Topic
Ryan’s journey
Dr. Goldstein asked me to share the story of my son’s journey with ED. It is very hard to be brief, as so may things happened over the 9 year period that he was struggling with this very devastating physical and emotional condition. I know that I speak for every parent out there when I say that when one of our children is suffering in anyway, we suffer also. As parents, we want to fix things, make everything better for our children, regardless of their age.
Our son was seventeen when he was in a near fatal motor vehicle accident. He suffered 28 broken bones and a countless number of life threatening injuries. He was in the hospital for 3 months. He went from the trauma unit where he was on a ventilator for one week to the pediatric unit where he had several surgeries. He was then discharged to a rehabilitation facility where he remained for three months. He took his first step the day he was discharged. He had a couple of treatable medical conditions as the result, but at that point we assumed all was well physically. About a year later, our son came to us and told about his ED problem. He had already seen our general practitioner on his own and the doctor felt that it was time for him to see a urologist. As his mother and a nurse educator, I was the most upset that he had been dealing with this devastating problem on his own.
We were referred to a local Urologist. He was terrible. He barely examined our son and gave him a dismal prognosis. I knew a Pediatric Urologist at a large teaching hospital who referred us to another Urologist at the same hospital. He did various tests and referred us to Dr. Goldstein, who we were told was “the best” in the field. “The Best” we all found out later is an understatement! Three years had gone by now, and our son was not able to get a full erection making having sex difficult and starting relationships at that age impossible( through his eyes). This physical problem consequently caused much frustration and depression.
We saw Dr. G. who was at that time practicing in Boston, MA. Our first impression was not that of so many MDs. He is extremely friendly, kind and most of all compassionate. We felt an instant connection. He performed various tests and examinations and concluded that a broken pelvic bone was most likely the cause. He also concluded that a punctured valve caused the blood to leak out of the penis, the possible cure would be a penile implant. The other possible cause was a blockage, that was most likely caused by a blood clot in the pelvic region of which the possible cure would be a bypass. Dr. G. wanted further self testing to be done at home to help him further confirm his diagnosis. We visited Dr.G. a second time and further testing was done. With each visit we all felt closer to Dr. G. He explains everything in terms that we can understand and is always eager to answer any questions. Throughout this dismal period Dr. G. always gave us hope. We all need hope.
During our son’s third visit, Dr.G. performed bypass surgery.
After the bypass surgery our son was having the same problem as before. He became more depressed, as he felt that he would suffer from ED forever. He was busy finishing up college and was now entering his last year of law school and 4 years had past. We encouraged him to see Dr. G. again. We discovered that he had moved his practice to San Diego. Our son contacted him, and of course, he was pleased that Dr. G. remembered him well. Again, that differentiates Dr. G. from the rest, he genuinely cares and you feel it. That is very important throughout such a surgery. We went out to his new practice in beautiful San Diego. I must say that his office in San Diego is much more pleasant than in Boston. The hospital is smaller and “warmer,” the area is beautiful and it left all with many wonderful scenic memories as well! In Boston it was a shared practice and was attached to the hospital. It was a “colder” feeling, from the office and office staff standpoint ONLY. Dr. Goldstein is always the same! Dr. Goldstein now recommended a penile implant as the solution to the problem. Dr. Goldstein was very positive and even made some light hearted comments about how “good” our son’s sex life would be after the implant! One thing that all involved must come to realize is that sex is a normal human need and function. Dr.G. speaks very openly and honestly about this, just as a cardiologist would if you had a heart problem. That makes him the wonderful doctor that he is and everyone involved will benefit in the end!
We all returned for the penile implant surgery. Of course it was performed successfully by Dr. G., who even did his own skin prep, helped our son to the bathroom and gave us all of the reassurance that we needed. He would call our Motel room and always encouraged us to call him for anything. As a Registered Nurse myself, I have never met anyone like him!
It has been one year since our son’s penile implant. Our son, once again, has a fulfilling sexual life.
I would like to end this by saying that parents love their children so much and would never want them to go through this journey alone.Once the topic is on the table, it may be somewhat embarrassing at first, but it is no different than any other medical problem. I feel that the emotional support of a loved one is critical. I highly encourage anyone with such a problem to contact Dr. Irwin Goldstein.