Prostate cancer usually affects men in their 50s. If they see a doctor early, mild therapy may be given. When they neglect their he alth, they face prostate removal, which almost always presents a risk of complications.

Prostate cancercan be treated with different methods - several methods are used: radiotherapy, brachytherapy, i.e. internal radiation, hormone therapy and classic surgery. Each of them carries with it specificcomplications . The most severe - after surgical removal of the prostate gland. Usually it is permanent or temporary urinary incontinence and impotence. After other types of therapy, such troubles do happen, but they go away with time, and those that remain can be de alt with. Much depends on compliance with medical recommendations and the mental attitude of the patient.

Impotence after prostate surgery

A common side effect of prostate removal is damage to the nerves that run on both sides of it. Since these are the nerves responsible for the creation and maintenance of an erection, the patient has problems with potency after such an operation. In recent years, a technique has been developed to preserve these nerves, but more and more urologists claim that its use is not safe for the patient. It turns out that even the most experienced surgeon can leave a significant part of cancer cells in the body.

Doctors, whom patients blame for postoperative impotence, defend themselves. They claim that 50 percent have erection problems. men over 45, regardless of whether they suffer from prostate or not. It is often the result of high cholesterol levels, common high blood pressure, as well as strokes and Parkinson's disease.

If only radiotherapy was used during treatment, erectile dysfunction affects approx. 67%. men. They usually disappear in the first year after the end of irradiation. The same happens after brachytherapy and hormone treatment. The latter method, however, causes a complete loss of libido, i.e. sex drive. Experts say that it is associated with a significant reduction in testosterone levels.

See the symptoms of prostate cancer

How to deal with disorderserection after prostate cancer treatment

Erectile dysfunction following prostate cancer treatment can be eliminated by the same methods as for impotence caused by other causes.

  • Oral medications. The most satisfied are men using Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. However, in order for the pill to be effective, it should be taken one hour before sexual intercourse. You also need a longer than usual foreplay to stimulate the pelvic nerves to get an erection. Before using any medications, consultation with your doctor is necessary. They should not be taken by men with heart failure, hypertension and those who regularly take nitroglycerin
  • Drugs administered directly into the urethra. Alprostadil (MUSE), a small suppository inserted into the penis with a special applicator, is very popular. When the suppository is dissolved, an erection occurs.
  • Injections made into the skin of the penis. Gentlemen who cannot use, for example, Viagra, sometimes choose injections of special chemical compounds, performed in the penis several minutes before intercourse. However, before making a decision about receiving this type of injection, it is necessary to contact a urologist. You also need to check that the blood vessels are functioning well. If a man has high blood pressure, has had a heart attack or a stroke, he should not use this method. If the blood vessels are not working properly, the so-called a painful erection that can last up to six hours. This condition requires immediate medical attention, because the blood vessels in the penis may be damaged.
  • Implantation of a special lifter .Some gentlemen decide to surgically place a small device in the penis that lifts the penis.
  • Nerve transplant. Perhaps soon it will be possible to treat impotence by transplanting nerves from other parts of the body to the penis. For now, this method is still at the experimental stage.

Urinary incontinence - complication after prostate removal

Although erection problems worsen a man's quality of life, the most troublesome complication after prostate surgery is urinary incontinence. It occurs with a greater or lesser intensity in all operated men, but it may also appear after chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Depending on the method of treatment used, there are several forms of ailments.

  • Stress urinary incontinence, also known as bladder sphincter insufficiency, occurs after surgical removal of the prostate. During surgery, damage is usually done (noit is a medical error!) the internal sphincter, which is located at the very tip of the prostate and it is difficult to separate it from the rest of the gland to be excised.
  • After irradiation, i.e. radiotherapy, men usually suffer from the so-called urge incontinence. Urine is constantly leaking because the weakened sphincter muscles do not keep it in the bladder. The ailment may also be the result of excessive scar growth that forms around the bladder neck.

Complications after prostate surgery pass by themselves

For most men, urinary incontinence due to removal of the prostate disappears within 6-12 months. After irradiation, it takes a little longer for the bladder sphincter to recover fully. While it is not fully understood why this is so, it is believed that irradiated muscles and nerves regenerate less well. Treatment of ailments depends on its type. In all cases, however, the most important thing is to urinate regularly, ie every three hours, and to avoid caffeinated drinks, as it irritates the kidneys and causes increased urine production. You also need to significantly reduce the consumption of beer, which is a diuretic. Avoiding spicy and acidic foods is helpful. During this time, it is necessary to use special inserts to prevent underwear and clothes from getting wet. They are invisible under clothing and do not restrict movement. Some gentlemen do not want to wear panty liners and choose a special penis clamp. It is a very effective device. It ensures that not a single drop of urine spills out, but can only be worn for a few hours. If left for the whole day, it damages the skin of the penis and the vessels inside it.

Important

The extent to which prostate surgery affects the patient's masculinity largely depends on the quality of the erection before surgery, as well as the state of preservation of the nerves. Those who underwent the nerve-sparing procedure, but who still have problems with potency, can count on an improvement within a dozen or so months.

Methods of treating complications after prostate surgery

In recent years, male urinary incontinence has been treated with collagen injections. It is a protein that occurs in the human body, but animal collagen is used for injection. Therefore, skin tests should be performed in advance to find out that the man is not allergic to it. Collagen is injected into the bladder neck and the bladder section of the urethra. This improves the flexibility of the fibers and muscles around the bladder. When a man is aroused, the muscles tighten automatically and help him get an erection. The procedure is performed under anesthesialocal or general. Usually 3-4 injections are required. In some men, the injection does not completely eliminate urinary incontinence, but it always significantly reduces it. The so-called Kegel exercises as they strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. To identify these muscles, just try to stop the urine stream while you pass it. The exercise involves squeezing and relaxing these muscles for at least 20 minutes. You can practice everywhere: on the bus, working at the computer, etc. - but you have to do it every day. Unfortunately, Kegel exercises will not help men who have undergone pelvic radiation.

Note! Prostate cancer may come back

This most often happens after radiation therapy. But even after radical prostatectomy, that is, removal of the prostate gland, there is such a risk. Most men believe that the operation has freed them from danger once and for all. But that's not true. Relapse of the disease affects approx. 30 percent. patients. Most often those who saw their doctor late and whose cancer cells spread beyond the prostate gland before the surgery. It may also be the result of a prostate excision with too small a margin of he althy tissue that should not contain neoplastic cells. Therefore, after surgery, the patient must regularly check the level of PSA, which is a specific protein used in the diagnosis of neoplastic changes in the prostate. The time in which it appeared in the blood after the procedure and the speed with which its level increases are important. With this information, the doctor may choose an additional treatment method or so-called watchful waiting, i.e. PSA measurement every 3-6 months. If the cancer is progressing rapidly, radiation, hormone therapy, or reoperation is recommended to remove the tumor from around the bladder.

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