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That does make a lot of sense, John, although I've never seen it put up as a proposal previously. What harm could it do? Perhaps you should discuss the proporsition with your urlogist and if he sees no objections, be the guinea pig and earn the gratitude of a bunch of men.
Don't know if you've seen this bit onf the site - for after surgery - USE IT OR LOSE IT
Thanks for your response, Terry. This actually cam out of a discussion I had with someone on here and another friend with ED. Communication is what it is all about, correct?
Aloha John,
I was treated with IMRT & Lupron D. One year of ADT kept the Testosterone down 18 months after the last shot. I did not experience erections during that 2.5 years. I still have long time periods (months) between erections, at present because the raw tissue hurts during that exercise, like pleasure turns to pain. I have not used any type of supplement or exercise for erections. They still happen at night, but I'm not encouraging them or using them until I get sufficiently desperate.
Joe
Thanks for your response. I am sorry to learn of the difficulties you have had and appreciate you sharing with me. This is a strange journey which we must take and it is so helpful to have the companionship and understanding of so many brethren.
As I understand it, your concerns (in this thread) are primarily incontinence and ED as a result of robotic surgery.
...and you are asking for suggestions as how best to prepare for surgery, so as to make recovery (relating to incontinence and ED) smoother.
My story is related on YanaNow - just search for my name - you can see, from my story, that I was initially slated for Brachytherapy and instead had robotic surgery with Dr Randy Fagin.
Because of the quick switch from brachytherapy to surgery, I went into the surgery somewhat naively, e.g. I didn't know that starting Kegels prior to surgery could potentially hasten post-surgery incontinence recovery.
I can tell you that Randy Fagin had a robotic surgery program that included post-operative:
1. ED recovery thru the use of a combination if penis (vacuum) pump and Viagra/Cialis. The objective was to increase blood flow to the penis.
The penis pump was very uncomfortable, but I used it religiously (not for sex, but for recovery).
The Viagra/Cialis gave me hot flushes and headaches, I found it very uncomfortable, but I used it religiously (again, not for sex, but for recovery).
I don't recall exact timelines, at this point, but I can tell you I had marginal (50-75%) erections within a few months and completely usable erections by the end of one year, post-surgery. Note: I quit the penis pump once I reached the 50-75% erections; I quit the Viagra/Cialis before the year was up.
Assuming nerves are spared during surgery, you should be able to follow this same regimen and see similar results.
2. Incontinence recovery thru the use of Kegel exercises, augmented by a series of visits to Kimberlee Sullivan, DPT (www.sullivanphysicalteherapt.com).
Kimberlee is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, who specializes in "pelvic floor rehabilitation".
She uses biofeedback to assist her patients/clients in targeting specific deficiencies (e.g. I would tell her what motions caused me to 'leak'. She would devise specific exercises to target those 'leaks' and would use biofeedback to 'show' me just how hard I needed to work at each exercise.
Apparently, most 'pelvic floor rehab' physical therapists treat women only. When I was actively mentoring on YanaNow, I assisted a number of men and/or their wives in finding suitable physical therapists in their area, by going to Kimberlee for help. Kimberlee always came thru.
Again, I don't recall exact timelines, but as I recall, with Kimberlee's help, I was down to one diaper a day within 6-8 weeks and recovered completely within a few months (this is probably documented in my story).
Assuming nerves are spared, you should expect similar results, through the use of this type of program.
I hope I've helped... if you have questions, please ask.
This is very noteworthy feedback as to the questions I posted. To date, no one has said if they were instructed to do any pre-surgical prep but Terry Herbert did write to say that the concept made sense and I needed to pursue it. It sounds as if the Kegels did work for you as well as the pump and medications.
The medication I am currently taking may conflict with Cialis or Viagra so I am opting for the pump to increase the blood flow. Thanks again for your message and I wish you my best.
No one ever told me to prepare with Kegels, but I read a number of books during my recovery and a couple mentioned the Kegels.
If you think about it, it makes complete sense - just like any exercise, the more you exercise, the more muscle and muscle control you develop.
Then, when the surgery 'takes you down', the post-surgery recovery will be easier... because your muscles 'remember' more than muscles that were not exercised...
...and the surgery will 'take you down', there's really no way around that, the surgery bruises the tissues around the prostate and you have to recover from that... but, perseverance is key!
You didn't say, but I assume your Urologist has stated that surgical removal of your prostate will be of the nerve-sparing variety - just find a robotic surgeon with a wealth of positive results: nerve-sparing; ED recovery, Incontinence recovery, etc. Due your due diligence, e.g. talk to the surgeon's patients and get a real feel for him/her and be sure this is the surgeon for you.
The surgery is easy, mine took 2.25 hours and I was back home within 24 hours. Full (ED, incontinence, etc.) recovery took a year, I wore a catheter for 10 days or less.
I'm still writing and reading this forum on an iPhone, so forgive me for typos and please ask any follow-up questions you may have.
