Recovery time for normal erections

D_R_B
D_R_B Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Two years ago this month I had a laproscopic bilateral nerve sparing prostetectomy. Every thing has come out fine including continence. However, I have not had the same success regarding erections. Shortly after surgery my doctor put me on viagra. With viagra, I was able to achieve enlargement but not an erection. After about four months, my doctor put me on injections. The injections work fine. However, I would like to know if there is anyone out there who was able to achieve normal erections but that it took more than two years for the nerves to fully recover.

Comments

  • JoeMac
    JoeMac Member Posts: 77
    #2
    Erections
    Aloha D_R_B,
    Any treatment for PC has side effects, including bilateral nerve sparing procedures. If anything your doctor should have told you that outcomes are different for everyone. My EBRT/IMRT was in Sept/Oct 07, my last Lupron Depot Shot was April 08, my first erections came at night and were painful in July 08, now (April 09) no pain unless we rub too much. I have not used any chemicals to assist this process. Having poor side effects is fairly standard. Having really bad side effects happens a lot. We are really put in a bad position with PC. Most of us do not understand what we are going to give up when we choose a treatment.
    You just half to keep working with your partner until you find a routine that gives both of you pleasure & satisfaction. I keep telling other men this, but I'm finding it hard to accept. Not having a release to relax into is difficult.
    Faith, Hope & Love,
    Joe
  • D_R_B
    D_R_B Member Posts: 2
    #3
    JoeMac said:

    Erections
    Aloha D_R_B,
    Any treatment for PC has side effects, including bilateral nerve sparing procedures. If anything your doctor should have told you that outcomes are different for everyone. My EBRT/IMRT was in Sept/Oct 07, my last Lupron Depot Shot was April 08, my first erections came at night and were painful in July 08, now (April 09) no pain unless we rub too much. I have not used any chemicals to assist this process. Having poor side effects is fairly standard. Having really bad side effects happens a lot. We are really put in a bad position with PC. Most of us do not understand what we are going to give up when we choose a treatment.
    You just half to keep working with your partner until you find a routine that gives both of you pleasure & satisfaction. I keep telling other men this, but I'm finding it hard to accept. Not having a release to relax into is difficult.
    Faith, Hope & Love,
    Joe

    Aloha to you as well
    My wife and I just returned from Hawaii and Maui a few weeks ago. Absolutely love it. Thanks for your respsonse. At the time of my diagnosis I was 54, very normal sex life. My doctor did tell me that there were no guarantees. However, given my age and my past ability to achieve erections and the fact that I was going go have a minimally invasive bilateral nerve sparing procedure, I just thought it would be a matter of time untl things returned to normal. That hasn't happened so far and my doctor said that where you are after two years is where you will end up. I had read that recovery of the nerves could take up to three years. I am hoping to hear from a few where it took longer than the two years for nerve recovery.

    Good luck to you as well. I read your history. While I haven't had to go thru the same consequences as you, I fully understand what you have been through and continue to go through. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers
  • lion1
    lion1 Member Posts: 241
    #4
    D_R_B said:

    Aloha to you as well
    My wife and I just returned from Hawaii and Maui a few weeks ago. Absolutely love it. Thanks for your respsonse. At the time of my diagnosis I was 54, very normal sex life. My doctor did tell me that there were no guarantees. However, given my age and my past ability to achieve erections and the fact that I was going go have a minimally invasive bilateral nerve sparing procedure, I just thought it would be a matter of time untl things returned to normal. That hasn't happened so far and my doctor said that where you are after two years is where you will end up. I had read that recovery of the nerves could take up to three years. I am hoping to hear from a few where it took longer than the two years for nerve recovery.

    Good luck to you as well. I read your history. While I haven't had to go thru the same consequences as you, I fully understand what you have been through and continue to go through. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers

    DRB Erections
    My erections are doing quite well. Jun 09 will be 3 yrs since my LRP. Unfortunately, I have been incontinent ever since. What amazes me whether with Cialis or Without, I still see my erections getting stronger. So I think it's worth being optimistic, because even after two yrs Erections continue to get better. I fully believe and I had read this from a few men on Yananow.com that once their incontinence had been dealt with, with either a Sling or Artificial Sphincter, their erections and nightime erections pratically have been gone back to normal.

    I know everyone is different, but I truly believe the way my body is functioning, if my incontinence can be stopped, My sex Life will go back to near normal. I am now 49yrs old.

    Is anyone experiencing what Iam????

    Lion1
  • acslife
    acslife Member Posts: 12
    #5
    Erections
    July will be two years since my robotic prostatectomy. Incontinence has all but disappeared, with an occasional trickle - No more pads. Erections are about 75% of normal occurance with little hope of much more improvement. I must add that they are quite good when they do occur. Viagra, Levitra & Co. certainly serve as boosters, but at this point I am determined to limit their usage. It it certainly an adjustment, especially if one had normal erections prior to surgery. All in all, I am very thankful, for my fourth post surgery PSA test resulted in a negligible 0.1 reading. Thanks Goodness for early detection. Keep the faith.
  • Paraplu
    Paraplu Member Posts: 37
    #6
    Lucky
    Guess I'm lucky. Had my robotic surgery a week ago and as I'm walking around with my catheter here, I already had erections 5 days after surgery. (Yes with the stupid tube holding me back). So I guess I'm lucky and feel for those of you who are struggling with this.
  • Geo13
    Geo13 Member Posts: 1
    #7
    Erections or lack of...
    I'm prostate post-op, DiVinci removal, in May 2007 a little over two years. No real erection yet, just a chubby that doesn't last. I do have feeling and when I reach climax, severe spasms that last a minute or three and completely kill the mood. Not a good situation to be in.
    Any one have similar experience?
  • shipjim
    shipjim Member Posts: 137 Member
    #8
    Geo13 said:

    Erections or lack of...
    I'm prostate post-op, DiVinci removal, in May 2007 a little over two years. No real erection yet, just a chubby that doesn't last. I do have feeling and when I reach climax, severe spasms that last a minute or three and completely kill the mood. Not a good situation to be in.
    Any one have similar experience?

    Lack of
    Sounds like me 3 years out. Have thought about the implants but just haven't followed thru.
    Afer 42 yrs of marriage maybe it's not top priority but I ain't dead yet and would like to participate.

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