Shakespeare was right when he said life is just one decision after another. Free will is one of those mixed blessings. We would not know if an external force had laid down our history when we were born, but we could just drift through life never having to take responsibility for anything. As it is, we get to decide everything from when we get up in the morning, what clothes to wear and, the big decisions like what to eat for breakfast. In almost every case, we are selfish. We decide to do what pleases us the most. Inevitably, there are times we think about other people and, if they are important to us, we can include them in our decisions (so long as it does not cost us too much, of course). But true altruism is rare. We praise those who are self-sacrificing as heroes and are thankful we never have to do the same.

So, when it comes to decisions about surgery, we are balancing many different factors. Assuming the physicians are honest with us about the risks, we fear some consequences more than others. Yes, the operation itself can go wrong. There may be complications and unwanted side effects. But if serious incapacity and death are the alternatives, we probably favor having the operation. Take cancer as an example. It's usually fatal so most people opt to have as much of it cut out as possible, followed by radio - or chemotherapy. But when the growth is in the prostate, the decision gets more complicated. Here, we are suddenly talking about the risk of impotence as the unwanted side effect. No matter how skilled the surgeon, once you open up the prostate and see the extent of the growth (benign or malignant), starting to cut can slice through muscles and nerve endings. This can affect the ability to produce an erection. Tumors in this part of the body are most common among older men. It's a statistical fact that, in many cases, old age is likely to be the cause of death and not the growth. So when it comes to a decision on whether to have surgery and risk the loss of erections, many men decide not to have the surgery. They prefer to remain sexually active for as long as possible.

This may work for the older men, but the younger the man the more probable the growth will prove painful and, in the end, fatal. The most recent research shows men who use levitra following prostate surgery are likely to regain sexual power. This confirms the reputation of levitra as the most powerful of the three drugs currently available to treat erectile dysfunction. That said, the main qualification is that men must attempt to resume sexual activity as soon as possible after the surgery. Delay means the muscles are less likely to knit back together and erections will fail. So, with this drug proving itself, there is a new incentive for younger men to go through the diagnostic procedures and, if the growth is malignant, have the surgery. It is still a difficult decision, but a longer life with active sex is a good incentive.