Haven’t updated in quite awhile. After almost a year post semi rigid rod removal, I got the pump implant on 3/11/21. I’m currently 11 days post op. Timing wise, I really wasn’t wanting to get the pump until late 2021, but issues with my insurance came up and it turned into a “now or never” type of situation, so I went for it. I’m still dealing with quite a bit of pain and discomfort, but I’m feeling optimistic overall and am hoping that I can get through this implant without any issues. My glans revision that I got during my rod removal has been a massive improvement to me and I’m really glad I had it done. I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on a lot of what ifs, like what if I had gone for the pump instead of the rod and saved thousands of dollars, etc. But at the end of the day, I’m happy with where I’m at surgery wise and that I was able to get to this point, even if it took a lot longer journey than I anticipated. 

I was able to get a hysto without ever having to have a Pap smear/any kind of examination in my life. I think it probably depends on your doctor. I found a doctor who had done hystos on trans men before and she also recognized that I was like 19 or 20 at the time and healthy so an examination wasn’t necessary, especially with the added fact that she knew it would be extremely uncomfortable for me. I could be wrong but I feel like in most cases they would examine you beforehand. This doctor even let me skip my post op appointment because she knew it would be weird for me to come back to her office (basically a women’s clinic). I think you could totally tell your doctor how it would make you super uncomfortable and ask if it’s really necessary to be examined beforehand. I went in with the mindset that I would need to be examined, that way I was prepared for whatever had to happen. I totally understand not getting one and not wanting one, but I knew that I may need one in order to have surgery, so obviously I was willing to do so. Hope that helped and lmk if you have any other questions!

Things have changed quite a bit over the last few weeks. Neither me or my surgeon are 100% sure what’s going on right now, but it seems like my semi-rigid rod has partially detached, and this has caused either 1. a ton of irritation that has led to lots of swelling or 2. an infection has been brewing over the last several months. Regardless of what it is exactly, I know for sure that the rod needs to come out, just not sure on what the timeframe is for that. I’ve been struggling a lot lately with feeling super unhappy with everything results wise, mainly because the rod has caused so much stretching and my glans has completely flattened at this point. Everyday life has become a struggle because of how much my dick is getting in the way. I’m frustrated that my surgeon can’t give me more answers right now, but with him being across the country I know that it isn’t always easy to get straight answers when all we have are phone calls and photos. I know that even if the antibiotics help, the discomfort I’m having physically and mentally will not go away until I have the rod out and some other revisions. Sorry to anyone reading this as whiney or complaining, but I’ve just been struggling and feeling really lost in this process, even being 2+ years post op. 

I have Anthem Blue Cross. Each individual insurance plan is different so that’s not to say that Anthem always covers everything. They covered all except my out of pocket max of $5,000, which also varies plan for plan. Some people could have 1k, 2k, 10k, it all depends.

Unfortunately it changed back. I think it only went away temporarily because the swelling was pushing it all out. I struggle with this a lot now :/

Nope! I never looked much into it. I’m not sure if they offer it.

And for the girth answer - I honestly have no idea size wise how different it is. I never measured before and after. Wish I had! I have pictures that I compare and it seems pretty significant. The best way to describe it is probably that pre implants my dick looked deflated. And now it’s filled out properly. But I guess the girth was always there, it just didn’t have anything to fill it out.

I’ve been very on the fence with how I feel about the rod. I really like that it fills out my dick more. But I’ve found that it just gets in the way a lot. Whether that’s just day to day movements or when I’m working out, sometimes it bothers the hell out of me. A good example is when I’m at the gym on a machine and then I go to stand up and it’s all pushed out and looks like a boner. Or when I go from sitting to standing super quickly. If I’m wearing pants it doesn’t do that, just shorts. But when I have pants it still sometimes just feels like it’s taking up a lot of space in my crotch area. The rod does not stand straight out, or stand out at all really which I didn’t know would happen. I also don’t like that I’m can’t experience the satisfaction of becoming hard, like the pump would. I’m very hesitant to switch to the pump because my girth pre implants was pretty shitty and caused a lot of unhappiness about my dick. So I don’t want to go back to that since it wouldn’t be as filled out as it is now. I know for sure in my lifetime I will switch to the pump, just not sure when because I don’t want to have to go through the time/money/energy of another recovery any time soon. Hope that answered and please remember this is just my *one* experience with the rod, others feel completely different ways too 👍