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ED - 19 months post surgery and radiation

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Posted 1/14/2016 8:36 PM (GMT 0)
Just wondering if there's any hope of my husband being able to have an erection without the use of Trimix. It's been 19 months since radical prostatectomy surgery, followed by radiation therapy. He takes the 5mg of Cialis daily. Intercourse is only possible with the injection, but it's so inconsistent. Same dose can not work at all, to lasting too long and having to do the Sudafed and ice packs treatment. I really have to push him to use it. He's 57.
Posted 1/14/2016 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW.

While it's possible that it might come back to life, 19 months is getting to be a long time.

He may want to start looking into an implant. We've had a few here who've done that. It works and is the other option.

Andrew
Posted 1/14/2016 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Understand his frustration, we're in the same boat pretty much. I haven't tried the Trimix yet, not sure if I will and only took Cialis for a few months after surgery. After consulting with my URO a few months ago I bought a cheap pump off of Amazon just to give it a try. After some use I do see a very little improvement in the length/girth and have increasing "feelings" so there is some hope! If nothing else it brings back fond memories! Good luck...
Posted 1/14/2016 9:43 PM (GMT 0)
He might recover some more in another 6 months to 1 year, but I guess one question is: any response at all with Cialis, even if not enough? If there is a even a bit of response, is there more than there was say 6 months ago?

But as Andrew said, and depending on answers to those questions AND on how much longer Y'all are willing to wait, an implant might be the solution.
Posted 1/15/2016 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone for your input. I'm going to suggest he ask for a prescription for the single dose Cialis to try in place of the daily dose. That may answer the question of whether there's any "life" left. Strange thing is, if he has an orgasm without the injection, the penis does seem to respond , all be it, very slightly.
Posted 1/15/2016 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
My DH is 4 months out of surgery. He also is graced with still achieving orgasm without erections. Tri mix is a 50/50 chance he has a useable erection. Our dr don't give cialis if cut wide as my husband was. We were told without nerves the med is not recommended.
Posted 1/15/2016 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
I believe the 5 mg pills are for daily use.
I tried Cialis and it did not work at all.

So I was given 100 mg Viagra to try .... works like a charm every time.
Take 100 mg strength only when "needed"
Posted 1/15/2016 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hello: I was 58 at the time of my surgery. I had total ED for over 15 months and totally gave up. I took 5 mg of Cialis every day and used BiMix injections for intercourse. I also had issues with the injections not working or working too well. BUT after about 1-1/2 years, everything started coming back slowly and at about 2 years, I couldn't believe the difference. In my case, I continued to see improvement for a period of 2.5 years post surgery. Today, at 63, can have good sex whenever without any drugs and can even get an erection by looking at something erotic. Naturally, if I take a small amount of Cialis (say 5 mg.), it is certainly better.

In my opinion, and I am certainly not medically trained, one indicator may be the following:-Does your husband get erections while he is sleeping? Sometimes while in deep sleep, an erection may signal that the ED may be only temporary. In my case, I believed it told me that the "plumbing was still working" regarding blood flow.

Surgery and radiation really play havoc with the nerves and blood vessel responsible for erections. And it takes more time than many of us are told by our doctors for things to calm down so that we can function properly. I had immediate urinary control; so I was expecting a quick recovery in the erection department. I was very disappointed after a few months and that is when I started the injections for about 6 months.

Be patient and tell him to relax during sex. Remember that any stress, especially obsessing about ED, will only make things worse and actually kill any chances of obtaining an erection. I don't know if it was a coincidence in my case; but it seems as though when I finally accepted and calmed down to the fact that I would never have normal sex again, that is when my ED started resolving itself! Remember that the PCa patient has to worry about cancer, urinary control, and erections all at the same time. That is a lot of stress.

Just my story and I hope that it may give you some hope. Good Luck.

Bill K. from NJ
Posted 1/15/2016 7:25 PM (GMT 0)
My DH is 15 month post RP, both nerves spared, followed by salvage radiation and ADT. He uses 5 mg Cialis daily, pump and trimix as rehab. The ADT kind of ended any "want to", so it's all academic right now. Maybe twice or three times in the last 15 months he's shown some slight signs of life. As the ADT draws to a close, we're hoping that may improve.

Did you DH also have to undergo ADT? You mention radiation (I assume salvage?). Our Uro told us not to lose all hope until those testosterone levels came back on board.
Posted 1/16/2016 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Bill K your story sounds so almost exactly the same!! So there is hope. My husband had minor incontinence (liner only) for about a month after surgery, and also thought that was a good sign. He says he has dreams of having an erection, but I don't know if it actually happens.

Hubby did not have ADT, so he has the "want to", but it's the frustration of everything being so mechanical at this point.

We're heading off on vacation next week, without the trimix so there will be no pressure to even try!
Posted 1/16/2016 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
Wife of: Not get too detailed but.... If he or even you can concentrate and check out what is going on at night; well that would be one way to see if the plumbing works. I was very focused and sort of trained myself to check if I came out of deep sleep and many times I was surprised that I had an erection. Mine disappeared within seconds of waking up and at first they didn't even last long enough to show my wife! But then they happened more often and lasted for several minutes. I was never able to have sex with a dream induced erection but they gave me hope. In my case, I found that they were much more likely to occur if I didn't wear any underwear to bed. Yes, I had dreams nearly every night similar to your hubby. The erections happen, I believe during REM sleep, and it is part of your bodies way of keeping things well oxygenated. Funny, but when I first started the injections; they worked great every time. But as time went on, they became less and less effective. In my opinion, I believe that that was due to fact that perhaps the BiMix was getting flushed out as my blood flow to that area improved. Don't give up....It could take longer than we are generally told by our doctors.

Bill K.
Posted 1/17/2016 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Bill,

thanks for all of your input. I think you've really helped us. We'll take it easy going forward. Use the injections for therapy for a time and hope that without the stress things will improve.
Posted 1/17/2016 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
If Cialis does not work, try another medication - Viagra, Levitra for example. Don't give up.
Posted 1/18/2016 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hello,

My surgery was in October and in the process of going through radiation and now have ED and have nothing in the erection area. NOTHING. Talked to my doc and he did give me a script for Trimax. I have been working to find the correct amount of the drug to use and after 5 attempts, everything finally worked correctly last night. Yes this does involve getting a shot in the penis, but it is really not that bad. It was finally nice to be able to have sex again. I will take the shot any day of the week to have sex again with my wife. I am looking forward to the next shot. Really.
Posted 1/18/2016 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
I had rad. prostatectomy nearly 6 years ago but no follow up radiation, both nerves spared. I was able to get a useable erection after 6-9 months with viagara however it was inconsistent. Things plateaued for almost a year after which point I was able to drop the viagara and go natural however not always as hard as I would like and would go flaccid immediately after orgasm. Slow but steady improvements continued for about 4 years until I achieved pre-surgery firmness/duration and in the last year I no longer go flaccid after climax.
To me this indicates I've had a total recovery in all aspects and that the recovery was a process that took about 4 years...that's a lot of patience however the reward was worth the wait. If it were me I'd be using a pump to help with blood flow, it's inconvenient and definitely not the same sensation but it helped me to keep exercising while waiting for the real thing to return.
I also remember the feeling of "this is never going to be the same", it's frustrating and improvements are minuscule but over time hopefully they add up to some normalcy for you.
good luck.

r

Post Edited (Arch) : 1/18/2016 11:34:12 AM (GMT-7)

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