Ask Kayla Quinn

Hi Robin, here's what I have found for you *so* far...as many as 80% of men experience erection problems after a prostatectomy. Since the nerves that control/enable the ability to obtain and retain an erection are right next to the prostate, they are often damaged or removed during the procedure. To make things even more...ummm...delicate...these nerves are intertwined with a bundle of blood vessels; your surgeon most likely used heat-sealing or cauterization to keep your bleeding to a minimum and improve his visibility in an effort to keep nerve-damage to a minimum. Most men who had erection problems after prostatectomy are able to regain their ability to have erections within 36-48 months of the procedure. There are, as always, variables to your recovery: ability to achieve erections prior to surgery, age at the time of the operation, if the surgery was bilateral (saving the potency nerves on both sides of the prostate) or unilateral nerve sparing (preserving only one of the nerves), if there was any damage to the urethra, and so on.

Constriction devices...ok, a few rules to live by with these: they should never, no never be left on for more than 30 minutes. They can, on occasion, cause bruising, particularly in men who have a blood clotting disorder or who are taking a drug that makes blood less likely to clot (anticoagulant). Should you feel tingling or experience a loss if sensation, you've got your cock too tightly bound!

If, after 48 months, erectile issues are still plaguing you, see your urologist.