Feeling lost / 30 UK

[Lost_30]

First of all, apologies for the long post. I've been browsing these forums for the last couple of days and thought I would make an account. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking to get from posting this, but I thought it might help to vent my feelings.

I've been suffering with ED since my early 20's. It's hard to pinpoint the exact date as I wasn't all that sexually active. I had quite bad phimosis that made me self conscious and so I would avoid sexual encounters. My erection quality was fine for masturbation, but not when it came to actual penetrative sex.

When it came to actual sex, I was entirely reliant on either Sildenafil or Tadalafil at the highest doses and even these would be hit and miss, though at the time I attributed this mainly to my phimosis.

My last real relationship ended 4 years ago and since then I've had a circumcision due to the phimosis. I've not had many sexual encounters since, but any that I did have were entirely reliant on taking 100mg Sildenafil. 20mg Tadlalafil just doesn't seem to give me erections strong enough anymore.

Whilst I think there's a definite psychological element to my ED (more so when I was younger), I'm fairly certain the primary cause of my ED is vascular. I've suffered from depression pretty much my entire life and as a result, I've not taken care of my body the way I should have. I used to smoke and take drugs in my teens/early 20s, I've been a fairly heavy drinker most of my adult life, my diet has always been poor and I've not always been in the best shape. My diet and fitness have improved in the last 3 years or so and I'm not currently overweight, but I'm scared that the damage has already been done. My fear is that my poor lifestyle has led to my arteries becoming clogged and the build up of arterial plaque. I think this is why the pills don't work the way they used to. I've bought this up to urologists before, however, I've always been assured that this is very unlikely at my age. I've never had a Doppler, but I have an appointment with Urology coming up and will be sure to push for it.

Even though I've been aware of my ED for 6 years now, I feel as if I've never truly confronted it. It's always been there in the back of my mind, but I've never wanted to face it fully. I think part of me has just thought that maybe it would resolve itself one day, or that I could just get by on pills for the rest of my life or that some miracle treatment would be released that would solve all my problems.

It feels like that's all changed in the past two weeks. Long story short, I met someone recently and it's forced me to confront my ED in a way that I never have done before. The thought of it all has been really overwhelming and it's all I've been able to think about. So much so that it feels like I've been neglecting every other part of my life.

I've come to some realisations:
1) 100mg Sildenafil doesn't work as well as it used to.
2) The quality of my erections without Sildenafil or Taldalafil feels like it's decreased significantly. In the past, I could still get hard enough for blowjobs, etc. But now that doesn't feel possible. I feel totally reliant on pills.
3) Alcohol consumption seems to kill any possibility of getting hard enough for sex
4) A cock ring is starting to feel like a necessity. Without it my glans doesn't get engorged enough and I can't keep my erection for long enough.

I can't believe I was so blind to the situation before. It's as if a lightbulb has suddenly just switched on in my head. What I wouldn't give to just go back in time and smack some sense into my younger self. I've been making a real effort to change my eating habits and lifestyle the last few weeks but I'm terrified that it's too little, too late.

I'm going to bring up the possibility of injections at my next urology appointment and though the thought of injecting myself is quite scary, it feels like the natural next step at this point. I'm also really intrigued by shockwave therapy (even if the general opinion on here seems to be negative), though the cost and availability of this makes it effectively a non-starter.

It feels like an implant is inevitable at some point in my life, though the thought of this terrifies me. Not to mention the difficulties I'm sure I would face in trying to get this through the NHS.

I think the worst thing about all of this is that I can't open up to any of my friends or family. We're constantly being told as men to open up about our feelings and talk to each other, but how do you ever talk about this with your loved ones. People ask me what's wrong and I can't tell them. I feel totally lost.

I'm starting to feel like there's no way back from any of this and I don't think I've ever felt this low in my life. Worst of all it all feels completely self inflicted.

[Martin6469]

Welcome to Frank Talk, where you won't be "lost." Express yourself here with your new friends. At your appointment, get your testosterone measured. If it's low, that will cause depression (see my signature) as well as ED.

What's your age?

Cock rings are good, so are "stretchy sleeves" sold as penis enlargers. I've used both, but like the sleeves better.

I've injected Trimix for seven years and am very happy with it. (I understand that UK does not have it but has something similar.) Injecting takes a few weeks to learn, but then you get pretty reliable erections. You'll see many happy injectors in the "Injections" topic.

Get started and make that appointment today and keep us posted.

[Budward]

First of all, apologies for the long post. I've been browsing these forums for the last couple of days and thought I would make an account. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking to get from posting this, but I thought it might help to vent my feelings.

I've been suffering with ED since my early 20's. It's hard to pinpoint the exact date as I wasn't all that sexually active. I had quite bad phimosis that made me self conscious and so I would avoid sexual encounters. My erection quality was fine for masturbation, but not when it came to actual penetrative sex.

When it came to actual sex, I was entirely reliant on either Sildenafil or Tadalafil at the highest doses and even these would be hit and miss, though at the time I attributed this mainly to my phimosis.

My last real relationship ended 4 years ago and since then I've had a circumcision due to the phimosis. I've not had many sexual encounters since, but any that I did have were entirely reliant on taking 100mg Sildenafil. 20mg Tadlalafil just doesn't seem to give me erections strong enough anymore.

Whilst I think there's a definite psychological element to my ED (more so when I was younger), I'm fairly certain the primary cause of my ED is vascular. I've suffered from depression pretty much my entire life and as a result, I've not taken care of my body the way I should have. I used to smoke and take drugs in my teens/early 20s, I've been a fairly heavy drinker most of my adult life, my diet has always been poor and I've not always been in the best shape. My diet and fitness have improved in the last 3 years or so and I'm not currently overweight, but I'm scared that the damage has already been done. My fear is that my poor lifestyle has led to my arteries becoming clogged and the build up of arterial plaque. I think this is why the pills don't work the way they used to. I've bought this up to urologists before, however, I've always been assured that this is very unlikely at my age. I've never had a Doppler, but I have an appointment with Urology coming up and will be sure to push for it.

Even though I've been aware of my ED for 6 years now, I feel as if I've never truly confronted it. It's always been there in the back of my mind, but I've never wanted to face it fully. I think part of me has just thought that maybe it would resolve itself one day, or that I could just get by on pills for the rest of my life or that some miracle treatment would be released that would solve all my problems.

It feels like that's all changed in the past two weeks. Long story short, I met someone recently and it's forced me to confront my ED in a way that I never have done before. The thought of it all has been really overwhelming and it's all I've been able to think about. So much so that it feels like I've been neglecting every other part of my life.

I've come to some realisations:
1) 100mg Sildenafil doesn't work as well as it used to.
2) The quality of my erections without Sildenafil or Taldalafil feels like it's decreased significantly. In the past, I could still get hard enough for blowjobs, etc. But now that doesn't feel possible. I feel totally reliant on pills.
3) Alcohol consumption seems to kill any possibility of getting hard enough for sex
4) A cock ring is starting to feel like a necessity. Without it my glans doesn't get engorged enough and I can't keep my erection for long enough.

I can't believe I was so blind to the situation before. It's as if a lightbulb has suddenly just switched on in my head. What I wouldn't give to just go back in time and smack some sense into my younger self. I've been making a real effort to change my eating habits and lifestyle the last few weeks but I'm terrified that it's too little, too late.

I'm going to bring up the possibility of injections at my next urology appointment and though the thought of injecting myself is quite scary, it feels like the natural next step at this point. I'm also really intrigued by shockwave therapy (even if the general opinion on here seems to be negative), though the cost and availability of this makes it effectively a non-starter.

It feels like an implant is inevitable at some point in my life, though the thought of this terrifies me. Not to mention the difficulties I'm sure I would face in trying to get this through the NHS.

I think the worst thing about all of this is that I can't open up to any of my friends or family. We're constantly being told as men to open up about our feelings and talk to each other, but how do you ever talk about this with your loved ones. People ask me what's wrong and I can't tell them. I feel totally lost.

I'm starting to feel like there's no way back from any of this and I don't think I've ever felt this low in my life. Worst of all it all feels completely self inflicted.

I can relate on a lot of what you say. Although my real ED only really started in my 50's. So this is what has happened in my resurrection, you can try if you want. Try Ozempic, great for blood sugars, it will help you lose any excess weight you have. Lose as much weight as you can. Excercise, even if walking for 40 minutes a day. The Ozempic really helps to stop drinking, which is sort of another starting point, at least for a few months.
Try peptides Melanotan2 and PT-141, give them a shot, I get great erections from them. Buy a VED and use it. I use mine at least 5 minutes a day and 20 minutes every 3 days. Don't use to much pressure. Trimix has been a Godsend. I can't stand needles and have shaky hands. Buy an autoinject 2, its also a Godsend. Plump up your penis and then inject at a good site. Much easier with the autoinject and plump than shaky hands ad flaccid.
Private message if you want more detailed info. My life has done a complete 180 sexually and I have spent tons of time researching this and other supplements that help. Number one is get a high quality L-Citronelle and use at least 6,000 unites. I take a powder form.

[Flavio]

[...] I'm going to bring up the possibility of injections at my next urology appointment and though the thought of injecting myself is quite scary, it feels like the natural next step at this point. I'm also really intrigued by shockwave therapy (even if the general opinion on here seems to be negative), though the cost and availability of this makes it effectively a non-starter. [...]

Thank you for sharing your testimony.

We've all been there before and we all know how overwhelming this can be. The good news: ED is easily treatable today.

No, injections and other invasive treatments are not the natural thing to do, at least not at this point. If sildenafil and tadalafil stopped working, try other oral treatments: there are currently 11 different PDE-5 inihbitors available, give some of them (e.g. avanafil, udenafil) a try first.

Cialis stopped working for me after a decade of regular use. I'm now taking a similar drug called udenafil and it works beautifully.

Before you try any new treatment, always consult your doctor (urologist) first. It is essential to determine the exact cause of your ED and only a doctor can do that and then prescribe the right treatment.

Tip #2 is do A LOT of reading on the subject of ED. The more you know about ED, the less stressful t will be.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[LastHope]

When you get an implant, get the Malleables

[indeed]

Hello mate, sorry to hear about your struggles.

I'll give you my opinion on this.
I strongly recommend you checking out the "Angion Method" on reddit. It's designed to promote angiogenesis and increase the blood inflow to your dick.
Many many success stories there.
It's not too little too late, you're only 30. You should try to live perfectly healthy now. No alcohol, do some cardio and weight training, clean food. Get your hormones checked too.
No mastrubation or porn.

If you're worreid about clogged arteries, i'd look into serrapeptase, nattokinase and vitamin k2. It has been shown to remove fibrous blockages from arteries. https://www.medicinacomplementar.com.br ... o-2060.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9441630/

You should give yourself a few months and give it your everything to try and fix it. If it doesn't work out implant option will always be there.

Just my 2 cents.

Good luck!

First of all, apologies for the long post. I've been browsing these forums for the last couple of days and thought I would make an account. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking to get from posting this, but I thought it might help to vent my feelings.

I've been suffering with ED since my early 20's. It's hard to pinpoint the exact date as I wasn't all that sexually active. I had quite bad phimosis that made me self conscious and so I would avoid sexual encounters. My erection quality was fine for masturbation, but not when it came to actual penetrative sex.

When it came to actual sex, I was entirely reliant on either Sildenafil or Tadalafil at the highest doses and even these would be hit and miss, though at the time I attributed this mainly to my phimosis.

My last real relationship ended 4 years ago and since then I've had a circumcision due to the phimosis. I've not had many sexual encounters since, but any that I did have were entirely reliant on taking 100mg Sildenafil. 20mg Tadlalafil just doesn't seem to give me erections strong enough anymore.

Whilst I think there's a definite psychological element to my ED (more so when I was younger), I'm fairly certain the primary cause of my ED is vascular. I've suffered from depression pretty much my entire life and as a result, I've not taken care of my body the way I should have. I used to smoke and take drugs in my teens/early 20s, I've been a fairly heavy drinker most of my adult life, my diet has always been poor and I've not always been in the best shape. My diet and fitness have improved in the last 3 years or so and I'm not currently overweight, but I'm scared that the damage has already been done. My fear is that my poor lifestyle has led to my arteries becoming clogged and the build up of arterial plaque. I think this is why the pills don't work the way they used to. I've bought this up to urologists before, however, I've always been assured that this is very unlikely at my age. I've never had a Doppler, but I have an appointment with Urology coming up and will be sure to push for it.

Even though I've been aware of my ED for 6 years now, I feel as if I've never truly confronted it. It's always been there in the back of my mind, but I've never wanted to face it fully. I think part of me has just thought that maybe it would resolve itself one day, or that I could just get by on pills for the rest of my life or that some miracle treatment would be released that would solve all my problems.

It feels like that's all changed in the past two weeks. Long story short, I met someone recently and it's forced me to confront my ED in a way that I never have done before. The thought of it all has been really overwhelming and it's all I've been able to think about. So much so that it feels like I've been neglecting every other part of my life.

I've come to some realisations:
1) 100mg Sildenafil doesn't work as well as it used to.
2) The quality of my erections without Sildenafil or Taldalafil feels like it's decreased significantly. In the past, I could still get hard enough for blowjobs, etc. But now that doesn't feel possible. I feel totally reliant on pills.
3) Alcohol consumption seems to kill any possibility of getting hard enough for sex
4) A cock ring is starting to feel like a necessity. Without it my glans doesn't get engorged enough and I can't keep my erection for long enough.

I can't believe I was so blind to the situation before. It's as if a lightbulb has suddenly just switched on in my head. What I wouldn't give to just go back in time and smack some sense into my younger self. I've been making a real effort to change my eating habits and lifestyle the last few weeks but I'm terrified that it's too little, too late.

I'm going to bring up the possibility of injections at my next urology appointment and though the thought of injecting myself is quite scary, it feels like the natural next step at this point. I'm also really intrigued by shockwave therapy (even if the general opinion on here seems to be negative), though the cost and availability of this makes it effectively a non-starter.

It feels like an implant is inevitable at some point in my life, though the thought of this terrifies me. Not to mention the difficulties I'm sure I would face in trying to get this through the NHS.

I think the worst thing about all of this is that I can't open up to any of my friends or family. We're constantly being told as men to open up about our feelings and talk to each other, but how do you ever talk about this with your loved ones. People ask me what's wrong and I can't tell them. I feel totally lost.

I'm starting to feel like there's no way back from any of this and I don't think I've ever felt this low in my life. Worst of all it all feels completely self inflicted.

[tomas1]

Your post was long, but quite easy to read.
Breaking long posts into paragraphs seems to be a lost art.

It's hard for someone my age to give you advice, but I will anyway.
I would at least try injections.
They eventually stopped working for me, and I had to proceed to the final step, implantation.

I can't imagine having a malleable implant since having pretty much a perpetual hardon sounds weird to me.
To each his own though.

My implant is over 5 years old and works very well.
My 83-year-old wife loves it and we use it almost every day.

Read posts from other guys in your age group in the implants forum, and you'll see you're not at all alone nor unique in this horrible situation. It sounds like you've found a possible long-term mate and talking it over with her should eventually have to happen. Good luck in your future.

[bldoink]

First of all, apologies for the long post. I've been browsing these forums for the last couple of days and thought I would make an account. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking to get from posting this, but I thought it might help to vent my feelings.

I agree with tomas1. For a long post you ded an excellent job of breaking it up so that it's easily readable.

My only suggestion at this point is to be patient and don't give up. Don't rush to irreversable solutions. That option is always there.