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Bruce's Story

Ethnicity
White British
Age
60-69
Work
Retired
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Geography
Yorkshire
Relationship status
Married/In a Civil Partnership
Listen

Radical Prostatectomy (Surgery)

Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment

Start using a pump as soon post op as advised and then do so daily. It seems vital to maintain size in the absence of erections. Initially post op, you’ll likely feel your penis has shrunk in terms of length and girth but through using a pump regularly every day, size seems to be pretty much the same as before the op.

How this treatment impacted my life the most

Total incontinence and erectile dysfunction from day catheter was removed. Despite religiously performing pelvic floor exercises three times a day, I still have incontinence some 16 months post op. It is significantly better but still impacts on my quality of life daily. Despite viagra/cialis I have absolutely no erectile function and am on a waiting list to try injections.

If I had to do it all over again, would I choose the same treatment?

Not sure

Why did I give this answer?

Over a year post op, the two main complications `I feared the most, namely incontinence and erectile dysfunction still affect me and `I suspect will continue to do so for the rest of my days. I suffered from chronic prostatitis for 18 months prior to diagnosis and it was this that swung me towards surgery rather than radiotherapy.

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