Viagra user says his ‘month-long’ erection left him impotent after doctors ‘mutilated’ his penis to fix side effect caused by the drug
- Nat Thind took one dose of Viagra in June like he had done many times before
- He ended up with priapism – a long-lasting and painful erection
- He claims doctors tried to subside his erection for days but were clueless
- The erection went away naturally, by which point his penis was damaged
A Viagra user says he is now impotent after doctors ‘mutilated’ his penis to fix his ‘month-long’ erection.
Nat Thind, 26, bought Viagra over-the-counter in June, having previously used the drug several times in the past without any issues.
But the electrician rushed straight to hospital when his erection wouldn’t subside and became painful, a condition known as priapism.
Mr Thind, from Havant, Hampshire, claims doctors tried a number of methods to relieve him of his erection over three days – but none worked.
Eventually, surgery using a blade to drain the blood was the only option. But Mr Thind claims doctors ‘didn’t really know what they were doing’.
Mr Thind’s erection finally went away naturally, but he has been left with possible permanent damage.
Nat Thind, 26, bought a Viagra pill over the counter in June and now says he is impotent after doctors ‘mutilated’ his penis to fix a month-long erection
The electrician’s erection wouldn’t subside and become agonising, a condition known as priapism. Doctors tried to treat him for three days
Writing on a GoFundMe page, Mr Thind said: ‘In the months following and through speaking to other doctors, I have found that they did not really know what they were doing and it turns out they just “had a go”.
‘In their attempts at surgery they caused severe nerve damage.
‘As a result I am now left with a mutilated penis, a numb tip, the inability to get an erection or achieve orgasm, random shooting and burning pains and penile fibrosis.
‘Going from having a healthy sex life to no sex life is devastating and is taking its toll on relationships. It is most definitely not easy living with this dark secret that I feel so ashamed of.’
Mr Thind took the recommend dose of one Viagra pill on June 17 like he had done many times before, according to Daily Star. His relationship status is unclear.
The manufacturers of Viagra, Pfizer, say one in 1,000 people who take the pill will have a ‘prolonged and sometimes painful erection’, pharmacist Superdrug says.
Priapism is when an erection lasts more than four hours, and occurs when the blood that has flowed into the penis and created the erection is unable to flow out again.
Doctors reportedly made two failed attempts to drain the blood from his member using needles, as well as giving him aspirin and blood thinners.
Finally they used a surgical stunt, which is generally used when drugs have failed to work.
Shunting, done under general anaesthetic, creates an escape route for the trapped blood to return to the normal circulation.
It involves putting one or more large needles or a scalpel through the head of the penis to remove clotted blood and to create a route back into the normal circulation.
Up to one in ten patients will have difficulty getting an erection after this procedure, according to The British Association of Urological Surgeons.
Mr Thind said he has been left with permanent nerve damage and the inability to get an erection. He said his penis has been left ‘mutilated’ by doctors
WHAT IS VIAGRA?
Viagra was developed in 1998 by accident, after scientists discovered it had benefits for sufferers of erectile dysfunction.
Manufactured by Pfizer, the magic blue pills are taken by more than one million men in Britain each year, figures suggest.
Most users are in their early to mid 50s, but younger people are starting to take the drugs more often, the pharmaceutical previously said.
Until 2013, only the US drug giant had permission to make the pills – costing on average £21.27 for a pack of four.
But since its patent expired, rivals have made generic versions containing the same active ingredient, priced at around £1.45 for the same amount of capsules.
Celebrities such as Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy magazine, and Hollywood actors Ben Affleck and Ashton Kutcher have previously admitted using Viagra.
The risk of permanent issues is higher the longer the priapism has persisted, and some patients will require implants to ever have an erection again.
Mr Thind said his penis later returned to a flaccid state naturally, but he is now impotent.
He said: ‘I have been living with this for almost four months now, trying to get help and get the treatment I need to get back to a normal life through the NHS, the health service we pay our taxes and national insurance for.
‘It is taking its toll on me mentally as well as physically.’
To try and treat Mr Thind’s impotence, he has reportedly been prescribed Viagra to ‘see how things go’.
But he is looking to travel abroad to pay for treatment, including vascular reconstruction, nerve reconstruction and penile reconstruction.
He is keen to try an experimental treatment that uses his own fat derived stem cells to regenerate the damaged parts of his penis.
He said: ‘I am planning to see a specialist at Ghent University Hospital at my own expense, the NHS are not forthcoming with any help whatsoever.
‘I am planning to see a specialist at a state hospital in Munich, again at my own expense.’
Mr Thind said on October 5 he had undergone one minor operation to try and ‘fix things’, but he won’t know for a few months whether this will effective.
He told The Star: ‘There’s no point in me being depressed about what’s happened.’
MailOnline have contacted Pfizer for comment.
WHAT IS PRIAPISM?
Priapism is a long-lasting painful erection which can cause permanent damage to your penis if not treated quickly, including scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction.
Priapism can occur in all age groups, including newborns. However, it usually affects men in two different age groups: between the ages of 5 and 10, and 20 and 50.
The condition develops when blood in the penis becomes trapped and is unable to drain.
There are two types of priapism: low-flow and high-flow.
Low-flow priapism: This is the result of blood being trapped in the erection chambers. It often occurs without a known cause in men who are otherwise healthy, but it also affects men with sickle-cell disease, leukemia (cancer of the blood), or malaria.
High-flow priapism: This is more rare and is usually not painful. It is the result of a ruptured artery from an injury to the penis or the perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus), which prevents blood in the penis from circulating normally.
Causes
Priapism most commonly affects people with sickle cell disease.
Less common causes include blood-thinning medicines, like warfarin, some antidepressants, recreational drugs – like cannabis and cocaine – some medicines for high blood pressure, other blood disorders, like thalassaemia and leukaemia and some treatments for erection problems.
Malignant priapism, which is secondary to cancer, is rarely reported and has poor outcomes.
It occurs when the cancer causes the penis to become rigid and can only be relieved when the cancer is treated.
An erection that lasts longer than four hours is known as priapism and is a medical emergency.
Do:
- try to urinate
- have a warm bath or shower
- drink lots of water
- go for a gentle walk
- try exercises such as squats or running on the spot
- take painkillers like paracetemol if you need to
Don’t
- do not apply ice packs or cold water to your penis – this can make things worse
- do not have sex or masturbate – it won’t make your erection go away
- do not drink alcohol
- do not smoke
The goal of all treatment is to make the erection go away and preserve the ability to have erections in the future, and may include surgical ligation, intravenous injection and surgical shunt.
Source: NHS and Cleveland Clinic
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