Today is 6 weeks post Prostate removal surgery

@fritzo
One of the urologist that specializes in ED Discussed the vibrating options. He said they do not work. They are a scam. Would definitely like to hear different. Of course, if you put the vibration in the right spot, it can cause an erection, But any vibrator will do that, Unless you have problems like our surgery problems.

@jeffmarc I suspect he says that because major study results are not in. I can personally attest that it is not a scam. It has an effect on me that seems positive. Is it the holy grail. Probably not.

There are research study trials going on right now to determine the benefit of using vibration therapy post prostatectomy. Vibration therapy has been studied extensively for men with spinal cord injuries where medical grade vibration therapy is now standard methodology.

My quick analysis reading between the lines: it can't hurt and for me it appears to help. It is supposed to helpful for achieving orgasm (dry), even with a flaccid penis. The medical grade ones are expensive; Viberect Pro $400 and the FERTICARE 2.0 $740 (stupid expensive). One therapist recommends the consumer model-Pulse Solo $120 as a cheaper option, but I’ve found the $80 Aliexpress version (which looks to be like the Viberect Pro) to be better than the Pulse solo.

I decided to pull the trigger and pursue this because I don’t have time to wait for the final study results and it doesn’t look it can cause harm. I’ve found that it does help me. But, I want to caution that my results doesn't mean it applies to others. Got to wait for the final study results to come in. I'm just not waiting around for that.

•••••

Here's my homework on this topic. Like I've mentioned, I was obsessive before surgery studying everything from continence, recovery, treatments...and yes, ED treatments.

Here are published comments on the ongoing study by Dr. Peter N. Tsambarlis out of Northwestern. I actually have an appointment with in a few weeks. He came highly recommended by a patient friend who has happily restored his function after focal, surgery, radiation and multiple rounds of hormone therapy. He's been through the wringer, but is back in the game.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-026-01250-7
Comment on: Penile vibratory stimulation as rehabilitation of erectile function following nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy: a quantitative pilot study
“The authors have provided a foundation for an exciting investigation into post radical prostatectomy rehabilitation for sexual health. Patients without preoperative erectile dysfunction (ED) who underwent radical prostatectomy were given a mechanical medical vibrator and instructed to use it daily with the settings adjusted to their own personal preferences. The goal of the study was to find the optimal settings for an upcoming randomized controlled trial. The most commonly selected settings were the ones most often associated with induction of erections and orgasms. Overall, 12/19 patients (63%) were able to participate in penetrative sex 6 months after their radical prostatectomy [1].

The rationale for penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) as a treatment option for post radical prostatectomy ED is well reasoned [2]. The proposed neurogenic etiology of ED in radical prostatectomy patients [3] supports the use of a modality which has shown promise in neurogenic ED and successful use of PVS has been documented in spinal cord patients

Regardless of the results, this work should be followed to completion. Even marginal improvements in erectile function after radical prostatectomy are likely to be meaningful to a large cohort of men. PVS could be a high-quality component of a combination therapy rehabilitation protocol. At worst, PVS is low risk and can be utilized as a method by which men can achieve orgasm while recovering from radical prostatectomy. In the best case scenario, however, the current research could lead to a shift in how urologists create protocols aimed at restoring erectile capacity in men after radical prostatectomy.”

• A pretty extensive discussion of the possible benefits and what research says
https://wirelesslifesciences.org/2025/12/how-vibration-therapy-works-for-erectile-dysfunction/
• Vibration study being conducted right now.
https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT06200987
“Participants will start getting used to the vibration 1-4 weeks before the surgery and resume it within 14 days after the operation. The daily stimulation will continue for a period of 9 months, along with the standard treatment. “

• A discussion of vibration therapy by a post-prostatectomy sexual function specialist (not a med doctor, but has built a big following doing this work)
https://www.atouchysubject.com/blog/vibrators-erectile-dysfunction-prostatectomy
• An ongoing study for another device that shows promise (looks to be manufacturer supported)
https://academic.oup.com/jsm/article/22/Supplement_2/qdaf077.120/8127366
• Study to see what vibration method was most effective for spinal cord patients.
https://www.nature.com/articles/sc201760
“On the basis of these findings, we recommend attempting PVS with one FertiCare device. If that fails, use two FertiCare devices. Although the Viberect-X3 was preferred less by patients, it had similar efficacy as the Ferticare vibrator(s) and may be suitable for home use by some patients.”

• One of many studies for spinal cord patients
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6571747/

@fritzo
Very interesting. Look forward to hearing more about the study results.

Your comments are why I said I’d like to hear different.

@mpersonne So how are you feeling? Im perfectly fine, and I dont leak, but im still having issues with burning when urinating, and full bladder every 30 minutes, regardless of how much i drink. I saw my doctor around May 18th, and that was the 3 week follow up after catheter removed. A few days before i saw him, i started to burn when i was almost empty, and it last like for 8-10 seconds. My doctor said its normal, and where he connected my uretha and bladder are healing, and scabs are falling off, so the urine is passing by the raw areas. Since then, its been miserable, and they have done two cultures on my urine, and no UTI's. I begged for antibiotics just in case, and they obliged. They also prescribed me 200mg of Azo, which did nothing for me, so they prescribed me some Urilbel, which has helped tremendously. I called them yesterday asking for a refill, for it started back up when i was out of the Uribel. Im also still passing some small scabs, and what looks like white tissue. Have you been having any issues with burning at the 6 week mark? Next week will be going into my 8th week..

@jeffmarc Just FYI, I met with my sexual function doctor for the first time last week. He's not a big believer in vibration at this point because he says the research data isn't in yet. However, he said that if it does come in positive, he totally would advise his patients to do it.

So, the reality, as I mentioned before, the data is not in yet.

He is a big advocate of penile traction (Restorex) post surgery. Says it is more effective than pumps for managing shrinkage and the obvious, treating Peyronies (which prostatectomy patients are much higher risk of developing).

I had the burning for 3 years post prostatectomy. It gradually improved. I went through every single test for any imaginable infection and all negative. Cystoscopy showed no problems except some trabeculated bladder. flow check was good. The first urologist/ oncologist seemed uninterested and others tried me on self catheterization with clabetasol which did improve things some but that was over a year in. ( self torture btw) My current urologist says it was probably caused by trauma to the urethra from surgery and catheter and the nerves just took that long to heal. I may never know but the good news is I’m back to almost normal now as far as urination goes and no incontinence. The incontinence only took about 3 months to end. Hoping for you it’s not a 3 year plague.