Your SCI has most likely changed your sexual function. This can be changes in sensation, the ability to achieve orgasm, or the ability to get and maintain an erection.
For many men, having an erection is one of the first questions on their minds. Erections are a combination of nerve stimulation touch and a vascular blood flow response. Changes in sexual function depend on level of injury and if the injury is complete or incomplete.
Each person's function will be affected differently, so it is important to understand the basics of how erections happen. Like many other functions, ejaculation is affected by SCI. The process of ejaculation is even more complex than an erection. Very few men with a complete SCI have ejaculations.
Sometimes the spinal cord injury prevents the bladder neck from closing and semen will go into the bladder instead of out of the penis — this is called retrograde ejaculation.
Retrograde ejaculation does not cause harm to you and the semen comes out with your urine. Even if you think you are not able to ejaculate, there is still a chance that some semen may come out.
You will still need to use birth control if you do not want to have children. Your specific ability to have an orgasm after SCI is unknown but many people report they are able to have some form of orgasm after their injury.
How that orgasm will feel or how your body will react is really up to you to explore and find out. There are many parts of your body that can feel good and provide a pleasant sexual response. These areas of the body are called the erogenous zones and are not only in the genital area. Using all of your senses can also be helpful. Instead of focusing on what the penis can and cannot do, try experimenting with all of your senses.
Fears over changes in your sexual function after SCI decrease as you become more comfortable with your body. The more aware you are of your sexuality, the better you will be able to satisfy your partner. You may find there are other parts of sexuality that you and your partner enjoy more.
The physical act of sex may not be as important as other aspects of sexuality. Autonomic dysreflexia AD : AD is a rise in blood pressure resulting from a stimulus below your level of injury.
You are at risk if you have an injury at T6 and above. If you experience AD symptoms during sex, immediately stop the activity. Put yourself into a sitting position. Be sure you have also removed all tight clothing, binders and compression hoses.
If this does not stop the AD symptoms, call your medical provider or Generally, the AD symptoms will stop after the activity stops. You may want to discuss AD with your health care provider prior to having sex to develop a plan in case it occurs. Speak with your provider further to get more education on this medication. All men should have yearly exams of the penis, prostate and testicles.
This exam will monitor for changes, problems and cancer. When you call to schedule an appointment, ask if the office and examination table are wheelchair accessible. Also ask if staff members can assist with transfers, positioning and preparation for the exam. It is still possible to get sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, syphilis and AIDS.
Remember to use protection! Download PDF Version. After a spinal cord injury, many individuals may experience some loss of sexual function at or below the level of their injury. What is human sexuality? They may refer you to a hospital specialist for more tests if they're unsure what's causing your symptoms.
These problems could be a sign of something serious that needs to be treated in hospital straight away. Paralysis can have a big impact on your life, but support is available to help you live as independently as you can and have the best possible quality of life.
Page last reviewed: 18 November Next review due: 18 November Brain Injury. Finding Treatment. Legal Options. About Us. Learn More About SpinalCord. Contact Us. Copyright All Rights Reserved.
Spinal Cord, Inc. Sponsored by Swope, Rodante P. Getting activity where I have to breath harder, and singing are great exercises for my weak respiratory muscles. Many of us are on disability obviously because we are paralyzed, but there is more to it than that.
Anytime the central nervous system has been compromised, you tire out very quickly. That is why when you suffer from a concussion, you want to sleep. A stroke, a brain injury, a severe concussion, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord damage…these are all things that affect the central nervous system. If you were to hike uphill all day long, you would reach the top exhausted. The time it takes you to reach a level of exhaustion happens very quickly for us.
A day out for me, which is so wonderful, would be equivalent to you taking 3 days in a row of non-stop activity.
To me, this is one of the most frustrating parts of paralysis. I love to be busy and active and my body just will not let me. I try so hard and it wins. Learning to budget my energy has been the thing that I cannot seem to figure out. I am doing better, but I always think I am the Energizer bunny or something. In reality, I am a cheap brand. Because of the energy levels, and many of the other hidden issues, it is very hard to work a full-time job.
It is hard to predict what our day will look like. When will we have an accident and need to go home and shower? Are there colds going around that could land us in the hospital because we struggle with a common cold? Will I wake up with another UTI?
Do I have the energy to work that many days in a row? These are very real questions for us. There are those out there that feel that drawing a disability check is the greatest thing in the world. It is a blessing, but we would love to have the health to work like we once did. I am just happy to be a mom and be alive for my children. My kids are pretty glad about that too. It can be as devastating as the physical side. I will write about this separately. They are not bitter cripples.
Aside from fatigue and stamina issues, which i agree are very real when you have a spinal cord injury, what almost nobody understands for me is the timing of everything. I have to plan my life around my disabilities. Thank you for your blog. My husband has been in a wheelchair now for 10 years and I am learning things from what you wrote that I never knew before. Of course vomiting is difficult and causes a great deal of back pain, but its a natural reaction to intense pain.
0コメント