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ED Recovery time after RP with nerve sparing: your experience

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User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 09:11

Dear All, 

I read that the recovery time after RP for ED is very subjective and can take up to 2 years; sometimes you don't recover it in full. 

Based on your experience, I would have 2 questions to who has already gone or is going through the journey.

1) How long after your surgery  you had to wait to  start seing any improvement , "reactions"  so that you could see some progress was on going?

2)  How long you waited until you could regain reasonable erections?

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 10:40

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
3 years to have non chemical penetrative sex.

Do chemicals include alcohol?  Plying my wife with gin is the only way I can guarantee penetrative sex

Joking apart, I had non nerving sparing RARP, and thought I was doomed to a life of flaccidity. But within 6 months, thanks to Invicorp and your amazing coaching Jonathan, I'm up for the job.

 

Edited by member 18 Jan 2024 at 11:35  | Reason: Additional text.

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 10:53
Until I got daily Cialis , no real recovery. Pump was useful but only used for rehab and still do 8 yrs on. I used injections but only Invicorp worked and I had to privately fund. I would say at the 2 1/2 yr mark I could easily have penetrative sex but still on daily Cialis and a cheap cock-ring.
User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 12:18

Hi, 

I had nerve sparing surgery in November 2019.

1. I was seeing some improvement at around 6 months. It was eight months before I could manage penetration with a 70% ish erection and plenty of lube for a couple minutes or so.

2. After that first penetration milestone, I saw slow improvement. I used injections for around 18 months or so before going back to Tadalafil. I'd say I saw the best improvement at around 2-3 years. Now at 4 years, I have pretty good long lasting erections (plenty of nocturnal ones too), not quite pre op standards yet so I still take Tadalafil.

Sometimes I would see sudden improvements over a short space of time, then have periods of time when my recovery seemed to stall. 

Hope this helps. 

Kev.

Edited by member 18 Jan 2024 at 12:20  | Reason: Added note

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 10:25
Probably 6 months to get a lazy lob, 3 years to have non chemical penetrative sex.
User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 12:31

It clearly varies a lot. I had my op as we went into lockdown and couldn't easily get a prescription for taladafil to begin with. My consultant suggested over the counter viagra at about 6 weeks and I could just manage penetrative sex. Things got steadily better and I'd say I was fully recovered at 12 months.

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 17:26

As already pointed out, everyone is different and I think it goes without saying that any pre-surgery ED issues will not be remedied. I can honestly say for the first 12mths, there was nothing, it was limp, nothing. 18mths on a lot of improvements, particularly with the pump, I don't the daily 5mg tadalafil, get 8 tabs of 20mg on prescription and meant to take 3 a week, some weeks I don't take any and some weeks I manage to. However I noticed, I can manage an erection if I take it 3ce in a week, but I have to be stimulated somewhat, not just get an erection for the fun of it!

My darling wife is going through menopause, sadly intimacy and sex is the last thing on her mind at the moment, so I have no desire or urge to take the tablets or even exercise with the pump.

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User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 10:25
Probably 6 months to get a lazy lob, 3 years to have non chemical penetrative sex.
User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 10:40

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
3 years to have non chemical penetrative sex.

Do chemicals include alcohol?  Plying my wife with gin is the only way I can guarantee penetrative sex

Joking apart, I had non nerving sparing RARP, and thought I was doomed to a life of flaccidity. But within 6 months, thanks to Invicorp and your amazing coaching Jonathan, I'm up for the job.

 

Edited by member 18 Jan 2024 at 11:35  | Reason: Additional text.

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 10:53
Until I got daily Cialis , no real recovery. Pump was useful but only used for rehab and still do 8 yrs on. I used injections but only Invicorp worked and I had to privately fund. I would say at the 2 1/2 yr mark I could easily have penetrative sex but still on daily Cialis and a cheap cock-ring.
User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 12:18

Hi, 

I had nerve sparing surgery in November 2019.

1. I was seeing some improvement at around 6 months. It was eight months before I could manage penetration with a 70% ish erection and plenty of lube for a couple minutes or so.

2. After that first penetration milestone, I saw slow improvement. I used injections for around 18 months or so before going back to Tadalafil. I'd say I saw the best improvement at around 2-3 years. Now at 4 years, I have pretty good long lasting erections (plenty of nocturnal ones too), not quite pre op standards yet so I still take Tadalafil.

Sometimes I would see sudden improvements over a short space of time, then have periods of time when my recovery seemed to stall. 

Hope this helps. 

Kev.

Edited by member 18 Jan 2024 at 12:20  | Reason: Added note

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 12:31

It clearly varies a lot. I had my op as we went into lockdown and couldn't easily get a prescription for taladafil to begin with. My consultant suggested over the counter viagra at about 6 weeks and I could just manage penetrative sex. Things got steadily better and I'd say I was fully recovered at 12 months.

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 17:26

As already pointed out, everyone is different and I think it goes without saying that any pre-surgery ED issues will not be remedied. I can honestly say for the first 12mths, there was nothing, it was limp, nothing. 18mths on a lot of improvements, particularly with the pump, I don't the daily 5mg tadalafil, get 8 tabs of 20mg on prescription and meant to take 3 a week, some weeks I don't take any and some weeks I manage to. However I noticed, I can manage an erection if I take it 3ce in a week, but I have to be stimulated somewhat, not just get an erection for the fun of it!

My darling wife is going through menopause, sadly intimacy and sex is the last thing on her mind at the moment, so I have no desire or urge to take the tablets or even exercise with the pump.

User
Posted 18 Jan 2024 at 20:43

Hi Fed69,

As others have said, experience varies widely.  I am 18 months post-surgery, which was said to be bi-lateral nerve-sparing.  I use the vacuum pump and am prescribed daily Cialis.  I am also prescribed once-weekly injections.  I'm only just now beginning to get occasional nocturnal erections but still can't achieve an erection which is suitable for penetrative sex, even with the injection.

User
Posted 19 Jan 2024 at 00:54

16 months since surgery, I was 52 at the time, full nerve sparring.

I noticed steady improvements in erectile strength over that period. I've used a pump everyday to keep the penis tissues as healthy as I can, except in the 48 hour period after taking 20mg of taladafil. I can get natural erections without the tablets, but they are less spontaneous and vary in strength. I would say they are 75-80% of their pre-op status. Fortunately my wife and I have a sex life which does not lack an imagination

What I notice from this forum is that everyone's experience differs. Despite the full nerve sparring things are far from normal for me, whereas others seem to get to where they were previously and move on quite quicky. .

User
Posted 30 Mar 2026 at 08:33

Nerve-sparing recovery really is a slow curve. First “signs of life” (partial fullness, random reactions) often show up somewhere around 3–6 months, but for many guys it’s closer to 6–12 months before there’s clear, consistent progress. “Reasonable” erections good enough for sex can take 12–24 months, and sometimes require ongoing support (like PDE5 inhibitors or other rehab methods). The key factor is how well the nerves were preserved and how consistent you are with rehab.

Treat this as rehab from day one. Regular use of low-dose tadalafil or similar, plus stimulation (even if erections aren’t strong yet), helps maintain blood flow and tissue health. I personally use Cialis (tadalafil) from delivery-service24.com, and it’s been working great for me — it has a longer duration (up to 24–36 hours), so there’s no pressure on timing, and it supports more natural, spontaneous erections rather than a “forced” effect. It also improves overall blood flow in the area, which is important during recovery, not just for performance but for tissue health. Staying consistent with it made a noticeable difference in both confidence and the quality of recovery over time.

Edited by member 10 Apr 2026 at 09:49  | Reason: Not specified

 
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