A Northern Irish man has described the profound isolation of living with complete genital numbness for 16 years, a condition that leaves him feeling like an "alien" during sex and has forced him into a hermit-like existence.
A Life Changed in an Instant
Mark Beattie, from Newtownabbey in County Antrim, was just 14 years old when his life was irrevocably altered. He was sitting at his computer one day when he experienced a sudden, bizarre sensation in his pelvic floor. "It was sudden, I can remember it was almost like my pelvic floor had a freak out, and I felt like everything shifted," Mark recalls. From that moment, he lost all feeling in his penis.
The initial numbness was quickly followed by other debilitating symptoms. He developed a reduced bladder sensation, meaning he doesn't feel the need to urinate until his bladder is at bursting point. Furthermore, a cold, burning sensation in his pelvis gradually intensified over the years into sharp, debilitating pain that now radiates through his legs.
The Search for Answers and a Crushing Impact
"Most of the time, it’s like a chronic, dull, throbbing pain but there’s days where it’s amplified and I can barely get out of bed," Mark explains. The pain limits him to walking only short distances and frequently leaves him bedridden.
The condition has devastated his mental health and personal life. He has become a self-described "hermit," having given up on socialising, hobbies, and the prospect of a long-term relationship. "I always felt that I wouldn’t really want to put another person through this, it feels like I’m putting a big burden on them," he says. Intimacy is a particular struggle, describing sex as a "very odd, alien experience" due to the complete lack of sensation.
"I feel I don’t really have a future as such, I would say I’ve been sleepwalking through life," Mark reveals. "I’ve pretty much given up on the notion of having hobbies or pursuing any passions."
A Self-Diagnosis and a Glimmer of Hope
After years of inconclusive tests—including multiple MRI scans on his brain and spine and numerous blood and hormone tests within the NHS and even during a trip to India for more affordable scans—Mark has taken his health into his own hands.
Through a decade of personal research, he now believes he suffers from pudendal nerve entrapment, a rare condition where the main nerve in the pelvis becomes trapped and irritated. According to the NHS, this condition causes sharp, burning pain or numbness in the genitals and pelvis.
Mark has found two surgeons in Europe, one in Belgium and one in Vienna, who are willing to operate. However, the procedure to release the trapped nerve is not available on the NHS, leaving him with a fundraising target of £45,000 to cover the surgery, travel, and insurance.
He has set up a GoFundMe page to raise the money, stating that the operation would be "life-changing." "It would give me a chance at a future - I hope to go to medical school after all this," he said. "As far as my mental health goes, I don’t think I could put into words how life-changing it would be."
