Hi Dave
Just finished watching your video and reading your blog - in its entirety! Both were so incredibly helpful and answered so many questions I had burning in my mind that first off, I just wanted to say thanks for posting it all. As others have said there's a dearth of information and advice from the beneficiary's perspective on the topic online. Much of it seems to be private US-based doctors flogging their wares!
As you will see if you check my profile I am about 2 years out from a non nerve-sparing RP followed not long after by hormones and 33 sessions of RT. During all of this I did manage to have time to entertain one or two "impure thoughts" and decided I may as well try the various gadgets and gizmos aimed at giving me back some semblance of potency. Viagra and co would've been a waste of time due to the non nerve-sparing op. I tried the pump and whereas after a lot of messing about, it produced an excuse of an erection, by the time it did, I had lost interest. Then to the injections - Viridial Duo in my case. The drug certainly worked for me even at the lowest dose and the injections are only scary the first few times. My problem was that regardless of dose, the pain was unbearable and the erection (and the pain) lasted for hours. Before anyone tells me I may have been injecting incorrectly, I got the ED nurse to do it and sadly the result was the same if not worse!
In November 2016 I was switched from Bicalutamide to Zoladex (3 monthly injections) and whatever residual spark of passion that may have been lurking in my mind and my loins has completely evaporated. My "impure thoughts" now centre around which type of biscuit to have with my cuppa!! The (hopefully) good news is that they plan to take me off all hormone meds in November this year and watch the now undetectible PSA to see what it decides to do. With any luck it'll just sit there and do nothing for a very, very long time.
With a view to the expectant return of those "impure thoughts", I was chatting with the ED nurse at Guy's & St Thomas where most of my treatment has been done and she suggested that given my lack of success with the other stuff I've tried, I should look at penile implants. Fast forward a bit and I now have an appointment at UCLH towards the end of July.
I'm guessing they might not be too interested in doing much with me until a/ the hormones stop and are out of my system and b/ some of the mental urge returns? Was there a long lead-in time from the point at which you were referred and initially assessed to the date of your surgery? What did the assessment involve?
I did try PMing you but I was told that as I have been lazy and not actively contributing, I cannot PM people. Maybe you can PM me instead or post here as you prefer.
Thank in advance.