Thank you again for your questions, and raising the level of this discussion, Quantum!
I have a lot of medical records, detailed health timelines, documentation of every procedure I went through... step by step. and I'll be happy to share that on the forum-- probably not all at once! because it's a lot, but over time... I'm happy to answer all the questions- no matter how the discussion turns out, or what the conclusions are.
Since this thread is primarily about Castration, why it worked...
I think the first point, which you kindly made, is the consensus that I did have POIS, a severe case of it. And that I no longer have POIS currently. Thank you for that. I suffered strongly from POIS through my 30s until I got the last surgery, and recovered. Hopefully our discussion will also be disseminated and parsed out more scientifically by interested health professionals/ researchers. I'm an architect. Perhaps they can shed more light on what actually worked in my case.
I went from suffering from severe POIS for up to 7 days post- orgasm/ ejaculation...
to currently being able to have orgasm 2 or 3 times per week, with no symptoms, no missed days at work. I have a small business, have my own apartment, and am happily employed in my work.
However, can't have kids now. I can still enjoy sex though and have a fulfilling relationship.
You asked which of the surgeries was responsible for eliminating the POIS.
All of them were responsible. I started small... saw improvements, and proceeded with caution over 3-4 years. I went with the theory that ---Semen Production-- is what causes POIS in our case. Orgasm/ ejaculation triggers Semen Production, regeneration. There is a Refactory period of up to 7 days after ejaculation... which essentially matches perfectly the period that I suffered from POIS.
My theory is basically that semen regeneration is responsible for all the symptoms... and the way to avoid semen regeneration is either to not have ejaculation, or eliminate the organs that produce semen, thereby making it impossible to produce it. (There could be other ways) That also leads to "dry ejaculation". I instinctively felt that my body was "Robbing Peter to Pay Paul" in effect while I was regenerating semen.
TESTICLE #1:
I had developed abnormally large and painful testicles... so my First surgery was to remove 1 testicle.
I had a huge improvement in symptoms and health immediately.
However, within about 3 months, the remaining testicle grew almost double it's size to compensate for the missing one. And I was back to square one.
TESTICLE #2:
Second surgery was to remove the second testicle. Much more complicated.
I have to say- that was a very hard thing to do, personally, emotionally- so I really understand that. I didn't want to change my sex, become more feminine, or have any desire to harm myself. However, I figured I was worse off with POIS, than I was without my testicles... so I decided to go for it.
The second surgery helped reduce my POIS again by about 30% or close to that. However, it also caused some problems, which took time to properly treat.
TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT:
The problem was that I didn't produce Testosterone any more. So I needed to see a very good Endocrinologist, who could properly administer the right amount of Testosterone. Initially, I was given too much, 1ml per week, and became very jittery.. and a lot of other things. But after about a year, we found the right dose to be exactly .35mls per week- much lower. I have been on that dose now for almost a decade. I regularly give myself a shot of testosterone every week. Testosterone is a critical male hormone, as we all know, and without it, one can become depressed, weak, frail, lose muscle and other things...etc. Also you can't have an erection without it... which could possibly be worse than having POIS... depending.
After the Second surgery, and finding the right dose of Testosterone... I was finally able to start working again, and get my own apartment again. My POIS had been reduced significantly but still present. I still had POIS, but not quite as catastrophically. My condition still prevented me from having a relationship, and required me to schedule my Orgasm/ ejaculation on days when I knew I could take 2 days to recover. But it went down from 6-7 days to 2 days I'd say.
I stayed that way for a few years. Then I think it was in 2009, that I had the 3rd and 4th surgeries. I had to go to India for those. It was over $6,000 I think. none of it covered by insurance.
PROSTATE:
The 3rd and 4th surgeries were done a few days apart. First the Urologist did a TURP. I originally wanted to entirely remove my Prostate, but I researched it, and found it was risky, could lead to incontinence, lack of erection. So I opted for a TURP-- which is fairly non invasive, removal of a lot of the Prostate Tissue. But keeping it. The Prostate is one of the sex organs, and produces a component of Semen.
SEMINAL VESICLES:
The other organs that make semen are the Seminal Vesicles, and the Cowper's gland. The Seminal Vesicles contribute probably the bulk of the Semen fluid. I had those removed. That is an unusual and invasive surgery because they are hidden behind the prostate. The Cowper's gland does not contribute much volume, and my Urologist recommended keeping it in, so I did.
POST OPERATIVE RECOVERY:
So the danger of these operations is that it's possible to become incontinent, and or lose ability to have an erection. I did not have either of those things. I had a solid recovery... it took some time though, and definitely a few weeks before I was on my feet again. After recovering, I was able to have an erection again, and have an orgasm, however now it was Dry Ejaculation. No Semen came out. The feeling was pretty much exactly the same orgasm though.
SUPPLEMENTS/ MEDICINE:
I currently take medicine to control the size of my Prostate, to keep it from enlarging again. I find this is really important to follow up with. I take FLOMAX- a prescription from my local urologist. And I take SUPER BETA PROSTATE- which is and herbal supplement, quite powerful, actually effective also to reduce the Prostate.
whew! it's a lot.
I might take a little break from all this now. hope that helps. Thanks,
Animus