There’s a lot to consider when choosing an implant, and you should discuss your options in detail with your physician and your partner. Remember, no one model is right for everyone. The best one for you depends on your particular health needs, physical condition, personal preferences and lifestyle.
Once you’ve been evaluated by a physician and it’s been determined that your best treatment would be an implant, it’s time to consider the different types. In most cases your physician will make specific recommendations. If s important to weigh all the factors, to involve your partner and to actually see and touch the different models, if possible.
You may find it helpful to talk to men who’ve had the different types of implants (and your wife may benefit from talking with their partners). Support groups (see chapter 6) can be helpful, and your doctor may be able to put you in touch with patients who have had the surgery, and their partners. But remember, your needs are uniquely yours. What’s right for one man won’t necessarily be right for you.
The importance of personal preference was emphasized to us when we talked with two different patients on the same day. In the morning, a man with a semirigid implant said he “couldn’t imagine” why anyone would want an inflatable prosthesis. Just a few hours later, another gentleman, happy with his inflatable, declared he would never even consider the semirigid type. Each was sure he had made the right decision— and each was correct.
Take all the time you need to make a decision. Some couples decide rather quickly. Robert and Greta, for example, married for almost 50 years, didn’t take months to choose. “Both of us went to the doctor and both of us decided,” Robert explains. This 74-year-old gentleman wanted the inflatable, and that’s what he got.
Gabe, a 52-year-old office manager, found the choices more difficult than Robert. Gabe’s potency problem was due to a case of Peyronie’s disease. He was fortunate, however, because the scarring from the disease was moderate, and the inflatable prosthesis was an option for him. Gabe took a year to make up his mind, and during that time the newest type of inflatable implant with the reservoir in the penis became available. He calls the results “fantastic. I’m like a young man, and my wife can attest to that.”
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