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Posted 3/7/2008 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
I am several months post-op and using the vacuum pump along with viagra for my rehab.  I have tried using the constriction rings but cannot acheive an erection suitable for penetration. Does this improve with time or is this what to expect from the pump. Anyone out there with a similar experience?
Posted 3/7/2008 4:22 PM (GMT 0)

bootheel, I am 5 1/2 months post surgery and having the same troubles.  I can only manage an almost usable erection using the pump.  The rings have to be very small to work at all.  Are you using the smallest ring that you can possibily get on?  It seems you have no veinous control, hence no ability to retain the blood in the penis.  Veinous valve function must come before/or with the ability to get erections, so we can keep it erect when it does happen.  It seems that some of us will take longer to regain what is lost in both areas.   You are at the 1 1/2 month mark, which is way too early to see return of function in the majority of cases as posted here.   There's an occasional report of very early erections, but more to the norm is from 6 to 18 months for recovery.  Your using Viagra and the pump is a good start at rehabilitating.  Keep pumping up twice daily, if possible, without rings to achieve blood flow and infusion in the penis, until recovery is complete. 

What type pump and rings are you using?  Some people have had to use 2 rings of the same size to acheive a firm enough erection for sex.  Of course, you still have the penile injections to try.  Most start trying them at the 3 month mark.  Most men respond positively to some form of them, even if they have no veinous valve action yet.  It's been said here that the best treatment for recovering function of the veinous valve control of the penis is first injections, then the pump, and last Viagra in order of effectiveness.  The chemicals artifically activate and close the valves, providing good therepy by retoning and stimulating the nerve memory of using them.  Hope this can help in some way. 

Posted 3/7/2008 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
bootheel,

I was able to get an erection firm enough for penetration with the pump after about a couple of weeks of use but you have to find the ring that will hold the blood. It does get better with time. After about a month of using the pump twice a day everyday for rehab I got fed up with the discomfort of the ring and the limpness of the erection. I then went to injections which give me an upright firm erection. The only thing that the injections do not give me that I had before surgery is a firm penis head. The shaft is just as firm but the head is soft.

Tamu
Posted 3/7/2008 5:15 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks Tamu and James C.  I guess everything is normal at this stage of post-op.  The Doc never told me about the valves.  It makes better sense to me now.  I have gained a wealth of knowledge through this forum and really appreciate it.  It has made my journey at lot more tolerable.

Joe

Posted 3/7/2008 6:36 PM (GMT 0)
I am now 6 mos post op and am experiencing gradual reduction of venous leak. At first, the erection would be a passing event, not usable at all, then over the last 3-4 weeks, there has been an increasing firmness to the erection, at times approaching pre-op condition. I started using bi-mix with promising results, natural feeling, well worth the needle stick, which is practically painless. The Viagra works, but the facial flushing is sometimes uncomfortable. The venous leakage has shown definite improvement, hang in there, from what my MD and the nurse in the ED clinic have stated, it lags behind the rest of the anatomy in full recovery, just keep trying, it will get better. I go for my 6 month PSA next week, am both nervous and anxious!!

Randy
Posted 3/7/2008 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the information.  You're the first one I can remember who reported in detail the whys and whens of recovering the valve function.  That gives me great hope and comfort that my time will also come. 

Good luck on your next PSA check. also.

Posted 3/7/2008 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
Takes about 6-9 months for the average man to "begin" seeing decent results. Hang in there..well, be patient.


Swim
Posted 3/8/2008 3:30 AM (GMT 0)

Like everyone said above, just have to have patience.  My wife and I had our second penetration sex last week since surgery,  The 1st was Cialis assisted a few months ago, but I couldn't take the side effects of legs aching for a couple days like you had the flu, plus the erection was painful.  This last time was natural.  Sure don't like the idea that things have gotten smaller, but I guess that is just another side effect along with the dry and the fact that it seems the libido is not what it was.

My wife and I am sure all the wives of the guys on here are saints as this disease and operation effects all of us and what use to be taken for granted.  I am truly blessed by the wife God sent my way.

Have a good weekend.

Ron

Posted 3/8/2008 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
Your'e right about the wives. they truly are saints. I am very patient and know that everyone is different on the potency issue. Right now I am concentrating on the incontinence being a month and a half post-op. I'm down to about 3 to 4 pads a day. I can make it almost all night without going. The kegels help especially doing them getting in and out of the car. I see in your bio that you had capsular penetration. I had one positive margin about .3cm from the cut line. Although it was classified as T2C, I am still anxious about my first PSA in May. Your .04 PSA 12 months out gives me hope.

Joe
Posted 3/9/2008 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
I find using the pump takes a lot of practice. I can get somewhat suitable erections if I use two rings rather than one.

Injections work better for me.
Posted 3/9/2008 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
I have been using the pump about 3 months now. I have just been told to use it daily. My doctor also said to use Viagra about every other week. I see others on here that are using the pill daily. Not sure what is going on.,but my surgeon and my Uro both said a pill every other week. Any comments. I agree that the erection are not what they used to be, but they are usable, using the smallest ring. Six months past surgery and there is no hope with out the pump at this time, pill or no pill. Thanks for letting me vent, Uncle Dan
Posted 3/9/2008 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Uncledan,
I use the pump twice daily since the cath was out, also 50mg Viagra daily per Uro's orders. You can ask your Doc about that. Also I hear from some of the guys that the shots really help on the rehab. I plan to start them about 3 months out. Just a thought.
Posted 3/11/2008 4:01 AM (GMT 0)

:-)  I am 13 months post op.  No natural erections. Some stirrings at times, feel great and promissing, but as I look down there is nothing there.  I have run the gambit sparing implants.  The injections are the best and I do that every third day with good erections with stimulation usuall during foreplay and it last about two hours without pain.  On the VED.  I have not tried intercourse with the VED erection because it is too painful.  Two high tension rings barely holds the erection suitable for intercourse for five minutes.  Slipping the rings off the vacuum tube onto the penis is not a joy.

From other sources I have been led to believe that retention rings from 'Silicone Island' is much more enjoyable as there is no pain and the flexibility of silicone seals the penis better from blood release.  I have ordered but have not tried - but looking forward to it.  $6.00 or so for a set of three and available from adult sites.

Marc

Posted 3/11/2008 4:38 AM (GMT 0)
I like the title of this thread!  After one year, I am happy to report that B now has good erections, with the help of a full dose of Viagra, enough to satisfy both of us!  The vicious cycle seems to be over, and I think that the passing of time is a huge factor here.  We have been in a period of re-training. For example, without ejaculations, whatever mental excitement we had over that happenstance must be resurrected somewhere else. Without the accustomed tumescence, it distracts, and then performance anxiety checks in.  I want to say that I am comforted to find that the passing of time has taken care of much.  Finally, we are now able to keep from being so "present" ; our bodies have adapted and our minds, too.  Sex is so much in the mind, that after allowing for the physical healing, which takes time, one can get just about as ecstatic as one wants...with relaxation...and imagination...

Posted 3/11/2008 11:14 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't posted in quite some time but want to contribute to this dialog.
I had my surgery 6/27/06, so I am approaching 2 years. Most importantly, my PSA is still undetectable. I experienced dramatic improvement in my erections after a year, and they are still getting better. I now can have spontaneous sex, occasionally wake up with a good erection(reminiscent of the good old days) and even occasionally get some wood admiring an attractive woman.
So, be patient and practice using whatever aids work best for you. My urologist said that many of his patients experience improvement 1-2 years post surgery.
Posted 3/12/2008 3:43 AM (GMT 0)

Appreciate the information posted here.

Began using a vacuum pump about 2.5 weeks ago.  He just wants me to use it for therapy right now, so I am not using rings.

I seem to get pretty good erections, as best I can tell (hard to see when the inside of the pump clouds up, as it frequently does)....but no idea about whether or not I have the venous leakage that was mentioned, since I am not using the rings.

Erections were somewhat uncomfortable at first....not as bad now, although they do not feel anything like normal.

My next trip to the urologist is about 5 weeks away.  I will ask him then about injections.

On a different note, I have improved from 3-5 pads a day to 1 in the past month, so I am excited about that development.  Hope to be pad free SOON...........

Posted 3/12/2008 5:21 AM (GMT 0)
Had my 9 month check up last week. My PSA was 0.02. Last September, it was less than 0.01, so I was a bit concerned. My family doc reassured me, and also asked my uro to comment. Today, I received a note from my uro that 0.02 is a great result, since my post-surgery pathology was completely negative at the margins and in seminal vesicles. He said not to worry at all and no follow-up test necessary for 6 months. I wish the report had come back "undetectable" again, but have to trust in my drs that all is well.

As to ED, it is encouraging to hear from mikem (whose surgery was one year before mine) that things continue to improve. My family doc told me last week that many drs now believe that sexual function continues to improve for 2, 3 or even 4 years after surgery. It takes a LONG TIME for those nerves to heal. He told me not to lose hope. Viagra is working well for me at this point, and even tho I have no spontaneous erections after 9 months, dr said he was encouraged that I would continue to improve over time. I hope one day, not too far in the future, to wake up with the ol' woody.
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