THE IMPLANT SURGERY: MAKING THE CHOICE
Deciding if a penile implant is right for you is a complicated personal and medical decision. Of course, your feelings are crucial. But so are your partner’s. Both of you need to have realistic expectations of what the surgery will and won’t do. The more your partner participates, voices her concerns, asks questions and gets answers, the more comfortable she is likely to be with the process—and the more satisfied with the outcome.
When doctors talk about a “good” candidate for implant surgery, they’re referring to someone who is likely to be satisfied and happy with the results, can withstand the physical and emotional stress any surgery can bring and can effectively deal with the recovery process.
Gary, for example, a 46-year-old, lost his erections to a combination of diabetes and high blood pressure medication. Unfortunately, he couldn’t change his medication and he had trouble managing his diabetes as well as he might have. A series of job and financial setbacks compounded the stress on his body and his emotions. On those rare occasions when he was able to become erect, he quickly lost potency. Five years after he first noticed any sexual problem, Gary was completely unable to have intercourse. He was, understandably, very frustrated by the situation. And he was depressed. The potency problem nagged at him, eroding his self-confidence.
Throughout this difficult period, however, he tried to remain close to his wife, Dottie. They remained physically affectionate, touching often, and continued to have sexual contact. And Gary and Dottie did several things that helped them during this stressful time: They did not blame each other for Gary’s lack of erection, and they discussed the difficulty, but they didn’t make it a point of argument. “We were very supportive of each other; we had a good relationship,” Dottie explains.
Gary had a very clear reason for getting an implant: Plain and simple, he wanted to have intercourse with Dottie. She was concerned that the operation might pose a risk to her husband’s health, but she also was eager to get their sex life back on the track.
Gary and Dottie made several visits to the doctor, and discussed the options in detail. In the end, Gary chose the inflatable implant (discussed later), partly because it was more natural in appearance and he belonged to an athletic club. “I didn’t want anyone to know I’d been impotent and had an implant.”
Now, about a year later, Gary and Dottie are quite happy with the results of his surgery. Gary is enthusiastic: “Satisfied! I could not even begin to describe it. If it broke, I’d be at the hospital tomorrow. I would get it replaced even if I had to get it done weekly!”
In a separate conversation, Dottie echoes her husband’s pleasure. “Yes, I’m pleased. Very pleased. Sex is as good as— maybe even better than—when we first married.”
Gary had several characteristics that are crucial to success. Based upon research and clinical experience, we’ve summarized the factors which make a man a good candidate for an implant. Gary had many of them. You should too before having the surgery.
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