Hello to all

[Pracvad]

I'm a 77-year-old gay man who has been struggling with erectile dysfunction for over 25 years. In the early 1980s I had a TURP (trans-urethral radial prostotomy) for a severely enlarged prostate gland. The surgery proved to be entirely successful in eliminating the painful and embarrassing urinary retention problem, but it left me limp, with only the ablility to achieve a fleeting partial erection when highly aroused. At that time, I lived in Marin County, CA and belonged to the Northern California Kaiser Plan. I was fortunate enough to have a very fine and caring urologist, who also did the surgery. Following the surgery, he was very concerned about the outcome and did everything he could to help me. At the time, Viagra, the first of the ED drugs was just about to be put on the market. My doctor wasted no time in giving me samples of the Viagra he had already received. I found that the Viagra produced an erection that felt slightly numb and painful. (Cialis and Levitra were not yet available to try.) Next, my doctor wrote a prescription for a very expensive ErecAid vacuum pump, which would have cost me over $300 at the time but was covered at no charge under my Kaiser Plan. I found this too would produce a somewhat crampy-feeling partial erection with minimal sexual stimulation only after considerable pumping effort. Finally, my doctor put me on prescription for a highly expensive injectable solution that had a 30-day shelf life and had to be kept refrigerated -- also covered in full, including syringes, by my Kaiser Plan. He even went so far as to train me how to inject the solution into my penis without causing me pain, although I found the procedure to be quite distasteful. This did produce a full erection every time but usually dulled down the sexual sensation.

At the time of my surgery, I was in a long-time relationship (that could have been a legal union, had same-sex marriage been allowed). My partner and I were together for 23 years until his untimely death from an acute illness (not AIDS) on Christmas Eve 2000. Since then, I've been living alone in a small house near Palm Springs that I bought, working 5 days a week in a low-paying "survival job" just to pay the mortgage.
Although I've been diagnosed with a number of conditions common in old age (mild hypertension, slightly elevated cholesterol [but with an excellent HDL/LDL ratio], and male osteoporosis -- all of these assymptomatic), my cardio functioning and energy levels are excellent, my weight is normal and my muscle-tone is that of a younger man. I have a flat abdomin with very little belly fat, and I work out at a gym 3x a week, lifting 120-150 lbs on various machines. Although I have ED, my gay libido remains intact and I find myself extremely aroused when I see attractive males. In spite of all I've been through, I'm not at all depressed. The one thing that keeps me going is hope. I'm not yet ready to give up. I'm still looking for a life partner and I'd love to be able to get to a point where I could make him (and myself) as happy as possible.

[JDavid]

pracvad,
It sounds like you could be a good candidate for implant surgery as you have exhausted the less invasive options. Usually it is covered by Medicare. It's not a minor surgery but most fully recover within six weeks. My surgery was June 25th and the prosthesis is working perfectly after some initial problems with autoinflation. I too am a gay man. My long term problems with ED mean that throughout my fifteen year relationship with my partner/husband, our sex life has been somewhat limited. We are adjusting to the idea that I can have an erection at any time and that it can last as long as we want.
A very important aspect to the decision to pursue implant surgery is that the success is highly skill-dependent on the part of the surgeon. My surgeon is Dr. Edward Karpman in Mountain View, CA and I think he is great. He is also very gay friendly, personable, and funny. In may most recent folllow up visit, he fully inflated my prosthesis and commented: "Now that's a good looking penis. You are going to have a lot of fun with it!"
Good luck in seeking a solution and in finding a great companion.
Dave