RE: How long does it take after 8 weeks of Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

[Guest guest]

> I am 66 yrs.old and recently finished my 8 week Tomotherapy treatments.

> I have had Lupron hotmone therapy along with the radiation. I have

> noticed a big drop in libido. I have have a few erections the the

> morning while going through the treatments bnut they didn't last long

> when I wanted to have sex. Prior to my treatments my wife and I were

> very sexually active..3-4 times a week. Is anyone else facing these same

> problems? Is there hope for me to have a somewhat normal sex life?

One of the side effects (SEs) of Lupron and the other LHRH

agonists is loss of

libido. This results from the decrease in testosterone (T)

production by the testes.

Reducing T is the purpose of the LHRH agonists because T is known

to " feed "

prostate cancer (PCa) cells. Without T, they " starve " to death.

So the effect BLA writes of is to be expected and I'm very

disappointed that

his medic evidently did not bother to brief him on the SEs of

androgen

deprivation therapy (ADT).

I doubt that there is anything to be done except await the end of

the ADT

regimen.

Here are a couple of links to articles on SEs of ADT:

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/andind/Guess_TestosteroneSideEffects.ht\

ml

or

http://tinyurl.com/2ymb8f

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/sidefx/Strum_ADS.html

or

http://tinyurl.com/g6fzp

Regards,

Steve J

[Guest guest]

My understanding is that the big drop in libido is exactly the

point of Lupron. It sucks the testosterone out of the system. I still haven't completely

recovered from my Lupron shot, and that was 6 months ago.

Tom Lauterback

From:

ProstateCancerSupport

[mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of bla62443

Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:58 AM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject: How long does it take after 8 weeks of

Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

I am 66 yrs.old and recently finished my 8 week

Tomotherapy treatments. I have had Lupron hotmone therapy along with the

radiation. I have noticed a big drop in libido. I have have a few erections the

the morning while going through the treatments bnut they didn't last long when

I wanted to have sex. Prior to my treatments my wife and I were very sexually

active..3-4 times a week. Is anyone else facing these same problems? Is there

hope for me to have a somewhat normal sex life?

Thanks,

BLA

[Guest guest]

BLA,

For what it's worth (we all behave differently), as a 66 year old also, I'm 2.3 years into a Zoladex regime, having also had radiation treatment to my prostate and seminal vesicles. I'd say that the two treatments have killed my sex drive, but also killed the cancer (or so it seems so far). Sex is something my wife and I remember fondly, but it ain't happening now, nor likely to, in the future, unless I'm granted an ADT holiday. Because my libido is depressed as you have noted in your own case, this matters less. My wife is wonderfully patient, which helps. I sense that we in the UK (stiff upper lip and all that - if no stiffness elsewhere) seem less preoccupied with sex that those in the land of the free. If you're not to drive yourself crazy when diagnosed with PCa, irradiated and chemically castrated, I do counsel adjusting to the joys of living rather than the pleasures of orgasm. The

former last; the latter exist only in the flash of a moment. I promise you that I am really enjoying life 110%, having been granted a reprieve from a killer disease. You can, too, with the right mindset.

Sorry to sound like a social worker (ugh)!

To: ProstateCancerSupport Sent: Wednesday, 20 January, 2010 19:05:08Subject: RE: How long does it take after 8 weeks of Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

My understanding is that the big drop in libido is exactly the point of Lupron. It sucks the testosterone out of the system. I still haven't completely recovered from my Lupron shot, and that was 6 months ago.

Tom Lauterback

From: ProstateCancerSuppo rtyahoogroups (DOT) com [mailto:ProstateCan cerSupport@ yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of bla62443Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:58 AMTo: ProstateCancerSuppo rtyahoogroups (DOT) comSubject: [ProstateCancerSupp ort] How long does it take after 8 weeks of Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

I am 66 yrs.old and recently finished my 8 week Tomotherapy treatments. I have had Lupron hotmone therapy along with the radiation. I have noticed a big drop in libido. I have have a few erections the the morning while going through the treatments bnut they didn't last long when I wanted to have sex. Prior to my treatments my wife and I were very sexually active..3-4 times a week. Is anyone else facing these same problems? Is there hope for me to have a somewhat normal sex life?Thanks,BLA

[Guest guest]

:

Excellent advice for a lot of us! Surely we focus on something

other than sex here in the colonies, but I can't imagine what it is...LOL.

Tom Lauterback

From:

ProstateCancerSupport

[mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of DAVID

COLLINS

Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 1:45 PM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject: Re: How long does it take after 8 weeks

of Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

BLA,

For what it's worth (we all behave differently), as a 66

year old also, I'm 2.3 years into a Zoladex regime, having also had radiation

treatment to my prostate and seminal vesicles. I'd say that the two

treatments have killed my sex drive, but also killed the cancer (or so it seems

so far). Sex is something my wife and I remember fondly, but it ain't

happening now, nor likely to, in the future, unless I'm granted an ADT

holiday. Because my libido is depressed as you have noted in your own

case, this matters less. My wife is wonderfully patient, which

helps. I sense that we in the UK (stiff upper lip and all that - if no

stiffness elsewhere) seem less preoccupied with sex that those in the land

of the free. If you're not to drive yourself crazy when diagnosed

with PCa, irradiated and chemically castrated, I do counsel adjusting to the

joys of living rather than the pleasures of orgasm. The former last; the

latter exist only in the flash of a moment. I promise you that I am

really enjoying life 110%, having been granted a reprieve from a killer

disease. You can, too, with the right mindset.

Sorry to sound like a social worker (ugh)!

From: Tom Lauterback

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Sent: Wednesday, 20 January, 2010 19:05:08

Subject: RE: How long does it take after 8 weeks

of Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

My understanding is that the big drop in

libido is exactly the point of Lupron. It sucks the testosterone out of the

system. I still haven't completely recovered from my Lupron shot, and that was

6 months ago.

Tom Lauterback

From:

ProstateCancerSuppo rtyahoogroups (DOT) com [mailto:ProstateCan cerSupport@

yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of bla62443

Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:58 AM

To: ProstateCancerSuppo rtyahoogroups (DOT) com

Subject: [ProstateCancerSupp ort] How long does it take after 8 weeks of

Tomotherapy to resume satisfactory sex?

I am 66 yrs.old and recently finished my 8 week Tomotherapy treatments. I

have had Lupron hotmone therapy along with the radiation. I have noticed a big

drop in libido. I have have a few erections the the morning while going through

the treatments bnut they didn't last long when I wanted to have sex. Prior to

my treatments my wife and I were very sexually active..3-4 times a week. Is

anyone else facing these same problems? Is there hope for me to have a somewhat

normal sex life?

Thanks,

BLA

[Guest guest]

bla62443 wrote:

> I am 66 yrs.old and recently finished my 8 week Tomotherapy

> treatments. I have had Lupron hotmone therapy along with the

> radiation. I have noticed a big drop in libido. I have have a

> few erections the the morning while going through the

> treatments bnut they didn't last long when I wanted to have

> sex. Prior to my treatments my wife and I were very sexually

> active..3-4 times a week. Is anyone else facing these same

> problems? Is there hope for me to have a somewhat normal sex

> life?

As others have said, Lupron suppresses testosterone production

and that results in your libido (sex drive) dropping to zero.

Before getting on Lupron, this was an unimaginable experience for

me. Until it actually happened, I couldn't imagine having no sex

drive. But I lost it all. I could look at my beautiful wife and

still find her lovely and attractive, but had no desire to do any

more than hold her and enjoy her company. I had trouble

remembering what was so exciting about sex or why I liked it.

However, it turns out that sex is a lot more complex and

interesting than just hormonal response. So here's what I

recommend:

Plan to have sex one day, or night, or whenever. When the time

comes to get started, you won't feel any interest. But get

started anyway. Go through the motions. Do it with the

intention of satisfying her, not you. Do all of the things that

she likes best, that get her aroused and bring her closer and

closer to orgasm.

I'm betting that, ten or fifteen minutes into this, you'll

suddenly find that you have become aroused too. Her excitement

will excite you. You'll find yourself interested, involved, and

able to complete the act. You'll both get great satisfaction

from it.

After that, your libido will drop to zero again. But that's

okay. Now you'll know what to do to bring it back. Maybe you

won't do it 3 or 4 times a week, but you can still do it and

still do it reasonably often, and still completely satisfy both

your wife and yourself.

That's my advice to you and to others on ADT. It might not work

for you but I think there's a good chance that it will and you've

got no reason I can think of not to try. The worst that can

happen will be that your wife enjoys a good orgasm and you don't

quite get there. That's better than where you are now. And

that's the worst that can happen.

So go for it!

Alan