Going to try injections for erection and hubby is convinced he can't give them to himself

Hi everyone:

This is really the only place I know to go to ask these questions.  Hubby is going to see the urologist at the beginning of April for him to give him an injection of tri-mix (?) I think, to hopefully create an erection.  He is very apprehensive and is quite sure he will not be able to do this to himself.  Do many of your mates give you the injection?  or, is it really that big of a deal to give it to yourself once you know how?

I would love some insight.  The other thing he is wondering is how long the erections last after the injection.  This is definitely a whole new journey!  He continues to have some trouble with dripping.... Is he likely to drip more after the injection? 

Any thoughts would be helpful.

SeekingBliss

Seekingbliss,

I have been injecting Bimix for several months now. I also was concerned initially about injecting myself. My wife is an RN, and I was going to have her do it for me, but I got brave and never let her. It is a very small needle that is used, and even though you will maybe worry about it, it is over with quickly. I can say that I have never used the trimix, but have heard that that there can be some pain after the injection. For me the Bimix is wonderful. It takes time to get the correct dosage, but with some experimentation you will get the right amount. Ask your Dr. for guidance initially. And , yes, the chemicals in the injection create the erection. As for how long the erections last....everyone is different. I initially started out with .5ml of the Bimix. That was too much. That erection lasted almost 3 hours, and scared me. Since that time, I have gotten it down to a .2ml dose. That lasts for about an hour. Almost a perfect time for both of us. As far as the dripping, I have been continent for quite some time, but even when I have an erection I may have some urine that will escape. I have found that not drinking a lot of fluids prior to intercourse helps.

I have used Trimix for 7 months and it is easy to use and very satisfactory. I use .03 cc in a .5 cc diabetic syringe with a 5/16 inch 31 gauge needle. My uro started me with .1 cc which was way too much. I decreased the dose until I get an erection that lasts about 1 hour and causes not pain at all.

The shot itself is painless. It took a few tries to get the technique right. The uro/ED person will give him the proper instructions. We are all different and react differently to treatment so we have to experiment and find our own combination of things that help us get through this recovery. Every time I shoot myself in that most tender part I tell myself that although this is a hassle, I do know that the cancer is gone. Being on top of the grass is worth the bother...

Jim

Seekingbliss,

Yes, it will take courage which is addressed by contemplating on why he will be doing this.  He does need this to help of Trimix bring both of you closer to one another.  Difficult?  No, only in the mind.  I faced it and moved on.  Experimenting with dosage will take  an effort and what will help I believe is to keep a continual record for each injection, date difficulty/success and then begin to zero in on what is right for both of you.  I praise the Trimix as it is the only erection that I can attain every three days.  The VED is OK for pump up for me but that is about it .  We love my erections and count on them.  Do I get one every time?  NO.  Sometimes you miss and suck it up and try another variety of sex in your soon to be developed bag of tricks.  My injections are about 99% successful.

I found that my right side was a little more painful to the injections and I wanted to get rid of that situation.  My PA told me to inject only on the left side.  This is a no-no.  One must not only alternate sides, but inject in the upper, middle lower part of the penis in rotation from injection to injection.  Thus the log book becomes important to remember where you were at last.  To aleviate my situation of pain on the penis right side, I purchased an BD auto-injector ($18.00) at Walgreens and fell in love with it.  Use your normal injection syringe with 1/2" needle, load it into the auto-injector, locate where you want to inject and simply push a buton and its over.  Might be a sissy approach, but its nice and no shaking hands in my case. The shots to me now are almost second nature - just need to miss the veins.  Missing the visible veins is simple and is a matter of moving the penile skin forward or back.  Also important, use alchohol pads to clean the rubber cover on the prescription bottle before taking the serum with the syringe, rub the penis with the alchohol pad at the area where the injection is to take place and then press firmly at the injection site with alchohol pad in place for at least five minutes - this will help eliminate plaque buildup down the road. 

My system is currently comfortable with 0.06cc which gives me a satisfactory firm erection (80% or so).  I always remind my wife when the injection is due so she knows when I will have an erection - use it or not. Based on our present situation, I inject myself 30 minutes before any action and as we get into foreplay the erection fully developes and can last up to two hours from there comfortably.

For experimentation, begin with a low dose, stimulate the penis alone or with another and monitor the result.  If it is too much, at 2-1/2 hours take two Sudafed @ 30mg each and do some form of exercise (walk, up & down stairs, etc.).  If the erection does not begin to subside at about 40 minutes later, use an ice pack (ouch!) against the penis.  This should work, iF not call the Doc or exchange.  If the dose is too low, little erection, that's OK.  Up the next dose by 0.05cc only and patiently await the result. All will be well.  Take things in moderation.  The Trimix will be good for both of you.

Welcome back to male erections!  A great feeling and satisfaction for us men, and I think for our wives also.

Anything else I can offer?  Let us know how it goes.

Marc

I thought I would add a different perspective. The thought of giving old willie a shot gives me the the willie's. But I am only two months out and my sex drive is just starting to come back. The horny'er I get,will make the shot sound more reasonable, but not at this point in my recovery.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement.  I really like the sounds of the auto injector.. I will ask the Dr. about that when we go. 

Sounds like this takes patience to perfect.  That's ok.... as with most things we deal with... a lot of love and humor will see us through.

SeekingBliss

I agree with Linda, the thought is worse than the deed. MaryLu has given me testosterone injections in the butt for 12 or so years but she refused to inject the Trimix. I could not convince her to "do her part". Now after a few months it is routine and this after I swore I would NEVER do that to myself. Cancer changes our lives - in many ways...

Jim

DanmanBob,

It hasn't for me, but in a previous post I did see where someone was having a problem. I don't think the head being small interferes with most of us.

SeekingBliss, We started the injections a few months back. My husband has insisted that I do the injections. So far, only once has he felt it, and that was the last time. I think (and am hoping) that maybe he is getting more feeling down there because of the erections the injections create. He is finally starting to make comments about doing them himself. I think he relizes that it isn't hard, doesn't hurt and why make me stick him with a needle. I was scared to death at first, but like him was glad and excited when it was painless. As for the amount, your doc will tell you where to start and you have to play with it from there. I keep a journal that says how much med, which side, if erection occured and for how long. Good Luck to you both. Oh and by the way, before trying shots, we tried suppositories. MUCH more painfull!!!! Just FYI for you. Courtney

I think that it is a little soon for injections. My urologist waited for 6 months but I was using viagra and cialis before that. Not much of an effect, also tried the pump but could never stay hard very long even with the ring or double rings. I had been on Caverject Impulse 10 mcg before it became unavailable. Then switched to Edex Refill which has the same drug. Both work great but with the aching pain. I also tried viagra with Caverject because I had read that reduces the pain, which is somewhat true. But I was also hard for 3 1/2 hours.

I plan on switching to the Trimix or Bimix after the Edex is gone. I never feel the needle stick or even bleed from the puncture. And contrary to some of the other posts, the injections give me the most natural erections that I have ever had. But every guy is different.  

I started trimix at about 3 months post RP.  Wish I would have started earlier.  Great results at .11ml.  Ask your Dr. and I bet he will get you started.  Good Luck,  Allan

In a normal erection, the brain signals the nerves and the nerves open the blood vessels.

Penile injections, including bimix, bypass the brain and nerves and work directly on the blood vessels. You then don't need nerves (or brain!) for erections -- just a good blood supply.

One UNIT is 0.01cc. So 100 units = 1 cc (or 1 ml, same thing).