Erectile dysfunction

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Intimacy

Hear from Kate, a community stoma care nurse.

From A Bigger Life

You may experience erectile dysfunction following your stoma surgery. This is a relatively common problem, you are not alone.

Many times the sexual problems experienced after ostomy surgery are more emotional than physical.

The change in your body can result in a lower body image, that can affect both the desire for sex and how you interact with your partner.

It is very comon to not have sexual desire for weeks or months after surgery, as your body recovers and regains strength.

This can affect your ability to have an erection.

It is really important to talk about these feelings with your partner.

There is a physical change for men after ostomy surgery, these changes will vary depending on the surgery you’ve had and the reason for needing surgery.

How these changes affect sexual desire can be quite different between men and women.

If your surgery was a result of rectal cancer, this may have damaged the nerves and blood vessels that control the ability to have an erection.

If you had chemotherapy, this may have damaged sperm cell production.

While that may affect fertility, it shouldn’t stop you from having an erection.

Medication can affect your sexual desire and ability to get aroused.

If you are unable to have intercourse, remember that hugging, kissing, holding hands, touching, cuddling are all ways of experiencing intimacy.

Millions of men suffer from impotence for a wide variety of health conditions and emotional difficulties.

Just because an erection doesn’t happen once, it doesn’t mean you will never get one again.

Don’t suffer alone.

Problems with sex that last for several weeks or months shouldn’t be ignored.

There are a range of treatments and therapies that can help.

If you are experiencing pain during intercourse, difficulty making sexual adjustments or are struggling to talk about sex with your partner, you should speak to your SCN or Doctor.

Since your attitude is probably the most important ingredient for a happy sex life, you should do whatever you feel you need to do to feel relaxed, free and at ease with your body.

Talking about these issues is a giant step forward.

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