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Posted 3/16/2018 5:18 PM (GMT 0)
Is there anyone who has recovered erectile function months, and months after surgery. I can find no discussion of this anywhere. 2 months out, no response at all. Trying cialis and viagra. I just cant find a true story that has had success. I'm 60, trim, exercise, had function prior. Ive got all the right things including a beautiful, sweet woman. I need more info on men to whom it has happened.
Posted 3/16/2018 5:25 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW. It happens - sometimes after a year. You could also ask about the trimix shots. You'll get lots of info here on that. You might also want to check out the franktalk.org website which specializes in ED.

Some guys recover right away, some take months, some use the shots, pumps, or in extreme cases get the implant. Surgery is a big deal and the nerves can take a long time to heal.

and there a lots of success stories, hang around they'll be along soon.

Keep working at it, you never know what might come up.

Andrew
Posted 3/16/2018 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Friarfinnegan,

It takes time. My surgeon told me it could take up to 30 months. At my 3 month post surgery check in with him, I told him I had complete ED.....Nothing at all. That concerned me. I started the VED pump at two months post-op and at that time started dailey cialis (5mg). I had sensation and orgasm (yes you can without an erection), but no erections. He told me that at about 6 months, I should start to see some incremental improvement. He was right. I started to have some improvement and it was getting better every month. At one year, with cialis, I was about 75% back. I am now 21 months out and I have just begun to ween myself off of cialis. I expect to be near 90% in a couple months without any meds. I am 56 years old now, so I was a little younger than you to start. All I can say, is hang in there, use the VED for rehab and keep working at it. I, and you, may not get back to 100%, but 90% is still pretty good (and fun).

J
Posted 3/16/2018 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
My experience is similar to JayMot.

Complete ED after surgery - they could only spare the nerves on one side. Some reaction at about 60 days. Now 6 months post surgery I'm about 60% of normal, but noticeable improvements with time. Nerves are funny things - I've had nerve injuries and so has my wife - they recover at their own pace, and six months to a year is not too long a time to rule out a recovery. Many say two years isn't too long.

Good luck

Rob
Posted 3/16/2018 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
Depends on the individual like In the Shop said as well as the skill set of the surgeon. My Dr encouraged my wife and I on several occasions to "work" on it. Don't wait. In order for the nerves to heal and regenerate increased blood flow is needed. I was put on a low dose Cialis as soon as the catheter was removed.
I think I was probably six-eight weeks out from surgery when I started to experience "stirrings." I was taking daily low dose Cialis as soon as the catheter was removed. At about 3 months we were having enough of an erection to penetrate. Sometimes I lasted often I didn't. I did not experience spontaneous erections for a long time, at least a year maybe more. Now no issues whatsoever. I would say it's the same as before surgery.
Takes time... You need to work at it. Don't get frustrated, take your time enjoy each other.
Posted 3/16/2018 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
It's not the anecdotal reports you are looking for, unless you think of every one of the 3,187 men in the study as an anecdote, but a study at MSK found that a lot of men who had no erectile function even a year after nerve-sparing surgery, saw improvements over the following years. "In patients experiencing erectile dysfunction at 12 mo, the probability of recovering EF at 24, 36, and 48 mo was 22%, 32%, and 40%" about half the previously potent men had poor erectile function at 12 months.

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4605865/

Now, this was at MSK - certainly among the best urosurgeons in the world, and certainly the best penile rehab program in the world (headed by John Mulhall). The message is - there may be a chance to regain erectile function (as well as size) but only if you remain devoted to your penile rehab program.
Posted 3/16/2018 9:26 PM (GMT 0)
FriarFin, unlike you I was ok soon after surgery, at about 75% WITH daily Cialis 5mg. But...it took a while to get to 75% without Cialis. And I find that I have continued to improve and noticed improvement as recently as 3 months ago - 3 YEARS AFTER SURGERY. So keep the faith, keep stimulating. I think the fact that you have sensation is a good sign that you can get it back. It will just take time.
Posted 3/16/2018 10:34 PM (GMT 0)
My ED recovery took time. The first three months was like trying to shoot pool with a rope. At that point the Cialis started to kick in, but not enough for intercourse. At six money I could get an erection, but had to act fast because it wouldn't last long. At nine months I was good to with Cialis and at almost exactly a year I needed no meds at all. Its been 6+ years now and its like it never happened. When my surgeon asks me now about my erections I always reply, "Wasted".

Tom yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Posted 3/17/2018 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
I had so called nerve sparing RP robotic 16+ months ago and still as to this day my penis is deeply comatose with no signs of life. I did extensive rehab but no success with waking him up.
Before surgery never had any problems with achieving and maintaining erections, I am healthy, with only exemption of low T, not on any medication except for rehab, non smoker, non drinker , not overweight, excercising regularly but still with stress incontinece especially when I am physically active
At time of surgery I was 51.
MK
Posted 3/17/2018 1:51 AM (GMT 0)
5 years post op for me. 100% ED without meds, and about 75% with them.

-.- sigh...
Posted 3/17/2018 5:47 AM (GMT 0)
You might get some information and ideas from this video from Dr. John Mulhall of MSKCC who spoke at the PCRI Conference (2014).

"Optimizing Sexual Function Outcomes in the Prostate Cancer Patient | Dr. Mulhall (2014)"

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ELsojPFNV8

Charles
Posted 3/17/2018 12:05 PM (GMT 0)
I am six years out from RP and two years out from SRT. I am about 90% with Levitra. I cannot pull off intercourse without meds. Generally happy with this situation. I am also 6 yrs older that I was and I was occasionally slipping in a med or two before RP.

Be patient - it took me 18 months to get back 80%. I had nothing at one year. I strongly suggest injections to keep things going in the meantime as well as Cialis.
Posted 3/17/2018 12:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hey FriarF,
I asked this question about 8 years ago. I was 3 month post surgery and had no response. I was also incontinent so that was more important for me.
I wanted to know if there were any examples of guys coming back after 1 year. I only had one person say he regained function without meds, pump, or injections - and that was at 2 years!
Good luck Happy St Patricks Day - May your snake be long and strong.
Jeff
Posted 3/17/2018 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all. This is very enlightening and we had signs of life last night. Nothing impressive, but hope.

Also have pinprick pain, i believe at the urethral repair point. When it hurts, my urine stream is a sawed off shotgun blast. It comes and goes now.

Thanks again
Posted 3/19/2018 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
Friar-

I'm almost 18 months past my surgery. I was 66 then, and fairly functional with meds at that time. Since the surgery I have been inconsistent in my penile rehab. I didn't do much for the first 6 months, and in the next 6 months I was taking sildenafil from time to time with hardly any results. At a year post surgery I saw a physician specializing in rehab for prostate surgery patients. He put me on a regular treatment protocol of sildenafil since I had reported some response with the drug.

I have followed the protocol off and on, but more on. What I have experienced recently are signs that my nerves have begun returning to "life". The nerves healing make all the difference.

A few days ago I got about an 80% erection with the aid of drugs, and it was enough for penetration. The first time in over a year and half!

My take is do the rehab work with drugs if you get a response. If not, see a specialist. The rehab keeps things in order until the nerves heal. Only time heals the nerves, and you should be patient.

John Mulhall has written a good book on the subject. You can find it on Amazon.

Sounds like you're doing fine so far. Good luck.
Posted 3/19/2018 4:28 PM (GMT 0)
sorry to hear all of you young folks are having ED problems, but remember you have to keep that testosterone level down to keep your mets down.. also,if your lucky enough to live as long as me, 80 years, you will experience ED.. so keep your memories alive...
Posted 3/19/2018 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
It is the smallest of my worries for the time being, because it is not a social problem to me, but I have gone from no satisfactory erections before surgery to plainly pathetic sexual performance now. No ejaculations, of course, no erections, just some sensitivity and faint ot painful orgasms. At least my penis has not being reduced, in fact it size seems promising at first look. Maybe I will improve, assuming that no further tretaments are around the corner, which is much to asume. I have not tried pills yet and will not use needles for sure. On the other hand, almost totally continent, no pads. Only this is going well so far. I know it is not a small thing, ironically it was my main concern after diagnostics.
Posted 4/10/2018 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
The fact that there seems to be no certainty to recovery was terrifying to me. I decided to do anything I possibly could to give myself the best chance. This included, bimix, trimix, VED, cialis up to 20mg daily, viagra up to 200mg, intracavernosal prp injections x 5, 3months of pentoxyfiline, 3 months of 4-ap, supplements including alcar, ghinko, L-Citruline, pycnogenol, icariin, prayer and electro acupuncture.
Who knows if any of it made any difference but I didn't want to be left wondering. Progress went from nothing at about 3 months to success with constriction at 5 months to success with viagra at 8 months and then rapid improvement with nocturnals and spontaneous erections. At 18 months I feel I've fully recovered and it's such a relief to not have to even think about it anymore. I still take the cialis, alcar and ghinko but only because it's so readily available and I had planned to continue until 2 years but I honestly don't think I'd need the cialis any longer.
I spent a lot of time (too much) reading and researching. Please feel free to look into the things I took. You'll find most have some limited evidence for nerve regeneration in studies on rats etc.
Posted 4/10/2018 4:36 AM (GMT 0)
Were your nerves spared?
Posted 4/10/2018 10:09 PM (GMT 0)
Each person is different. I was 60 and in excellent health when I had nerve sparing robotic surgery. I was pleasantly surprised when I was having nighttime erections when I still had the catheter in. I never required Viagra or Cialis. I do have to admit it isn't as spontaneous as before surgery and it does require a little more work, but is very functional. Two years later I required salvage radiation and everything is still functional.

First off, did you have nerve sparing surgery. If both nerves were saved, then your chance for recovery is better. Two months out is still too short to of time. It might take 6 months or longer for recovery.
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