Dealing with erectile dysfunction

Well that was a cold glass of reality splashed in my face! Felt good too. Let's face it, health care in this country has escaped the free enterprise system, and now hospitals and doctors charge the maximum they can expect from the insurance companies, not what market forces of supply and demand should dictate.

Hence, just like Lucky says, we've got overproscribed medications, treatments, and surgical procedures, so that sometimes we don't know if a procedure is necessary to save our lives, or necessary for the new wing going up at the Urology clinic. The only reason we know about the urology prostate Medicare fraud is probably because the feds were involved in paying the bills instead of the insurance companies.

I mentioned I went I went through five urologists... I recounted and it has been six. I could tell you the stories, but its a waste of time. But I know when someone sees me as a cash cow and not as a patient. That is still one thing about Urology, that part is still operating in the free enterprise system, I can always go to the competition at another urologist or another clinic. In fact we are having this discussion because there are competing companies out there for our PC dollars. It's sad, but still an advantage for us. If this were a socialist system, the government would just tell us whether or not we get treatment, and what kind. 

Which leads to the story about heart scans. ICYDH... The heart scan that checks calcium levels in your arteries, which is indicative of damage that the body uses calcium to make repairs, turned out to be a good indication of present or future heart issues. When the technology was marketed, the stent makers and the hospitals et al that performed bypass, all fought it and tried to discredit it. Why? Because it cut into their profit margin and threatened the numbers of patients needing their services. If everybody got heart scans and got advance warning of their danger, they could use less invasive solutions before it got out of hand. 

It took NASA to realize, after two ground control employs dropped dead of heart attacks right in the middle of launches, that they would develop the technology and now you cannot enter their program without a ZERO heart scan score.

There are still professionals who poo poo the heart scan. In all this, we have to realistically wonder, what are the MOTIVES of any particular health care professional or establishment. The heart scan manufacturer wants to make money. So does the Urology clinic. 

But there is one element I trust, and yes everyone can disagree, but I trust Christian doctors who I can confidently say are living their faith. Yes, there are Christian doctors who are crazy profit motivated, but that is where I have to make a judgment call. That is how I finally settled on my urologist surgeon. And I knew another patient of his that high regard for him. Yes, there certainly are atheists likely who are competent surgeons, but I want someone who will consider even greater personal responsibility for my success than just a dollar sign bottom line.

The one other thing I thought should be mentioned after reading Lucky's astute analysis of our profit motivated health care system.... The guys on this forum have no MOTIVES for manipulating us. The surgeons, hospitals, clinics, device manufacturers all have profit MOTIVES for their prescriptions, which is all well and good until profit comes before advice that is best for the patient. But on this forum, I don't know you, you don't know me, so unless something is going on that I don't know about, there is NOTHING I can gain by telling you guys what happened to me, and nothing you can gain by telling me your opinion. That's why I didn't want MK to give the impression we are some sort of evangelists for robotic PC. I am only telling you what happened to me, so you can become better informed. So kudos to Lucky for leaving no stone unturned to make decisuons. I only know what happened to me, and can give some insight what may or may not happen. But I can't predict what will happen to anyone else, BUT rest assured, I don't have any hidden agenda or vested interest in any decision you make. And I regard the advice from the other guys the same way, which is why I value it so much. What do they have to again by lying to me? Nothing. They could be wrong, for sure, but they have no reason to steer me wrong... 

Unless they are pathetically lonely guys on their basement computers looking for some kind of affirmations for their opinions and self worth by pretending to be "experts"... But no, they have Facebook for that. I'm pretty sure prostate issues take a lot of wind out of our proverbial sails. And if PC doesn't humble us, losing 2 inches of our manhood sure as h*ll will. Ours is a club NO man wants to belong to. The shortened **** club. I nominate George Castanza to be club president.

I am wondering what happened to my yesterdays post.

MK

Mk...Au contraire, like CG says. I still say we are not "evangelists" for RP. If you disagree with RP then by all means say so. But I still wish we could get to the bottom of this as a favor to the guys who are still making a tough decision. WHY do you think it was unsuccessful? Besides, when you said "I'm out" I had the impression you were done with the forum. I am glad to hear you are not "out".

I probably should admit something I haven't mentioned. About a year before my RP a friend had just gone through it. He pushed it as a great help to him. Just before that a neighbor and friend had passed away from PC. My other friend warned me of potentially permanent sexual dysfunction, but after the death of the neighbor it seemed a small price to pay. I was determined to get it OUT. Besides that, I was dealing with a recurring prostate infection that was later determined to be Staph. If you know anything about Staph, you know it is very nearly impossible to eradicate. Antibios could only make it dormant only to recur in another bout of prostatitis. I was afraid of having sex with my wife for fear of infecting her. This had been recurring off and on for ten years. So I had nothing to lose but a Staph infected prostate, in exchange for the ability to urinate again.

That's why I keep saying, for some guys who have more prostate issued than just PC, RP is the way to go.

But for other guys, it may NOT be the way to go. And you need to tell them that. But they should also know why and what happened. If you refuse to comment any further, I will likely bring your case up anyway. 

Also, I am just glad I didnt have to go through what my neighbor went through. He insisted on warning all his family and friends to get tested and guard against it. Advice not lost on me. I am betting he would have given anything, including his sex life, to have had an RP  long before his PC was diagnosed and it was too late. He was older than me, but in great physical condition. He raised and ranched race horses. Now his widow sold all the horses, the ranch is overgrown with weeds and she is about to sell the house ranch and barn and move away. She also would have gladly given up their sex life to have him back. They didn't have any sex life once the PC took off anyway. So between my two friends and my recurring Staph infection, my decision was imperative. 

Grinder & Vasco,

Missing post had some low stats on ED recovery post RP, and I asume  that is why it went missing, not showing on this tread. I do not know how I can recover my post.

Grinder, I am not hiding anything Details are known. I had robot assisted RP (Da Vinchi) with bilateral nerve sparing according to my surgeon. My RP took 5+ hours to be completed and what surgeon told my wife after surgery is that my RP was complicated by Turp which he performed 5 months prior and he did extensive work on my bladder neck reconstruction before he  was able to connect it to distal urethra. I also had pelvic limph nodes disection total of 8.

I wish I could know if this additional work on bladder neck reconstruction caused big loss of penile length?

Because of change of job and insurance, I am not followed by same doc who did Turp and RP.

If you got to my tread "Surgery tomorrow " you will find more details on my recovery.

(In brief; incidentally diagnosed with Gleason 6 after TURP, had TRUS biopsy which showed Gleason 7(4+3) 1 of 12 pos  with 10% of core involved  which thankfuly post op was downgraded to 3+4 but multiple locations on both sides which was graded as pT2c. I wish I stayed on AS against medical advice with someone who is more relaxed with 4+3 in small quantities as per biopsy. I could enjoy some good number of years before treatment would be necessary. I totaly think this explains my frustration.

At time of diagnosis and surgery, I was healthy 51 year old non drinker, non smoker, not on any medication, in excellent shape, very active (involved in sport as sport officia officiating good number of games).

No fine print, nothing hidden.

MK

MK1965 said:

Stats

Grinder & Vasco,

Missing post had some low stats on ED recovery post RP, and I asume  that is why it went missing, not showing on this tread. I do not know how I can recover my post.

Grinder, I am not hiding anything Details are known. I had robot assisted RP (Da Vinchi) with bilateral nerve sparing according to my surgeon. My RP took 5+ hours to be completed and what surgeon told my wife after surgery is that my RP was complicated by Turp which he performed 5 months prior and he did extensive work on my bladder neck reconstruction before he  was able to connect it to distal urethra. I also had pelvic limph nodes disection total of 8.

I wish I could know if this additional work on bladder neck reconstruction caused big loss of penile length?

Because of change of job and insurance, I am not followed by same doc who did Turp and RP.

If you got to my tread "Surgery tomorrow " you will find more details on my recovery.

(In brief; incidentally diagnosed with Gleason 6 after TURP, had TRUS biopsy which showed Gleason 7(4+3) 1 of 12 pos  with 10% of core involved  which thankfuly post op was downgraded to 3+4 but multiple locations on both sides which was graded as pT2c. I wish I stayed on AS against medical advice with someone who is more relaxed with 4+3 in small quantities as per biopsy. I could enjoy some good number of years before treatment would be necessary. I totaly think this explains my frustration.

At time of diagnosis and surgery, I was healthy 51 year old non drinker, non smoker, not on any medication, in excellent shape, very active (involved in sport as sport officia officiating good number of games).

No fine print, nothing hidden.

 

MK

I too am 4+3. The 4 means it's too agressive to do AS, that's my understanding. You'd be gambling.

Nick