To pump or not to pump

During my first two weeks after surgery I was careful not to play with “things” down there. Oh sure, I gingerly felt around in my scrotum now and then—sure enough, it felt as if I now had three testicles in there. That was kind of a weird feeling at first. Other than gently washing with soap and water in the shower beginning a few days after surgery, that was about it. I didn’t want to compromise my incision in any way, and I also had read a few accounts from men who had created problems by pumping themselves up too soon.

I expected that my 2-week post-op with my doctor would include a trial run to ensure the device was working properly. On one hand I was looking forward to it, and yet on the other hand I wasn’t. I had read that the first few times are painful. During my visit, Dr. Kramer put the gloves on, felt around and pushed and pulled here and there. But then he commented that he wasn’t going to pump me up because it would hurt and there was no point in that. He did give the pump one squeeze, enough to verify that it was working.

Afterward he gave me a model of the pump that he had implanted inside my scrotum. It is larger than I expected. I’ve posted a photo of the model alongside a tape measure to give you an idea of its size. The ring you see at the top is not part of the pump as implanted. It holds a laminated card on which are printed directions on how to use the pump. You firmly squeeze the bulb a number of times to inflate the penis. When you wish to deflate the penis, you squeeze together the two flat areas on the T that is located above the bulb. Some pumps I am told require you to continue to squeeze until the penis deflates. On mine, one squeeze is sufficient.

Obviously I’ll be able to post more about this process once I actually do the deed. The doc advised to give it another week before doing it, and another three weeks or so before attempting sexual activity. He said the average is about 5 weeks after surgery. Trying to have sex before that, he advised, often results in more discomfort than it’s worth. Well, I guess that’s a matter of opinion, huh. LOL.