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Penile Implant, Should I ???

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Posted 10/28/2011 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
Penile Implant, Should I ??

My wife is leaving me and I will be out in the dating world again and I can't have normal sex since my surgery in June ( not much opportunity either . Nothing seems to work and I am thinking about a penile implant, my Dr brought up that option with me yesterday.

Any thoughts or ideas on this, experience or feelings ??

From what I am reading on the internet, men that have this done seem to be very happy with the results and the 3 piece system seems to be very good.



5/05- PSA 2.008
12/08- PSA 2.87
2/11- PSA 4.357
3/11- 12 needle biopcy performed with cancer detected in only 1 core with a Gleason Score of 3+3,
6/11-Robotic Prostatectomy performed, Path report showed tumor size 1cc stage pT2c with no signs of cancer ouside the prostate
9/11 PSA .060
Posted 10/28/2011 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
If you want to use that part of your body, then what else are your options? A number of guys here on HW have gone that route including myself. However, if you want a more "IPP" focused discussion, you may want to visit the Frank Talk site. A some of us HW people who share your problem have joined in there. The surgery is not that bad but it is no fun either, plan on down time of about a week then being carefull for about a month. I would go for the three piece unless you have some other issues that would prevent that.
Posted 10/28/2011 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Trimix,

Welcome to the fraternity.

Wow you and I had our surgery about the same time which was not that long ago, 5 months. I am suffering too with ED but have worked extensively with my URO to help both the blood flow and erections quality of life issue. I have had success with injections of TRIMIX and I am seeing improvement of my ED every day. I also take Viagra between injections and I am now getting 50% erections with it now when 2  months ago I got no reaction at all.

Are you seeing an ED specialist who knows how to treat post prostate surgery ED? It has not really been that long since you had your surgery and most experts say it can take 2 years for the ED or improve to the point where ED drugs will work 100%. Having the implant is finality of the issue and once done there is no going back. I am somewhat surprised your URO is already discussing this with you other than he will make a lot of money from you for the operation as most insurance will not cover the procedure so URO's make good money doing them. I had the implant discussion with my URO and he told me he wouldn't talk to me about it until I am at least 2 years post surgery. He also has been treating my Ed aggressively since week 3 after my RALP.

I suggest you watch a series of videos from the Sloan Kettering Cancer Clinic by a Dr Mulhall who is a URO in their prostate cancer department who only treats prostate related ED problems. This was suggested to me by others in this forum and it was an eye opener and a relief that I found  my URO followed the same ED protocols as Dr Mulhall.

If you want to know more about my experience with Trimix injections please send me an email and I will be glad to send you my phone number.

Terry TWG

 

Posted 10/28/2011 7:24 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Water Guy- Just clairification on my end with the word I am using for my identity "Trimix" I do deep sea shipwreck diving and I use "Trimix" O2, Helium and Nitrogen for the diving, I am not sure at this point what Trimix therapy is for ED, I am still learning.

I had a doctors apt with my GP just a couple of days ago and it is the first time I have seen him since my prostate had been removed and was a follow up appointment. He asked me how things were going and I unloaded my feelings on him, he is the one that suggested the implant, he said that my insurance should cover it and that he has had several happy patients that have gone down that road.

I have also suffered from PE all my life and I can see that having an implant would probably help my sex life a lot once I get back in the swing of things. I am 60 yrs old and need to find a good partner to share my life with and I don't want to have these problems, I like sex to much smilewinkgrin

I really like how we can talk about all these very sensitive issues, I have not ever been able to do that before, thanks everyone for your input and help.

Posted 10/28/2011 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Trimix,

I would endorse all that Terry has said. At less than 5 months since surgery your ED situation typically is reaching a low point. I had NO response to V,C, L when I first started them at about 6 months (I should have had them strenuously recommended to me by my specialist from as soon as the catheter was removed). If you are anxious about your situation then the injections (especially trimix injections) are a good place to start in order to get the blood flow into the spongey tissue.

You haven't said much about what you have tried but I suspect you may need to consider fresh professional advice. Implants at 5 months seems very hasty. I experienced the most improvement from 12 - 18 months post surgery and then again once I relented and tried injection therapy at 3+ years.

You may find Dr Mulhall's video hope restoring and generally informative.
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/94910.cfm

Best of luck in your journey, it is a journey and try not to allow your marital situation to box you in in your thinking, there is a love-life after PCa. I was single and am now embarking on a new life in this area so I know how easy it is to feel a hopelessness. IMHO implants is a last option and you have time on your side. Experts are now saying 4 years is the time for rejuvenation and I suspect that figure will in time go out to even longer.
Posted 10/28/2011 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Trimix for erectile problems is an injection of alprostadil, papvarine and phentolomine. It has been very effective. The V,C, and L referred to are the oral meds viagra, cialis and levetra.

It sounds like you need to consult an expert in erectile problems. You have time to make the right decision.
Posted 10/28/2011 7:48 PM (GMT 0)
I agree, 5 month post surgery is way too early to tell if you won't have natural erections later. The nerves that trigger an erection have been bruised and won't wake up for a while, unless of course nerve sparing during the operation wasn't deemed safe due to possible spread of PCa. I'd wait a least 2 years before making that decision as there isn't a reset button on the old guy once they invade it with mechanical means.

Go with injections for the time being and supplement that with PDE5 inhibitors to help with tissue rehab.
Posted 10/28/2011 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
Trimix,

Trimix injections are a sex saver for many guys in this forum. Before surgery there is no way I would have ever considered injecting my penis for sex, but never say never. The injections once you get the right dose and have some practice are painless and will produce a full 100% erection for an hour to an hour and 1/2. It will even stay hard after you have an orgasm, yes we still have orgasm even though we have no ejaculate. If you do a google search on trimix injections you will find many threads on the subject here. It was googling Trimix that first brought me to the HW forum back in July. The problems a lot of RALP guys have is the new protocols for penile blood flow and ED treatment sooner rather than later after surgery are not followed by a lot of UROs in the country. I was lucky mine was one of the few here in Alabama who does follow the early treatment protocol. Dr Mulhall who I referenced earlier uses Trimix injections twice a week with 25 mg of Viagra daily between the injections to treat prostate surgery guys like us.

My URO told me and my wife at the first ED meeting we had that Trimix would help stimulate blood flow to kick start the healing of the damaged nerves that control normal erections. He also told my wife that if I got an erection good enough for sex it was a bonus. Now my wife says after sex "Thank you Trimix"  We are both 61 and before my surgery had a very active sex life but I had ED for 3 years before my surgery and I was using 50mg of Viagra for sex. Like I offered earlier send me you contact info by email and lets talk over the phone.

Terry TWG

Posted 10/28/2011 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't notice that you are only six months out, I agree with what the other posters said BUT, if you had serious ED ( you said PE?) before the RP, then I think you might be pretty much screwed. I have never heard of anyone who didn't lose at least some abilty in that area and does anyone, ever, gain ED any improvement from having their prostate removed? I waited only a year as the RP brought my ED to 100%, If you are exeriencing what I did, I doubt waiting two years will help, it is hard to start from zero, I think. I my case my pre-RP ED was bad enought so that I couldn't afford to lose any, so the idea of waiting, I think, is like a lot of things.....it depends....
Ron
Posted 10/28/2011 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
I have had PE most of my life and my ability to satisfy my partner has always been an issue, I had some ED before my RP but have a serious case of it now so between the PE and ED I am screwed (no punn intended) smilewinkgrin

Meeting a new lady and dealing with all this has me very concerned.

Posted 10/29/2011 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Wait! Wait! Are telling me Trimix is something different than our injectable Kickapoo joy juice that some of us know and love?

In a certain lab, we used our version of Trimix to run car engines. It was a blend of Gasoline, ethanol, and butanol.

Who knew?
Posted 10/29/2011 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
I think its a good idea not to get them mixed up.. In one way or the other TriMix hops thing up!...

Trimix, Your new to the game.. I personally know Terry (waterguy) and Worried Guy and Knotreel is a buddy down the street from me. They are giving you some good advise.

I will restate what Water Guy Terry said. You should check out Franktalk.org That site deals specifically with ED.

Best of luck and as others told me.. Never give up.

Cajun Jeff
Posted 10/29/2011 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
puzzled here in SC, what is PE?

david in sc
Posted 10/29/2011 2:53 AM (GMT 0)
David it i premature ejaculation

Hope you have had a good week.
Posted 10/29/2011 6:01 AM (GMT 0)
trimix,

you sure picked a screen name -

Interesting that many who have responded so far are GFMPH vets -

My uro/surgeon suggested an implant at less than a year out from surgery, but now two years out, he was probably right. The "trimix" drug, injected, works as advertised for most, but it is a real freak-out moment when the first night is prefaced with a needle.

The "vitamin V, L, & C" options don't do much for me (I am a "no nerves spared" case).

If you were considered "nerves spared", give them time for recovery. If not (like me). you might as well go ahead and experiment with the injections before you pull the trigger on an implant, just to understand the options.

There is a member of one of my support groups who has gone the implant road (the only individual I know locally), and is very happy with the results. He says it changed his post PCa life dramatically for the better, after finding that the shots were functional, but not practical.

I continue to consider it, but yet another surgery seems like yet another pain in the arse.

 

Posted 10/29/2011 5:19 PM (GMT 0)

Thanks for all your input, I now see from reading all your comments and also watching this video-

"You may find Dr Mulhall's video hope restoring and generally informative.
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/94910.cfm"

that my Uro has not given me the information I need to be as proactive as I can about my ED. My Uro only had me taking small doses of V, C and L and clearly that was not strong enough for me. After watching Dr Mulhall's video last night I decide to take 100 mg of V and it worked !! :-)


Looks like I need to seek out a more aggresive ED recovery process using the drugs first, maybe I don't have as much of a problem as I thought.

My RP was nerve sparing but nothing seemed to work so I mentally escillated this into something it was not.

How do I go about finding the information or Dr that I can work with to put me on a real rehabilition program for my ED ??

Thanks so much guy's for helping me out !!!

Posted 10/29/2011 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
WOW Trimix.. Who would think is this short of a time you would move to the big V Pill and have good success. What a wonderful thing... This post has been real exciting. Many times we have to take charge of our on quest for the return of our sex life.

Sounds like you fond that out from this site. That is what the site is all about the guys are helping each other out with info.

Congrats!!!!!

Cajun Jeff
Posted 10/29/2011 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Cajun Jeff- Yes, this forum has been a great help to move me along and I thank everyone for that.

Now just need to get on a good drug rehab program, any thoughts on that ?.
Posted 10/30/2011 10:45 AM (GMT 0)
Trimix,

I am so glad that you found this forum and we were able to provide you the information you needed. Two days ago you were ready to throw in the towel and get an implant and yesterday you had erection, It is hard to make an recommendations for referring a good ED doc without knowing where you live.

Terry

Posted 10/30/2011 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Terry- Cancer is something that just happens and most of us know nothing about what the truth is or what to do, all we can do is seek out information and try and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

We don't know what we don't know, and you cannot rely on help from anyone, you just have to keep digging.

In the last few weeks, I have joined many forums and I have gotten some good information from each one of them. Just being able to talk frankly to other guys in the same situation helps tremendously.

I was clearly missing information that my Uro should have given me. I now feel that he just left me out in left field to fend for myself, he is a great surgeon but he does not seem to realize how important the next part of this journey is to us and clearly define a path to go down.

I live in the Seattle area and I am sure there is a great Dr that deals with ED, I just need to figure out how to find one that is good and cares.

Thanks again for any help you might be able to throw my way.
Posted 10/30/2011 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
Trimix,

Here is a link to ED specialists in Seattle. I would call them and find one who has experience in dealing with prostate surgery related ED.

http://www.vitals.com/disorders/wa-seattle-mental_disorders-f03-erectile_dysfunction_ed-6881.html 

This should be a good place to start. Also if you need a good source of ED drugs send me an email and I will show you where to get these at great prices.

Unfortunately many URO's do not consider return of erectile function a priority of theirs after surgery. I was fortunate that mine does and I have followed the Dr Mulhall protocol of ED drugs and Trimix injections since the 3rd week after my surgery. Some guys in here have URO's who will not even consider injection blood flow therapy sending them  to other doctors for help after seeing the success many of us are having with the protocol. Some URO's want to immediately talk only about implants which IMO are more profit driven than patient quality of life driven. Good luck

Terry

Posted 10/30/2011 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
Terry- Thanks for the info, I will post what I discover and my continued journey.
Posted 10/30/2011 5:28 PM (GMT 0)

trimix said...
Terry- Thanks for the info, I post what I discover and my continued journey.

 

Trimix you are welcome. My wife and I both have a lot of family that live in Seattle and Oregon. We both are OSU Beavers alumni.

 

Posted 10/30/2011 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
It's the Huskies for me !!!! :-) I have lived in Seattle all my life and love it here.
Posted 10/31/2011 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
Kickapoo Joy Juice, that made me giggle. At nine moths out of surgery and taking Cialis 3 times a week, I am just now starting to get some improvement.I am glad my VED has a life time warranty cause I have given it a hard way to go. Not to mention the manual therapy I receive!
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