FranPro said...
Guys, thank you so much for your replies, they really do help. I hated to whine, I am happy to be cancer free for now but I was/am down in the dumps. My RALP was nerve sparring the surgeon says. I am a very active person in pretty good shape and don't smoke. I know I just need to be patient but with no noticeable improvements it is getting to me. I have the shots and they work pretty well but are a real pain in many ways. I will not consider an implant at least for 2 years post RALP.
I have been whining- mostly to myself- for over 5 years whenever I stop to think about
the permanent changes that came from treatment. Therefore, personally, I have found it best to just not think about
it if, and when, possible. I figure I only have somewhere between a few days and 20 years left, and then I won't be concerned with those losses anymore. But they are losses for now, and those pleasures were gone overnight in my case and are not coming back. Much in the same way if I had been diagnosed with bone cancer in my leg, and one of the treatments was amputation and I chose that treatment(assuming there was a choice): it's gone, it's not coming back, and I do best if I just avoid thinking about
it. For me, that includes having sexual thoughts, they do nothing but add to the grief, so as best as I am able, I try my best to avoid them.
Not that I am advising any of that approach for others, it might be quite insane. It is just what I have found best for me. However, Franpro, I can certainly relate to your emotions. And some folks do actually recover reasonably well, even though some take quite a while. May you be in that group! And if there is hope of you joining that group, your best bet is aggressive rehab, with the pills and pumps and/or injections, keep the blood flowing and keep the tissue stretched out. Even if you later end up with an implant, you will be better off with consistent rehab until that time arrives. Good luck to you brother, and we can relate!