Starting 6th week of RT and on Month 4 of ADT

[Dreamweaverman]

Hey Fellas, I know it has been a minute since I have posted. Although the pc treatments have been a little challenging, mostly inconvenient actually, I have been able to keep myself busy and life is definitely a little different. Before I started these treatments, I was really anxious that my romantic/sex life would suffer greatly, and that the Androgen deprivation treatment would take me down a road of serious depression. Well, I will confess there are times when I feel sad about my situation and my sex drive has decreased immensely, but so far it is not as bad as I imagined it would be. I wake up around 6 a.m. to get to radiation treatments by 7:30 and sometimes feel sad in the mornings when I'm driving alone to treatments, but a little music and brief cry usually do the trick and then my survival instincts take over. I make a conscious choice to smile and ask people I come in contact with i.e.- hospital staff, nurses, doctors how they are doing? Not sure why, but it helps me shake the sadness. I have also noticed my appetite has increased and I am usually wiped by the time I get home from work around 7 p.m. I have probably gained approximately 5-10lbs since this whole ordeal started, and formal cardio exercise has become sporadic. As I begin the final 3 weeks of RT, I am hoping that it did the trick and got rid of whatever remaining cancer cells I had post-surgery. I am greatly anticipating the end of ADT. I want my passion and sex drive back! I have been doing the trimix approximately once a week just to keep the muscle active, but it feels strange to have an erection and no desire to do anything. I am grateful that I am in loving relationships and my family and friends are a great support. It is an ongoing daily effort in accepting my situation, and I sometimes long for the old me. Sometimes I think back to last year this time when I felt great and was exercising all the time, and then I went in for an annual checkup and my whole world changed. Accepting life on life's terms has been my greatest lesson during this time. I hope all of you are weathering the storm and I wish all of my fellow pc cyber friends a speedy recovery.

[TimCo]

You the Man Mr Dreamer with one outstanding attitude! I applaud you! And look forward to hearing of your full healing recovery.

[jimreilly]

More power to you! Best wishes--may the results of the treatment be what you are hoping for!

[Hidden]

Great outlook! Good to hear an inspirational "story". Yes, our lives changed in an instant so to speak. I think now how I never really fully appreciated how good my life was before cancer. I also had the RP, HT and EBR so I know what you are saying. I still have the 15 extra pounds of fat in my belly but other than that I am doing pretty well. Keep your chin up and keep on trucking Dreamweaverman!!!

[EdinBmore]

As others have said, great attitude (and I know how hard maintaining that can be). EBRT, brachy boost, and ADT here. One more injection to go. The ADT is devastating. No sex drive, hot flashes, short term memory impact, bone density issues, higher BP, wt gain (no matter what I do), genital shrinkage, and so on. Oh, and the depression, despair, grief and sadness. I bet you're more "in touch" with your emotions than before and sometimes wish you weren't. Keep on trucking, man. It sounds like you're doing the absolute best that you can. Terrific. Good luck to you.

EdinBaltimore

[Handdrummer777]

It's good to hear that you are looking down the road at the end of ADT. I hope the RT did the trick! May your PSA always be low!

I'm the guy who's posted about the Loop -- a ridiculously simple device you make yourself. Plain and simple, it is an erection enhancer. No shit.

Libido CAN survive without T! When I was starting ADT -- I was profounfly ignorant of my dangerous situation.

Then I read -- I kid you not --that "the vast majority if men who go through ADT DO NOT (their caps) retain their sexual functioning." I was terrified by that statement. I decided I better as hell be proactive!! And you should too, as does every single man going through the brutal sexual gauntlet of ADT.

I told my healthy libido going into ADT last June: "You don't need hormones to function! You can still operate -- just use the Loop to keep erections going. That continued erectile success feeds back to the melting libido, and reinforces it!

I'm worried for you Dreamweaverman -- that once-a-week trimix erections may be insufficient to avoid unecessary penile tissue damage.

There is a link to the JoyLoop Intro, a document I created that features instructions and clarifying photo. I still don't know how to post the link myself, but I've had help from other members. If you go to my post "A Big Hello to Everyone..." and scroll down aways, the link will present itself.

Dreamweaverman, I'm in month 11 of 18 months ADT

Because I rely on the Loop, I am able to easily achieve erection(s) every day. This is a higher rate of masturbation than usual. Hell, I'm 68. The Loop works well even though my libido may seemingly not be on the radar that moment. It's ok!

So I make myself comfortable -- might add a pinch of porn, or just fantasize about someone I'm hot for, or pick up that ring vibrator over there...

The idea is simply: by all means necessary, keep those erections going! And I'm assuming you do have a daily low-dose Sildenafil or Tadalafil going? That's good for nocturnal erections -- which are suppressed by the castrate-level T -- and a boost during the daytime.

For whatever reason -- shyness, embarrassment -- men who see my posts about the Loop like I'm doing with you are not getting back and reporting on how it works. It may be because it's on the raunchy side to use!

So! 'Nuff said. I wish you success in adding this new tool to the ED treatnent kit!

"Use it or Lose It" is no joke!

Best of luck to you.