Posted 7/5/2016 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Five years ago this week I went in for surgery. The procedure went well and despite some discouraging steps along the road to recovery, I am now about as well off as one can be. My signature tells the major points. The rest of this post is my way of encouraging those now starting what may seem an uncertain or discouraging journey.
As I have posted a time or two before, the main thing I want to tell someone starting down this path is to set a goal and focus on it rather than the problems along the way. Recovery can seem very slow and will wear one down if you let it. Once cancer was no longer my main concern based on post surgery PSA, I started marking out steps on the road to recovery. Camping overnight with the Boy Scouts was my first milestone, for general recovery from surgery and regaining 95% continence. Overnight backpacking in the Rockies with my son marked one year out. At two years I backpacked for 10 days in the back country with the Scouts.
The last goal for me was resolving ED and I am finally there. I went a year after surgery without anything working, then used injections for several months until PDE5s started working. Beyond 2 years I still needed PDE5s on occasion but was annoyed by the side effects and cost. Adding in testosterone injections helped a bit more, but still not enough to be like I was before surgery. Early this year I decided to start using L-arginine and grape seed extract supplements. Most of the information on L-arginine is sales hype but there are one or two actual studies that indicated it might work. My doctors agreed to track a few lab values. After a few months of slow improvement, I am doing just fine and have been pill free for a couple months. I trust that someone else can try this and see similar improvement.
PCa can be overcome, whether a low risk case like mine or some much more serious. Todd1963 is one of the strongest men you will find on this forum and his example of overcoming has been an inspiration to me. Thank you Todd! Keep the faith.
Explorer