More confident in decision to have RRP 18 months out!

I had RRP in Philadelphia 4/24/12 for G7(3+4). PSA was 3.5 and all margins negative.  I felt good about my results and controlled the incontinence 4-5 months out.  My main issue of concern was ED.  I was very discouraged for the first year with only minimal response despite very aggressive rehab.  I posted here  and other sites about the psychological pain that potentially permanent ED was causing me.  I thought that I had made the wrong choice with RRP. Several members here said "be patient" but I had all but lost hope.  I am happy to report that at about 14 months I began getting significant morning fullness.  Within two months I was able to achieve penetration with a weak erection.  Now at 18 months I am able to achieve penetration on a regular basis taking only Cialis 5mg nightly.  I am only 80% but and have some trouble achieving orgasm with penetration but my wife feels that the experience is rapidly getting more normal.  I think that by 24 month things may be near normal.  I tell this story so that others won't get discouraged with the ED issues after surgery.  You need to give it time.

HCV

thanks Purg.  I was less than .1 at 15 months.  I did the ultrasensitive at 9 months and it was <.01 but I could not take the psychological pressure of repeated ultrasensitive tests.  I figure I want to know the level when I have to treat it and that would most likely be at >.1.  So now I am just doing the regular test.

HCV

Thanks for posting this. I showed it to my husband and it gave him encouragement and showed him that he needs more patience. He is a year out from surgery, and having the psychological pain you referred to. He was hoping to overcome ED at the one year mark, and since he has not, he became depressed about it. He has been concerned that he may have permanent ED, as you said you were.

His psychological response to his ED is causing distress for me. I am happily married so it is not putting my marriage in any kind of jeopardy, but his sometimes withdrawn behavior has been difficult to deal with.

He gets nocturnal erections and I'm sure that is a good sign, but does not get them when he is awake. I hope that he follows in your footsteps.

Bluebird - when you describe your husband you are describing me. At one year I had nighttime fullness and I could stimulate something and thats it.  At fourteen months I saw my urologist and voiced disappointment - he told me to hang in there.  BTW, his PA assistant essentially told me to forget it- that what you had at one year was it :(.  I got a lot of support from this site.  Someone - and I forget who - told me that I would go down his path and I did.  Tell your husband to hang in there.  I did shots one or twice a week and nightly Cialis 5mg.  My biggest improvement has been the last two months.  I am actually getting some results from mental stimulation again.  My wife and I are happily married but she could not understand my melancholy. It is a guy thing - we want that erection even if we don't use it.

 I do still take it and I think it helps.  It costs $130 a month - if it doesn't help I don't think that it hurts - it is indicated for ED in patients who have not had RRP.  Also - I think its worth doing the shots.  They don't hurt and it will allow some degree of intimacy.  I hated them psychologically but I didn't want to leave any stone unturned.  Good luck.