长期糖尿病倡导和媒体个性Benno Schmidt记得他认为他正常性生活的日子已经结束了。
他在40岁的40年代初，在那一点上大约二十年来患有1型糖尿病，虽然Benno听到了许多并发症，并且在他眼中经历了视网膜病变，但他困扰着他的并发症勃起功能障碍（ED）。当然，糖尿病患者社区中甚至在医生的办公室中，它当然是其中一个较少讨论的主题。经常经常，它完全忽略或仅在喘气的音调中提到。
June isMen’s Health Month, so a particularly fitting time to share Benno’s story. His message of hope may resonate with far more men in the D-Community than we realize.
Common But Hidden
根据国家卫生研究院（NIH），
什么导致风险较高，你可能会想知道？好吧，工作中有许多因素，但是对于men with diabetes it often boils downto damage to nerves, blood vessels, and muscle function — often impacted in men the longer they live with diabetes and especially for those with higher blood sugars over time. There are often psychological aspects that come into play when diagnosing ED too, which is why it’s so crucial to talk with our doctors about this.
Despite the prevalence of ED, too few of us are willing to share sexual performance issues when they materialize, so they often go undiscussed. That leaves many guys who face fears and concerns about “提升” without much peer support to rely on. Heck, even talking to spouses and significant others can be a seemingly insurmountable roadblock, especially for married couples who are hoping to have children together.
That’s where Benno’s story comes in, s it’s the journey with ED that he faced for many years.
Benno的故事：糖尿病，勃起功能障碍和抑郁症
你可以认出来Benno的名字and face as a media personality and Emmy-nominated journalist, whose resume includes prominent work onCNN，NBC，ABC，CBS，60分钟以及他多年举办CNBC展示D-Life(which is no longer on air) along with fellow D-peeps Nicole Johnson, Jim Turner, and Mother Love.
在他20岁的大学生大学生年龄诊断为T1D，Benno在多年慢慢逐渐陷入困境，逐渐恶化。虽然ed可以成为一些男人的永久性，但它经常能够得到对待 - 这就是截止日试过的，一旦他决定解决这个并发症。
他转向处方药，通常被称为Ed：伟哥，Cialis，Adcirca和的一线治疗other related meds。They worked, for a while. Then he turned to other options to help increase blood flow to get and maintain an erection, including suppository treatments, and later injections. As before, they worked initially but eventually petered out.
“这是一个缓慢的演变，到我刚刚没有功能的地方，”他说。
Eventually, Benno says he began to accept a reality of not having conventional sex and not being able to naturally father any children.
He vividly remembers the feeling of not wanting to have the conversation, in his own marriage or with his medical care team. He just wasn’t comfortable having the conversation with anyone. And the topic made him depressed, something that also runs in his family.
It’s just sex, he recalls telling himself.
Of course, Benno now realizes his mindset at the time was a faulty one, because one’s sex life impacts so many other parts of life — particularly when it comes to diabetes where everything is interconnected. In hindsight, Benno recognizes that experiencing ED affected all aspects of his physical health and led to depression, that in turn made D-management even more challenging than normal.
这一切都过去了几年，贝诺说，直到他发现通过他的专业工作作为电视节目D-Life的主持人。他能够遇到一个纽约糖尿病专家，他们告诉他直接：“你不必那样生活。还有希望。”
2013年11月，Benno接受了一个penile implant surgery并接受永久替代品，使用泵使用泵恢复功能。他很漂亮，这是一个最后的治疗胜地，一旦你植入了一旦植入，就不会回来。虽然手术和植入物并不便宜，但本纳认识到他很幸运能够拥有涵盖程序的大部分成本的保险。与医疗保健和糖尿病的大多数事情一样，您的保险范围可能会有所不同，并且还有金融援助计划，以便这样的程序。
But it was worth every penny, Benno says. Within a couple of years of the surgery, the miracle surprise for Benno and his wife was welcoming their son, who is now almost 4 years old!
“这对我来说是一个真正的生活变化，我只是以为我从来没有拥有过的祝福，作为一个患有这个糖尿病的人，”Benno说。
寻找与勃起功能障碍生活的支持
Benno now knows that his ED journey isn’t unique — especially with the odds so high for men with diabetes to experience this complication. But so many just don’t talk about it or even get treatment.
That’s why he’s chosen to share his story publicly, to encourage other men to discuss this. He emphasizes the importance of talking frankly not only with your significant other, but also with healthcare professionals and even other men with diabetes who are willing to share. Specifically, Benno suggests the following:
- 不要忽视它。您可能不想与医疗保健专业人士交谈，但它尽早解决了一个重要的话题。医生并不总是问ed，所以你可能必须先把它提升。
- Even with “good” A1Cs and in-range blood sugars, ED can still happen and it most likely won’t cure itself (provided it’s physical and not a mental-related problem).
- After talking to your own doctor and care team, consider consulting a urologist for a deeper dive into your specific symptoms and what treatment options might be best.
- 不要隔离自己并埋葬关于这种特殊糖尿病并发症的感受。与您所爱的人/配偶/重要的其他关于ED的谈话至关重要！
- Find support, whether it’s in the form of a loved one/significant other or peer support online or IRL. “There’s all kinds of help out there,” Benno says.
Benno在像这样的地方分享他的信息edcure.org.in the hopes of connecting with other men who may be hesitant to talk about this issue or connect with others who can offer support or advice. That is one site that shares “real stories” from men experiencing ED, whether they live with diabetes or not. Other resources that can be found through Google search includemen’s health forums, posts dealing with与相关的婚姻困境， 这wife’s firsthand POV，加上如何的提示最适合遇到ed的合作伙伴。
That kind of resource is what Benno was missing at the beginning of his ED journey, and it’s something he regrets not seeking out earlier.
“This is not a luxury,” he said. “This is a quality of life issue. Talk about this just like you would any other diabetes complication. Work sexual function into those conversations — just like you would with eyesight or nerve damage, or if you needed a heart fix or knee repair — in order to be healthy and happy in life.”