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Post by Rick Redner on Apr 13, 2013 17:58:56 GMT -5
I don't know what you expect or what you've been told, but most men experience erectile dysfunction for a period of 18-24 months. During that time, if you do not do something to get a blood flow into the penis it's highly likely you will develop what's called a venous leak. A venous leak means you'll be unable to achieve an erection. Here's a video every man should watch if they want to preserve and protect penile tissue and prevent venous leak: I never imagined I'd be willing to perform penile injections, but after learning about venous leak, I did. Some people ask their partners do perform the injections, some men do it themselves. I found using an auto injector made it much easier. Here's what they look like: www.amazon.com/Ambimed-Inject-ease®-Automatic-Injector--Injections/dp/B000PKYX8K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365893784&sr=8-1&keywords=auto+injectorIf your Urologist orders this, your insurance may cover this purchase, but you'll need to go through a pharmacy that accepts our insurance. This thread is the place to ask questions and to share your success and failures with penile rehab. |
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michael
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Post by michael on May 5, 2013 6:42:29 GMT -5
I was told by my uro to do kegels to help with urination control and that was about it. I suggest you push your urologist for whatever pills he will give you to try and even a vacuum device to help keep length after all this. I had to push mine to even give me Cialis. ED hit me pretty hard mentally and was hard to deal with. You can still be intimate without the erections and this is where a loving wife comes in. My nerves were supposedely spared and I have dry orgasms. I can get about a 50% erection but is not insertable. I started using trimix about 8 weeks ago and have had some success with it. Remember one old sayin, ( if you do not use it you lose it ).
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Post by Rick Redner on May 9, 2013 8:04:36 GMT -5
Mike,
I too went the injection route because I had ZERO success with ED medication. Injections worked very well for me for 3 months. Then I became unresponsive to them. It was a very low time for me because I had no way to achieve an erection. How do you find injections? Do you inject or do you have your wife inject? Have you tried the auto-injector?
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michael
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Post by michael on May 10, 2013 9:11:06 GMT -5
Not exactly what I want to do, I give them to myself, not too painful, like a pinch. Not what I call a comfortable erection. Aches some but gets the job done. Only other option is an implant which I guess I would if I had to. My urologist keeps saying erections will come back on their own but after lots of research and talking to lots of people on lots of forums who have had similar davinci surgery I have not found 1 who has regained erections on their own. As far as I am concerned when you have cancer in prostate along with the surgery there you be mental counseling to go along with it, it is just devastating to lose what many if not all men consider manhood.
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Post by Rick Redner on May 11, 2013 10:10:59 GMT -5
Mike,
How long are you post surgery. They say on average it's an 18-24 month journey. I'm 26 months post surgery. Still no night-time erections, but with Cialis daily I am getting a usable erection 85% of the time. Is it like pre-surgery, no but according to UCSF I will see additional improvement in the 3rd year, so hang in there. Don't give up on penile rehab, because a large number of men do, they develop venous leak which will cause ED permanently.
If you are less than 3 years post surgery you will see improvement and yes coping with ED is awful.
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michael
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Post by michael on May 22, 2013 16:41:15 GMT -5
I am 7 months out of surgery, I really do not expect to regain erections on my own without help again, but I hope I am wrong.
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Post by Rick Redner on May 23, 2013 19:59:13 GMT -5
Mike,
7 months post surgery is VERY early in the process of recovery. Have you watched the video at the beginning of this thread? I was told it takes 18-24 months post surgery for erections to return. I was also told that year 3 is better than year two. So at 7 months out it's impossible to know where you'll land in year three.
I have known men who have had a rapid return of erectile functioning post surgery and some regain it much later. Then there is a group that will not get a return at all. One reason might be the inexperience of the surgeon. The other could be venous leak.
If you are getting a blood flow to the penis at least 2-3 times per/week and both nerves were spared, it's very possible you'll have a return of erectile functioning.
I am totally dependent on ED medication, but I am getting fairly reliable erections in my 3rd year. You are right, few if any men get any emotionally preparation for ED and they should be offered this.
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michael
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Post by michael on May 29, 2013 17:17:40 GMT -5
My urologist keeps saying 1 year for erections to return. I am not holding my breath on that one.
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Post by Rick Redner on May 30, 2013 9:28:54 GMT -5
Mike, I hate to say this but your Urologist is giving you incorrect information. Dr Muhall, one of the experts in the field of penile rehabilitation says the average time is 18-24 months. During that time it is necessary to get blood into the penis on a regular basis or men develop venous leak. Are you on a penile rehab program? If you need additional information, I can't enough good things about this book: Saving Your Sex Life |
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michael
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Post by michael on Jul 3, 2013 20:06:57 GMT -5
Mike,
I had a similar problem. I started with a fairly small dose. Within 3 months an entire needle full of medication would not give me a usable erection. I don't know whether you are using bi-mix or tri-mix, but one option is to try the medication you aren't using. After giving up injections I started using ED meds daily, but that isn't an option if your insurance won't pay. It is a very frustrating time. I wish I had some great advice or solutions, but I don't, other than don't give up.
I owe you an apology, I accidentally deleted your post. Still learning the administrative aspects of running this forum. Sorry!!
Rick
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michael
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Post by michael on Jul 12, 2013 17:39:33 GMT -5
I am just curious if anyone that has had robotic surgery for prostate cancer has ever really recovered from erectile dysfunction?
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Post by Rick Redner on Jul 13, 2013 11:18:45 GMT -5
Michael, That's a GREAT question! Here's a good link about that subjectIt's also important to know what if anything men are being told BEFORE surgery. For example I was told I'd have my pre-surgery functioning restored. 2 years post surgery combined with ED meds, and I'm still hit and miss and without any night-time erections. I believe few men regain full functioning. Additionally, from my perspective there is a loss of pleasure without ejaculations, and for many men the intensity of orgasms decrease. So it's my thought sex is never the same once you've had surgery. If there are men out there who feel sex is better after surgery, I'd like to hear from them. Rick |
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Post by Walter on Jul 14, 2013 5:53:19 GMT -5
I am post DaVinci surgery since 11-11-2008. My urologist didn't tell me anything regarding ED, with the exception of asking me if I needed Cialis. About 2 months after surgery, I was able to have a soft erection. As time went on and the healing continued, I was able to get a normal erection. I feel somewhat smaller than I was Pre-Op. I am able to achieve an erection at anytime.
I have met an individual who had the same surgery (Probably within the past year), who told me me was on ED meds, but has since been able to stop the dosage.
It is my sentiments and belief, that the outcome of the surgery is dependant on the surgeon and how knowledgeable he is with nerve reconstruction.
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Post by Rick Redner on Jul 15, 2013 10:13:15 GMT -5
I am post DaVinci surgery since 11-11-2008. My urologist didn't tell me anything regarding ED, with the exception of asking me if I needed Cialis. About 2 months after surgery, I was able to have a soft erection. As time went on and the healing continued, I was able to get a normal erection. I feel somewhat smaller than I was Pre-Op. I am able to achieve an erection at anytime. I have met an individual who had the same surgery (Probably within the past year), who told me me was on ED meds, but has since been able to stop the dosage. It is my sentiments and belief, that the outcome of the surgery is dependant on the surgeon and how knowledgeable he is with nerve reconstruction. Walter, Thanks for sharing your experiences and of others you know. Certainly the skill of the surgeon is a key element. I'd like to add a few more: 1. Your erectile abilities prior to surgery 2. Your age (Given the same skill of the surgeon- younger men will often get better results) 3. Your medical history 4. Prescriptions you are taking before and after surgery) I'm sure this isn't all inclusive, but they do influence your post surgical out-come. What surprises me most of all is the number of men who aren't told it takes on average 18-24 months post surgery to heal. I also wonder how many men were told: 1. You may not achieve the same level of hardness 2. You may experience a decrease in the intensity of orgasms. 3. The loss of ejaculation may result in you feeling less pleasure 4. The size of your penis might shrink To sum this up, most men and couples do not receive the full picture of what they will be coping with after surgery. While my survey is very small (17) only 41% say knowing what they know today they'd have the surgery. I believe this to do with there men landed sexually post surgery. If you've read this far in the this thread without watching the video on the first thread, I'd encourage everyone to do so. It's the accurate information you'll want to hear and know before and after surgery. If all you do is wait for your erectile abilities to return without penile rehab, you may never have an erection again unless you have an implant. |
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michael
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Post by michael on Jul 15, 2013 18:31:29 GMT -5
I can only get a soft erection now which is kinda useless, own my own that it, shots still work but takes a lot of fun out of it.
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