cancer and sexual question?

Question

ok my husband has mouth cancer had surgery in 8/06 14 hour surgery something went wrong with his sex drive because he wonted it up till the day he had surgery and now after surgery which has been 8 months he dont wont it no more and i was just wondering could it be where they had a caither in him or not he has a deep ring at the base of his penis that hasnt gone away in 8 months and he has always been very active in sex ever since we have been married it gets him depressed because he dont know what to do and he is embarressed to talk to a doctor about this any info would be great thanks

he had 6 weeks of radiation does not see his oncologist again for 3 more months

Answer 1

You don't say what treatments he had besides surgery. Radiation and especially chemotherapy can affect sex drive and sexual function. If it has only been 8 months since surgery then he is certainly still seeing his oncologist from time to time. He really needs to ask his oncologist about potential causes for his lowered sexual desire and/or function level. He should not be embarrassed because Drs have all heard all kinds of things from patients much stranger than a normal problem like his. He might want to see a urologist also and get his plumbing checked. A catheter should cause no long term affects although they are terrible while they are in place. This depression will only intensify with time so encourage him to seek answers. Maybe something as simple as Viagra will get him jump started.

Your husband needs to see his primary care physician now for testosterone level testing. If he doesn't have a primary care Dr then get a referral from the oncologist's nurse. He may need to see a urologist or endocrinologist to make sure his hormone levels besides testosterone are not out of whack. A testosterone test is a simple blood draw that all primary care Drs do frequently. He also needs to get evaluated for potential depression. If he is depressed ask about getting a Wellbutrin prescription since unlike other anti-depressants many people find Wellbutrin helps the libido. The sooner he starts working on this problem then the sooner his depression can lift and things can hopefully return to a more normal situation. Drs hear complaints about sexual problems from their patients all the time so your husband needs to realize this is not a rare problem and absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. good luck.

Answer 2

Hi,

he needs to talk to his doc on this one.

yes it is hard to tallk about but something is not right.

what if the cancer has spread and this is a symptom?

would he go if he was having problems iwth his leg - probably yes and this is no different.


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