Patients share their experiences with penile implants after prostate cancer treatment, explaining how the procedure helped restore intimacy and confidence. They emphasize the importance of discussing concerns with experienced physicians, involving partners in the decision-making process, and finding the treatment option that best supports quality of life.

Philiip Lavender:

Now with the penile implant, it too had some fears that we had to think about some infections that I read about that was very concerned about it that you had to do. The penile implant is more spontaneous. You don't have to get up and do things. With the penile implant, it's all in one motion. You just use it there more in a romantic state that you can work with that. But that way it's been very helpful. And your erectile lasts a lot longer than that. So we've been very comfortable and very happy with that during the time that we've had it. It's still in a trial basis, but it's fun.

Kelvin Slaton:

The other problem I had was not that... The Viagra would work. It would cause an erection, but it would not keep an erection was the problem. And I tried for years with that. And then I had an artificial penile implant. And the only problem I have with that was, during the time I didn't know anything about it, when you do have an implant like that put on, it does shorten the length and the girth. But I would say it's probably well worth the sacrifice of losing a little of that to be able to control what you need.

And my wife was always supportive of everything I did. And a lot of it I did because of her. And I couldn't thank her enough to be standing by my side that really supported everything I did throughout that. And she helped me with the decision of the penile implant, which was probably the most important to her because... But I don't know what else to say, that it's very important to trust your physician. I didn't know a whole lot about it other than I thought it was something very simple. And in reality, it is simple.

They go through your scrotum and they implant everything they need in there. And then they tape it up with glue and tape. There's no stitches involved, at least not with me. And then you waited a six weeks part for all that to heal and then they would activate it. And it's simple enough that you pump it up with your index and your thumb and you release it with your index and thumb with a button on the side.

Everything is very simple about it. There's nothing complicated about it. The only thing with that, there's no spontaneous deal about it. I mean, you do lose some spontaneous with it, but that is probably well worth losing that little bit of time that you have to do. Personally, I mean, the doctor told me that sometimes they have their partners pump it up for them. I could not get into that, but the implant at that time for me was a very good decision and I would think it would still be in the good-decision-making realm. And with the robotic surgery now, there's very little scarring.

On my body, you would have to look very hard to see where they went in and did anything. I mean, they had two in the front right around your navel and then they had a drain on the side. And those scars are so small that they're almost undetectable. So it's not like you're not going to want to put your bathing suit on because you got that scar across your mid. That's not happening. Not with the robotic.

Bennie Johnson Jr.:

Well, the penile implant was something that, like I said before, my wife didn't feel it was necessary, but I felt from a man's perspective it was necessary. And Dr. King, she spoke with me about it. She explained everything to me and what the recovery process was going to be and I felt pretty comfortable with that. And we decided to go ahead and do it. And when I rolled into the room to get it done, Dr. King don't know this, but in my mind I said...

When I rolled into the operating room to get it done, I look at all of these people, I said, "I didn't know she was going to have a staff in here working." So I decided to, as they shot the juice into me to relax me, I felt very comfortable. And when I woke up, she was there. She explained things to my wife. My wife got a chance to meet her for the first time.