He was close to 90 years old and came to see me wondering whether he could still have sex. A widower for several decades, he had just met a “younger” woman, a sprite 75 year old, and he was feeling things he hadn’t felt for years. There was fire in his loins.
What impressed me most about him was how young he looked. A retired graphic designer, he loved what he did and had a great career doing it. He stayed fit and stayed involved and had taken great care of himself through the years and was, essentially, the picture of health. And, to boot, he had a sex drive after all those years, another good sign.
Although I know that the chance of having significant erectile dysfunctionis essentially age minus 10 years as men get older, it’s also true that about 1 out of every 4 men his age are still having sex in America. It just didn’t seem like he would have any issues.
Sure enough, I checked him out hormonally and metabolically and he passed with flying colors. I told him “you should be fine as you take the next steps with your partner” and offered him a tincture of the erectogenic medication known as “vitamin V”. Just in case.
He called me two weeks later having spent a glorious weekend with his partner. He was bubbling over with joy and said “Doc, I haven’t had sex like that since as long as I can remember! I didn’t think it was possible anymore! You are the best.”
What he didn’t realize was that he made my day too. For I believe that whomever has lived eight or nine decades, through a good chunk of American history, has things kinda worked out. If, after all of this experience, something matters, then it probably really matters. And for sex to bubble to the top after a long life means it’s got to be pretty important in the scheme of things. I have nothing but respect for this old soldier and would do whatever I could to keep things running as long and strong as he wants.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Turek’s blog.
