hi john - no, i didn't overlook what you said.  what you said here is a
very valid point.

i used to teach industrial maintenance technology and i've always said
that it is easier to fix the problem if you understood the principle of
how it works.

what i explained was just the mechanics of what takes place physically
for an erection and the why's.  

but after the cancer treatment, then we have to concentrate on the mind,
nerves, etc, because the mechanical part is normally not messed with.
by that, i'm referring to the pipes and plumbing inside the penis.  

the patient needs to understand that the wiring going to the mechanics
is what's been disturbed.  

so, taking it one step further and including what you said and what i
said and putting it all together.

the mind is the biggest sexual organ of all.  assuming that it is
working correctly and that the 5 senses and testosterone levels as well.
in fact, everything is normal and erections should happen.  

so, if everything is a "go" for the erection to happen and at the other
end, mechanically is "ok" and nothing happens, then where is the
problem?

well, if one understand the principle of the overall process, it would
be easy to see that there source of the problem is between those two
points.  in this case, the nerves.

but nerves grow slow and time is the only thing that is going to help
the nerve regenerate for the most part.

and this is the apex of what we both are pointing out.  

since we are not a machine, but a live human being, muscle tissue
atrophies without use, a man can help cause or cure his own problems
after treatment.  how?

if he does not maintain his equipment, it will decline in function
before the nerves can heal.  if he doe not maintain his mental state,
the mind will become depressed and produce the same end result, but it
is a different cause of the problem. so, what does one do?

and that is where you and i have, in three posts, pointed out why it is
so important to take a strong active physical approach to your recovery
and as an active approach to the mental part as well.  the later part
comes from the support group and interaction with the people who have
had pca.  the first part, you are living proof that it can happen.  

i remembered your posts well.  of how mentally determined you were
trying to get erections back.  i remember how, after 18 months, you
wrote about how frustrated you were.  that you hadn't had any life
return and you felt that you had done everything right, but nothing was
happening.  you didn't give up.   you wrote about the things you did to
keep things going.  you are very strong willed.  

you were physically running every week and i remember when the driver
hit your dog while you were running.  and you ran quite a distance too,
so your muscles and overall health was in excellent shape.

but you didn't have the erections until the wiring finally rebuilt
itself and look at you now.  you kept both ends going until the middle
was repaired.  

but now many men let one of the other side go?  how many men in the span
of two years are ready to call it quits?  well, there goes the mental
part.    and how many men don't exercise during those two years.  well,
there goes the physical part.  and how many men caused their own
problem, but want to blame the cancer for the reason two years later as
to why things don't happen.

the viagra and similar drugs appears to act on the nerves as power
steering acts on the turning of the wheels of a vehicle.
the turning of the wheel was made easier with the help of an aid,  and
isn't that what the viagra is.

i know i probably have made this subject far too simple.   we are
talking about people and each person is different.  i understand that,
but i just wanted to unite everything together to show there is a reason
for how it works.   and that you, leonard, steve, jk and many, many more
are the proof.  

i welcome anybody's comments who can take this concept even further.
they may be able to explain better than i have.  

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional