Prostate Cancer and Sex - my journey with prostate cancer - One Mans View

Sex -

From my experience short-term and from what I've heard from other patients - this is one of those topics that most men want to know, but doctors are few specifics on. Too often, the reality remains hidden behind the individual terms and statistics about 30% of impotence, but what exactly does this mean for the individual?

"Impotence" may be a very general term - for some it means the inability to sire children, but for others it means the ability to get an erection and satisfy a partner. What it really means a Saturday night, when you're alone with a partner, you had a good meal, the atmosphere is right and you want to indulge in some sexual activity?

In discussing this issue honestly and openly, it is necessary for me to ask you to take the first element of the right of "love" out of the equation. I'm mainly talking about sex and no love or make love. We will put it later, but first in rough terms, it is necessary to discuss the most basic units (and function) in all males, the ability to get an erection and please or satisfy a partner.

Having an erection or being able to have one, is the foundation of everything that is dear to us as men. Not surprisingly, the problems with being able to accomplish that can strike at the heart of our sense of wellbeing and confidence.

Physically, the prostate each case is different, and how the individual is influenced in the long term depends entirely on what is removed by any procedure. Since there are two main "pipes" on both sides of the prostate that provide the penis with the "means" to work properly, in one or more surgical procedures even both the tubes can be removed depending on diffusion. Today, surgeons are very careful to try to save as much as possible, but it is not always possible. If the human cancer is on one side of the prostate, as is usual, is almost a certainty that lose one of the two tubes. In this case, the capacity can be influenced (although not necessarily) if prior to the procedure had no difficulty in full, prolonged erections etc. If, however, difficulty was before a tube has been removed, it is highly likely that its capacity will be reduced further.

From what I have known so far, the majority of men with an intact tube may be able to operate satisfactorily with or without the assistance of these modern marvels like Viagra or Cialus. This is a great thing because it is not so long ago that there were fewer medical alternatives available, but now many men and their partners are benefiting from these recent medical advances.

If a man loses the two "tubes" in the radical surgery, there is another alternative that is still viable in many cases. He can inject - (usually alprostadil) in the base of his penis. This is perhaps not as radical as it seems and I have two friends who, because of other medical conditions, they happily rely on these injections for several years and have reported few difficulties. They also stress it is nowhere near as bad as it sounds. These options have pioneered in recent years for men even to indulge in normal sexual activity. If a boy is still experiencing difficulties with drugs further adjustments can help correct any imbalances.

One of the reasons why Brachytherapy is enjoying a good reputation, because the procedure leaves intact the tubes, (though atrophied) which in turn, leaves the men reportedly work better later. Over time, emissions will be exhausted and in cases where there has been surgical removal, ejaculation simply end up in the bladder. There is a sense of Cumming as an orgasm, but not released.

Again, all cases are personal and not information here can be relied on as gospel - but there is reason for optimism because from what I've been told and from what I have known, in many cases a reasonable form of sex life has been post-procedure can or surgery.

A man I know had his prostate removed thirty years ago, and reports having had a very active sex life until recently (now 85). Although following the procedure was able to produce each ejaculation, said she always believed her orgasms were more intense and less satisfactory.

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that I was mostly talking about just the ability to penetrate with a weapon that worked, but it would be remiss of me not to mention the special assistance that may be provided by a loving partner to understand ' inside the boundaries of a relationship. While I'm not going to address this issue here simply because my research so far has been limited in that area, it is worth noting that in most cases a satisfactory sex life includes much more than penetration and although a man may be robbed of some aspect of his sexuality, the door is still open to explore and enjoy many other techniques of sensuality. It is unusual to get to the end of the world!

Certainly, in these times, impotence is not the big bogeyman it once was and in times to come I can not wait to explore this topic more and posting information. If you have any experience in this area and would like to share it with me under a blanket of anonymity to share with others, do not hesitate to contact me via the "contact me box", and your experience could be invaluable in helping other men....