downhill or too soon

[mdt399]

Hi,

I am 50, i had a rarp on 02/25/11, catheter came out a week later and then had to go in later that evening for another week. I am Mark, Nevada, oops. So the day after the catheter came out i popped half a viagra per my doctors instructions. He said to take a half every day.
My surgeon stated i could have or attempt to have sex whenever it felt okay. So the day after the catheter comes out i am like lets try this. I got a 70% hard on, but when i tried for intercourse it deflated. So we stuck with oral and i was very surprised that i could get almost fully erect but that i had an orgasm.

After the orgasm i am still harder than i was during oral/mastrubation. This is still occuring, is this normal does it happen to others?

So i logged onto FT and began chatting and heard that i have had very good signs and things are progressing better than most. I was also instructed by a few in here i should pump. I asked my surgeon about pumping during my follow up and he said he wouldnt recommend it until about 3 months because i should give the viagra a chance. But being a normal male i want erections as soon as possible so every other day i have been doing the 5 times for 1 minute. Two times of five minutes. But over the last few weeks my erections have drastically decreased and i am getting kind of bummed out. You hear blood flow is so important, to keep the blood flows so bad things dont happen, but like i said i cannot obtain the erections i had the first few days.

So my dilemma is do i stop pumping? Just be patient and continue to pump and hope for the best?

My doctor said to take 100 mil of viagra when i want to attempt to have sex, and i have done this several times, but haven't had the erections like i had the first couple of days, even when i take the 100 mil.



So my natural feeling is to back off on the pumping, but i want continued blood flow. I must have typed too much because i cannot see my typing and the box keeps jumping. Time for some yardwork but i will keep checking hopefully someone will have some advice or some of the same syptoms.

Take care, Mark

[regain-is-the-aim]

Mark:

I you might try a Prelude. It is displayed in the pumping section of treatments. It is not good for sex but works very nicely at drawing blood into the shaft. It would be less direct than a pump, if that is a consideration, and it is not expensive. Even though I pump now, on occasion I still use my Prelude as I like the feel and it is a different methodology. My experience is somewhat similar in that I also had a couple of rather good, almost hard erections within a month or so after surgery. However, while I was excited to see that kind or response it did not last. At that time I was not pumping at all so the pump may or not the the issue. I really think not. Since the Prelude is a "soft" vacuum, it may be better. We have to remember the nerve damage done by surgery or even radiation is a complex "recovery" and for those who are lucky, the reconnecting of the messages takes time. I have also experienced my best erection at the point of climax and for a few minutes after- go figure.

This penile rehab process is a fits and starts thing. I remain convinced the docs, most of them, don't know much more than we do. I am now 4 years out and should not be seeing any progress according to the doc conventional wisdom. But I really believe I have experienced additional progress within the last year. The support and encouragement I have received on this site, I'm sure is a contributor to that progress. And I expect further progress during the next year.

While this is driving you up the wall, I think the biggest advantage you have is your age. It seems the best/most complete recovery of function occurs with guys in their 40's - early 50's. Assuming no co-morbidities that would inhibit function recovery. Also consider the between the ears connection. Anxiety about the lesser performance can become a spiral downwards as emotionally we react. I suggest you fully enjoy the sex you engage in and repeat as frequently as possible since repetition is important for all kinds of reasons. Sounds as though your partner is supportive and understanding. Needless to say our sex lives the first year or so after surgery is an adventure.


Keep trying and enjoy!!

Regards,

Dick

[Paul-Mod]

None of it makes sense - so don't get too frustrated. Many doctors have men pumping early, so that is a doctor preference. But the ED recovery is nuts. I was rock hard at 9 or 10 weeks with a viagra. Then a couple months later, it disappeared and I was like every other post RP guy. It took months - and years - for it to come back.
yes, At orgasm and after, you will be hard. Practice edging to get as much blood and practice with a really full erection. Stimulate, stimulate, stimulate. JO, SEx, Oral, yes to all of it.
You are doing well, but it is an up and down process...not at all a steady improvement. I found it went in plateaus. The Prelude would be a safer device than the VED. usually 90 days for serious pumping.
glad you're here. pop into chat sometime.
Paul

[pbbraun]

Strongly recommend you continue pumping. I didn't and experienced significant penile shrinkage. I used the Viagra. After I told my urologist about the shrinkage - he has instituted a program where patients use the pump very early on to reduce penile shrinkage (to late for me but others will benefit). I now use the pump to try to regain some penile length. Much better to retain length than to try to regain it.