A B.C. man is suing his hometown hospital, alleging that his sex life is in shambles after undergoing surgery to repair his injured penis.
Filed in Kelowna Supreme Court, the lawsuit lists Kelowna General Hospital, Interior Health and a doctor as the defendants.
The man, whom Global News is not identifying, says his penis was injured during a mountain-biking accident in the spring of 2020, but that he was still able to engage in intercourse with his wife with little or no pain.
In an 11-page court document filed on April 11, the man says he suffered a suspensory-ligament injury in his penis, causing it to bend to the right slightly, but caused no pain.
Following the accident, he met with a surgeon who advised him that he should undergo a suspensory ligament attachment surgery to correct the lean to the right.
However, the surgeon said he had only conducted a surgery like this just once, and that was on a cadaver.
The man was also told he suffered from thrombosis, and that it needed to heal before undergoing surgery.
“In the months leading up to the surgery, the plaintiff was able to hold an erection and fully engage in and enjoy sexual intercourse with his spouse without experiencing any pain,” reads the civil claim.
On April 22, 2022, the man visited KGH, with a nurse advising him that he’d be undergoing a division operation.
The man disagreed, saying he wasn’t supposed to undergo that type of operation, and needed suspension ligament reattachment surgery instead.
But the man was told to contact the surgeon, and the nurse also advised him to get a prescription for his anxiety.
The man says he phoned the surgeon’s office, but the receptionist told him the doctor would call him the afternoon before the surgery. The return call allegedly never happened.
- RCMP arrests alleged hitmen accused of killing B.C. Sikh leader
- Fall COVID-19 vaccine guidelines are out. Here’s what NACI recommends
- Some 2019 candidates ‘appeared willing’ to engage with foreign interference: Hogue inquiry
- Thousands of Canada’s rail workers have a strike mandate. What happens now?
On April 27, the man checked into KGH for his surgery. He again asked a nurse to see the surgeon and was told the doctor would see him within an hour prior to the operation.
“The plaintiff was wheeled into the surgery room, and there were many nurses in the room, which he had not been warned of,” says the civil claim. “Considering the surgery he was about to have, he was extremely embarrassed and ashamed.”
The court document says the surgeon entered the room only minutes before the operation, with the man — strapped down and ready for surgery — explaining to him that he was about to do the wrong procedure.
“The plaintiff started to cry, and, the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the recovery room with his penis bandaged up,” reads the civil claim.
“He was completely in shock and upset and discovered that the defendant had done a completely different surgery than the plaintiff had consented to,” reads the civil claim.
“And instead of doing a suspension ligament reattachment surgery, he did complete a division surgery.”
The man says as a result of that surgery, he suffered a deformed penis.
“This deformity caused the plaintiff immense pain and suffering, and he was required to have additional surgery to repair the damage that was caused to his penis,” reads the civil claim.
“The plaintiff continues to suffer from pain, emotional distress and can no longer hold an erection and/or engage in or enjoy intercourse with his spouse without immense pain and discomfort.”
The civil claim did not have a financial amount the plaintiff was seeking, but instead said he was seeking general damages, special damages plus past and future health-care costs.
Global News has reached out to Interior Health for comment.
In an email, Interior Health said it’s unable to comment on matters before the court.
Comments