Impotence Support - My Journey (first post)...

Author

My Journey (first post)...

dgspotman@gmail.com

2006-07-27, 9:21 pm

Gentlemen,

Having struggled off and on for 25 years with ED, I've decided at long
last seek some real answers and solutions. As a first step in that
direction, it seemed sensible to write down my history, current
situation and goals, to clarify the situation both for myself and for
anyone seeking to assist me.

With regard to this group, I figure as long as I'm writing this all
down anyway, I may as well share it with this sympathetic and
knowledgeable community. If anyone here has had a similar journey,
and has gone on to try to do something about it, I'd love to hear
your experience and feedback.

I've just turned 49, and have been a lifelong bachelor. Physically I'm
5'10" tall, 180 lbs., meso/endo body type. After 24 years in a very
sedentary job (software), about three years ago I changed to a much
more physical kind of work, and am generally pretty healthy. However,
blood work done about a year before the job change showed very high
cholesterol (LDL 183, HDL 53, Total 267). At the time I wanted to
avoid statins (and still do), so my doctor prescribed niacin as an
alternative. I've maintained the niacin regimen, but haven't had any
blood work done since then, so I don't know where I stand with it now;
I've been without medical coverage since the job change (stupid, I
know), though I've just reapplied and with luck should have coverage
again in August.

I have no doubt that my first 20 years of ED problems were
psychological, since they correlated quite closely with stressful
situations and/or girls about whom I didn't feel quite "right". There
was always a part of me that wanted to be the kind of guy who, like a
few of my acquaintances, could f*ck anything with two legs and a p*ssy
in a restroom stall, but the reality for me was that I needed physical
attraction, emotional connection and a good measure of psychological
safety for things to work. When things did work, it was usually
pretty good, but those relationships -- maybe a dozen -- were too few
and too short-lived for me to feel that I'd been really sexually
successful.

After about age 30 things really took a nosedive for me due to family
and job stress, leading to 14 years of lots of masturbation and very
few girlfriends, and culminating in severely damaged self-esteem.
Fortunately, a female friend who tried to seduce me (and failed,
because I really couldn't feel much of *anything* by that point)
looked me in the eye and said "get help."

Fortunately, I got the message. Only a couple of months of talk
therapy and EMDR got me out of the doldrums enough to get a 25-year
old girlfriend who I f*cked regularly for a couple of months, once I'd
gotten my basic sexual response back. It was really damn nice to be
back "in harness" as it were, but it ended after much too short a
time, by my reckoning.

Since then, in the past four years, I've dated 5 other women (ages 27,
32, 42, 48, 30) with varying degrees of success in terms of erections.
On various accasions with some of these girls, I've tried a couple of
the PDE5 inhibitors (V and L, but not C), but my results with those
pills are, at best, all over the map. On average, I'd say that each of
V and L seem to have worked about 1 out of 3 times for me.

Notably, about a year ago with the 32-year old, I repeatedly achieved
hard and long-lasting erections without *any* chemical support. Out of
the 5, I'd place her second on the hotness scale, but -- and this is
really interesting -- DEAD LAST on the emotional connection and
psychological safety scales.

This year (in fact just last month) with the 30-year old, who I'd
place #1 on both the hotness and connection scales, and pretty high up
on the safety scale, I've only once gotten a good spontaneous erection
with her, which didn't last long, and only one out of three times on a
PDE5 inhibitor: 0 for 1 with V, and 1 for 2 with L. (Admittedly, these
were the last of some samples that I got a few years back, so who knows
how effective they really were.)

Partner considerations aside, I've noticed over the last few years
that I have fewer morning erections than in the past; maybe one
morning out of three, as opposed to every morning. I'm often (95%)
able to get a "reflex erection" (i.e., one developed by directly
touching the penis), either with or without sexual thoughts. On the
other hand, purely psychogenic erections from non-tactile stimuli
(i.e., "fantasizing it up") are now vanishingly rare, and have been
for a couple of years. I've also notice that, even alone, keeping it
up has become an issue. (For example, sometimes while surfing internet
p0rn, if the network or server is congested, I'll start to lose it
while waiting for a page load!)

As to goals: Well, I guess the first thing is just to get some
understanding of what's going on. How much of this is still due to
psychological factors, vs. blocked arteries, venous leakage, low T,
high (or low) E, etc. Second, figuring out from there what I can do to
get to a more consistent and predictable situation. I've seen some
advice in this group to the effect of "don't worry about the cause,
just get on a PDE5 inhibitor," but since I've had such spotty results
from V and L, I wonder how well such advice would apply to my
situation. Ultimately, of course, I want to get back to a place where
coitus occurs early and regularly in a sexual relationship, because it
seems to me an essential bonding ingredient; in my experience, the
relationship simply sputters out if intercourse isn't a part of it.

So there ya go -- that's my story, at least the parts that seem
relevant to tell. If you were my doctor, what else would you want to
know that I haven't already written down here? What do you make of the
hit-or-miss results with the PDE5 inhibitors? How typical does my
history sound? Any feedback would be most appreciated.

Oh, there is one more thing: I have in my posession a Unilab test
order that my doctor provided me after putting me on the niacin a
couple of years back, with instructions to have it done "after
birthday", but which I never used. As far as I can see, it's undated,
and since I just had a birthday (albeit not the one he had in mind!),
it seems that I ought to be able to go get it done now, self-paid, and
present the results to my doctor as soon as my new health insurance
comes through.

On the form, the doctor marked the following tests: Lipid Panel, Total
PSA, TSH, Testosterone (I guess maybe I was starting to look into
this problem even then -- I don't quite remember). The question is,
what other tests might be useful in getting a jump on this problem?
I'm guessing at least Estradiol. Any others? I figure as long as I'm
paying for it, I might as well X some of the other boxes that would
help us get a more complete picture.

Would love to hear your insights.

Regards,

D.G.Spotman

Muerta

2006-07-28, 8:22 am

<dgspotman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1154043966.262390.143950@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> Gentlemen,
>
> Having struggled off and on for 25 years with ED, I've decided at long
> last seek some real answers and solutions. As a first step in that
> direction, it seemed sensible to write down my history, current
> situation and goals, to clarify the situation both for myself and for
> anyone seeking to assist me.
>
> With regard to this group, I figure as long as I'm writing this all
> down anyway, I may as well share it with this sympathetic and
> knowledgeable community. If anyone here has had a similar journey,
> and has gone on to try to do something about it, I'd love to hear
> your experience and feedback.
>
> I've just turned 49, and have been a lifelong bachelor. Physically I'm
> 5'10" tall, 180 lbs., meso/endo body type. After 24 years in a very
> sedentary job (software), about three years ago I changed to a much
> more physical kind of work, and am generally pretty healthy. However,
> blood work done about a year before the job change showed very high
> cholesterol (LDL 183, HDL 53, Total 267). At the time I wanted to
> avoid statins (and still do), so my doctor prescribed niacin as an
> alternative. I've maintained the niacin regimen, but haven't had any
> blood work done since then, so I don't know where I stand with it now;
> I've been without medical coverage since the job change (stupid, I
> know), though I've just reapplied and with luck should have coverage
> again in August.
>
> I have no doubt that my first 20 years of ED problems were
> psychological, since they correlated quite closely with stressful
> situations and/or girls about whom I didn't feel quite "right". There
> was always a part of me that wanted to be the kind of guy who, like a
> few of my acquaintances, could f*ck anything with two legs and a p*ssy
> in a restroom stall, but the reality for me was that I needed physical
> attraction, emotional connection and a good measure of psychological
> safety for things to work. When things did work, it was usually
> pretty good, but those relationships -- maybe a dozen -- were too few
> and too short-lived for me to feel that I'd been really sexually
> successful.
>
> After about age 30 things really took a nosedive for me due to family
> and job stress, leading to 14 years of lots of masturbation and very
> few girlfriends, and culminating in severely damaged self-esteem.
> Fortunately, a female friend who tried to seduce me (and failed,
> because I really couldn't feel much of *anything* by that point)
> looked me in the eye and said "get help."
>
> Fortunately, I got the message. Only a couple of months of talk
> therapy and EMDR got me out of the doldrums enough to get a 25-year
> old girlfriend who I f*cked regularly for a couple of months, once I'd
> gotten my basic sexual response back. It was really damn nice to be
> back "in harness" as it were, but it ended after much too short a
> time, by my reckoning.
>
> Since then, in the past four years, I've dated 5 other women (ages 27,
> 32, 42, 48, 30) with varying degrees of success in terms of erections.
> On various accasions with some of these girls, I've tried a couple of
> the PDE5 inhibitors (V and L, but not C), but my results with those
> pills are, at best, all over the map. On average, I'd say that each of
> V and L seem to have worked about 1 out of 3 times for me.
>
> Notably, about a year ago with the 32-year old, I repeatedly achieved
> hard and long-lasting erections without *any* chemical support. Out of
> the 5, I'd place her second on the hotness scale, but -- and this is
> really interesting -- DEAD LAST on the emotional connection and
> psychological safety scales.
>
> This year (in fact just last month) with the 30-year old, who I'd
> place #1 on both the hotness and connection scales, and pretty high up
> on the safety scale, I've only once gotten a good spontaneous erection
> with her, which didn't last long, and only one out of three times on a
> PDE5 inhibitor: 0 for 1 with V, and 1 for 2 with L. (Admittedly, these
> were the last of some samples that I got a few years back, so who knows
> how effective they really were.)
>
> Partner considerations aside, I've noticed over the last few years
> that I have fewer morning erections than in the past; maybe one
> morning out of three, as opposed to every morning. I'm often (95%)
> able to get a "reflex erection" (i.e., one developed by directly
> touching the penis), either with or without sexual thoughts. On the
> other hand, purely psychogenic erections from non-tactile stimuli
> (i.e., "fantasizing it up") are now vanishingly rare, and have been
> for a couple of years. I've also notice that, even alone, keeping it
> up has become an issue. (For example, sometimes while surfing internet
> p0rn, if the network or server is congested, I'll start to lose it
> while waiting for a page load!)
>
> As to goals: Well, I guess the first thing is just to get some
> understanding of what's going on. How much of this is still due to
> psychological factors, vs. blocked arteries, venous leakage, low T,
> high (or low) E, etc. Second, figuring out from there what I can do to
> get to a more consistent and predictable situation. I've seen some
> advice in this group to the effect of "don't worry about the cause,
> just get on a PDE5 inhibitor," but since I've had such spotty results
> from V and L, I wonder how well such advice would apply to my
> situation. Ultimately, of course, I want to get back to a place where
> coitus occurs early and regularly in a sexual relationship, because it
> seems to me an essential bonding ingredient; in my experience, the
> relationship simply sputters out if intercourse isn't a part of it.
>
> So there ya go -- that's my story, at least the parts that seem
> relevant to tell. If you were my doctor, what else would you want to
> know that I haven't already written down here? What do you make of the
> hit-or-miss results with the PDE5 inhibitors? How typical does my
> history sound? Any feedback would be most appreciated.
>
> Oh, there is one more thing: I have in my posession a Unilab test
> order that my doctor provided me after putting me on the niacin a
> couple of years back, with instructions to have it done "after
> birthday", but which I never used. As far as I can see, it's undated,
> and since I just had a birthday (albeit not the one he had in mind!),
> it seems that I ought to be able to go get it done now, self-paid, and
> present the results to my doctor as soon as my new health insurance
> comes through.
>
> On the form, the doctor marked the following tests: Lipid Panel, Total
> PSA, TSH, Testosterone (I guess maybe I was starting to look into
> this problem even then -- I don't quite remember). The question is,
> what other tests might be useful in getting a jump on this problem?
> I'm guessing at least Estradiol. Any others? I figure as long as I'm
> paying for it, I might as well X some of the other boxes that would
> help us get a more complete picture.
>
> Would love to hear your insights.
>
> Regards,
>
> D.G.Spotman
>

Welcome to the group. I'm sure that the "misfits" here (including myself)
can give you some ideas.

Obviously you've been reading here, which is a first essential. You should
be aware that the preferred approach to finding relief is to first rule out
the obvious, which are the testable physical factors.

When you have coverage, you'll want to get the hormone panel done which
includes:

testosterone serum
free & weekly bound testosterone (FWBT)
estradiol (E2)
prolactin
thyroid tests

There are others, that other members can throw in. Once you can rule out
quickly what is *not* wrong, then it's much easier to move forward.

The plethora of things that can cause ED is a labywrinth that takes
dedication to work through, finding if it's physical, mental, or a
combination of both.

Not many of us hold with the "forget about the cause and throw some viagra
at it" concept.

For a lot of us, and especially me, it's a combination of treating the
underlying problem, wether it be hormonal or venous, or whatever, and using
the helper of personal choice, viagra, levitra, or cialis.

We've all been where you're at, and many of us worse.

dgspotman@gmail.com

2006-07-28, 4:22 pm

Thanks, Muerta, for the response. I've transcribed it all into the
"research paper" I'm writing for myself on all of this.

Another thought about my situation and goals occurred to me after
writing my initial post, so in the interest of completeness, here it
is:

Besides being important within a relationship, consistent erectile
function is important to me as a facilitator for getting a relationship
started. Part of what attracts a woman is projection of "sexual
confidence," the sense that you know what you're doing in bed
and that you will be able to take care of her sexually. The natural
basis of that confidence is the confidence that when she says
"I want to feel you in me," you will be able to oblige her without
hesitation.

Now, while I'm confident that I can be pretty good in bed even
when my penis isn't cooperating, that confidence is nevertheless
undermined by the more fundamental doubt that I can provide the
complete experience. Orgasms delivered by fingers, tongue or toy
are great, but there's an emotional quality to the connection of
intercourse that the other forms can't approach. Proficiency in
those other forms makes me a technician; intercourse makes me
a lover. I believe that the confidence of a lover is much more
compelling than the confidence of a technician.

The bottom line isn't necessarily that I want to be able to spring
a boner the moment a sexual thought crosses my mind (although
that would be nice

. But I do want to know what I need to do to
"deliver the goods when the lady places the order," so that I can
free that attention for more important things.

Regards,

DGS

Wanderer

2006-07-28, 9:21 pm

On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 19:46:06 -0400, dgspotman@gmail.com wrote
(in article <1154043966.262390.143950@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com> ):

(Major portions snipped)

> Having struggled off and on for 25 years with ED, I've decided at long
> last seek some real answers and solutions.

> I have no doubt that my first 20 years of ED problems were
> psychological,

> Notably, about a year ago with the 32-year old, I repeatedly achieved
> hard and long-lasting erections without *any* chemical support. Out of
> the 5, I'd place her second on the hotness scale, but -- and this is
> really interesting -- DEAD LAST on the emotional connection and
> psychological safety scales.

Have you ever sought counseling? You may have physiological problems too, but
many sections of your post suggest to me that you might benefit from some
form of therapy. 1) The fact that you have been able to sustain long-lasting
erections with someone; 2) the fact that by your own admission, 20 years of
ED problems were caused by psychological factors; and 3) your strange need to
rate your partners in terms of "hotness... emotional connection... and
psychological safety" scales.

Male performance anxiety can defeat strong doses of PDE5 inhibitors, which
might account for your varying results. By all means, get a complete blood
workup. But I have a feeling you might really benefit from some counseling,
if you can find a good therapist.

Ignatz's Bricks

2006-07-29, 4:21 pm

dgspotman@gmail.com wrote:
> I've just turned 49 . . . . . . However,
> blood work done about a year before the job change showed very high
> cholesterol (LDL 183, HDL 53, Total 267). At the time I wanted to
> avoid statins (and still do), so my doctor prescribed niacin as an
> alternative. I've maintained the niacin regimen, but haven't had any
> blood work done since then, so I don't know where I stand with it now;

Since you post gives no indication of where you live, I'll assume the
US. In the US, the traditional type of niacin is rather hard to find
in stores, anymore. Most stores want to sell the "no flush" and "timed
release" varieties. For many (most?) people, the traditional form works
much better at lowering Cholesterol. I take a total of 2 G Niacin per
day. I'm 66 and lowering my cholesterol and losing weight have helped
me considerably in the impotence department.

IB

Jim

2006-07-29, 4:21 pm

dgspotman@gmail.com wrote:

> I have no doubt that my first 20 years of ED problems were
> psychological....

And that persists as you get older, and becomes worse. Once ingrained,
performance anxiety is hard to shake.

>I've tried a couple of
> the PDE5 inhibitors (V and L, but not C), but my results with those
> pills are, at best, all over the map. On average, I'd say that each of
> V and L seem to have worked about 1 out of 3 times for me...
> Second, figuring out from there what I can do to
> get to a more consistent and predictable situation....What do you make of the
> hit-or-miss results with the PDE5 inhibitors? How typical does my
> history sound? Any feedback would be most appreciated.

A significant percentage of users of PDE5 drugs do not get consistent
(or even useable) results from them, mostly because they receive no
instructions from their doctors about either dosage or the various
caveats that affect all of the drugs, like food intake. Among these
same men, after instruction and on re-trying, a good percentage of them
go on to successful experiences. Levitra is said to have less food
interference than Viagra. I would say this is true, but only
marginally. A small but fatty snack can throw the timing all off. My
advice? Don't eat anything for 3 hrs prior to dosing. Once the drug
has kicked in, you can go ahead and eat a non-fatty meal if you don't
overdo and still have good sex later during the period the drug is
effective.
>
> Oh, there is one more thing: I have in my posession a Unilab test
> order that my doctor provided me after putting me on the niacin a
> couple of years back, with instructions to have it done "after
> birthday", but which I never used. As far as I can see, it's undated,
> and since I just had a birthday (albeit not the one he had in mind!),
> it seems that I ought to be able to go get it done now, self-paid, and
> present the results to my doctor as soon as my new health insurance
> comes through.

Get a physical, DG. Bite the bullet. Or wait til you have insurance
this next month, but then do it. Your blood work will reveal some good
information. And you are at the age when PSA tests need to be started
and done anually. Before the PSA, though, do not have sex or
masturbate for at least 48 hrs prior. And no "cheating." If you think
you can whack off for awhile but not cum and that won't skew the PSA
results, you are wrong. Masturbation but not ejaculating can stir up
the prostate. You want yours totally calm when they do the blood draw
for the test.

My read is that any kind of stress (work, family, emotional) gets you
into a "failure" pattern. You date some pretty young ladies as
compared with your age. Surely that increases the pressure on your
head to perform. Not that you need to date older ladies; I'm just
pointing out where some pressure probably comes from.

Jim

LMac

2006-07-29, 4:21 pm

Ignatz's Bricks wrote:
> dgspotman@gmail.com wrote:
>
> Since you post gives no indication of where you live, I'll assume the
> US. In the US, the traditional type of niacin is rather hard to find
> in stores, anymore. Most stores want to sell the "no flush" and "timed
> release" varieties. For many (most?) people, the traditional form works
> much better at lowering Cholesterol. I take a total of 2 G Niacin per
> day. I'm 66 and lowering my cholesterol and losing weight have helped
> me considerably in the impotence department.
>
> IB

If your diet and exercise stayed the same I'd hazard that your numbers
have steadily improved. Getting a annual lipid panel is still a good
idea since it will also measure a liver enzyme that can get our of hand
on either statins or Niacin.

I've been told by several doctors that Niacin's effect is mostly to
increase HDL but for me it also dropped TOT and LDL.

I'd return to Niacin with no major gripe but do like the convenience of
only dosing once each 24 hours. My total dose of Niaspan (the ER
version) is one-half of the 4G I was taking of the non-ER substance.

After having problems on Lopid, a couple of statins and cholestryramine,
I was started on 6G (2 tabs each meal) of Niacin about 10 years ago with
a total cholesterol of 347 (high HDL was probably saving my life). I
was dropped to 4G about 7 years ago (Tot was then 242) and shortly
thereafter switched to 2G of Niaspan. I'm still on 2G of Niaspan.
Latest numbers: Tot=168, HDL=69, LDL=89. Triglycerides are down to 79
from a high >400 ten years ago.

Only complaint with Niacin is that either Viagra or Levitra increases
the intensity of skin flush. (Note: chewing up a baby aspirin 30
minutes before the Niaspan would help this -- for convenience I just
swallow the aspirin at the same time I swallow the Niaspan.) I take
Niaspan at bed time and usually sleep through the skin flush. If I take
'V' or 'L' in the early evening, I will wake up at 3 a.m. with major
skin flush. Small price for good quality of life. (:-)

....Lmac

dgspotman@gmail.com

2006-07-29, 9:21 pm

Guys, I'm really glad to have you all on my team...

I'll be scheduling a physical exam with blood work as soon as the
coverage comes through. Thanks, Jim, for the advice on 48 hours'
abstinence prior to the PSA test. On my test form (which has the
PSA box X'd), my doc had written "12hr fast, water only. No sex."
Nice to have a number attached to the latter instruction.

IB, you're quite right that plain old nicotinic acid is getting harder
to find, but fortunately I do have a local source (I'm in California).

I don't get the flush very often any more, but I still like it when it
happens. The dosage instructions I received were 1000mg/day
(500 at each of two meals), but sometimes I forget and only get
one or even none on some days.

LMac, thanks for the reminder about the liver enzyme on niacin. Yet
another reason to get the blood work scheduled ASAP. Will the lipid
panel be enough to get this info, or would I also need the hepatic
function panel? Also, you mention "problems on Lopid, a couple of
statins and cholestryramine." Could you characterize those problems
in a couple of words? And I'm going to Google Niaspan as soon as
I finish this post -- thanks!

Cholesterol reduction in general seems like a good idea from the
perspective of preventing ongoing and future damage, but what about
damage that's already been done? Is there any "going back"? I've
seen some posts here about the antioxidants in pomegranate juice
that suggest that they may have some effect in repairing cellular
damage. Any thoughts on how credible that concept may be? With
regard to arterial plaque, I receive junk mail all the time about
"chelation therapy" with the compound originally developed for
treating heavy-metal poisoning, but it smells like snake oil to me.
Any other alternatives out there?

On PDE5 inhibitors: Yes, Jim, you're right, I got no advice
on food interactions from my doc. Eventually I became aware of
the interactions via info I found on the Web.

Wanderer, thanks for confirming that performance anxiety can
defeat PDE5 inhibitors. Yet another reason to discount the "forget
about the cause and throw some viagra at it" variety of advice.

Some (actually a lot) of the counseling/therapy I got four years
ago addressed the impotence issues, and I believed I had them
licked; the GF I took on at that time complained more than once
about being sore the day after a session. I suppose I am in some
denial about the demons having come back since then. "Will I
get it up?" is always a question in my mind these days, both
during an encounter and between them, and having the answer
be "no" as often as it is pretty clearly isn't good for my
psychological state...

Can you offer me some advice on finding a good therapist? The
therapist I worked with died shortly after we ended the therapy, so
going back to him isn't a good option (unless someone knows a
good channeler). At the time I simply picked him because he was
a "name" in the sexuality field, but that isn't necessarily the best
criterion. How best to screen for a good one now?

Thanks guys, you are all great.

DGS

LMac

2006-07-30, 2:20 am

dgspotman@gmail.com wrote:
> '===== snip ==========

>
> LMac, thanks for the reminder about the liver enzyme on niacin. Yet
> another reason to get the blood work scheduled ASAP. Will the lipid
> panel be enough to get this info, or would I also need the hepatic
> function panel? Also, you mention "problems on Lopid, a couple of
> statins and cholestryramine." Could you characterize those problems
> in a couple of words? And I'm going to Google Niaspan as soon as
> I finish this post -- thanks!
>
You are absolutely right on the hepatic function panel--that's the one!

Lopid --- dry & scaly skin. (this was 20 years ago & I doubt that
anyone prescribes it today)

Pravastatin Yellow and another early statin --- muscle pain--doctor get
scared and stopped all statins.

Questran Lite --- GERD (acid down the windpipe and into the lungs)

Questran Lite + Prilosec --- Lower GI problems & reduced stamina during
circuit training. (Using Xantac-150 instead of Prilosec wasn't as bad
-- Nexium wasn't on the market at that time.)

There are several brands of time release Niacin in addition to Niaspan.
If your health plan picks up the tab on the ER versions, go with it. If
you are paying out of pocket, IMHO, the additional cost isn't
justified--stick with straight Niacin.

> Cholesterol reduction in general seems like a good idea from the
> perspective of preventing ongoing and future damage, but what about
> damage that's already been done? Is there any "going back"? I've
> seen some posts here about the antioxidants in pomegranate juice
> that suggest that they may have some effect in repairing cellular
> damage. Any thoughts on how credible that concept may be?

We've got a couple of POM guys here. I.B. has researched the topic and
is a POM drinker.

I tried Vitamin E (400 I.U. per the NIH SELECT study) but when added to
Aspirin and Plavix the blood thinning effect was excessive--I quit the
SELECT protocol. I also feel that a lot of my E.D. problems started as
I thinned blood -- just an anecdotal hunch.

>
> On PDE5 inhibitors: Yes, Jim, you're right, I got no advice
> on food interactions from my doc. Eventually I became aware of
> the interactions via info I found on the Web.
>
> Wanderer, thanks for confirming that performance anxiety can
> defeat PDE5 inhibitors. Yet another reason to discount the "forget
> about the cause and throw some viagra at it" variety of advice.
>
I made it for almost four years on Viagra then got in a mental tangle
with the drug and failed a couple of times. Jim's right--it doesn't
take much to get screwed up mentally. (Control types like me probably
have a greater potential toward anxiety.) After a year off Viagra I use
it occasionally.
>
> Can you offer me some advice on finding a good therapist?

My experience is limited to acting in a spousal (PTSD victim) support
role and as a weekly attendee at DBSA << http://www.dbsalliance.org/ >>
meetings (Family & Friends section) for the last four years. No clue
as to what your Axis I and Axis II complaints are but:

I like the CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Threapy) model. I think that
working the Cog framework is a good starting point and the Thought
Record training offers a simple way to deal with anxiety. A good CBT
therapist can help you identify the automatic thought that triggers
anxiety; then, suggest alternative thought/action sequences that detour
you around the potholes in the road.

If this makes sense, look for a therapist that practices *brief* cog
therapy and has experience in training guys to collect a thought record
during sexual encounters (not an easy task).

If you are more on the Axis II side of things then you might try to find
a specialist in Dialectic Behavioral Therapy.

> '=========snip
> DGS
>

Ignatz's Bricks

2006-07-30, 4:21 pm

dgspotman wrote:

>
LMac replies:
>
> We've got a couple of POM guys here. I.B. has researched the topic and
> is a POM drinker.
>

A few years ago, it was thought that L-Arginine reduced the damage high
cholesterol caused, and it appears to do so for the first few days
(weeks?), but apparently it just dilated the blood vesicles and it has
been since discredited for cleaning out plaque buildup.

LMac has kinda overstated my Pomegranate thoughts. Pomegranate does no
harm and could very well be doing some good.

Copy, to your clipboard, " Revisiting Pomegranate " without the
quotes and then go to:

http://groups.google.com/advanced_search

and paste it in the "Exact Phrase" box and then click "Google Search"
and that should bring up the Pomegranate thread started by Muerta where
I stated my thoughts.

Six weeks ago, I wrote 20 lbs loss, which is now back to 25 lbs.
Originally, I had lost 25 lbs, then gained 5 lbs during a period of
stress and now have lost that pesky 5 pounds again. I could stand to
lose another 20 lbs and am slowly working on it.

Here are my blood tests with the goal of lowering my Triglycerides and
my Cholesterol:

Before Pomegranate and on 6G (ugh!) of Welchol daily:
Tri: 195 Total C: 252 HDL: 39 LDL: 174 VLDL: 39

Started Pomegranate and stopped all prescription medication:
Tri: 155 Total C: 274 HDL: 42 LDL: 201 VLDL: 31

Added 2G total of Niacin daily (no other changes):
Tri: 100 Total C: 220 HDL: 62 LDL: 138 VLDL: 20

As you can see, except for LDL, I'm now inside the guidelines and I
think I can do that with diet.

The Niacin that I'm taking is the traditional kind.

Has Pomegranate and Niacin unclogged my arteries? I don't know, but
there has been an improvement in my impotence problem, and that
certainly indicates improved blood flow to my pecker.

This "research" was a sample size of one, and your mileage will vary.
There could also be an unknown something, which I've never thought
about, that brought fourth the improvement.

I'm now tweaking my diet, but won't know the results of that until
mid-September.

The amount of advertising hype that surrounds Pomegranate Juice did
trigger my "B.S." detector and in the beginning I was highly suspicious,
but now think that it might be helping.

IB

Michael

2006-07-31, 9:21 pm

That's a big problem with Viagra. You take it 3 hours before eating, you
dine for 1-2 hours , and *poof*, the 4 hours that it is effective is all
over.

"Jim" <avocet@hawaii.rr.com> wrote in message
news:1154198545.430312.247370@s13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> Don't eat anything for 3 hrs prior to dosing. Once the drug
> has kicked in, you can go ahead and eat a non-fatty meal if you don't
> overdo and still have good sex later during the period the drug is
> effective.