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Posted 10/31/2012 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

I have an appointment withe the ED clinic next monday.
Just to refresh:


I have total ED despite nerve sparing surgery, no problems before RP 3 years ago.

I have been on cialis in various ways, 5mg daily and 20mg at the weekends but sort of gave up on that recently.
I pump daily and use a viberect.
Muse gives me a 60% erection but not enough for intercourse (I've even doubled the dose)
I've used Caverject (that's all we get in the UK) at least 50 times and had a decent erection maybe twice.
Usually I just get a slight bulge and redness spread out from the site, I've read and re-read the intructions and
as far as I know I'm injecting correctly.

I have no desire for an implant.


Anything else I can bring up with the ED doctor that I havent thought of?

Thanks,
Mike

Posted 10/31/2012 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Spot

Will be interesting to see what they come up with in the way of treatment- hopefully some answers for you-

Any specific issues or concerns about an implant- or are you just not interested-
Posted 10/31/2012 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
mike,

they can't say you haven't tried. sounds like you have gone the full gambit of approaches. very sorry that none of them have worked for you, especially this far out.

so much for the wonders of nerve sparing ops. there have been others in your situation with no luck, despite that type of surgery.

perhaps something, one day, will come along better to help you in this department. i can understand about the penile implant stuff. i would have a hard time of going that route if needed, sounds very mechanical.

good luck, and despite where you are at, just don't give up.

david
Posted 10/31/2012 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
Mike,

James C. put together a page on injections, might be useful to you.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&p=1&m=1827385

Posted 10/31/2012 8:10 AM (GMT 0)
Good morning David:

"I can understand about the penile implant stuff. I would have a hard time of going that route if needed, sounds very mechanical."

Interesting comment- never thought about it in that way- got me thinking- you are right about it being a mechanical device- as are many other implanted devices used today in modern medical technology--the list is endless- knees, hips ,breasts, pacemakers etc.

For me it is not so important that it "sounds mechanical" - a more relevant and significant question is whether or not it "feels mechanical", somehow diminishing the sexual pleasure and adventure for those involved- a huge question the more I think about it-
Posted 10/31/2012 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
The good news about ED treatment is that there is some form of treatment that will work for almost every man. The bad news is that some of them cost you in terms of the quality of your sex life. The cost is a continuum and the various treatments are distributed along it.

At one end of the continuum erections are natural and spontaneous. His erection tells her what is going on in his head and her reaction to it tells him what is going on in hers. It is a form of communication and allows an easy, natural interaction where overtures can be made and responses evaluated. Either partner can choose to escalate or to back down if they sense that the other isn't into it just now.

At the other end, erections are created by some sort of mechanical intervention and have little or nothing to do with a man's mood. Small overtures to 'test the waters' are difficult and, because each erection represents an expense, either in cost or in time and effort, the decision has to be made early in the process before either party really knows whether they can both get in the mood or not. This pressurizes the decision and raises the possibility of failure and discouragement.

The various treatment options are spread along this continuum. The least costly, in terms of their impact on sexual spontaneity are the pills, especially daily Cialis (so you are always ready) or Staxin (that works really fast). At the other extreme, as most people see it, are penile implants where any possibility of a spontaneous response to mental stimulation is forever lost.

The treatments are not evenly spaced along the continuum. There is a big gap in the middle. The funny thing is that men who have tried and failed with pumps, Muse and injections but balk at an implant have already crossed the bridge over the abyss and are nervously contemplating a speed bump in the road.

If you read what men say about their implants, it's tempting to think that the usual ordering is wrong. Physiologically, implants may be the most drastic intervention, but in terms of their cost to your sex life they are one of the least. You can cuddle up against her and give that third testicle a bit of a squeeze, just to see what she will do. You can do it with one hand and she may not even notice.
Posted 11/1/2012 4:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Peter,

I suppose the thing about implants from my perspective is that there's no going back once you have the procedure.
Probably the chances of me getting an erection again is in the very low percentages, maybe even fractions, maybe not even that, but hey, you never know.
Glad it's the right thing for you.

Cheers,
Mike

Posted 11/1/2012 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Spotty,

Actually, I don't have an implant. I am a VED and Trimix guy for the present. At four months out from robotic RP and scheduled for another year and a half of hormone therapy I won't really know where I stand (so to speak) for another two years. Probably, at that point I will continue with the Trimix, only this time with intent.

Based on my moderate pre-surgical ED and the limited degree of nerve sparing that could be done I make my chances of ever having a natural response at one in five. I should have some information sometime around Christmas 2014.

During the time leading up to my surgery I arranged my options in my mind, convincing myself that I would be OK with the contingencies for all outcomes that had a probability of more than 83 1/3 percent (the odds of a good outcome playing Russian roulette.) This involved convincing myself that I would be OK with sticking needles in my privates if it came to that (which it did). I called that set of contingent expectations "The Plan" and it helped keep me sane (-ish). It still does. But it needs a bit of adjustment for subsequent events.

As things stand now I make the chances that I will want an insert to be only slightly greater than one in six but that indicates I should add it to the plan. My previous posting is my ideas, trying to convince myself that, if it came to that, I would be OK.

And yes, you can't go back. But that is getting to be familiar.

Post Edited (PeterDisAbelard) : 11/1/2012 9:06:53 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 11/2/2012 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
My only regret about having the implant: I didn't get it sooner.
In terms of it being "mechanical", I'll tell you, it felt much more mechanical to have to make sure sex was actually going to happen, go to the fridge, go back to the bathroom, get my glasses on, remember which side I hit last time, find a good spot on my friend that had no small veins to hit, draw the mix, stab myself, wait for several minutes, go back to bed, and try to figure out where I left off...
It has become the new normal, and hands down, a Godsend compared to injections.

I would never knock anyone that doesn't choose to do it, because, no, there is no going back, but for me, absolutely no regrets (except at the beginning of the post). smilewinkgrin
Jeff
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