![]() |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Viagra News Report:
|
|
|
Mechanically, an erection must accomplish two goals. Blood must flow vigorously into three parts of the penis stuffed with erectile tissue that absorbs the blood like a sponge. And the muscles in the penis and the valves in the veins leading away must keep the blood from leaking out (Venus leakage). When a patient complains about erectile dysfunction, a physician first looks for a history of diabetes or cardiovascular problems, because the circulation disorders that often accompany these conditions can interfere with an erection.
During a physical exam, the internist posed his usual inquiry about personal problems. "I said something like, 'Well, I've been having some sexual difficulties,' " says Doe. "He looked at me and made a note but didn't ask anything else, and I just dropped it.
I got the impression that he really didn't want to discuss it, and I was self-conscious enough as it was." This conversation echoed an assertion by the National Institutes of Health, in a report on impotence (Erectile Dysfunction), that "embarrassment of patients and the reluctance of both patients and health care providers to discuss sexual matters candidly contribute to underdiagnosis."
The physician and patient had similar nonconversations over the next couple of years. Meanwhile, Doe's ability to perform slipped from occasional to rare and, then, inexorably, never. Doe's relationship with his wife slowly chilled. "I felt as if we were work colleagues," says Doe. "We'd go places, we'd get done what we had to do around the house, but there was this huge, dark subject we wouldn't discuss."
Last February, Doe mustered the nerve to push his doctor. That won a referral to a urologist. Once the specialist learned of Doe's history of heart disease, he didn't bother with a physical examination. Nor did he think Doe needed specialized tests. "I am 99 percent certain that you've got a circulation problem," he informed Doe.

|
|
Priapism warnings. His reaction was slightly less negative to the urologist's final proposal: a tiny alprostadil suppository placed about an inch into the opening of the penis with the aid of a special insertion device. Made by Vivus and called the MUSE system, it produces an erection 60 to 70 percent of the time, and Doe thought it seemed somewhat less onerous than the other methods.
The $209 visit did warm up the atmosphere at home. Armed with the Muse brochure, Doe was inspired to reveal to his wife that he had been seeking help. "She was touched," he says. "She thought I had stopped caring at all." While put off by the fussy Muse procedure, she was willing to go along. But Doe was due for a follow-up talk with his internist. The couple put off the Muse decision until then. The internist, his interest now piqued, disagreed with the urologist. Doe's circulation was fine, he said. As Doe lay on the examining table, the internist pressed Doe's fingers to the femoral arteries in his groin. "A strong pulse, right?" The blood vessels to the penis branch off the femoral arteries, and good femoral circulation argues against poor blood flow to the penis.
Doe met with an endocrinologist in early April, and left, for the first time, with hope. The hormone specialist took a detailed history, including a list of all of the medications Doe was taking. He examined Doe thoroughly, including a rectal check of the prostate gland. He was nonjudgmental, empathetic, and eager to answer Doe's questions.
Doe was aware that Viagra prescription drug had come on the market the week before. Would it make sense to try the new drug before turning to supplementary testosterone? Sure, replied the endocrinologist, writing a prescription for 10 pills and asking Doe to report back. The most excruciating moment of his four-year ordeal, says Doe, was when he approached the pharmacy counter to pick up his prescription. The clerks at the pharmacy have a habit of repeating the name of the medication aloud to prevent mistakes. This time it didn't happen. Doe was grateful. The night Doe and his wife put Viagra to the test taught them that the drug is not an herbal aphrodisiac. It aids an erection but does not cause one. As is true in the absence of Viagra, stress, performance anxiety or nerves play havoc with sexual response, the couple found. A more relaxed attitude allowed Viagra to do its work. The phone call to the endocrinologist would be with gushing emotional delight. Continue with Viagra facts
Loading
Lab Testing
You can order your lab test and blood work online - put yourself in control of your health. |
. |