Prostate cancer recovery experiences
Experiences along the bumpy road to recovery from prostate cancer and its treatment. This includes my story in chronological order, and invites other men’s stories to be added.
4 years since radical prostatectomy
The long term outcomes since my radical prostatectomy are very good, particularly from the point of view that my cancer is still undetectable on my regular checkups. In my quality of life there have been clear losses and gains. To get a feel of how things are now, I invite you to watch this short video recorded this morning.
Outer reality: new home, new body
Since I last made a video, I have moved home from Johannesburg to Toronto – where I am lucky enough to live close to Lake Ontario – which you see in the background above. The […]
Partner story 4: Senior sex can be fun
By Colleen Dawson
We’re finding that senior sex can be fun, provided we are flexible about outcomes. As we explore the different situation after my husband’s prostate surgery, we are also aging into our late 60s and early 70s. But as older people, we still have emotions and feelings that want sexual expression.
I’m finding that I’m happy to connect somewhat sexually every day. We let this be a slow build-up to orgasms that happen occasionally and are very satisfying. I don’t need to try hard to come or to get very excited every time. I know it will happen sometime, and […]
Subtler stages of recovering sexual function after prostate surgery
July 18, 2024: Over 50% of the nearly three thousand men in the 2022 EUPROMS study reported sexual function to be a big or moderate problem. I think the main part of my erectile nerve recovery is nearly complete 4 and a half years after my treatment for prostate cancer. What I notice now is the subtler part of recovering sexual function after prostate surgery. For me, it seems now to be mainly about relaxing into my new body and its ways of functioning sexually.
Stages of recovery over 4 years since radical prostatectomy
Don’t be too sure of […]
Day 1715: How reverse Kegels help with penile rehab
Today I am celebrating the gift of subtler forms of pelvic floor recovery after prostate cancer, including the aptly named “Reverse Kegels.” Toronto’s only male pelvic floor specialist physiotherapist has opened me up to new dimensions of pelvic floor health, more than four and a half years after my radical prostatectomy surgery.
At the core, he pointed out that relaxation of the muscles of the pelvic floor is as important as it is to get sufficient strength in those muscles. Many of his patients, he says, come to him with chronic pain arising from an overly-tense pelvic floor, sometimes exacerbated by […]
Finding the erotic in male softness
It’s time to accept erectile difference and celebrate what’s erotic about soft male genitalia. About half of all men over 50, and most men treated for prostate cancer, experience some form of erectile dysfunction (ED). But for millions of affected men and their partners, these body changes are a source of shame, disappointment and distancing. Soft male genitalia can and often do make love grow cold.
But it doesn’t have to be so. It is time to flip the shame and learn what love and pleasure is possible with our new bodies.
This week is being celebrated as the bluntly-named third […]
Male multiple orgasms, an unexpected gift after prostatectomy
By Michael Ward
Since my radical prostatectomy at the age of 67, I have been lucky enough to develop the capacity for multiple orgasms – two to five in quick succession. I have found the experience far more intense and almost frightening in its ecstatic power than anything I can ever remember feeling, even before having a prostatectomy.
My cancer journey was a lucky one, as detailed here, including recovering basic urine control and erectile function relatively quickly. I was certainly pleased to find my erections coming back, though steady stimulation was still required, and nighttime erections were not as forthcoming—yet. […]
Why I wrote a book about erectile differences
I feel like my erectile differences and those of millions of other men and our partners have been buried behind a wall of shame and effective silence. If mentioned at all, the term used for our condition is “erectile dysfunction.” That sounds to me as if they’re saying there is something wrong with us, either physically or psychologically.
It has been deeply confusing for me, as a fit and healthy person in my 60s, first to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and then to have my sex life turned upside down by a primal body change. And I have met so […]
Five years on: Prostate surgery saved my life from cancer
28 February 2025: It’s five years since my robotic assisted radical prostatectomy in 2020. In this video I look back with gratitude at the surgery that saved my life. I give thanks for the network of love and support that has helped me back on my feet. And I am inspired by the community of men I’ve met who have taken prostate cancer and their consequent losses as a gateway to new life.
Cancer remaining undetectable for five years means I’ve reached a big landmark. I believe I will be able to reduce my PSA testing to an […]
Day 1844: Experience with Levitra (Vardenafil)
My experience with Levitra (vardenafil) has been slightly more positive than with Cialis (tadalafil) or Viagra (sildenafil). It definitely helps the quality of my erections. The side effects are slightly more bearable than with the alternative drugs. Perhaps this is due to its biochemical makeup. And from what I hear in the community of men with erectile differences, there are simply lots of variations from person to person in how our bodies respond to the different drugs. Here’s my story.
Keeping on trying
I don’t like it when the side effects of a sex aid I use overshadow the […]
Sexual satisfaction after prostate cancer: new UK study shifts focus
“Research on sexual outcomes in prostate cancer survivors has focused on the restoration of erections after treatment,” notes a brand new peer-reviewed article by William Kinnaird and others. “The aim should be to support patients and their partners in creating a satisfying sex life rather than trying to re-establish pretreatment levels of sexual function.”
According to a pre-print release from the May, 2025 Journal of Clinical Oncology, men actually have much broader concerns about sexual satisfaction after prostate cancer treatment than only erectile function. These concerns are not limited to those who are younger or have less severe forms of the […]
Exploring ways to maintain libido on ADT
Loss of libido is one of the many distressing effects of Androgen Deprivation Treatment (ADT) commonly experienced by men with advanced or recurring prostate cancer – and of course also affecting their partners. The experience has been described as “watching my manhood fade away.” New studies are finding safe ways to maintain libido on ADT. One increasingly real option is to bolster the naturally-occurring “female” hormones instead of simply blocking “male” hormones to fight prostate cancer. Patients are reporting much improved libido, with the same cancer-fighting outcomes as those on conventional ADT.
If you live in Canada or the United […]
Exploring shockwave therapy for ED
Low-intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT or LI-ESWT), sometimes also called acoustic wave therapy, is a promising alternative treatment for both erectile dysfunction (ED) and Peyronie’s Disease. On the strong recommendation of Dr Jo Milios, I started trying it this week. Here’s more about my first experience and the background theory.
No shame in going to the ED clinic
I have to admit that until recently I felt nothing but pity and some derision for men going to ED clinics. I imagined it as something sleazy and furtive. If I had put words to it I would have said something like “Losers!”
But […]
Improving PSMA PET scan accuracy to pinpoint recurrent cancers
By Rhys Leeming and Mish Middelmann
For anybody whose prostate cancer is beginning to come back, a huge challenge is knowing it’s back but not knowing exactly where it is. In this post we are sharing some exciting news that might increase PSMA PET scan accuracy (pinpointing the location of resurgent cancer cells) by up to 16 times. If you can find the cells you can blast them with radiation before they multiply further.
Typically the first sign of biochemical recurrence after initial treatment is that your PSA begins to rise. But PSA is a blood test and doesn’t tell you where […]
How shockwave therapy helped my ED
Over the last five weeks I received mechanical shockwave therapy (SWT) to help with my ED. It has worked well for me. It’s not for everyone, but I think this method deserves more attention and wider discussion. It’s not about electric shocks! It is also known as acoustic wave therapy and designated as both “extracorporeal” and “Low Intensity” shockwave therapy.
I described what the treatment is like in a previous post. The clinic I went to consistently treated me in a professional, friendly, open, respectful and positive way throughout the process. I was really impressed that every […]
Diagnosis and treatment
You are welcome to visit these pages to read more about how I found out I had prostate cancer and prostate cancer treatment – radical prostatectomy surgery experience itself. These posts include my own story, other men’s stories, and my wife’s commentary.