The difference is probably that Raiden and Gary both had full nerve sparing.
David, you aren't going to find another surgeon that can give you better odds than 50% that you will regain EF with half the nerves removed. You might find a surgeon who is prepared to offer you full nerve-sparing in the hope that you don't have ED but it is a trade off - you would be going against the advice that at least some of your nerves need to be gone.
This 40% 50% 90% thing is all waffle anyway, depending on who is talking about exactly what parameters. Was the surgeon simply saying that with one bundle removed you have half as much chance of regaining EF? If so, that makes sense and would you really have expected him to say any different? Also, surgeons and PCTs have different ways of defining ED. The NHS outcome stats say:
- 80% of men that have had full nerve sparing can get an erection at 12 months post-op - BUT this includes men who can get a natural erection AND those who can get an erection with a pump, tablets or other chemical means
- men that have kept some nerves are much less likely to get natural erections - but just as likely to be successful with pump, tablets, etc
- men that have had non-nerve sparing can't get natural erections (except in very rare & blessed cases) and tablets won't work but the pump or injections, pellets etc might
There don't seem to be any published statistics in the UK for how many men actually regain erections without any mechanical or chemical help. Perhaps your surgeon was quoting likelihood of these as it would be almost imporssible for him to estimate now whether or not a pump, viagra or muse are going to work for you in the future. If he was talking 40 - 50% chance of natural erections, I would bite his hand off!!!!
The fact is that there are men who have full nerve sparing with one of the best surgeons and never have an erection again. We have a member who had all nerves removed and has been able to regain some natural EF. My husband had half the nerves removed but 4 years after surgery, had recovered natural erections. In hindsight, he might have been better losing all the nerves and being impotent as the surgery didn't cure him.
You have to add into the mix all the men who physically are able to have an erection after surgery but psychologically are so wrecked by the diagnosis, dry orgasms, a sense they have lost their manhood or whatever ghosts they have that they remain impotent. And then there are the men who recover from the surgery but the cancer comes back (or isn't eradicated) for whom erections are pointless because the advancing cancer or the long term hormone treatment has killed any libido.
The best advice I have seen was this - choose the treatment most likely to cure you. Then decide whether you are willing to accept the possible risk of side effects. If you think the risks are too high, choose a less risky option understanding that you are more likely to need further treatment which will also have side effects.