'BLOWN AWAY'
I got my first erection in 27 years while watching Lady Chatterley’s Lover – it was mind-blowing
Robert tried all sorts of pills, injections and pumps to help give his sex life a boost - then he finally found the answer
A MAN got his first organic erection in almost three decades after using a breakthrough gadget to treat erectile dysfunction.
Robert Haliburton, 70, had suffered from ED from the age of 43 and was "blown away" when he suddenly got one while watching .
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Having problems getting or maintaining an erection is particularly common in men over 40, and will often be caused by factors such as stress and tiredness, or conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.
But for Robert - a retired chartered accountant living just outside of Ottawa, Canada - the cause of ED was slightly more dramatic.
In 1997, the dad-of-two fell off a roof and fractured two vertebrae.
He endured a long and painful recovery, realising afterwards that he struggled to get or maintain an erection.
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In an effort to reignite his sex life with wife Deanna, Robert turned to pills, penile injections and pumps - but described suffering from ED as "a huge emotional breakdown".
The couple's efforts at rekindling their intimacy were sadly complicated when Deanna was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.
Robert devoted himself to caring for her until she passed away from the disease in 2021.
The retiree - who now spends his mornings and afternoons driving school buses - came across the ED-busting device this year through a YouTube video.
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After five sessions, he had his first spontaneous erection in almost three decades - while watching Lady Chatterley's Lover on Netflix.
He now frequently experiences morning erections in a way he hasn't since he was a teen and describes the results as "surreal".
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While he has no desire to seek another lover after losing his wife of over 40 years, Robert wants to spread his story far and wide - describing speaking about his experience with ED as a form of community service.
"With so many men experiencing ED at some point in their lives, it shouldn’t be a taboo topic," the granddad says.
"I am not embarrassed to speak about it.
"In fact, I’m keen to share my story if it means I can help others."
'If you don't use it you lose it'
Until the age of 43, Robert "was quite physically fit" and enjoyed a “very satisfying sex life” with his wife.
But while living in Toronto in 1997, he suffered a serious accident that resulted in two broken vertebrae and a long road to recovery.
"I fell off a roof - and I wasn't playing Santa Claus or anything trying to get down the chimney," Robert tells Sun Health.
"I fractured two vertebrae in my back and I was basically out of commission for about 14 months."
His accident triggered a whole host of "physical issues".
He slept in a bed in the living room as he couldn't get to the bedroom upstairs and he was in so much pain that his wife had to put his socks on for him.
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"Just trying to function was very difficult, so the luxury of intimacy with my late wife just wasn't possible," Robert recalls.
"There's an expression, 'If you don't use it, you lose it'. I think that applies here.
"For 14 months, the thought of ED really didn't cross my mind because physically, I could not be intimate.
"And then came the realisation, 'It's not working anymore'.
"It was discouraging, it really was."
In 1999, Robert had a series of blood tests done at a men's sexual health clinic, which revealed that he had hypothyroidism.
Also known as an under-active thyroid, this is when the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormones.
Low sex drive is a common symptom, as are tiredness, weight gain and depression.
Robert says: "Every strike was against me - first was the damage to my body, then there was hypothyroidism."
He was able to address his thyroid condition through medication and embarked on a journey of various chemical treatments to rejuvenate his sex life.
'Emotional breakdown'
Back in 1999, Robert first turned to Viagra. The little blue pills were effective in sorting out the couple's bedroom woes - until, four years later, they weren't.
Next, Robert tried erection-boosting injections that increase blood flow to the penis, which he says "really worked".
But using the jabs meant sex had to be planned in advance and they left Robert in pain afterwards.
He describes it as such: "If you were a sedentary person and went out and did a one-mile run, you would ache.
"When you're not having morning erections on a regular basis, the muscles and tissue are not used to all of a sudden being imploded into this immense rush of blood.
"I tended to ignore that because of the excitement of the moment and then afterwards my penis hurt for about two and a half hours.
"It did the job, but at what cost?"
I'm in my living room sitting on the couch and then all of a sudden - shwing! It came up
Robert Haliburton
While these treatment options offered him a short-term fix at the point of need, they didn't change the fact that Robert was unable to achieve an erection organically.
The emotional toll of ED was profound, impacting Robert’s self-esteem and confidence.
"Now I know why guys become grumpy old men," he says.
"Because, let's face it, every guy loves having a penis and when it doesn't work anymore it's a huge emotional breakdown.
"When you lose your ability to have an on-demand erection as a man, it really damages you - your ego and feeling of masculinity.
"It’s emotionally devastating. No one should have to experience loss of intimacy with a loved one."
Deanna remained compassionate and supportive throughout the whole process.
What is erectile dysfunction?
ERECTILE dysfunction - also known as impotence - is very common, especially in men over 40.
Erectile dysfunction is when you are either:
- Unable to get an erection
- Unable to keep an erection for long enough to have sex
Depending on the cause, you may still be able to get an erection at other times, such as when you wake up.
Sometimes you might also have low sex drive.
It's not usually the sign of something serious but you should speak to a GP about it, especially if it's causing you distress.
Possible causes include stress, tiredness, having too much booze, as well as some medicines.
But if your ED is persistent, it might be caused by:
- High blood pressure or high cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Depression or anxiety
- Hormone problems
"I knew I was blessed while I was married," Robert says, describing his late wife as “the gold standard of a life partner" and “the most wonderful wife a spouse could have”.
Deanna's devastating Alzheimer's diagnosis in January 2016 pushed intimacy down the couple's list of priorities and by 2017, all lovemaking had ceased.
Towards the end, they were just happy to be physically near each other.
"As her Alzheimer's progressed, we just had two Lay-Z-Boy chairs next to each other and we would just hold hands and watch TV," he says.
'Blown away'
It wasn't until three years after losing Deanna that Robert happened upon Vertica.
Having moved out of Toronto after retiring, he lives in a small town southwest of Canada's capital Ottawa.
In between his school bus shift, Robert tends to have time to kill and one afternoon in February this year he came across a YouTube video where a urologist mentioned Vertica.
Considering shelling out $300 on shockwave therapy sessions at a nearby clinic in Ottawa, Robert decided to take the plunge and spend $2,000 CAD on Vertica instead.
Released by Ohh-Med Medical in the UK last year, the games-console-like device retails for £1,275 and uses radiofrequency technology to regenerate the penis's erectile tissue and address the root causes of ED.
Users insert their member in the device, which gently "warms" and zaps it for half an hour with low frequency radiowaves to regenerate tissue.
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Ohh-Med claims Vertica has an 85 per cent success rate among users.
It recommends starting off with three sessions per week in the first month, before scaling down to two sessions per week in the second month and "maintenance treatments once a week" after that.
Beginning in March 2024, Robert took to using the device during his downtime in the afternoons - and was amazed by the results.
His ";turning point" came five sessions in, about two weeks after he received the device.
"I was watching Lady Chatterley's Lover on Netflix," he recalls.
"I'm in my living room sitting on the couch and then all of a sudden - shwing! It came up.
Just because there's snow on the roof, that doesn't mean there isn't a fire in the heart
Robert Haliburton
"I was just blown away that this happened.
"For 27 years I was on meds, so an erection was not spontaneous, it had to be induced, it had to be planned."
Robert was left feeling "apprehensive" that his first organic erection in almost three decades was a fluke - but sure enough, he achieved one again after his ninth Vertica session.
"Not only was I getting organic erections, I was starting to wake up with morning erections," he says.
While as a teenager, waking up with a "raging hard-on" might have been a pain, Robert says he now "accepts it with a sense of joy".
Used to waking up in the night with the urge to pee, the 70-year-old also noticed he was longer having to do that, which he attributes to Vertica.
He now dedicates half an hour a week for what he calls a "tune-up".
'Community service'
Robert describes the results as "surreal".
But living in an agricultural community where men shy away from talking about sex - let alone struggles with ED - Robert was left feeling like "there was nobody to tell" about this momentous development.
The grandad-of-three shared the news with his brother and nephew, but nobody else in his close circle.
What are the physical causes of erectile dysfunction?
There are four main types of physical condition that can cause impotence in men:
- Vasculogenic disorders such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes affect the flow of blood to your penis and cause erectile dysfunction.
- Neurogenic conditions, which affect the nerves and include disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, are also responsible.
- A hormonal disorder, affecting your hormones, is another example of a physical problem that can lead to impotence.
- An anatomical condition is something that affects the tissue or structure of the penis and is the fourth physical cause. Old age is also commonly associated with impotence.
Now, he wants to share his story more widely to help other ED sufferers.
"Being a believer in community service, I believe that it's my mission in life to share the good news," he says.
"I'm on this mission to help educate guys that there is hope out there."
'Fire in the heart'
After coming to terms with ageing and its effects on sexual health, Robert says being able to get an erection at the age of 70 has given him a "tremendous emotional uplift".
"I still marvel at having morning erections and organic erections," Robert says.
But he wishes his wife Deanna could have been here "to enjoy the intimacy that we used to have".
Robert has no interest in trying out his new-found sexual prowess with anyone else.
"I met my wife in grade seven. We first dated in high school on a trip to London of all places and the rest is history," he says.
"We were very connected - spiritually, emotionally - and we have two beautiful daughters.
"Intimacy is something we enjoyed and unfortunately she passed away.
"I have no desire whatsoever to re-partner and I will not have casual sex.
"I hope I don't sound too goopy. Having lost my wife, my mission is to make sure that although she's physically gone, I carry on the traditions of a really close relationship with our daughters and their families, their husbands, our grandchildren.
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"To introduce somebody else, that would just kill the dynamic.
"But just because there's snow on the roof, that doesn't mean there isn't a fire in the heart."
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