I'm late 50's , have had 3 major operations, spent some time on critical care and I've also had an unpleasant visit from the Black Dog a while ago.
I've had experience of preparing for an operation and both psychological and physical rehab / recovery.
I'm lucky . I had a Robotic Radical Prostatectomy seven weeks ago for a Gleason 7 , organ confined disease with clear margins and one and a half nerve bundles spared.
There is plenty of information around regarding preparing for an operation, eat sensibly, get as fit as you can and get your weight as near as you can to the ideal etc., which is what I have done prior to my RRP to optimise my recovery and like all men I want my erectile function and sex life to return to as normal as possible as soon as possible.
In order to maximise my chances of this happening this is what I did.
I hope it helps someone and helps them feel some sense of control over what is happening to them.
I should say that I have a fantastic wife (M) who is fully on board.
1) After diagnosis and whilst waiting for the op I took Cialis 5 mg every third day and haven't stopped. This kind of turned the clock back 25 years with regard to frequency of erections and sustainability ,even if I was a bit tired. I made full use of these with or without M's help.
I wanted to get my penis as fit as possible ( just as I did the rest of my body) , training those nerves, reflexes, muscles ( including those around blood vessels controlling and producing erections).
Plus it was good for morale.
2) Post op and with the catheter in- I continued with the Kegel exercises altho had to stop for a couple of days when it became uncomfortable.
3) The day after the catheter was removed I had my first orgasm. It was a marathon effort and made my tennis elbow much worse ( should be called something else!). But it was great for morale. For the first couple of weeks or so I aimed to have a daily orgasm . I bought a rechargeable silicone masturbator which looks a bit like Darth Vader's helmet - but with the great advantage that it can be used flaccid. For £10 more they do one with an additional vibrating bit for M to control with a remote that we could use to good effect together, although I would always need some manual therapy too as there is quite marked reduced ( but improving ) sensation. It also takes a lot of the donkey work out of achieving an orgasm and is really quite pleasant.
During this time M and I set aside time most days for play and for her needs - we are in this boat together, which I found really pleasurable and took us back to when we first went out with each other exploring different techniques.
4) The Vacuum device. I started using one at least daily at week 3 post op. It was uncomfortable and I didn't really think it was going to work however it became easier , the discomfort negligible and it was a hell of a lot easier achieving orgasm with an almost erect penis. This has been a fantastic morale booster. It took about three weeks gradually reducing the size of the ring until I got to a size that was comfortable and gave me a serviceable erection enabling full intercourse.
Work and kids back form Uni has got in the way a bit but I'm using the pump at least once daily and have incorporated it into my routine of shaving ( as mentioned by others it can rest on the sink if its the right height) , relax and then again whilst cleaning my teeth.
Still ensuring that there is some daily stimulation with or without the aid but with time constraints ,intimacy with M and orgasms have reduced a bit.
No indépendant action at all yet, but it is early days.
I have been very lucky indeed.
I hope this post is reassuring to those about to embark on their journey.
Cheer RD