Switched Forums

[bp301234 (imported)]

Well, the surgery is over with. I will have a catheter in till the 28th, then I get to see what I have. On good pain medicine. Also on the 28th I get final pathology to make sure it hasn't spread. Then I will be able to relax a bit. Planning to continue taking my finasteride.

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and favorable pathology reports.

I m guessing you had your prostate completely removed? Did you get to keep your testicles so far? Seeing as how you ve been on here as a member for a while, I can see how unreal it must seem for you to have prostate cancer and surgery. Almost like you got interested and got yourself better prepared for this waybefore any cancer was discovered and long before you even knew you had anything wrong with your prostate or any cancer. Most of us men will be joining you some day f we live long enough to need the same surgery as you. You re actually on the young side of most men with prostate cancer too. Maybe just from you being so manly with tons of male hormones pulsing thru you huh?

I bet you were more knowledgable and informed from reading on here than most of your drs patients usually are and more ready to face down and handle prostate cancer because of this EA site and the men who went thru this before you and them writing about their experiences so you know better what to expect.

Hoping the best for you !

[sparkey49 (imported)]

There are no words to adequately express how I and I know many others here are feeling for you so all I can say is that I hope your healing goes well and please keep us updated and I will keep you in my prayers!

[bp301234 (imported)]

Thanks everyone for your kind concern and thoughtful comments. Been 10 days since surgery and really fancy a pillow when it comes to sitting down. Found out today that final pathology showed no cancer in my lymph nodes. Big sign of relief there. I am still on finasteride, have been taking it now for 2 months. Have noticed that the skin on my penis is a little more wrinkly but I don't know if that has to do more with age or the meds lol also I have seborrheic dermatitis which is flaring up a bit... I have noticed that my drive is down.... in spite of the fact that I had a catheter... My penis will be about an inch shorter due to the surgery and I don't think I can even get a hardon right now, if I still have the ability. So, we will see how small it can go

[bp301234 (imported)]

Well, either from the prostate surgery or by the Proscar that I am taking, I am impotent. I can tell that I am not getting the same amount of blood to my junk as I was. My penis has less feeling than before. I assume that is the nerves being deprived of blood, a side effect of the Proscar. The only sensation that I have that could be described as an erection is at the very base, next to my taint. I still get a little tingle there, I suspect that the Proscar will continue to reduce the blood to my junk till there is no sensation. We will see how small it goes. I have read that by about 9-12 months, it will pretty much just turtle head.

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

Thanks for keeping us all updated on how you are doing and what s going on with you. Your last post was very good news on your surgery and tests.

A lot of men will be going through what you are now experiencing some day and they will really appreciate your detailed info and honesty in your postings here.

That is Great news on no other signs of cancer in the rest of your body and a successful surgery and successful healing up for you. You re doing great on stopping that cancer. That makes the surgery and hormone changes worth going thru to know you caught it in time and it didn t spread from your prostate.

How are you doing as far as handling all of these big changes in your body and in your sexual abilities, drive, and functions? I m hoping you are taking it all ok and that your own research before and your dr had prepared you for what to expect ahead of time. It sounds like you know what to expect next from your medicines and what they do.

Have you tried viagra or any similar erection drugs to see if they will work. Maybe its too early in your healing process to try those? I hope your dr is following up and helping and advising you with your new issues and needs that happen as you heal.

Is going thru all this turning out like you expected it would be like? Or is it a lot different from what you expected to experience? It must be really tough actually going thru these changes. How you feel about it now that it is real?

Wish you a speedy recovery and a smooth adjustment to all of your changes as this goes forward.

[bp301234 (imported)]

@ Cutnbulls2ox As far as the changes going on in my body, I have done my fair amount of research on here too. It was very useful in a time that I needed answers about things. I am not surprised by the impotence. It is a desired side effect as I am trying to shrink my junk. That is the reason I continue to take the finasteride.

[ylpb7508 (imported)]

I'm glad to hear that your biopsies are negative and you are healing well. I hope your positive attitude will aid in your continued good health.

You mentioned shrinkage in your penis. Any change in the size and sensitivity of your testicles? (I know it's hard to tell as they are made to expand and contract.)

[bp301234 (imported)]

I haven't really noticed much of a difference in my testicles. They might be a little less sensitive than before, but not much.

[Woggler58 (imported)]

Well, either from the prostate surgery or by the Proscar that I am taking, I am impotent.

A pair of nerves from your brain to your penis are essential to the multi-step bio-chemical process which diverts arterial blood under pressure into your penis AND restricts its escape, thereby erecting and stiffening it. Those nerve sets pass closely by the sides of your prostate AND have branches which enter the prostate itself.

If you had "nerve-sparing" prostatectomy surgery, those branches which entered your prostate were severed, thereby traumatizing the "spared" portions, which take weeks to months to recover their erection-enabling function -- or some of it. If you did not have that delicate nerve-sparing procedure and both sides of your passing-by nerves were severed as part of your prostate's removal -- as in older times or when cancer spread to those nerves is suspected -- then naturally triggered erections will not be happening again. Total (as-good-as-before) erection recovery is problematic at best and, to avoid disappointment, ought not to be expected.

FWIW, radiation treatment instead of surgery gradually impairs the same nerves over a couple of years and inflicts a lot of inflammation inside like an internal "sunburn"; testosterone production plummets for a year or two also. Cryogenics and high-frequency Ultra-Sound to the prostate also are erection impairers -- there is no curative primary treatment without erection consequences.

Ref: A Primer on Prostate Cancer - The Empowered Patient's Guide (2nd ed. 2005) by medical oncologist MD Stephen B. Strum, FACP.

My opinion: Treating MDs are in competition with each other for your business and avoid spooking prospective patients with side-effect horror stories; moreover, they haven't got time to be patients' personal tutors in everything a patient might like to know. I spent the entire month of August 2007 after my Aug 2 prostate biopsy immersed in Dr. Strum's book before believing I knew enough to decide on a treatment method, only then (not having a primary care MD at age 64) began contacting and interviewing treatment specialists. I was private-pay for all of that, meaning I was their paying customer/client and it showed in how we related.