Tim Lanier  

Cecil is a 44-year-old guy living the most vibrant life imaginable.  He had just received the promotion at work that he had worked so hard and stressed himself out so much to get. He has 3 beautiful children who all excel in sports and so he's extremely active in the community serving as a volunteer coach for his son's basketball team and his daughters' volleyball team.  Admittedly Cecil allowed his focus on healthy choices to slip in the midst of his tumultuously busy life. Eating on the run- fast food just about daily had become the norm. Unfortunately, his busy lifestyle also squeezed time for his annual wellness visits out of his life and so Cecil hadn't been seen in the clinic for almost 2 years. Sadly, Cecil still may not have visited the clinic now had he not suffered a devastating stroke 4 months ago that kept him hospitalized for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks at a rehab facility to help him regain function in his hands and learn to walk again.  Cecil's cholesterol level had exploded beyond dangerous limits and his blood pressure had blown out of control prior to the stroke.  Cecil has since recovered extremely well and has regained most of his pre-stroke function back but in one critical area he had actually gotten worse. Embarrassed and ashamed, Cecil acknowledged that even before his stroke he had experienced a sharp decline in his sexual performance and libido so much that it had begun to cause an irrevocable strain on his marriage. The tension over his inability to perform had become so intense that Cecil was almost certain that infidelity had crept into his relationship.  For this reason, he admitted that, in some ways, he actually welcomed the stroke because it gave him an excuse for not being able to perform and placed his wife at his bedside providing the care and support that he desperately needed not just physically but even more so emotionally. Cecil waited until the very end of his visit, just as we were standing up to walk out of the room, for him to speak up to tell me about his situation.  He acknowledged that he was embarrassed, ashamed, and felt inferior.  I immediately cut him off and explained to him that he is just one of millions of men that experience issues with gaining and/or maintaining an erection.  Erectile dysfunction is nothing to be ashamed of- its natural and most men either has or does experience it.  I educated Cecil on some of the most prevalent causes of erectile dysfunction.  High stress and anxiety, an overwhelming lifestyle, uncontrolled blood pressure, and stroke are a few of the specific causes that Cecil and many other men could identify with.  Good news for Cecil is that there is a wide array of treatment options to help boost his libido and sexual performance.  Cecil began treatment and reported a tremendous improvement. 

 

TAKE AWAY

1. As with Cecil, men need to understand that erectile dysfunction and impotence is far more common than they may think and there should be no shame or embarrassment in discussing this matter with their medical provider because then, and only then, can they receive the kind of help that may quickly turn their situation around. 

2. Some of the mental causes of erectile dysfunction are: stress, anxiety, depression, other mental health conditions, relationship problems, and mental fatigue.

3. The most common physical causes for erectile dysfunction are:  clogged blood vessels, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, obesity, tobacco use and smoking, alcoholism, and prostate issues.

4. There is a wide array of treatment options to help boost libido and sexual performance but these options cannot prove to be effective unless embarrassment, shame, and pride are shoved aside and this conversation is finally had with a provider.