledge there are only 3 or 4 doctors that have these skills so be prepared to travel. Those of us that have used Dr. Douglas Milam at Vanderbilt will tell you he is the best in the world.

Any one that has any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. Plain language is fine with me, I am not offended.

Remember marital sex is Intended for Pleasure and a gift from God.

Jack

WHAT HAPPENS DURING IMPLANT SURGERY

There has been some debate on the peyronies society forum about what happens to the corpus cavernosum (CC) during penile implant (IPP) surgery. You may hear that the CC is removed among other things that are not true. To answer that question I sent an email to Todd Doran at Vanderbilt. Below is his responce.

This is one reason a man with peyronies or other penile damage should use a well qualified Male Sexual Function Specialist, not a general practice urologist. To my knowledge right now there are only 3 or 4 well qualified doctors for this procedure in the US.

The most common complaint from men with peyronies is loss of penile size. The only implant available to help restore this is the AMS 700 LGX length expanding implant.

Jack


February 15, 2012 11:28 PMFrom: "Doran, Todd James" to "Jack Pinner"
Tunica albuginea is an elastic thick fibrous outer covering of the erectile body and the inside are expansile sinusoids and collectively they are called the corpus cavernosum. We have a right and left one. Peyronie's disease can cause dysfunction, plaque, scarring of either the sinusoids or the tunica albuginea. Placement of IPP cylinders are more complex and tedious to perform in a man with PD. There are tools to dilate the sinusoids thereby causing their destruction through the dilating process. Sometimes we need to use cavertomes (resembles a cylindrical cheesegrater) that are extremely sharp. They are used to dilate/surgically cut open a space within the corpus cavernosum. The destruction of the architecture of the erectile bodies in order to place the inflatable cylinders are why you can't get an erection at all after an IPP. We don't remove any of the corpus cavernosum to place an IPP, we dilate and create a space to place the cylinders.

Feel free to place this on site verbatim.


Todd

Todd J. Doran, MS, PA-C
Associate in Urologic Surgery
Vanderbilt University
Dept of Urologic Surgery
A-1302 MCN
Nashville, TN 37232
615-322-2880