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An unfortunate man was told by doctors that his penis could “die” after he suffered pain and swelling to his groin for 36 hours, due to side-effect he sustained from coming off strong painkillers.

Elliott Rossiter, 41, was in “absolute agony” after he picked up a condition called priapism which engorged his genitals and caused a persistent erection which lasted for three days.

Mr Rossiter, who is an Occupational Therapist, had to undergo surgery in France to drain blood from the swelling, Bristol Live reports.

The Bristol man became reliant on the painkillers after sustaining a leg injury skiing. He was visiting a friend in Nice when the condition came on.

(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

'It was absolute agony'

Mr Rossiter said: “I have never experienced pain like it before. It was absolute agony and to be honest, I was terrified.

“I thought it would never go away. I have never experienced anything like it. It wouldn't stop throbbing.

“I couldn’t let any clothes touch it. That’s how painful it was."

Priapism is a prolonged erection of the penis not associated with sexual stimulation, which can cause permanent damage if not treated urgently.

"They basically said my penis would die if I didn’t have an operation," the 41-year-old added.

“The blood had just collected in my penis and wasn’t draining away. I was very scared by this point.

“I would like to have children at some point and when this happened I did wonder if I’d ever get the chance to.”

(Image: Tom Wren / SWNS)

He visited GPs there who injected him with steroids - but the swelling still refused to go down.

After an agonising 26 hours he was admitted to the hospital where surgeons warned his penis could 'die' and lose all function if he didn't have surgery.

Mr Rossiter had no choice but to let doctors cut a small hole to drain out the blood.

He was in France to a see a friend, who had invited him to visit while weaning himself off the painkillers, which Mr Rossiter said he had become addicted to.

Mr Rossiter became reliant on strong painkillers after tearing a ligament in his right leg while skiing in the French Alps, in 2012.

The injury took eight months to heal fully and he was prescribed codeine for the pain.

He also took oxycodone and morphine sulphate before eventually quitting in 2016.

(Image: Tom Wren/SWNS)

'I began to realise that my habits were an addiction'

Mr Rossiter said: “Even after the leg had healed I kept going back and saying I was in a lot of pain.

“I began to realise that my habits were an addiction and my life was revolving around them.

“I needed to change because I had gone crazy with the pills.”

Mr Rossiter underwent counselling and was approaching the final hurdle in his recovery when he went to Nice for a week in October 2016.

A former school friend asked him to visit her to take his mind off things, but within an hour of his arrival said he the condition came on with no warning.

He said: “We were all just sat around and it just came on. I tried to get rid of it but couldn’t.

“It wasn’t sexual in any way at all and I wasn’t feeling aroused.

“I’ve never had a problem like this before.

“I had to tell someone, but it was really embarrassing.

“I had only been there for about 90 minutes and it just appeared. I couldn’t get rid of it."

'Terrified'

After 19 hours, his friend took Mr Rossiter to see her local GP who gave him two rounds of anti-inflammatory and steroid injections, designed to reduce the swelling.

But when the injections failed, Mr Rossiter attended the local hospital.

Doctors at the Hospital Pasteur diagnosed Mr Rossiter with a priapism - a persistent erection.

Drug-induced priapism can occur when some men take a range of medicines.

Left untreated, it can cause serious complications because the blood trapped in the penis is deprived of oxygen, and can begin to damage or destroy tissue.

Mr Rossiter said surgeons had to cut a small hole in his penis to drain the blood after it pooled in the muscle.

He said he was “terrified” when doctors told him his penis needed operating on, and feared he may be left infertile.

“I could barely walk, I was doubled over. It was absolute agony”, said Mr Rossiter.

The surgery was successful and apart from being left with two small scars, Mr Rossiter has suffered no further ill-effects.

But in the immediate aftermath of the operation, Mr Rossiter said he was “scared to death” to get an erection again.

He said: “I was terrified to get one to begin with. I was definitely scared.

“But I was so relieved when I found out it was working as it should.

“I have never experienced anything like it and I don’t want to ever again.”