I have three personality traits that led me to choose penile implant surgery to treat my erectile dysfunction.
#1. I hate to lose. In other words, I strongly prefer to win. After my double-nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy left me impotent, I did not want ED to be the cost of winning the war against my prostate cancer.
#2. I’m persistent. Long after others quit, or believe it’s hopeless, I’m still there plugging away.
#3. I find it difficult to take no for an answer. I consider the word “no” a starting point for negotiation.
Three months after my double-nerve-sparing prostate surgery, I asked to participate in a penile rehab program. I wanted to do everything I could to restore my erectile functioning, which had not returned three months post surgery.
For four long years, I fought to preserve my erectile functioning, until I flunked out of penile rehab. All treatment options stopped working. I was told I’d be impotent the rest of my life. No one told me about implant surgery. I had to find the option on my own. As I researched the topic, I was amazed and delighted to discover implant surgery had high levels of patient and partner satisfaction rates.
The findings of this study didn’t make any sense. Researchers found that the number of men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction increased 165% over the 10-year study period, while the use of penile implants declined, with 4.6% of men with ED getting a penile implant in 2002 and 2.3% of men opting for an implant in 2010.”
I believe there are three primary reasons men won’t opt for penile implant surgery:
*Unawareness — many men with ED are not told or made aware implant surgery is an option.
*Financial concerns — While Medicare covers implant surgery, many insurance companies will not pay for the procedure. If they do, a high deductible can make surgery unaffordable. I asked the hospital to accept monthly payments so I could pay my deductible over six months. If you are uninsured, there is a service that can provide you with a competitively priced surgery package as well as financing.
*Fear — A significant number of men lose their erectile functioning as a result of prostate surgery. It’s unthinkable for many men to go back for another surgical consultation with the expectation that a surgical procedure will cure the damage another surgical procedure caused.
*Internet-induced fear — I refused to go on YouTube to watch an implant procedure. I was concerned that if I viewed the procedure, I would come to the conclusion I didn’t want a surgeon performing it on me. I’m glad I waited until I was home from the hospital before I watched the procedure online.
My wife and I wrote an award-winning book that shares our research and personal experiences as a way of helping men and couples cope with ED as well as learn about penile implant surgery. It’s titled “Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Erectile Dysfunction and Penile Implant Surgery.”
If you are coping with ED, and something is preventing you from exploring this option, I hope you’ll share what that something is. And if you’ve had implant surgery, and you’re willing to share your experiences, please do.
Note: Prostate Cancer News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Prostate Cancer News Today, or its parent company, BioNews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to prostate cancer.
That would have made it worth viewing a prostatectomy online before having it done.
Chris
Based on the variety of comments you’ve made I get the distinct impression you are not at all happy with the quality of your life following your prostate surgery. What weren’t you told before you went for surgery.
My experience was in the old days (pre-2009 published RCTs) when men were either told nothing or were outright lied to.
Men are still being deceived, if they are told anything, by only being told a misleading fraction of the truth.
You still seem very angry about what happened to you and at the medical establishment.
Do you not agree that urology surgeons and associated practitioners deserve a lot of anger for the deception and contempt they have shown to their patients, not to mention professional incompetence?
If not then why not? They have known for long time that there were serious doubts about whether their very harmful treatments were actually saving a significant number of lives, if any. But did they normally let their patients know of these doubts? No. Did they try to understand epidemiology? No. Did they tell their patients the truth about the extent of harm of their treatments? No. They displayed a level of ethical behaviour not much better than used car salesmen.
Do men have reason to be very angry with the way they have been treated by this part of the medical profession? Of course they do.