Video 22 - overcoming erectile dysfunction - prostate cancer story

7 months after prostate surgery I provide a quick update on how my recovery is going. Incontinence is no longer an issue, health and fitness is back on track, and I share improvements with erectile dysfunction following my prostatectomy. I completed a round of ultra-wave therapy and in this video I talk about the procedure and my results so far.

[@Mansmatters]

Very good video. Lots of things to learn for the people who are suffering from this issue.

[@kevinmcardle4301]

Hey Chris, My catheter comes out tomorrow! I'm still following your videos as a reference. Thanks so much! I have learned that I'm not alone on this journey. My caregiver is a saint. A big shout out to all the caregivers! God bless you!

[@chrishartley6966]

Hope the catheter removal went well. I was very worried about it but it turned out to be nothing to stress about at all. One piece of advice is to start your kegels as soon as it comes out. The kegels helped with managing leakage after several weeks. Just takes time and persistence. Best wishes on your journey!

[@DeeVineDeeZine]

can't believe it's been 7 months already. happy for your progress. TFS!!

[@chrishartley6966]

DeeVine DeeZine l know what you mean. Jason and I were just saying how this time last year we were stressed about various tests. Glad to have it behind me and focus on the positive. Hope to see you the next time we make it home.

[@DeeVineDeeZine]

absolutely! please let us know when you guys are here

[@robertsemioli5564]

thank you for the information and sharing best wishes for your continued success

[@michaelmewis4761]

Hey Chris, I had a radical prostatectomy in march 2017. You seem way to young to have had prostate cancer. My surgeon said the same thing to me especially as there was NO cancer in my family on both sides going back three generations. This cancer has ruined my life and I constantly think of ending it all. I had such a beautiful relationship with my wife, I love her so much and sex was so much fun and so loving. Prostate cancer has taken all that away and I don't feel like a man anymore. I am so sad....

[@chrishartley6966]

I know it is difficult and sometimes seems like it will not get any better, but please keep fighting. i have received a lot of support from ZERO cancer. They are a not for profit focused on Prostate Cancer support. They can put you in direct contact with other survivors going through similar situations, medical professions that can provide second opinions or additional information. Please know that there is a entire community of men out there like us fighting disease and everything that means. Stay strong and keep fighting.

[@leocosta4704]

Michael life is more thant sex. I am 63 and 4 weeks after surgery and not sign de erection. The love for my families is everything.. Keep fighting

[@mnicholls33]

Hi Chris.... I'm 44 years old and was told yesterday I have prostate cancer (Gleason 3+4). I'm still in shock as my PSA is 3.7 (so elevated but not sky high) and the MRI came back all clear. My cancer is on both sides of the prostate. I need to bone scan on Monday to see if it's spread. If it hasn't then surgery is the option. But even then there may be complications... I had a bilateral hernia operation earlier this year and I'm being told that makes the removal of the prostate and surrounding glands more difficult. I'm totally stressed out. You videos are a high help and I'm sorry to hear the PSA rose. I'm sure you'll nail it in the end. My scary journey is just starting...for me the shock is my age...if I was older I could understand more, but not at 44. My head is all over the place at the moment.....

[@chrishartley6966]

I can relate to how you are feeling. I was diagnosed last year at the age of 43. That is one reason why I started this series. I could not find a lot of information out there for men around our age fighting prostate cancer. I have also been working with Zero Cancer. I have just signed up to become a mentor. If you need someone to talk to, just sign up through Zero. I am available as a mentor if you want someone close to your age as well. Stay strong and remember that you are not alone! zerocancer.org/get-support/mentor/

[@mnicholls33]

Chris Hartley many thanks. I’m based in the UK but will check out the website... much of what happens next will come from bone scan. That will determine if I have a chance of cure or not

[@dappa311]

@@mnicholls33 Boy I am in tears right now, My PSA was a 3.3 and my free PSA was around 9% , doctor sent me to a Urologist , from what I have been reading a low % of free PSA means cancer or a high likelihood of it. I'm 44 and will be 45 in January, I'm scared of all that can go wrong including death, I have two young kids and all I can think about is how my quality of life will be impacted and or I may not be here to see them grow up. If I was in my 60's or 70's I could say , well I lived a long life and had my fun, but not at 44 going on 45

[@mnicholls33]

@@dappa311 I completely understand your feelings and there is probably nothing I can say that will make you fee much better. What I will say is trust your doctors. Once I was diagnosed I was given the operation to remove the prostate within a month. I had a nerve sparing procedure on one side. After the operation I still had some PSA but this is due to the nerve sparing procedure. I had negative margins. I had the operation in Nov 2018….and my PSA since has generally been around the 0.008 mark. It dropped to undetectable on one occasion and stayed there for about a year but then went back to around the 0.008 mark. Last month it dropped back down to undetectable. I won’t deny having prostate cancer with a young family is hard. But the outcomes if you have surgery is usually good. Fingers cross for you. Incidentally, and as a side, I had a heart attack in Feb and now have heart failure. So my problem now is not so much the threat of prostate cancer return, but seeing just seeing how long I can survive. Estimates based on people around the globe with the same severity is between 5-10 years at best.

[@happydazesurfing4098]

Very positive vibes Chris. Something I'm really looking forward too. 4th week post surgery is miles away ATM from you but certainly sticking to that same route! Impatiently waiting to get sweaty and start really moving. Looking out for your next update. Good luck with the next blood test! Jack

[@chrishartley6966]

Jack Happydazesurfing just take it day by day. Focus on recovery and you will be working up a good sweat soon enough. Best wishes!

[@chrishartley6966]

Sending positive thoughts your way. I had to take it day by in the early days. Stay with it and you will be out there getting sweaty soon.

[@happydazesurfing4098]

Hi Chris, six weeks today! Slow and steady wins this race ! Seems to be the common theme for this type of recovery. First PSA soon and I'm sniffing around at the gym just moving few times a week. Eliptical seems to get the sweat up without impact. Thanks for you kind thoughts. Your journey is my benchmark so I'm hoping for similar outcomes. I'm certainly giving the pfm a daily workout. Interested to see when I can get " dry " again? Did you come in at zero last time? Anyway I'm staying positive, after all what have we got right? Talk soon and best wishes to you Chris.

[@chrishartley6966]

My third PSA is tomorrow. Hoping for 0.06 or lower!!!

[@happydazesurfing4098]

@@chrishartley6966 l will be thinking about you. Best wishes .

[@ozorena]

Chris hi , what were your psa levels over time after surgery? were you taking 100mg on a daily basis?

[@markwhipple9024]

Hi Chris. Just watched your video and learned some new important choices for my ED following my surgery in June 2018. I am still getting pelvic floor rehab going once a week for physical therapy and doing kegel exercises. Went from 10 pads a day to just one a day now. I still need more help with ED issues and would like to hear more about the ultra wave therapy and costs. I still have a PSA of 0.8 following surgery so I am now seeing my 2nd opinion doctors at Johns Hopkins for a special PET/CT Scan using a radioactive tracer for cancer cell detection. I haven't started radiation treatments until we can find that residual or persistent cancer cells. I get that PET scan this Moday and it was rejected twice by my insurance company. Nothing like added pressure to your recovery battle. My blood pressure has not been normal but not really a concern because it does drop after these situations get resolved. I would appreciate any other help from you. Thanks for sharing.

[@chrishartley6966]

Great news about the reduction in pads and more control over continence! I haven't posted about this yet but my PSA is also rising, now at .20. I go for my PET/CT scan on Wednesday so we have very similar paths ahead. I will start radiation soon following the results on my scan assuming the cancer is located near the prostate. It has been about 7 weeks since my last ultra wave session and I continue to see improvements. I had 6 session which were twice a week for three weeks. My doctor offered a large discount for his cancer patience. I believe the sessions are normally in the range of $6k but I paid $1,500 for all six session. Well worth the money for me! Best of luck on your scan next week. Keep me posted on how it goes.

[@brewster102]

Hi Chris, and thank you for this whole series you have done. I am 69 and 4 1/2 weeks out from surgery. I was told my tumor was in the apex of the prostate, which probably meant taking more towards the bladder neck with the cut. I have retention laying and sitting, but still virtually none if I am standing or walking--steady dripping unless I consciously make an effort to hold it in--should that be the protocol or did yours come back automatically? Also you mention 10 sets of 10 holding each for 20 seconds--was that regimen given by your doctor or therapist? I went to a therapist right before surgery who told me 3 sets of 10 short holds less than a second, and 3 sets of 10 with 5 second holds. This was to be done twice a day, morning and evening--she said that doing much more than this would be a negative and cause more leakage. All of the differing opinions really get confusing. Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

[@chrishartley6966]

I had to work on continenance for a few months. My doctor recommend 10 sets of 10 but other doctors have different approaches. Probably different for everyone. Hand in there and stay strong.

[@nebuchadnezzarsmith7846]

It sounds odd but the "apex" of the prostate is actually the part toward your feet. The "base" is closest to the bladder. Hope your exercises are showing results.

[@ATouchySubject]

Thank you so much for sharing this part of your recovery Chris 🙏 I have added this video to my 'life after prostate removal' playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLGIqeyvmAC7viFzMUynkQAdzDWvlIHBC0 Very interesting to hear you underwent shockwave treatment to maximise your penile tissue health, the clinical literature is still thin on the ground about how this might help men post Prostatectomy so your anecdotal report is helpful to hear.

[@warrenmaralit2461]

Hi Chris, can you elaborate more on ultra shock wave therapy? Did your Dr recommend it? Thank you.

[@chrishartley6966]

My doctor did offer shock therapy as an option. It is still a newer treatment option so I recommend asking your doctor if it is right for your case. I cant say it worked or if I just healed over time. At the time I was willing to try it in hopes it would help.

[@warrenmaralit2461]

@@chrishartley6966 thank you for the respose. God bless

[@dougcalv]

Thanks for this video. I am at 10 weeks. No erectile function at all. Still doing surgeons routine os daily tadalafil with two booster days a week and VED daily. What were the early signs that you ED was resolving and at what time after surgery? I know all milage may vary

[@chrishartley6966]

It took a little over 6 months for me to have any function at all. In the early months I found "physical therapy" to be important. Although I did not have an erection, I was able to orgasm. My doctor recommended that I do this daily to remind my body what it should be doing. I had a bit of a set back when i did radiation and Lupron. The Lupron took any all sexual desire so sex was difficult. Now I am able to get an erection with no medication but often use 20 mg of sildenafil just in case. This is down from 100 mg a few months ago. It can be a long road so take it one day at time and keep fighting!

[@dougcalv]

@@chrishartley6966 Thanks. Did you use a Vacuum Erection Device?

[@chrishartley6966]

@@dougcalv I never used a vacuum device but it was an option that my Dr. discussed

[@tobyh253]

You can make your self rock hard, actually anyone can get as hard as metal in just weeks by simply reading and making use of Mario Volpstein’s method.

[@kennethjames8314]

How old are you?

[@chrishartley6966]

I am 45 now. I was 43 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

[@kennethjames8314]

@@chrishartley6966 wow that's young! I feel 4 u Chris. I'm 58 and I don't like the side effects of this surgery.