17 months on

I had my 18-month PSA check done at 17 months so I could include the
result in this year's Xmas cards. Fortunately we're not going to be
spoiling everyone's holidays - "undetectable <0.02".

I still have very infrequent and very minor stress incontinence
(hugging my wife without remembering to cinch up that sphincter can
cause a single drop to start down the urethra before I can catch it,
and forcing some gas out while sitting at the wrong angle can be a
little more hazardous than that, but I can run, jump lift, etc. as much
as I want without problems).

On the ED front, sadly I have made little progress this past 11 months.
I tried a Cialis on Sunday night - Monday morning I got a reasonable
erection that lasted about 1 minute. However, the side effects were
just as bad as I remembered from my last experiment (48 hours of
stuffed up sinus/headache, lighted-headedness, blood pressure all over
the map, generally feeling crappy), so I think pills are just not for
me. The cock ring produces something just-about usable, likewise the
vacuum pump, but I am becoming pessimistic - if it's like this at age
49, what will it be like 10 or 20 years from now when natural loss of
ability is overlaid on what little I have?

Anyhow, I have a prescription for Muse; we'll see if I can tolerate
that. After that, I'll try the injections.

Worse things happen at sea, as my elderly aunt used to say. So long as
the PSA stays away, I'm happy with my choices.

--
Peter Headland

Hello Peter Headland,
We met while I was working at Heritage House in Mendocino..area
That was a terrible job, and I left that soon after our visit.
I am John Loomis, had RP 1999 with Dr. James D Brooks.
I know it is your Dr. too.
I drip, but not bad at all....just leftover after peeing....
I usually stretch it out, and drain...
In the ED dept....Never give up! I am serious. I did not get an erection
for 2 years unless using a pump, or injections....They work...they hurt too.
not the shot the medication...
Viagra made me headaches, and stuffy nose, and nothing...
Finally after using injections from Dr. Brooks (Prostaglandin) I diddled
with pump, viagra, etc......I was ready to give in.
I decided to cut the pills in small pieces. I had 100mgs....
Two years later, I took my wife for a walk in the woods.
I took a little piece of viagra.....1/4 of a 100mgs pill.
Funny, I started to get a reaction /erection...Hum. I did not get a
headache, or stuffy nose.
Now, I can split a 100mgs pill in 1/4rs. use it in the a.m. Put it under my
tongue, and in 15 minutes to 20, with stimulation, I can have an erection
that is quite nice.....
Trouble is wives do not like to be troubled when sleeping.
Trouble is the pill works best on empty stomach.
Sex happens in the a.m. The time my wife loves to sleep.
Anyway, keep trying, do not give in.
Yes, pornography was helpful....I admit, It was eye and brain connections...
Nerves actually got excited, and found a way to connect....
Anyway, one nerve spared, used pumps, viagra, injections, and now with 1/4
of a Viagra Pill (100 mgs) I am up and running.
I have no secret.....Keep trying.
John Loomis RP 1999 7 years PSA undetectable.
Erection best with small pieces of viagra....
Wish You well.
Never give in.
Your Friend, John Loomis

"Peter Headland" <PHeadland@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1164849197.040420.93130@j72g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
>I had my 18-month PSA check done at 17 months so I could include the
> result in this year's Xmas cards. Fortunately we're not going to be
> spoiling everyone's holidays - "undetectable <0.02".
>
> I still have very infrequent and very minor stress incontinence
> (hugging my wife without remembering to cinch up that sphincter can
> cause a single drop to start down the urethra before I can catch it,
> and forcing some gas out while sitting at the wrong angle can be a
> little more hazardous than that, but I can run, jump lift, etc. as much
> as I want without problems).
>
> On the ED front, sadly I have made little progress this past 11 months.
> I tried a Cialis on Sunday night - Monday morning I got a reasonable
> erection that lasted about 1 minute. However, the side effects were
> just as bad as I remembered from my last experiment (48 hours of
> stuffed up sinus/headache, lighted-headedness, blood pressure all over
> the map, generally feeling crappy), so I think pills are just not for
> me. The cock ring produces something just-about usable, likewise the
> vacuum pump, but I am becoming pessimistic - if it's like this at age
> 49, what will it be like 10 or 20 years from now when natural loss of
> ability is overlaid on what little I have?
>
> Anyhow, I have a prescription for Muse; we'll see if I can tolerate
> that. After that, I'll try the injections.
>
> Worse things happen at sea, as my elderly aunt used to say. So long as
> the PSA stays away, I'm happy with my choices.
>
> --
> Peter Headland
>

> Monday morning I got a reasonable
> erection that lasted about 1 minute.

Braggart! I'm hitting the 24 month anniversary. I can get about half
mast with 20mgs of Levitra. The side effects are not too bad with the
usual "seeing blues" more vividly, and a bit of a stuffy nose. I've
tried the injections and they do work for me, but then again I've only
taken 4 or 5 of them. I'd rather swallow a pill anyway than prick my,
well, you know. Erections certainly are not what they were like before
the RP, as far as I can tell. I'm 55 now but have always been in very
good physical condition and had no previous problems achieving and
maintaining an erection. I'm hopeful that there will be improvements in
that department by new pharmaceuticals and/or more time. I guess the
main thing is what was once trying to cause our demise is now gone. Try
keeping a stiff upper lip, or a stiff, well, you know!

B.A.

Peter,

I'm glad your treatment still seems to have worked. That's
certainly good news.

I understand why you feel discouraged by the ED problem.
However, the fact that you have any response at all is a
very good sign. I seem to remember reading that the guys
who suffer permanent ED are men who have _no_ response.
The men who have some capability, even if slight and of
short duration, still have some intact machinery that can
and does continue to gain function.

I believe that there are also significant psychological
factors that affect many of us. Once you begin to regain
a little more function, your confidence will increase and
that, by itself, may be of significant help.

I predict that one night you and your wife will experience
a pleasant surprise.

Good luck.

Alan

Alan Meyer wrote:
> Peter,
>
> I'm glad your treatment still seems to have worked. That's
> certainly good news.
> >
> I believe that there are also significant psychological
> factors that affect many of us. Once you begin to regain
> a little more function, your confidence will increase and
> that, by itself, may be of significant help.
>
> I predict that one night you and your wife will experience
> a pleasant surprise.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Alan


There are a whole lot of physical factors that could cause or
contribute to ED. I came across this and thought people might want to
know that maybe it's not the pca.

Future Strategies for Treating Erectile Dysfunction
Jacob Rajfer, MD, Thomas Magee, PhD, and Nestor Gonzalez-Cadavid, PhD
Department of Surgery, University of California at Los Angeles, Los
Angeles, CA

Gene Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction
Future Directions

Erectile dysfunction affects over half of all men between 50 and 70
years of age, and by the age of 40, about 40% of men may suffer from
some form of erectile dysfunction. Many disease states, such as
diabetes, hypertension, depression, and vascular disease, are
associated with the condition, which may occur many years prior to the
onset of these disorders.

lfc

callalily wrote:
> There are a whole lot of physical factors that could cause or
> contribute to ED. I came across this and thought people might want to
> know that maybe it's not the pca.

Well, when you go into the operating theatre able to keep a rock solid
erection for half an hour and come out with the ability a piece of
over-boiled spaghetti, it's pretty easy to know what the cause is. :-(

--
Peter Headland

"Peter Headland" <PHeadland@excite.com> wrote in message
news:1164849197.040420.93130@j72g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
>I had my 18-month PSA check done at 17 months so I could include the
> result in this year's Xmas cards. Fortunately we're not going to be
> spoiling everyone's holidays - "undetectable <0.02".


Congratulations, Peter. Not a bad little Christmas gift.

--
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins
PSA .1 .1 .1 .27 .37 .75
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32
Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05,
2/06, 6/06
PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145
Casodex added daily 07/06
PSA <0.04
Non Illegitimi Carborundum

Peter Headland wrote:
....
> On the ED front, sadly I have made little progress this past 11 months.
> I tried a Cialis on Sunday night - Monday morning I got a reasonable
> erection that lasted about 1 minute.

For a year or so after seeding, while on Lupron and for months
afterward, that's what it was like for me. I'm at 25 months
post-seeding now and erections and orgasms are almost back to normal.
Almost.

While on Lupron, there was no stirring.

For 6 months after Lupron, it was "touch and no-go".

After a year, there was improvement (firming up of the shaft, better
orgasms) but my testosterone was at 300, which is the low end of
normal. Vitamin-V helped and there was progress. It was gradual.

At 25 months post-seeding, I'm just under 2 years after the last Lupron
shot should have worn off, erections are better and longer lasting.

9 months ago I was good for 1 or 2 minutes of activity. Now it's
maybe 4 or 5. Sometimes, there is spontaneous stirring.

I have other side effects from the radiation, the IMRT and PD-103
seeds. Several times a week, I drip a tiny amount of blood when I
start to pee. I mentioned it to the rad-doc 3 months ago and he
wasn't concerned. This started about 6 months ago and I'm guessing
that it's normal/common at the 2 year mark for radiation. Anyone else
see that?

I have to potty about twice as often as I did before treatment. There
is some urgency but there haven't been any accidents so I'm counting
myself as lucky.

-kh

Peter Headland wrote:
> I had my 18-month PSA check done at 17 months so I could include the
> result in this year's Xmas cards. Fortunately we're not going to be
> spoiling everyone's holidays - "undetectable <0.02".
>
> I still have very infrequent and very minor stress incontinence
> (hugging my wife without remembering to cinch up that sphincter can
> cause a single drop to start down the urethra before I can catch it,
> and forcing some gas out while sitting at the wrong angle can be a
> little more hazardous than that, but I can run, jump lift, etc. as much
> as I want without problems).
>
> On the ED front, sadly I have made little progress this past 11 months.
> I tried a Cialis on Sunday night - Monday morning I got a reasonable
> erection that lasted about 1 minute. However, the side effects were
> just as bad as I remembered from my last experiment (48 hours of
> stuffed up sinus/headache, lighted-headedness, blood pressure all over
> the map, generally feeling crappy), so I think pills are just not for
> me. The cock ring produces something just-about usable, likewise the
> vacuum pump, but I am becoming pessimistic - if it's like this at age
> 49, what will it be like 10 or 20 years from now when natural loss of
> ability is overlaid on what little I have?
>
> Anyhow, I have a prescription for Muse; we'll see if I can tolerate
> that. After that, I'll try the injections.
>
> Worse things happen at sea, as my elderly aunt used to say. So long as
> the PSA stays away, I'm happy with my choices.
>

I also had to wait 18 months for erections to return. I am still doing
reasonably well at age 73, 6 years after surgery. I can sometimes
manage with nothing but i ordinarily use Viagra. I haven't really
noticed much decline over the past 4 years.

So don't give up hope yet.

"Leonard Evens" <len@math.northwestern.edu> wrote in message
news:V7edncCwKaElO-zYnZ2dnUVZ_qOdnZ2d@comcast.com...
> Peter Headland wrote:
>> ... if it's like this at age
>> 49, what will it be like 10 or 20 years from now when natural loss of
>> ability is overlaid on what little I have?

Do you think you'd have been past it at 59 or 69?
>>
>>
>
> I also had to wait 18 months for erections to return. I am still doing
> reasonably well at age 73, 6 years after surgery. I can sometimes manage
> with nothing but i ordinarily use Viagra. I haven't really noticed much
> decline over the past 4 years.

I'm looking forward to - ooh, easily the best part of some time more - for
lovemaking.
>
> So don't give up hope yet.

No, don't. And please don't think that everything stops at 50! That's what
teenagers think!

Mary