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ED after non cancerous Holep surgery
I had Holep surgery about one year ago, and it was successful. There was no cancer but I had a very difficult time urinating and was not able to fully vacate my bladder. Full recovery (had a lot of leakage lasting for about 3 months, then still wore a light pad for another month) had have had fairly good erections up until the past 4 weeks. We have sex weekly, but now it's basically on "hold".
My erections don't last very long, and it "feels" like my penis is shorter than it had been, which my wife can tell. I'm also not able to stay hard resulting in failed orgasms and frustration for my wife!
After doing some research, I found a supplement using an herb called KSM-66 Ashwagandha root extract with black pepper extract. It is purported to help maintain erections along with "other beneficial " properties.
Since I started using it about a month ago, I've not been able to keep an erection hard! I've now stopped taking it to see if maybe that is the problem and will give it a couple weeks to dissipate before trying sex again. I'm not telling my wife what I'm doing so I can see if SHE notices a difference...
Has anyone else experienced any of this? If so, what is YOUR experience and what did you do about it?
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Hello @air4dave,
I'd like to invite @bigj549 to this discussion as they discussed some of the issues you are experiencing to share anything they have learned in the time since they first posted.
Here is another discussion that may not be exactly like your situation, but may be of use to check out:
"Sex after Holep?"
- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/sex-after-hotep/
@air4dave, is this something you have discussed with your provider or your surgeon to see if this is a normal side-effect or something that can be addressed? It is always best to discuss supplements with your provider to at the very least confirm they don't have contraindications.
I had HOLEP in Dec 2024. Still leaking and wearing pads. I wore diapers for 6 months. I have the same issue as you do. I get hard, but not hard enough for sex. It is very frustrating for sure. My doctor gave me a prescription for Sildenafil and to take one 100mg tablet every other day to see if it will work. I have not been able to do this due to other medical issues. I plan to start next week and to see if taking Sildenafil every other day will have any affect on maintaining an erection.
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1 ReactionHi Justin.
Yes, it's perfectly fine to invite others to this discussion! The singular reason I brought my detailed description into a new topic is that I've not seen ANY discussions on Holep surgery that were down for non-cancerous reasons.
I did discuss my situation with my urologist. He said it will take time but "most" men will regain sexual functions back - meaning (and this is based on statistics) some won't be able to regain performance since pre-surgery.
I'm sure there are many others that fit in MY category and I'm wondering if regaining sustained hardness is something that may take a few years(?) to regain or...when does one know that one is already at his "peak" ability and cannot expect any further gain?
When I first started having to "need a little help" back about 25 years ago, my Dr. put my on Viagra. It kinda worked but not to the effect that I expected - even after using up my prescription, which took a couple months. I told my Dr. about it and he switched me to 10mg of Cialis, which worked great! I've been using Cialis - generic now - for over 20 years and weekly. It's rarely failed!
However, per my story, I'm again having difficulty and have laid off the new KTM-66 supplement to see if that, in fact, has been counterproductive. It's been a week and I plan to go another week to be sure it's out of my system before trying sex again.
Thankfully I have a VERY understanding wife and we talk about sex fairly often so we can help each other.
We are both getting older as well - I'm soon to be 72 and she's 68, so that is playing a part as well. Stopping our previous "scheduled" encounters is helping as well and she's always ready whenever I'm feeling the desire...we'll see what happens over the next few weeks.
You might ask your Dr. about switching to Cialis. It's effective for a good 12 hours or more, depending on your age. I know foreplay is a big factor, something MY wife isn't so much into but she enjoys it when done on her...go figure!
I too have been taking Sildenafil for 22 years and it had been working pretty well until the HOLEP surgery. My wife and I both get frustrated. Both of us in our early 70’s so things should work. I have tried Tadalafil but it doesn’t seem to work either. I will see what happens in the next couple of weeks as I try the Sildenafil every other day. Hope you get this figured out.
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2 ReactionsDo you use the 20mg? My Dr. will prescribe me whatever I need, fortunately. I had some 5mg that I would take every day - per manufacturer "to be ready anytime..." but that didn't really work.
I opened this discussion for guys exactly like YOU in the hopes we can all figure this out together and get some ideas! Thank you for sharing!!