ED Path to Recovery

I'm a little over 2 months post RALP. Still having a few drips / drops but mostly dry unless I'm at the gym or I have a couple of beers which run right through me.

Very thankful I'm seeing 100% erections with the use of 5mg Cialis daily and lots of manual stimulation. Unfortunately they don't last long, 5 minutes at most. Does anyone know if additional Cialis or Viagra would help the duration at the time I intend to make use of them? Or is the short duration just a time / healing thing that needs to take place in the coming months?

Thanks - Jon

Jon, Hi
Good to hear that you are doing well..Gym, just a little careful on the lifting exercises as you are still in the early stage of recovery.

All the best to your speedy recovery.

Definitely taking it very easy at the gym even though the doc lifted all restrictions at 8 weeks.

So how long does it take to 100% physically able - back to your old self again?

For 2 years prior to the surgery I was doing 500 crunches a day, 180 lbs bench press, run 45 minutes @ 6 mph etc etc. To date I haven't even tried doing a crunch and I only do 5 reps with the bench bar / no weights. (20 lbs?) I can only manage 3 mph walking on the treadmill for 45 minutes and that's all I have in me.

Pre-surgery the surgeon said "...expect to resume normal activities in 3 to 4 weeks..." I'm 8 weeks and I'm no where back to 'normal activities'. Of course everyone is different but I'm starting to think it's going to be more like 6 months or even a year before I'm back to where I started.


Jon

For us surgical patients, even with RALP, the reality is that we've had major abdominal surgery, and physical recovery will take time. As I remind myself almost daily, I'm not 18 anymore. I'm six weeks since surgery tomorrow, and late this afternoon at work I started having slight pain and discomfort around my incisions. I haven't had any discomfort there at all for at least 2-3 weeks, and here it is again.

Now, to the OP: I'm apparently one of the fortunate ones. No real ED issues. The only thing is that it takes more effort and direct contact to get things going.

I made an appointment for my 3 1/2 year follow-up today. It feels like another routine doctor visit now.

It took about 3 months to resume my normal physical activity and not feel like stamina was seriously missing. Continence concerns were an occasional minor leak for another month or two. A full year after surgery I went backpacking in the mountains, which was more than this flatlander had ever done before.

Recovery from ED was a longer journey, ranging from the full list of oral PDE5 inhibitors to trimix. Eventually, things turned around. It is a new normal, more variable than before. Reality is, aging may have taken as much from me by now. From what I learned about recovery statistics from PCa surgery, any response at all 2 to 3 months puts you ahead of many.

Your challenge will most likely fall somewhere in the middle, but it is ultimately unique to you. Give each aspect of this some time and don't get discouraged if you are not in the top 10%. Some of us take a bit longer, but many get to reasonable goals. There is life after PCa treatment.

Edit to add: Signature was seriously out of date - last PSA was undetectable in fall 2014.

Thanks to all. The information provided has been far more helpful than the uro's nurse.

Wanting to cut cost I looked into the price of 10mg Cialis and would cut them in half. To my surprise the 5mg cost $250 for 30 pills the 10mg came in at $650. (Walmart Pharmacy) If I need to continue the meds I may look into using the ADC pharmacy. $250+ a month is obscene.

I will be more patient in terms of physical recovery and my wife and I look forward to trying a higher 'on demand' dose of Cialis and/or Viagra combo with the hope of having something useable for longer than 5 minutes.

Recovery has been tough mentally too. There is such a discrepancy between what I think I can do and reality at this point. My body just isn't up to the task. If I over do it, I'm recliner bound for the entire next day.


Thanks again - Jon

Happy Dance! Took 10mg instead of 5mg Cialis and climaxed the first time since surgery!

Got to the usual 5 min mark and started losing my interest. Switched positions and got a second wind for the finish. Must have been the extra Cialis on board that put a little extra pep in my step.

So is it safe to do? Take 5mg DAILY and a couple of times a week take 10, 15 or 20mg instead of just the 5mg on the days I'm going to use it?

Sounds like this is what some/many guys on this site are doing just that but looking at the Cialis website it looks like a no-no? Website says it's an either/or - Take it daily at 5mg OR a couple times a week at 10 or 20mg but not both.

Do/did any of you guys use a pump? I am on 5 mg cialis and around 4 weeks post surgery. Had a few erections, not 100% like before but maybe 70-80% with manual stimulation. Got the call from medical place that my pump is available but not sure if I really need it? Thoughts? Will things just improve or do I need to do all that I can and just get it? Just curious what people are doing for rehab.