As a prostate cancer survivor, I have had several men dealing with the same issue raise questions about side effects of my surgery experience using the diVinci surgery. First, let me say, I have no regrets over the decision I made. For those to whom it would apply, I would highly recommend considering this method over traditional surgical means of prostate removal. Second, I am keenly aware that all surgerys are different and my experience may not produce the same results for others. I must say, however, that a friend of mine had the diVinci method for his prostate cancer surgery and had a more remarkable recovery time than I. It appears over time that this is almost becoming an outpatient type procedure.
That said, one thing that all surgery candidates are cautioned about is incontinence and erectile function. In my case the issue of incontinence was a non issue. Bladder control was fully restored within six weeks from catheter removal. I was more than pleased.
On the other hand, my physician fully prepared me for what to expect with respect to erectile function - stating that it may not be restored and if it were (considering nerve sparing was accomplished during surgery), it would likely require aid from medication. Within ten weeks from surgery limited erectile function was restored and I felt I was well on my way to full recovery.
As a point of reference, a friend of mine had prostate surgery two months before mine and within four months of his surgery he had fully recovered erectile function with the aid of Viagra. He was pleased and I expected the same result. Unfortunately, that did not take place. While erectile function was restored to a limited degree with medical aid within 6 to 8 months, it was not at a level where I would claim a full recovery.
Regardless of the medication taken, I could not tell a difference in the erectile function. Time continued to pass and I considered injection therapy. Considering I am deathly afraid of needles, that really wasn't an option. Within one year erectile function was marginally acceptable but still required medication.
A Clinical Hypnotherapist and I got into a conversation about her work and the power of the subconscious. She began to help me understand the power of beliefs and suggested that, perhaps, I had a belief that I would never fully recover to a normal function and had manifested that physically . At first I rejected such an idea, but over time I began to consider that perhaps she was right.
I approached her again and asked if she thought hypnotherapy could help. As one might expect, she had never been asked to help in this area before and in no way offered any medical advice or suggested that she would be qualified to do so. Rather, she suggested that if I were open to this mode of therapy, she would work with me. From my perspective I truly had nothing to lose.
