{"id":8398,"date":"2016-04-19T15:26:27","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T14:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.doctorfox.co.uk\/news\/?p=8398"},"modified":"2016-08-15T16:38:43","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T15:38:43","slug":"9-things-i-learned-from-having-erectile-dysfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doctorfox.co.uk\/news\/9-things-i-learned-from-having-erectile-dysfunction\/","title":{"rendered":"9 things I learned from having erectile dysfunction"},"content":{"rendered":"
Last updated 15 August 2016<\/small><\/p>
Rupert Webster has been kind enough to share these true-life realisations with us, in the hope of helping men in similar situations. ED can wreak emotional havoc on individuals and couples, but knowing that others have been through the same kind of experience can be comforting and informative.<\/p>\n
When you have ED, you grieve your sex life \n<\/b>Not being able to get an erection makes you feel like you\u2019ve lost a part of yourself. My mind was flooded with memories of my first time, of the wonderful sex my wife and I had on our honeymoon, of the time we … well, you get the picture. It\u2019s tough to think that it may never be that easy to have sex at the drop of a hat, and you may not ever be able to have sex at all.<\/p>\n
My communication was terrible \n<\/b>I was so closed up. I really was. The first time I couldn\u2019t perform I just pretended it had never happened. The next day it was business as usual. We started our day with a cup of tea and breakfast, a quick kiss goodbye. After several weeks it became apparent that I still couldn\u2019t get an erection \u2013 yet I still couldn\u2019t bring myself to speak about it. I didn’t even try to get treatment. My wife was no doubt going through her own range of emotions, but she, like me, was withdrawn. Even after 17 years of marriage neither of us felt comfortable enough to talk about it.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t ignore it \n<\/b>Unfortunately ignoring the issue drove us apart. She\u2019d go to bed before I did on most nights, while I sat up watching TV and waiting until she fell asleep. That way, sex, or not having sex, just wouldn\u2019t be brought up. We\u2019d still have dinner, still go places on the weekends, but it was clear that something was broken. During that time we avoided any close hugging or touching that in the past could have led to sex. It’s that lack of…. closeness that I think of most now.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not all in your head \n<\/b>There were times when I tried to will myself to have an erection, repeating mantras in my head until I felt like an idiot. I still loved my wife, still found her attractive. I still wanted to have sex \u2013 with her \u2013 but my body would not physically allow it to happen. Horrible feeling.<\/p>\n
So many medicines cause ED \n<\/b>When I finally (and I mean finally) got the nerve to mention it to my GP during a routine visit, his attitude was rather flippant. He thumbed through my chart to check if I was taking any medications, rattling off a list of them as he told me that it might just be a certain tablet. It turns out that anything from antihistamines to blood pressure medicines can cause erectile dysfunction. I can only imagine how many men are unknowingly taking medicines that compromise their sex lives. It’s tragic, really \u2013 and so unnecessary.<\/p>\n
![\"rupert](\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/rupert-webster-and-wife-300x260.jpg\")
Rupert Webster has been kind enough to share these true-life realisations with us, in the hope of helping men in similar situations. ED can wreak emotional havoc on individuals and couples, but knowing that others have been through the same kind of experience can be comforting and informative.<\/p>\n