Up and Ready to Go

He was up and ready to go!

In the years since a certain prescription medicine became available so many things have changed in our society and in the medical field, and it has increased ER visits. 

I worked in two different ERs over the years and I saw the cases I am about to discuss at both, plus I talked to many of my medical worker friends, both nurses and doctors who spoke of cases they had seen as well.

The first patient I saw who came in with this problem was a middle aged man. He had rough scaly skin and unruly looking hair, plus the grimace on his face was one of intense discomfort. He was in some real pain and it was very obvious that he had an erection. His problem was caused by Viagra. He said; "At first it was fantastic!" He added, "But  the erection would not go down!"  "Long after the pleasure was over, she was zonked out and I was miserable as the time ticked on the pain built up. I was NOT going to the ER with this problem. I waited and waited until almost 6 hours had passed and there was no relief."

He had Priapism, which we have seen a lot in the ER. It is very uncomfortable and if not treated it can be very serious, even causing permanent issues. 

The  possiblity of getting Priapism is explained on all of the Viagra and Cialis commercials that you see on TV, “If you have an erection that last longer than 4 hours, go to the nearest ER.”  If you watch TV at all I am sure you have seen these warnings.

Believe me this does happen and it happens more often than you might think. Some men are so miserable by the time they decide they must go to the ER to get relief, it has reached a serious point.

It is really not funny, but I have to admit we have had late night discussions at work about the things that are funny associated with these patients. First of all we know immediately what brought them here as soon as we see them standing out in the ER waiting room. It is quite obvious and often they are actually holding their hands on this poor aching appendage.

There are procedures in place to correct the problem but if it goes over 8 hours without correction, some permanent damage is likely, including impotence.

Besides priapism, there are other issues caused by Viagra and Cialis that now appear on a regular basis in most ERs. This other problem includes heart attacks or heart palpitations or light- headedness to the point of passing out. We see younger and younger men who are coming in with their hearts racing or sometimes heart attacks due to the effects of this drug.

For some reason men do not want to admit to the doctor upfront that they took a pill to fix erectile dysfunction. I understand that because, female employees in the ER are right there and they are embarrassed. My advice is when it comes to severe pain and misery, throw that embarrassment out the window and talk straight to the ER staff. 

Unfortunately, when asked about that along with all of the other questions, they choose to deny it. It is extremely important to swallow your pride and be honest anytime you come to the ER. You are the one who takes all the risks, if  you hide things from the medical people who are trying to help.

There are an alarming number of men who already have pre-existing problems like high blood pressure, yet they ignore the warning on their viagra bottle, “if you are on certain blood pressure medicines, DO NOT USE this product” 

Some of them have told us they decided to create a work around by stopping their blood pressure medicine for a day or two and thereby making it ok (in their minds) to take the Viagra. In other words it was worth risking their lives to correct their erectile dysfunction for an evening.

I have had them call me to their bedside, as they look up at me in a panic, they will ask me to please go back and tell the physician that they lied and did in fact take the Viagra.

Men are funny creatures, I know women are unpredictable and strange too. But when it comes to sex, men are predictable. If they find out there is a drug that makes their man parts perform better and longer, they are going to walk, run, drive, push, pull or crawl to get it. Side effects, even serious ones, do not deter them.

I once heard a bit by Jay Leon shortly after Viagra went on the market. He said, “A guy can read on the side of that bottle, your head will ignite and go up in flames, yet that means nothing to them, as long as it says it will fix erectile dysfunction and increase the length of time of an erection, they don’t care at all about any side effects!” They are standing there like a kid recieving a long awaited toy as you are explaining how to safely play with the toy, they are jumping up and down saying, "Ok, Ok, Ok just give it to me!"

I realize this is a widely used product and probably pretty safe, but it is important as with any new toy, that you follow the instructions and play safe...You don't want your head to ignite and go up in flames do you?