ANYONE RETURNED TO ERECTILE FUNCTION THROUGH NATURAL HEALING?

I would find it difficult to believe that a patient who has done all of the prep and work to treat PCa would then refuse the possibility to use proven tools in an effort to recover erectile function. I would certainly not go to all the efforts of my surgery and RT to then trust in, well, what? We tend to throw all the tools we have at the enemy.

Welcome to HW. Perhaps you can give us some background on your PCa journey.

I was guessing he meant that his partner would blow him until he popped a chubby. Not the way to go about it and imagine the strain on the partner.

I would advise you search for Dr. John P. Mulhall, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He has a very detailed book titled "Saving Your Sex Life, A Guide for Men with Prostate Cancer". It goes painfully deep into the details and mechanics of the different ED meds and injections.

There is no guarantee that the best of the drugs will recover ED issues if the nerves are removed or badly enough damaged, but doing nothing is right up there with doing nothing. In the worst cases, injectables have a very good track record, and can also help wake up an otherwise dead member nerve-wise.

Mulhall also has several on-line videos that complement the book. You should be able to find them through the MSKCC site.

Thomson – Welcome to Healing Well; glad you found us.

 

The longer you go without erections after surgery, the more likely you are to suffer permanent erectile tissue damage, called atrophy.  Erections are needed to bring fresh blood and oxygen into the penis which rehabilitates the erectile tissue.  And the medication is needed to enable you to have the erections after surgery, while the nerves heal.  You need to have erections that are penetration hardness (60%) or better for 10 to 15 minutes 2 to 3 times a week.  This will maximize your ability to recover your erections back to what they were prior to surgery.  And the goal is to eventually get off of the drugs.  Realize also that ED recovery takes time, usually around 18 to 24 months.

 

Here is one of Dr. John Mulhall’s videos: http://www.mskcc.org/multimedia/penile-rehabilitation-after-treatment

 

Best of luck with your recovery -- Tigerfan

PeterD
Thanks for your post. Found the link quite full of jargon and was pleased to get to the conclusion and main points at the end but it definitely recommends continuing with medication...

Welcome to the club nobody wants to be a member of. ED is a problem for most especially after surgery your body has been majorly invaded and is in shock. A lot of factors involved, like do you have a loving caring partner? If not then it is even more difficult. I am fortunate in that I have a very loving caring wife. Now six years later I do not need meds or any other help with intercourse. I did not get any real response to an erection for 11 months after surgery. I used a pump for therapy like brushing your teeth in the morning and evening. There was nothing sexual about it it was excercise progam to get the blood flow going and help the healing process. I have not used a pump for over three years now. Do not expect a little pill to do what will take physical work to accomplish. Best of luck I highly recommend getting a pump and blowing yourself up daily just like lifting weights, jogging, yoga etc.

I didn't like the SE's and have not used them as the uro suggested. He did make it pretty clear that with or without, I was probably looking at a year or two before knowing what the outcome of the surgery might be. I had open, nerve sparring RP at Johns Hopkins, Nov. 4, 2011. G6, organ confined, 3mo psa <.1.

I did the rehab part, trying to have sex or manual stimulation, no pumps and without the meds. There has always been "life," but not quite good enough for intercourse. Recently, there's been more "life." Now, this isn't to say that I have completely sworn off the use. They work when I've taken them, so if I want a sure thing, I pop a cialis or viagra. I just don't use them often. I get extremely congested feeling and I feel my blood pressure climb.

This is the only surgery I've had, but with injuries, I've always let my body lead the way in recovery. I'm happy with the small, regular improvement I've seen without the use of the drugs. My wife, luckily, is with me and supportive in taking it slowly. She always gets taken care of so there's little performance anxiety which makes things work easier. I feel like I'll be good without any help in a short time.