Change after RP

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I was wondering if anyone has gotten to the point of achieving and maintaining an erection with or without the help of medication and noticed a change in the length and/or girth of their penis. I have read that a decrease in length and/or girth is likely.

 

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Looking that notes I got when transferring to VA care for active duty, it said shortening was a possibility. Sadly, that has been the case. Doesn’t happen to everybody, supposedly.

 

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My also has shortened after RP. I was not using any stretching devices such as vacuum pumps, if you use that after surgery it may not be as pronounced.

 

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It only makes sense that the penis will shorten after surgery. They took out a walnut size section of our urethra above the penis and below the bladder, and that difference has to be made up somehow. Doctors hope to pull the bladder down to reconnect to the remaining urethra, but bodies don't always flex like doctors hope. So most likely the bladder comes down a little, but the penis withdraws up a little and we are left with a shorter penis. Mine certainly is, and the extra foreskin proves it. As for penile rehab, I use a VED every day to keep my penis as blood rich, and as stretched as possible.

 

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I suppose it’s inevitable given that the length of the urethra has been shortened by the loss of the section which passed through the prostate.

 

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Yep definitely affected me that way.

 

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Definitely even with pump! Why no warning by urologist? Like so other horrible surprises! Especially girth increases but not length with pump

 

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Life has many surprises. I would go with the equipment God has given us and remember it's there to please yourself and let your partner figure out her secret sauce. No worries.

 

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I used the vacuum pump religiously and still do. I thought maybe flaccid length was less but I see no difference in erect length. Two years since RP and no meaningful erection so the pump has been great. Not quite the same as notmal erections but definitely a good second best. Like many cancer survivors you adapt and move on

 

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Orthopedic doctors are no different. There is plenty they don’t warn you about before you get their surgeries. I’ve heard that from so many people. I’m sure you were algae is no different. If they were honest about everything upfront, then nobody would ever get the procedure done.

 

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To be fair my cancer nurse specialist did warn me beforehand about reduction in length and explained the reason. She also warned me about incontinence and said no words will prepare me for what I am likely to feel like initially when the catheter is first removed. She was right. I do appreciate people when they are upfront and honest.I have been taking prescribed 5mg Tadalafil for 18 months since my op. I have also tried 20mg Tadalafil or 50mg Sildenafil additionally every now and again. I don't consider the tabs do any good other than perhaps the 5mg ongoing Tadalafil for rehab. The vacuum pump is very good at it's job but a bother. It is a small price to pay though for being alive. Also many men suffer from ED and they do not understand why. At least for me there is a reason which I understand.

 

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@static Yes, nurses are more likely to tell the truth than are physicians.

 

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Many of us including myself heard prostate cancer from the urologist and just thought take it out. I was told there was a chance of incontinence and ED. I had incontinence issues to begin with and getting the cancer out was much more important. I should have gone to an oncologist for another opinion because now I understand my biopsy showed cancer outside the prostate, the MRI had said the nodule was intact. I was hoping the removal of the prostate removed all the cancer. Radiation would have been able to kill cancer in the bed around the prostate which also had cancer. I ended up with bad pelvic pain which is now tolerable and understand prostate cancer is a process. I am happy to be able to do the things I find most important and am learning this is what counts

 

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It definitely is a process. It’s important and better for your physical and mental health to have a positive attitude as you do.

 

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@Anxiety. You can of course have RT after RALF, whereas you cannot have RALF after RT. You can also have HT which will stop the cancer cells splitting and probably spreading (HT will not cure cancer though). The treatment options are a real lottery and what works for one person does not for the next, and vice versa. It is comforting to know that most options available for treatable PC do either cure the disease completely or prolong life considerably. It is a shame you did not see an oncologist but then your uninformed choice may not have achieved anything. Alhough you say the cancer was outside the prostate, I assume the biopsy and MRI indicated the cancer had not spread outside the prostate capsule (up to T3a)and therefore RALF was a suitable option.

 

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@static excellently described.

 

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The RP was a good choice,T3a, and I like my doctors, as you say it is a process. I had pelvic pain issues many years prior to RP surgery. When I had the RP surgery my pelvic pain went through the roof, penal and rectal pain and spiking pains going down my legs. I had sitting pain and could not sit or drive in the car totally disrupting my life. What I learned was the pelvic pains I have had for all these years was because of the pudendal nerve being hypersensitive. After therapy and nerve block the pain is now tolerable and I am praying the nerve pain stays at this level. I am able to do things with my grandchildren and I am enjoying my life.