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Posted 10/19/2010 9:06 PM (GMT 0)
good news, just received my 5 month PSA and it was 0.03, and..........I did the deed without Viagara last week, just barely, but it did do the job. I've ditched the pump after a couple of months, I really don't know if it helped other than allowing me to enjoy that part of the relationship prior to recovery. I'm so grateful for my situation...now I've got to get the leakage under control...I'm setting Christmas as a tartget, that would be 7 months. Think dry, think dry, think dry.

 

Posted 10/19/2010 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations Arch, on the psa results and loosing your virginity on the other side. lol
...........Kev
Posted 10/19/2010 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Excellent news on the PSA Arch. Hopefully the incontinence will improve in the coming months. It took me about 10 months to get to those occassional dribbles and still improving on that 2 years out.
Posted 10/19/2010 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
Great news Arch. Congratulations
Posted 10/19/2010 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
Good news Arch. I will be getting my first PSA post surgery in a few weeks. I have very little incontinence but a big ED problem. I wonder if I would trade one for the other.
Posted 10/20/2010 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Arch - congratulations - here's to a lifetime of zero's !!
BRONSON
Posted 10/20/2010 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Dacama,

Thats  a hard call, while the ED is frustrating the incontinence can mean a real social inconvenience, I'd truly have a hard  time choosing one over the other.

I think I'd probably choose continence as the more important since you live with it the rest of your life while sex tends to take on less of a priority as we age. (not talking from experince, I'm only 56)

If its only your first post surgery PSA you have lots of potential recovery to go. I consider myself ahead of average in ED and probably average incontenence, its a long process and took me many months to come to grips with the reality of it, I remain optimistic and patient.

Good luck on that PSA.

 

Posted 10/20/2010 1:29 AM (GMT 0)
Speaking to my own Quality of Life, the ED vs Incontinence is not even an issue. Being continent is far more important to me than the ED. and trust me, the ED IS important.

Ask any of these guys who are still using 8 to 10 pads a day several years post surgery. I would prefer to not have an artificial sphincter if at all possible, although I would consider a surgical fix for the ED such as an implant.

For the sphincter, you have to use one of those many times each day (and night) .....that's lots of scrotum squeezing.
vs maybe every other day for the implant. (I'll just let my wife have the honors...lol)

At least that's my two pennies.

k
Posted 10/20/2010 2:26 AM (GMT 0)
kbota,

Good point, if I were still 8 pads a day I'd also choose continence, once down to 1-2 pads a day my reference point altered. 8 pads a day was a very trying time in my recovery and I questioned my progress,  I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Posted 10/20/2010 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
I feel very blessed with the incontinence issue. On Day 1 after the catheter was removed, I used no more than 3 pads. Day 2&3 no more than 2 pads, days 4-6, I used 1 pad a day, but at the end of each day, the pads were dry. For the first week, I used diapers to sleep......just in case,...... but they were always dry the next morning. As of today, three months post surgery, I don't use anything. Having said that, there are those "moments" when I cough, clear my throat, or lift something heavy, that I may lose a few drops, but nothing to fret over. I still have 80% of a box of diapers left, and 95% of a case of pads. That's the incontinence journey.

The ED journey is tougher. I lost both nerves in surgery. Pump works, but takes some planning. Also, I must finish fairly quickly or the erection will disappear before I'm done. Caverject was a complete failure even though I did not have ED issues prior to surgery. We will be making first attempt with trimix tomorrow or Thursday, but it's in the fridge waiting on us whenever we're ready...lol

If the trimix doesn't give a decent response, then I'll be making an implant appointment asap.

k
Posted 10/20/2010 12:13 PM (GMT 0)
Kbota,

You're fortunate with the continence result, not so much with the ED....I'll take those leftover pads..lol

For me the pump did serve its purpose for a couple of months but it was an inconvenience and the ecitement of a false woody wore off after a while.

I still have much room for improvemet in the ED dept but I think its only a matter of time and healing.

I hope the Trimix gives you the results you're hoping for, good luck.

r

 

Posted 10/20/2010 12:39 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations on the PSA result

As for the debate about whether ED or continence matters more...

All I noticed was that when you have an erection, but there is pee pouring out of it all over you, your bed and your partner you kind of think that the continence matters a bit more. Fortunately that didn't happen more than a couple of times, but it threatened to happen almost every time for months, and it still needs working on to prevent leaks and dribbles even now. The thing is that one of the basics of sex is that it doesn't really work very well if most of your mind is occupied with the idea that something is going to go wrong.

As for pumps and "false" wood, well you may never know, but I'm pretty sure that getting blood into your equipment regularly must help keep things in better health.

Alf
Posted 10/20/2010 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Before surgery, the list was 1.) I don't want to die, so get rid of the cancer, 2.) Continence. No diapers, for the love of G.., 3. Little NEIrish must live too. Now, 3 and 1/2 months post-surg, only #3 is on the table and the priorities haven't changed. Only one thing now to worry about, and it doesn't take much thought to bring back those earlier frightening days and feel pretty lucky. There are many here on this site dealing with so much worse. Congrats on your ZERO, and wishing you a very dry Christmas.:-)
Posted 10/21/2010 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Things are going your way Arch. A lot to be grateful for. Thanks for posting.
Michael
Posted 10/21/2010 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
I know I'm a few days late finding this thread, but I wanted to weigh in. I was one of those guys that was incontinent, using 4 diapers & 8 pads per 24 hours; and did not have nerve sparing surgery. I chose the AUS and the IPP procedures. I, for one, don't mind the scrotum squeezing several times a day as opposed to changing diapers and pads. And I definitely don't mind the scrotum squeezing for the other as opposed to shots.

Wigs
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