Peyronie’s Disease and a Man Whose House is on Fire

A little story from the Peyronie’s Disease Institute that expresses the thoughts and frustrations of someone with Peyronie’s disease:

One day, a man came home to find his house was on fire. He ran to his neighbor’s house.  “Hurry,” he yelled, “call the fire department. My house is on fire!”

The neighbor came to the widow.  In a professional voice he replied, “Be calm, and try not to worry. Research shows 50% of house fires go out by themselves. In my opinion, there is no need to bother the fire department. I suggest you wait to see if you will be one of the lucky ones.”

The first man replied, “Are you kidding? 50/50 odds are terrible! If I’m in the wrong 50% group, I could lose everything. I can’t take a chance like that. The fire is small now and it’s on the first floor.  So, maybe I can do something to take care of it myself. If you won’t call the fire department for me, I’ll just use a garden hose to help myself.”

Neighborly advice

The neighbor again casually replied, ” I advise against it.  There have been no double-blind or cross-over scientific studies to show that a man with a single garden hose can consistently put out a small house fire. Some studies have shown that it works, but then again, other studies show that it doesn’t work. There is so much controversy about this subject.  I think we need more studies in this area.  With no official agreement how to handle this problem. Besides, I have to protect my reputation for always being right.”

“Besides, I have to think about you suing me if I give you bad advice about putting out your fire.  I am going to suggest you do nothing right now. That’s about the safest advice for me to give to you.  I know it must be terribly inconvenient for your house to be on fire, but I have to protect myself, you know. Can’t you just wait a while longer for more research to prove your garden hose idea is actually correct?  Research is being done right now to develop a new chemical that can be used to put out small house fires. Of course, any new chemical will be expensive and will only be available through authorized outlets that will have to charge a lot of money for the product.  Eventually, it could be helpful in a situation like this.”

His reply

In a panic, the man shouted, “My house is on fire right now.  It is getting worse by the minute. I need help right now. I can’t wait for your studies and your research.  And, I can’t wait for any new chemical. If some of the studies show that the garden hose will put out a house fire or at least control it, then why shouldn’t I try it? I would be a fool to not try it because it might be just the right thing to do. Maybe I can get a few garden hoses going and even increase the odds it will work. If it works, look at what I have gained – if it doesn’t work, who cares, at least I tried.”

The neighbor shrugged, “Be patient. You know, I see you are upset. If your home is destroyed – and becomes useless –, you can always get someone to fix it. Think of it as your back-up solution. If your house becomes useless, just get it repaired. I’ve heard that some of these houses turn out fairly good after a fire.”

Something has to be done

The first man snapped, “You are nuts! Why should I let this fire get so bad that I need someone to fix it? Some contractors are better than others; what if I get a bad one? I have heard horror stories about bad contractors. What if there are problems with the contractor’s work? What will I do if my house isn’t as good as before the fire? Even good contractors sometimes have problems with their work. I could be stuck for the rest of my life with bad results. No. Common sense tells me to protect what I have and try to avoid dealing with any contractor if I can.”

The neighbor leaned against his doorway and told the frustrated man, “I guess the garden hose idea could do no real harm. However, you could be wasting water, you know. Be careful that you do not use more water than you actually need. Now, I’ve read some studies about using too much water to put out a fire, and… ”

Doing something is better than nothing

The first man didn’t hear the neighbor’s last bit of logic.

He was now running back to his burning house and the garden hose. He shouted back to the neighbor, “You would feel differently if your house on fire. I have to do something to help myself if you can’t offer me better help than that. I have to do what makes sense to me, even if there is no research to prove me right.” The man picked up his hose and started helping himself. In the end, he felt less stressed as he got busy doing all he could in a bad situation.

Who knows, maybe he even saved his house.