Sometimes love really does hurt! Various outlets are reporting a 66-year-old senior from Columbia had his penis removed due to complications resulting from an intentional overdose of the erectile dysfunction (ED) medication, Viagra. According to an article by The Independent published on Sept. 23, 2013, Gentil Ramírez Polanía was trying to make a "big" impression on his new girlfriend. Instead, the farmer and former politician ended up with a painful erection that lasted for days.
According to the Mirror, Polania sought medical attention at a nearby hospital for his painful situation:
"When I got there, they said there was nothing they could do so I went home, but it didn't get any better. I suffered for a while but I couldn't cope anymore and got a bus to a bigger hospital in Neiva."
Upon inspection, his "member" was not only inflamed, it was fractured and showed signs of gangrene! (Gangrene is the "death of body tissue due to lack of blood flow or bacterial infection" which typically affects a person's extremities, according to Mayo Clinic.) In order to keep the gangrene from spreading to other parts of the body, doctors allegedly removed the penis.
Dr. Antonio Correa Luna told La Nacion newspaper, "The patient showed bruising on the testicles and penis, was treated and is recovering well." No word on how the romantic relationship is coming along!
Viagra was the first oral medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat ED and has been prescribed for more than 22 million men. If a prolonged erection occurs after taking an ED medication, immediate medical assistance is required to avoid "long-term injury."
UPDATE: La Nacion is reporting that the penis in question was not amputated and is still intact after invasive surgery.
