Tips and advice for any bladder or bowel side effects of treatment
I found overdoing the pelvic floor made me weaker. If I did it 10x for 10secs twice a day I was good. I had that problem when you think you are finished and walk away only to find you have a small drip. Thankfully I was told by the continence service about a handy tip where you press on a point just under the scrotum. It is like a magic off button. I never experienced a great deal of leakage, just a few drips and now I feel so lucky to be able to function without using any pads or protection.
Tips and advice for any sexual side effects of treatment
I did not respond very well to the medication and so contacted the Urology team again. I then tried pump therapy. I was thrilled to hear that using this would eventually bring back normal erections. After early use the minor retraction (shrinking) went away and this was a great confidence boost if nothing else. I was able to get a normal erection after about 6 months. When I say normal, I mean without the use of the pump before sex. You can use the rings provided earlier if you want, but I was not a fan of that method. Happy that I now have full erections again.
How this treatment impacted my life the most
In the first stages after the operation I suffered with complications. These are pretty rare, but I had a haematoma that gave me some trouble. Once I was given the right antibiotics that cleared up. I think it slowed my recovery a bit. Now, after 8 months, I feel completely well. I have great bladder control, good sexual function and my body is going back to normal. A weird side effect from the dry orgasm (not ejaculating) means I have higher testosterone and feel stronger and more energetic. This has also helped my mental health and self-image.
Why did I give this answer?
I now run a support group and found out so much more through research etc. I feel like the latest treatments might have meant less time off work and recovery from a major operation.
