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ED almost 3 years after surgery . There is light at the end of the tunnel

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Posted 1/5/2011 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
PSA 6/2007 2.1
10/2007 2.7
2/2008 3.1
Biopsy showed 5 of 12 samples positive 60% of prostate involved
Robotic 4/2008 No incontinence right away and margins were clean
Family history of PC

Was really an up and down struggle for the first year. kept waiting for the nerves to regenerate and waited and waited and waited. Its been almost three years and the nerves are not back like I had expected, but I've accepted the fact that I may never be back to where I was before surgery and just stopped worrying.
The more I worried and stressed out sometimes the worse my ED became. Thank God for my wife who helped me through that period. I have tried Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. All worked Ok for me , but the side effects were bad for all of them. Hot flashes for Viagra and headaches for all of them . I still gets headaches even when I take just 5mg of Levitra. We are very sexually active and I think that alone has helped. A sense of humor along the way has also made the difference. I have discovered L ARGININE which my surgeon never heard of. An amino acid that promotes Nitric Oxide- a trigger for erections. I take 4 or 5 500mg pills and it works for me. Cheaper and no headaches. I read about that on the USTOO site about 2 years ago and have been using it successfully ever since. I am probably as good as I will ever be and thats ok for me. I am really surprised at how much more mental than physical that erection and ejaculation have become.
Posted 1/5/2011 2:12 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for posting, great to hear from someone 3 years down the track. I share your sentiments with Viagra etc. Sounds like the L ARGININE is worth a shot, got nothing to loose.

Did a bit of googling- sounds good.

•Erectile Dysfunction
L-arginine has been used for erectile dysfunction. Like the drug sildenafil citrate (Viagra), L-arginine is thought to enhance the action of nitric oxide, which relaxes muscles surrounding blood vessels supplying the penis. As a result, blood vessels in the penis dilate, increasing blood flow, which helps maintain an erection. The difference in how they work is that Viagra blocks an enzyme called PDE5 which destroys nitric oxide and L-arginine is used to make nitric oxide.

In one study, 50 men with erectile dysfunction took either 5 grams of L-arginine per day or a placebo. After six weeks, more men in the L-arginine group had an improvement compared to those taking the placebo.

Unlike Viagra, L-arginine must be taken daily.
Posted 1/5/2011 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
:
zoph3388 forgot to put his present age at 64
Gleason score of 7 and t2c.
Posted 1/5/2011 10:04 AM (GMT 0)
~
I was taking LA for a time, but understood (perhaps wrongly) that the NOx boost was short lived.
This resulted in the perceived need to take it within a time frame, similar to Viagra. (All too much trouble)
Perhaps, I should go back onto it and try it daily for a time..
I have a heap of it, so nothing to lose..

"The difference in how they work is that Viagra blocks an enzyme called PDE5 which destroys nitric oxide and L-arginine is used to make nitric oxide."

So this would suggest that one should take Viagra, and then the LA, so that the LA boost the NOx at the same time as the PDE5 is blocked

There are some contra-indications for LA if I remember correctly.. Something about use in combination with Heart Medications of some kind.

Don't forget the Australian finding that 66% of men continue to have ED at three years..  I think this implies  "Forever"...
..
.

Post Edited (BuiDoi) : 1/5/2011 3:16:10 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/5/2011 12:44 PM (GMT 0)
LA is supposed to be taken everyday. I don't because I just forget it. I try to alternate the two and find that pattern works for me. Sometimes both together and the results of both together are a little better. Its amazes me that stimulation for me is more mental than physical.. I never gave that aspect a chance before my surgery. There is a good book called Sex after Surgery. I forget the author, but the book was the most technical I have discovered yet.
Posted 1/5/2011 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have taken 2000mg of LArginine with my Viagra ever since I started. I never could tell one way or the other, since I get no response with anything, but others used it, recommended it and said it seemed to be a boost to their use.

Also, welcome to HW. Thanks for joining us.
Posted 1/6/2011 4:08 AM (GMT 0)
Like JamesC I too have been taking about 2000mg L-Arginine at bedtime -- for about 6 months now .. might make a little difference can't tell that much.
Along with with one of the Big-3 drugs ... Plus I throw in a PineBarkExtract (500mg) and a Vitamin E (400mg) ....

I think that just about covers all the current supposed helping supplements. Maybe my Uro was just kidding when he said he spared the nerves? Having a whomping big prostate at time of surgery surely does not help in nerve sparing.

For anyone who want to try a few of these i use:

L-Arginine Ethyl Ester Malate .. from PureBulk. a heaping teaspoonful (1500mg maybe?) (it is bulk powder).
PineBarkExtract(90%) -- 500 mg gel cap. -- also from PureBulk.

PureBulk may not have the lowest prices but are pretty good and they're responsive and you get only what you want in the package -- no bewildering mixtures of ingredients.

So have at it ... better living thru chemistry --maybe -- someday.

J






But keeping on keeping on.
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