Return of erections after RP

[tarheelgwb]

gents,
just getting some info here. i had RP on March, 2015. my surgeon was successful is saving both nerve bundles and was so confident in the outcome that he then predicted i would regain erections within 6 months. maybe that was wishful thinking however its now 14 months and i get about a 3-4 on the scale sometimes, with viagra or cialis....etc( i take 5mg cialis daily). not what i want of course. i do injections which do work very well and also use a VED every day. i try to masturbate some to help with nerve rehab, but i generally am not successful there to orgasm. my erection drops quickly if i don't keep the stimulation.

question, what is the REAL average time that guys get erection back after RP? i know if varies from person to person, but i know that at 2 yrs from surgery, thats it.....whatever i have then is where i will stay, so they so.

anybody have their specific results to share? should i expect a return? am i too soon to be worried or concerned?
to say the least, i am disappointed at this point. my surgeon is extremely experienced in RP. has done over 8000 surgeries so i think he did a good job.....
thoughts please.

[PFracture]

I am not on the same boat as you, but from what I read and what you said, you are doing everything you can to maximize your chances and if you keep up with that regimen ''injections, and VED'' you won't loose size, and if your erections don't come back and you decide to go for an implant you will be in a much better position than most who go though cancer and don't do penile therapy.

Best of luck, and hope someone who has been through it, can give you a better help.

[Andy425]

gents,
just getting some info here. i had RP on March, 2015. my surgeon was successful is saving both nerve bundles and was so confident in the outcome that he then predicted i would regain erections within 6 months. maybe that was wishful thinking however its now 14 months and i get about a 3-4 on the scale sometimes, with viagra or cialis....etc( i take 5mg cialis daily). not what i want of course. i do injections which do work very well and also use a VED every day. i try to masturbate some to help with nerve rehab, but i generally am not successful there to orgasm. my erection drops quickly if i don't keep the stimulation.

question, what is the REAL average time that guys get erection back after RP? i know if varies from person to person, but i know that at 2 yrs from surgery, thats it.....whatever i have then is where i will stay, so they so.

anybody have their specific results to share? should i expect a return? am i too soon to be worried or concerned?
to say the least, i am disappointed at this point. my surgeon is extremely experienced in RP. has done over 8000 surgeries so i think he did a good job.....
thoughts please.

Tarheel: I had an RP in June 2012; he had to remove one nerve bundle. Excluding using the needle, I have yet to have anything better than a semi. I've heard the two-year thing also, which they use as a general guideline for any type of surgery that involves nerve damage.

My neighbor had an RP in 2000, before robotics, and they left both nerve bundles. He told me to not pay attention to the two-year thing, that it will come back. Well it hasn't yet and I have no hopes of it ever happening. But on the bad side, his cancer has come back twice. He's doing okay now, although on hormone therapy.

If you've got both nerve bundles then you have a better chance than I do (which appears to be 0%). So give it more than two years and see where you are. Not meaning to depress you any more than you are (and it is very depressing) but don't expect miracles. It's not like a sprained ankle, or hernia surgery, or something like that. It's not "when will it come back?" -- where you patiently wait to get back to 100% -- but more like "how much will it ever come back?"

A semi that you can fold in half like a wet sponge is useless. At any rate, good luck to you.

[Anonymous2]

Hi Guys Having not had this done, but reading what your all saying, first are you all up on your kegels, when your doing these can you make your penis move, as its acts like a pump to get extra blood done our penis's, so is this happening?

On the sexuality.2 forum I have put a post in about penis health, all about doing Jelging and stretching as this get blood down our penis's, so when your taking ED drugs and getting semis erections that would be a good time to get into exercising, reason you do need to be semi erect to do these kind of exercises, and its a great way to get some extra blood going down your penis.

Reason I'm saying all this, its a lot better than just sitting around and waiting, because this is you working for you, your exercising your penis and hopefully getting it moving and waking up your nerve bundles, this is what your aiming for? yes

So get over to http://www.pegym.com and under the header banner your see penis exercises you just follow what they say on how to do them, so you can either go your own way or follow a program, there are also forums to read through, and don't forget you must warm up before you start, and yes I have been doing these and its quite good once you get into doing them. I do an easy day then do a harder day, then a day off, which for me is just increasing the amount of exercises I do, easy day is a 10 reps the 18 and 25, harder day is 18, 27, 35 reps I do a right had jelq the a left hand, do the jelg where you follow through with your other hand, then do right and left hand cranks with a down stretch after each hand each one and an upward stretch all these are done to the count, so its 3 sets of each, and don't forget your kegels and do your reverse ones as well.

This is all a thought of mine, not read this anywhere, but from what I'm thinking it could be a big help to get your erections back and you are getting blood moving down your penis like it should.

Think about and do let me know what you think.

NOWHARD

PS Going to put this up as a post as well.

[Andy425]

FWIW: I've been doing Kegals daily for four years for urine control, any side benefit is what it is, probably zero. Moving my penis by squeezing was possible even while I still had the catheter in, so I don't think that means much.

I started using a pump daily a few months after I stopped using pads. About two years ago, after I realized there were not going to be any miracles, I slacked off and use it maybe every other day now.

The problem isn't to "awaken" my nerves -- half of them are gone forever. And even those who have both sides "spared," there is still probably some permanent nerve damage but to what degree, or to what to degree they will heal, is unknowable.

[Anonymous2]

Hi Andy, OK don't get defeated when your penis moves from a kegel that's because blood is being pumped down your penis, and this is an exercise we can do anywhere and at anytime we like, its the reversed ones that we do need to be sitting down and relaxed when doing them, have you been doing both?

When pumping are you using an Osborne ring to help hold an erection?

But my theory is to just get your blood moving down your penis, getting some friction going and try to awaken your nerves yes you may only have half, but how many do we really need for erections and feelings, and as its only a theory and not knowing how long it will take, but its something you can try.

Look I may not be a doctor, but its ideas that work at times to which some doctors don't even know about, why because they cant make any money from it, see your getting this for free or if your want you can pay say 10.000$ for it and if it does not work them you can moan, but anything is worth a try even if it takes a year, your only outlay is some baby oil for the exercises, its about 2 teaspoon's a day.

Good Luck

NOWHARD

[alibaba]

I've tried to not reply because I did not want to defeat any hope. My own experience is it did not improve over the 3 month threshold. Doctors kept telling me wait 2 years. Doctors told friends wait 2 years. I think it is all horse shit. They are selling surgeries for an issue that most would be able to outlive anyway. Not all but a good deal. They want you to feel good about spending $30k to have it done and happy enough with him you will spend another $100k in tests, pills, injections, pumps, visits, implants in the future. Other than a couple here who claim the best orgasms they ever had in their life after their prostate was butchered out of their body, no-one I have ever talked to had a positive outcome as far as erections or sex life. Personally, I do not know anyone who has had an implant outcome they were happy with either. Seems the ones here who post are damn lucky.e
I worked hard at Kegals for a long time before the prostatectomy and attribute that to being able to recover enough to not piss all over myself most of the time by 2 years and none of the time by 8 1/2 years. Other than that, I do not think it did a thing for me. One doctor recommended a butt plug. His theory walking around and holding it in helped. I tried it. Not impressed either way but I think it did help strength issues down there a bit, more in bladder function and it did seem to make orgasm slightly more intense keeping muscles taught trying to keep from spitting it out. Freaky idea for most, but I know one other person here told me after I had mentioned it that he also trained the same way for a short stint like me and felt it helped him a little too
I can only wish you the best of luck and tell you not to give up. Personally, I wish I would have had an implant at the same time as the prostatectomy. I think outcomes are better sooner than later from talking to people. Few doctors do that, but there are a few.

[Andy425]

Alibaba, I agree. Within a few months following my RP, the uro suggested doing an implant.

I read somewhere, probably within the first year following surgery (2012) that the vast majority of RP patients will remain effectively impotent. Urine control can and does come back for most (although it's never the same as it was) but not erections. It was a pretty depressing thing to read.

And surgeons (any type) are too quick to give you the impression that they can "fix" you, just like new. The more complex the surgery, the greater the chances of ending up somewhere below 100%. Sometimes WAY below. But they get paid the same amount no matter the outcome.

[alibaba]

Agree Andy.

[RickRed40]

Here's the truth that few patients receive before surgery.
https://youtu.be/ie8NkOu2VNA

4 years after my double nerve sparing surgery and penile rehab I was told I'd be impotent for the rest of my life.
Thankfully I went the penile implant route.