Hey guys,
So like some guys here, I have been dealing with male issues as well: severe erection issues, permanent retrograde ejaculation, extremely dulled orgasms, etc.

Here's my personal situation:
I work a lot like most guys. I am a Systems Admin for my day job, and at night I train in martial arts (Silat, Kali, JKD, BJJ, Muay Thai). I have been training most of my life, 35 years old now. Because the level of stress in my job, I MUST train or I could end up back in the hospital. I also do short runs in the mornings ~3 miles. It took me about 2 years after my last surgery to finally get back to this level of activity and I have been consistent for about 2.5 now.

The rest of my body is healthy. I still have the male stuff though. I fought a few years of deep depression (even contemplating suicide at times) because of how inadequate I felt as a man. I know that our bodies will not last forever, but I am ONLY 35!!! I look forward to many more years in life!

Well, because of my training and being a freak about what I put in my body, I do not want to tried prescription drugs for ED. So I just started to add Maca extract to my diet. I did not see any posts at all here of guys trying anything except Viagra, Cialis, etc. Are there ANY guys here trying ANYTHING in their diets, alternative treatments - no prescription drugs please! And if so, what were the effects on your pouch?

Thanks!

I just wanted to point out that if an herb is strong enough to have a significant effect on your body, it basically is a drug. The difference between these sorts of drugs and those you get by prescription is the level of study and testing involved. While prescription drugs must be shown to be safe and effective, supplements do not. My only point is that you need to be as careful, if not more, about herbal supplements, especially if you do not know their source (those from China are pretty notorious for containing drugs and other contaminants that are not listed).

That said, there has been some research on maca (mostly animal studies) and it seems safe enough, so good for you. Whether it works or not, you will find out. On one site I read that pretty high doses are needed consistently over a period of time to achieve any positive results.
http://health.discovery.com/ce...sex/libido/maca.html

Jan

Thanks for the input, Jan.

Looks like my male comrades have nothing to say anyways. Interesting...

I am realizing everyone here is enjoys sharing knowledge that helps us deal with life immediately after surgeries, but none for long term male issues while living with a jpouch. Too bad because those other sites I have been on do not have information for guys like us with jpouches.

Well, it was worth a shot!

Be sure to come back and report how it worked for you, because even if the guys are not chiming in, I am sure there is significant interest. Good luck with it.

Jan

My husband has permanent retrograde ejaculation from surgery. However we've found that when he takes a decongestant medicine, he has a tiny bit of output (as opposed to zero output of semen). Not sure if that applies to your post...but I guess if you're trying to have kids (like us), it may help.

This is what I found online:

" Retrograde ejaculation typically doesn't require treatment unless it interferes with fertility. In such cases, treatment depends on the underlying cause. Drugs may work for retrograde ejaculation caused by certain conditions. Surgery isn't a treatment option for retrograde ejaculation.
* Drugs generally won't help if retrograde ejaculation is due to surgery that causes permanent physical changes of your anatomy. Examples include bladder neck surgery and transurethral resection of the prostate.
* Drugs may work if retrograde ejaculation is due to nerve damage. This can be caused by diabetes, multiple sclerosis, certain surgeries and other conditions and treatments.
Drugs to treat retrograde ejaculation are drugs primarily used to treat other conditions. They include:

* Imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant
* Chlorpheniramine and brompheniramine, antihistamines sometimes used to treat cold symptoms
* Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, used in some decongestant medications

These medications help keep the bladder neck muscle closed during ejaculation. While they're often an effective treatment for retrograde ejaculation, all of these medications can cause side effects. Some of the side effects are minor, but others can be more serious."

Source of info: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/libr...ulation/DS00913.html

Well for those interested, I have some success. I have been using Maca and Testojack for a few weeks now and it has been helping a lot. I am more in the "mood" more often. These have been helping with concentration and focus for my systems work, martial arts training, and writing as well. Not over night by any means, just some more tools for the tool belt. I hope you guys find something for all of you. More than anything, diet and STRONG exercise have and always will be the best for keeping the yang powerful. Screw Viagra... no pun intended!

For those few who posted thank you for your contributions.

EDIT - I am pretty sure my retrograde ejaculation is permanent, but as far as erections, orgasms, etc. - a noticeable difference. I suppose conception will not be as romantic for me sitting with the doctor to extract my boys out.

quote:

maca root for ED

Although this herb is mostly used to help with infertility, erectile dysfunction as well as increasing sexual activity and increasing sexual desire, it has far more to offer – and interesting research has looked at the effect that Maca has on menopausal women and reducing high blood pressure.

forzest online

How is the maca root working out for you? I'm curious and will buy some if it's working! Zero output on this end!

Brian

It works great I think. I noticed anything that helps to increase blood flow/circulation helps. I rotate between maca, cumin (on foods), and ginseng/ginkgo b (not too much of this though). Also intense physical training (anything to get blood/heart moving) and for me a good fats and insulin monitoring; I am not a diabetic btw. Good fats though such as in avocados. I also take Forvia.

Be sure not to fall for the commercialized or Viagra crap since you can handle most male issues through diet alone. Google Mike Mahler and read up on his hormone articles. He trains a lot of athletes. His methods are inexpensive and all food based, limiting synthetic supplements.

Some days are still a little rough, but other days are like I am a teenager again; a breeze in the wind gets me going!

Good luck!

Thanks for your quick response. I'm 35 as well, and my wife and I will be trying within the next couple years to have a baby. Thankfully I had some of my 'boys' or 'girls' stored before my surgery in '06. They're chillin' in the Empire State Building. I guess that's literal.

Anyway, I'm not big on supplements, but am willing to give anything a shot at this point. I also work out 4-5 days a week, lifting and cardio. I guess I'll give the macca a go. How long did it take before you saw any results? I went to a Urologist a year ago and had all the tests done, the one with the insertion of the straw into your willy is particularly memorable. Had that done five times to see if there was any semen in the urine. Nada. So I'm game for anything at this point!

I have not done the straw test yet. Sounds scary! My hat's off to you for your preservence so far!

I am also very picky and skeptical about supplements as well, but I will read and read and read before I try. Sometimes desparation can get the best of us, I know.

As a general rule of thumb, the less synthetic or processed junk the better - even though this is not always reasonable in our industrialized society. I try the real deal when I can, if not then I don't beat myself up. Also, the answer is not always welcomed by our pouches, such as with eating whole raw greens.

For fertility, not sure if any of what I do would help you. The results I had were ONLY to keep the yang up, not increasing sperm. I am still retrograde, so my hope of children is slim as I did not choose to freeze up my little fighters.

As I said, and not trying to advertise here, just suggesting you search online or local to you for a person like Mike Mahler whose lectures/methods on male issues through diet seem to benefit me the most. He is a strength and conditioning coach in Santa Monica. You've probably already heard this, but I think seeking an expert someplace as I did would be the best. If they want to "sell" you anything, run! If they are willing to give advice, then those people are usually legit.

Other than that, if you plan on going full steam ahead on one thing, then I am not too sure that maca alone will help. I found that it does along with the other things I have done, and my member is still not 100% "up to the task." I am by no means an expert. If there is one thing I have figured out about ED, it is seeking nutrients that help increase BLOOD FLOW/CIRCULATION in your body.

Magnesium is also big help, especially if you exercise. We are very deficient in our American diets for the most part. I shoot for 500-1000mg a day, but it must be balanced with calcium or you will be in the restroom all day. Trader Joe's sells a great balanced calcium/mag/zinc, and zinc is always good for our male stuff as well. I pop 2-4 of these through the day and this has helped alot.

Exercise is a huge help for that, moderate or intense cardio is helpful, so good on your there for your efforts. My conditioning methods of choice are Kali/Silat/MMA and Russian kettlebell training since the exercises force your heart to near VO2Max and with Dr. Mark Cheng's hardstyle lock you must "clinch" all your body muscles, including the sphincter. All this with diet has done amazing wonders for my jpouch control (now just horrible rather than REALLY horrible), pain, and sex drive. However, as I said, not sure for fertility.

My friend, my apologies for ranting, and I wish you and your wife the best of luck. I know how frustrating this is. My gf and I haven't discussed moving forward with children anytime soon, but when the time arrives I hope I can come through for her. She said she notices a huge difference in my drive and stamina, so must be doing something right. Again, my best wishes in your search for answers and if I learn more about this I will be sure to contribute.

Aaron

Thanks so much Aaron. Your input is greatly appreciated. I knew I wasn't in this alone, so it's great to hear from you. Best of luck to you as well.

My husband has RE from the step 1 surgery he had about 2 years ago. We really want to have kids, so he's in the process of trying to set up an appointment with a urologist. His surgeon's nurse told my husband that there are shots that you can get to help with RE? Anybody ever hear of that? We'll know more when we talk to the urologist.

For those of you have have been to a urologist (regarding RE), what can my husband expect? That straw test sounds awful! Any advice or questions we should ask?

Thanks!

Just browsed this thread and noticed a few things.

I had the retrograde ejaculations since the beginning, and it never bothered me really. The other stuff-things are a bit numb but still work OK. Nothing ever changed over time, even when I started doing hormones.

I have been through hell and back as far as thyroid and hormones and have a lot to report as far as that goes-

Short version-Hormones are too important and too difficult to manage just by yourself without knowing exactly what is going on with your blood chemistry and why!

I go to a well-known hormone and thyroid center in Torrance, Ca. They use natural and bio-identical hormones as much as possible. They use a lot of supplements too, and they conveniently have them in stock as well, so you know how that goes....

Still, NO WAY would I be jacking around with this expert trainer or that one, with all these natural testosterone boosters/whatever without complete blood tests and someone who knows what they are looking at!

I spend plenty of money with my hormone dr, but I know exactly what I am getting, what my levels are, and how they change over time. I could easily drop as much with some of these other approaches, but I would never really know what is working and what isn't. Beware.

Since you may be curious what I am taking (and I'm pretty sure this was because my system went whack after years of UC and prednisone) it's this:

-Natural bio-identical T3 thyroid
-Testosterone injection
-HCG injection
-DHEA (pill, over the counter)
-Progesterone (pill, at night, calms me down, and men need to have a trace of it too.)

This is monitored by regular blood tests. No one should be messing with this stuff, or alternatives to "boost" anything unless you have blood tests and know what they mean.

edit: Just to clarify, I'm warning people about long term effects of tampering with your overall chemistry "this trainer says do this, etc" not things to help you with ED for the moment so you can have a good time!

S51:

quote:

Still, NO WAY would I be jacking around with this expert trainer or that one, with all these natural testosterone boosters/whatever without complete blood tests and someone who knows what they are looking at!

You assume no one is talking to their actual doctors about using any of this. We are.

quote:

This is monitored by regular blood tests. No one should be messing with this stuff, or alternatives to "boost" anything unless you have blood tests and know what they mean.

No one said "boost" anywhere. I am talking about proper diet and exercise. I also get my blood checked once a month.

quote:

Since you may be curious what I am taking (and I'm pretty sure this was because my system went whack after years of UC and prednisone) it's this:

-Natural bio-identical T3 thyroid
-Testosterone injection
-HCG injection
-DHEA (pill, over the counter)
-Progesterone (pill, at night, calms me down, and men need to have a trace of it too.)

Magnesium is not some new "alternative" medicine. B12 is also simply a vitamin. Maca root is a whole food that is ground to a powder and used in many forms (this one maybe the only one that I mentioned that is questionable). Cumin is, well, I use this in taco meat and is used in cooking everyday around the world. Taking care of your hormones through diet should be the first step before you start going through hormone therapy. As they say, you are what you eat. Not talking care of your diet then slapping a band-aid over the symptoms does not address the root cause.

EDIT: I read a lot of scientific data and talk to my doctors about everything I do. I personally prefer "trainers" who are not trying to inject anything in me to make a sale. What works for me is just that, it works for me. I will never be put on the list of meds/injections you are taking because I work on what good foods I put in my body through diet with my martial arts trainers and doctors (this includes an actual medical doctor who taught at UCLA medical school for many years - and dear friend who saved my mother's life through diet - and a PhD in bio chemistry who trains Olympians and world class athletes btw), while seeking answers everywhere and absorbing only what works and is useful. I am pretty sure people are smart enough to talk to their doctors and get tests first before fixing something that ain't broken.

Maybe what you are putting in your body is the reason why you went to "hell and back." I wish you luck.

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