HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Radiation ED

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 4/30/2013 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
It's been 14 months since I finished my little course of beam radiation. So far the SE haven't been that bad - little urgency, hemorrhoids acting more often and now, some dysfunction in the ED department. Not total but it's difficult to maintain an erection and my libido seems to be waning.

Not sure I am ready to call the Uro about it but I guess that is the next step. I am having a bit of emotional - disturbance, slight upset, nothing major, something. My wife is very supportive so there is no problem there.

Guess I mostly just hate to have to deal with one more thing.

Sigh, sigh, I am just going to sigh a lot tonight.

Any thoughts? How many of you radiation people had to deal with this?

Andrew
Posted 4/30/2013 5:16 AM (GMT 0)
Go see the Uro and get the prescribed pills to try, then explore the Trimix injections, you should get great results. If not, surgery isn't so bad (which I did) and get the implant which you can pump up on demand and keep it up as long as you want.

Hopefully one of the three pills will work, if not the injections should really work for you. Try those first and always keep in mind, the surgical implant isn't so bad of an operation.

Good luck
Posted 4/30/2013 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
Any thoughts? How many of you radiation people had to deal with this?

I take Cialis which works wonderfully. you've mentioned depression and you seem to have a lot on your plate with your brother. 

i'm sure you know at least part of the problem could be between your ears (loss of libido).  still I would get some pill samples and see which works best for you.  I currently am taking 5 mg of Cialis daily.

good luck!

ed

 

Posted 4/30/2013 5:49 AM (GMT 0)
Andrew,

Despite my known physical damage from the radiation, I still haven't experienced any ED or loss of libido. Coming up on 4 years out from the SRT, and in the back of my mind, wondered if one day ED might pop its ugly head up in my life, but so far, no evidence. All parts still work as intended and upon demand.

david
Posted 4/30/2013 10:57 AM (GMT 0)
I experienced some ED, but I respond very well to Viagra. This is pretty much what I was told to expect, and I have no complaints. I did have a very low libido for maybe 6 months after treatment. I have no idea why. I suspect that it was all psychological (I suppose that is pretty much what libido is), but I was getting concerned. Then for some reason, it turned around, and I am a 61 year old sex fiend. Not really, but I do thankfully have a very active sex life.
Posted 4/30/2013 2:16 PM (GMT 0)
I sent an email off to my Uro. We'll see what he says to try first. It's not too bad right now but there is a troubling trend downward.

Yes, there is a ton and a half of stress in my life right now but I think that is going to start clearing up soon. It is does affect things and does my tendency towards depression.

I am somewhat hopeful that the pills are what I need and that I won't have to get to the injection stage. My only small concern with the pills is that I do take one BP med (losartan) and hope that won't be a problem.
Posted 4/30/2013 2:22 PM (GMT 0)
stress will definitely contribute to such issues.

I also read a report recently that had statistics for men who experience some form of ED regardless of cancer or any treatments and you might be surprised how high the numbers are once we hit 50, 60, 70.

I came across it will looking into rates of ED post robotic surgery during that thread where we were discussing these rates. I was surprised normal rates are so high and thought that perhaps this should be taken into account when folks here in their 60s and up attribute all their ED issues to their form of treatment.
Posted 4/30/2013 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
good point, davidg.

for those of us over 50, some loss of libido and some signs of ED can be expected through the normal aging process, or because of other medical reasons. Though, as a nurse working with the elderly, my wife has told me for years of all these "dirty old men", well in their 80's and even 90's that are constantly pleasuring themselves, grabbing nurse butt's, etc. She has told me recently of women in that age range that still want to be sexual active, but not a many as are the men patients.

david
Posted 4/30/2013 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
I refuse to admit that I am getting 'older'
I will not age gracefully.
I will not submit to the ravages of time.

If you mention that again, I'll get my walker and come over and smack you with my cane.

:)

Andrew
Posted 4/30/2013 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
Well, the doctor was fast. He called me and after a phone conversation he sent in a script for Levitra for me to try out. His theory was, "you're post radiation, you might need help. If the levitra doesn't work, there are two other pills to try."

We'll see if it works,
Andrew
Posted 5/1/2013 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
my cane is ready to smack the bee-gee-bee's out of your walker, so watch out, been on it for nearly 3 years now, getting good at nailing people with it in stores.

good luck on the new pill, hope it helps.

btw, I still refuse to join AARP, its for old people, but I do peak at my wife's monthly magazine she gets from them from time to time. in my mind, I am still young and pretty.

david
Posted 5/1/2013 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
Andrew,

Concerning your libido -- are they monitoring your testosterone levels? There is often a drop in T levels after either RP or RT, but it eventually rebounds. It took 18 months for my T level to return to baseline.
Posted 5/1/2013 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
No - haven't have a testosterone test yet. Up until now, it wasn't much of a concern. I just might ask about it.

Andrew
Posted 5/6/2013 5:05 AM (GMT 0)
My father use to always ask me, "Chum, what is this young kid doing looking out of this old face?"

On more youthful note. I did pick up the little pills the doc ordered. Then yesterday my wife and I got a little frisky and I forgotten to take one. Didn't seem to matter as we both ended up very much 'enjoying' ourselves.

Maybe it's just my brain that isn't working. Or maybe just having the bottle of them in the house transmits some magical field.

or something.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply