TOPIC: Infections, Complications, Risks of PMMA?

@Miracle7x6

I\'m glad to hear you\'ve had great success. My experiences (with others) differ. But again, I\'m only gauging by a very limited group (2).

One thing I have to mention for the good of the readers. You said \"After speaking with Dr. Casavantes and Dr. Samy Passy regarding their experience, I was informed that there has not been one single instance of FBG (foreign body granuloma) in the penis in their hands\". OK, that\'s nice. But what do you think Elist told his patients about his \'perfect\' implant? I\'m not saying that these doctors are liars but... I\'ve never met them. But I have met several people in my day that seemed great, had big smiles on theirs faces and turned out to be downright criminals.

Be careful. The desire to believe can hurt you in the long run.

@MHN

I also have a medical background. It sounds like you you agree that this statement is not correct.

\"As to PMMA, it is injected and binds into a matrix. It solidifies over time. It BECOMES an \'implant\'. A solid unit. It\'s \'soft\' but still binds to itself.\"

It may seem like a subtle distinction but I don\'t want members to get the wrong idea.

Someone on this board once posted that the macrophages around a PMMA implant may attack an alloderm implant and as silly as that idea is to anyone with a medical background other members have repeated it.

I\'m glad you posted that. Knowledge is power.

But no, I don\'t disagree with my initial statement. The collagen formation does indeed bind together as well as to surrounding soft tissue (the penis). This would make a difficult situation for anybody that needs it removed.

Posted by MHN:

Be careful. The desire to believe can hurt you in the long run.

Truer words have never been spoken.

That said, I wholeheartedly trust Dr. Luis Casavantes. My basis for trust cannot be conveyed via this forum. With physicians on both sides of my family and having consulted with them prior to my decision to undergo penile bioplasty, my decision was well received. As far as Dr. Elist is concerned, all one needed to do was to query one of his existing patients to learn the truth. Nothing speaks more of a physician than his patient... (M7x6: 04-11-2012).

@MHN
Glad you\'re here to awaken those that do not research before committing to a life changing alteration. A healthy debate is always welcome. I salute you for bringing such to the table. BTW, I checked and Dr. Casavantes wasn\'t wearing blue suede shoes. Hehe. That said, we are all guinea pigs to a certain extent. Time will be what ultimately determines the success/fate of penile bioplasty.

@eqstudent

You wrote: \"Someone on this board once posted that the macrophages around a PMMA implant may attack an alloderm implant and as silly as that idea is to anyone with a medical background other members have repeated it.\"

I\'m interested in this as I\'ve not heard it before. Can you expand on this? Would really like more details.

@Miracle7x6

Thanks for the kind words. And I really wish you all the best. I hope that PMMA turns out to be as great as we hope.

Continued success to you and all others on this forum...

Take care,

MHN

MHN wrote: But no, I don\'t disagree with my initial statement. The collagen formation does indeed bind together as well as to surrounding soft tissue (the penis). This would make a difficult situation for anybody that needs it removed.

Not sure why you are drawing a distinction. The collagen that forms around the beads is the same and connected to the collagen and other structural proteins in the rest of the penis. It may be simplier to think of it as the penis tissue grows around and encapsulates each individual bead.I agree removing the PMMA would involve cutting out that entire mass and is major surgery

Thanks MHN. You\'re a welcome addition here and I hope in time (whether it be PMMA or other) a permanent solution is found that is effective, safe and affordable. For me personally, (being married with three children) the size increase has made all the difference in the world. If I were single, I likely would have left my unit alone. Everyone justifies their decision according to their own desires/wishes. Again, glad you\'re here and hope to see you at PB\'s in the years to come.

Regards,

M7x6

@eqstudent

That\'s all I was trying to say. Damn, I\'m a terrible writer. My thoughts are clear in my head but I can\'t communicate them very clearly. It\'s my bad.

But basically yes... what you said.

MHN wrote: So if, for whatever reason, it has to be removed, be ready for some very invasive surgery.

Welcome to the world of Phalloplasty, where this statement is true for virtually all methods. That is why we\'re here... assessing the pros & cons, risks & rewards. No procedure is without complication, and no procedure is without some form of invasive procedure in order to remove it completely from an individual\'s penis.
If anyone can stomach this realization, then proceed. If one cannot, then simply digress. That\'s the best initial advice I can give

@SO

Well said. I hope I didn\'t imply that there is a non-evasive PE surgery procedure out there. Because there isn\'t. If it doesn\'t \"take\" (whatever op you choose) be ready for it. Research is key. Read everything on these forums and others before making a decision.

That\'s what SO and us Moderators have been shouting from the beginning. Read EVERYTHING... If you don\'t have time to read this forum and the medical literature available, don\'t frigging do it! Nuff\' said. Reading a glowing progress report offers nothing but bias. Read! Read! Read!

Miracle7x6 wrote: Unless one has spoken with a physician who performs penile bioplasty face to face, most opinions or viewpoints are mere conjecture.

While I agree with the gist of most of your post I have to disagree with this point. In most cases busy clinicians are the worst sources of unbiased information on almost any procedure. Unless they are involved in studies in most cases they just rely on what the manufacturers tell them. In some cases they just flat out lie about the complication rates they are seeing. If you have any doubts check out Lemperle and Arteplast, Artecol1, Artecol2, and finally Artefil.Dr. C is a fantastic and very compassionate physician. I highly recommend him but let's not forget at one time in the near past he was the most experienced and most prolific injector of a filler called Bio Alcamid which turned out to be a huge disaster product.I know for a fact that Dr. C does not do any long term study, tracking, or follow up of his patients as far as complications are concerned. I discussed that with him and Wade when I had my procedure. FBGs are late onset complications so unless a patient contacted him 1 to 10 years after the procedure and told him he would not know.The bottom line to any member considering this procedure; If you decide to have PMMA enhancement go to Dr. C. He is likely one of the best in the world at it but don't leave the responsibility of understanding the risks and potential complications on his shoulders. Do your own homework.

eqstudent wrote: The bottom line to any member considering this procedure; If you decide to have PMMA enhancement go to Dr. C. He is likely one of the best in the world at it but don't leave the responsibility of understanding the risks and potential complications on his shoulders. Do your own homework.

Excellent \"Bottom line\" statement!

eqstudent wrote: I know for a fact that Dr. C does not do any long term study, tracking, or follow up of his patients as far as complications are concerned.

That\'s right, and for this reason the Doctor is at the mercy of patients\' willingness to report complications should they occur years down the road.
That also HIGHLIGHTS the importance of this forum...really the only (unofficial) long-term tracking of penile bioplasty that exists on the English-speaking web.