Getting to grips... with the vacuum pump

The vacuum pump is one of the many treatments that can help men affected by prostate cancer to get erections again. We asked men to tell us how they got on with it and share tips and advice. Here's what they said:

• Don’t be too ambitious or impatient. Recovery times vary."
• "Practice, practice, practice! Initially try to set aside 10 minutes a few days a week for training. It is going to be worth it."
• "It works! A full erection does happen, though doesn’t always last long - after ten minutes mine diminishes but does not disappear. Better than nothing by far."
• "Experiment with different retaining ring tightness. A smear of lubricating gel around the base of the penis, on the pump’s rubber insert and on the retaining ring(s) provides a good seal."
• "There are different sized rubber inserts and I had the gratifying, but silly, realisation that I needed the larger size when I couldn’t get my erection out of the pump! However, all I had to do was release the pressure."
• "To get the right suction, I’d recommend shaving the pubic hair."
• "I didn’t want to use it because of male pride but I kept remembering what my nurse told me; think of it as therapy."
• "Talk to your supplier, they normally provide sessions on how to use the pump."
• "The retaining rings clamp hard around the base of the penis and make sure that what goes up doesn’t come down."
• "I started using the pump a year after surgery. Within less than a month of daily exercising my penis had started to return to its normal texture and size."
• "We have a pause for pumpy before resuming the rumpy!"
• "Although we did achieve intercourse, my wife and I found setting up a bit of a turn-off."
• "Don’t put it on before foreplay, it has a time limit"