Prostate Cancer UK produce a leaflet called "Treating erectile dysfunction after surgery for pelvic cancers", with the sub heading "A quick guide for health professionals: supporting men with erectile dysfunction".

For Tablets (PDE5-Is) (sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil and avanafil) it says "Early initiation (after catheter removal or within 14 days) promotes early recovery and preservation of erectile function".

For a Vacuum Erection Device (pump) it says:

• Early use (within one month after surgery) linked with better outcomes.
• Can be initiated 4-8 weeks after surgery.

I had nerve sparing RARP on 22nd March and was told I will have a follow-up consultation about 6-7 weeks after the operation. I intend to use that to have a discussion about penile rehabilitation, but am concerned that I may then have to wait months to speak to an ED specialist.

It's not difficult to imagine a scenario where I have my follow-up consultation 2 months after the operation and then have to wait 2-3 months for an appointment to get help with penile rehabilitation.

That would mean 4-5 months with no medical input regarding ED, which seems contrary to the advice that penile rehabilitation should begin at an early stage ("use it or lose it" keeps being quoted).

I was going  to purchase a relatively cheap pump and use that to maintain penile health, but Steve2812's post above (28th March) shows he was being told to wait 5 months after surgery before using a pump.

Like Steve I am confused. I get the feeling that in an ideal world rehabilitation would begin as soon as possible, but in the real world it is tied to whenever your appointment is and that can mean significant delay, which in turn can impair recovery.

If you do end up having to buy one yourself - like i did. Make sure you get it VAT free. As a cancer patient you are VAT exempt - One small bonus is suppose !!

Just to jump in.  I bought a battery operated pump - PRIMUSmed Vacuum Erection Aid System (no relation to this company, just what I bought).  There is a UK website that sells them for £265.  I am just using it as an "exercise" tool and it does the job very well.   I find the automatic system is handy because you can use it while doing something else like reading or watching TV in bed.  So far not tried it for sex as I haven't mustered up enough courage to attach the rubber ring in case I need to call the fire brigade to cut it off :-)

My consultant advised to start as soon as the catheter came out, so I've been using it twice a day from week 3.

Hope that helps.  

The SomaErect Response II accounts for 80% of NHS prescriptions.

With the SomaERect Response II, if you intend to use it for sex (rather than just rehab), you should also order:
3 spare Surefit constriction rings - NHS code 15222

It only comes with 1, and you may need 2 to work. They have a life of about 40 uses.

The 3 spares are by default a small, a medium, and a large (and the pump comes with one medium). If you know what size you need, you can intercept the prescription and ask the pharmacy to note all 3 should be a specific size, but there's no separate order numbers for these - it's passed as a note to iMEDicare with the order.

I would strongly suggest you get booked on a pump clinic session too (usually an off-shoot of the ED clinic, but probably much shorter waiting list), where they show you how to use it. This doubles the chances of using it successfully at home afterwards.

Edited by member 20 Jun 2022 at 15:58  | Reason: Not specified