Today, I got a chance to talk to Simon Ellison 35, about over coming one of mans worst fears: 'Erectile Dysfunction' (ED).

EA:      Hiya Simon, Would you like to introduce yourself?

SE:     Certainly. I'm Simon Ellison I'm 35 years old and have been impotent for the last 6 years. 

EA:      29 seems fairly young?

SE:      Yes, but I blame it on my job. I'm in the Navy- very high up.  My job although very enjoyable- is very stressful.  It takes a lot out of me.  At the time I was married- I'm divorced now.  Due to work and ED my marriage went down hill.  Looking back- that could have been a good thing…(sighs) but it's still a shame.

EA:      How did your condition make you feel?

SE:      ED made me feel very weak.  I had no confidence- this feeling quickly spread to other parts of my life- my marriage and work began to suffer.  Everyone began to notice the change in me.

EA:            Weren't you scared?

SE:            Scared! Terrified more like! I couldn't understand why. Why me? I felt very angry and worried at the same time.  So confused…it felt like a part of me had died….

EA:             Worried…

SE:      I was worried about my wife……wondering when she would notice…..waiting for her to say something about the situation…wondering whether she'd go elsewhere

EA:      What was the worst thing for you about the situation?

SE:      I am a person who is highly energetic- I love to be involved in everything and anything is a challenge-I don't give up till I succeed.  Can you imagine what it was like finding out I was impotent? Finding that a part of me didn't work was so hard-and it happened when I was fairly young-that made the situation worst-it affected everything- my job, my outlook-I became highly depressed-I felt I had no one to talk to.  I became increasingly frustrated, both sexually and mentally.  I knew I needed to take action-but it was so hard…..but it got a lot easier as time went on…..

EA:      What was the first step you took?

SE:      The first and probably the hardest step I took was admitting the problem to myself- after I had admitted this I could then go on to help myself.

EA:      What about your partner?

SE:      After I had admitted it to myself, I then went on to admit it to Mandy, my wife.  This wasn't actually that hard- by this time the situation had got so bad she had realised that something pretty serious must be up. 

EA:      How did she react?

SE:      Mandy was fantastic.  We are still great, close friends.  We only divorced about 18 months ago. Mandy really supported me; she comforted me and totally took the lead.  This was exactly what I needed-She told that it didn't matter-I had done the hardest thing- admitting it her and myself and the rest would follow and fall into place.  

EA:      What happened next?

SE:      From this point on Mandy took charge of me and looked after me.  She told me that it didn't matter and that we were a team…..that together we would fight and sort out the problem.  Together we began researching into solutions…..We also went to see a councillor

EA:      Did that help you?

SE:      Yes, it did.  It enabled me to put the whole thing in proportion.  I realised that I wasn't the only open who was suffering there are many more out there-not as lucky as I was.  It also pointed me in the right direction.  The councillor gave us many pointers as to what step to take next.

EA:      What was that next step?

SE:      Mandy and I began researching on the Internet. I'd heard of Viagra-but didn't know anything about it-it just seemed to be the butt of everyone's jokes.  Mandy then suggested that we went to the Doctors-just to ask about it- to find out whether I was suitable candidate for the drug.

EA:      Was it hard to take this step?

SE:      No not really….by this time I'd already been to see the councillor.  My Doctor has been my Doctor for the last 10 years- I see him as more of a friend than a Doctor.  He helped me considerably.  He explained all about Viagra and the pros and cons.  He then screened tests to see if I was suitable for taking the drug-which I was!

EA:      Go on….

SE:      Well I started taking Viagra and the Viagra Experience just simply took hold of me.  It was fantastic- it was like a new lease of life.  Confidence came flooding back.  It was like a second Honeymoon.  That first night I was so nervous- it was so special it was like consummating our marriage all over again.  I was warned that it might not work-but I had to give it a try-I'll give anything a try once.  I began to feel much more positive about myself-the change in my life has been amazing.

EA:      Could you tell me about these changes?

SE:      Mandy and I got divorced about 18 months ago.  We're still great friends and I will always be so grateful to her.  We just out grew each other.  I have a serious girlfriend at the moment, we live together.  She's 4 months pregnant- can you believe that? One drug has given me so much-it's changed my life so much.

EA:      Finally Simon, what's your advice for other men?

SE:      My advice is simple-just tell someone and take the first step.  The results are life changing- my life is evidence of that…..

Words: Elisha Arrison