A man suffered horrific side effects after injecting himself with his own s***n.

A bizarre and dangerous case emerged in Ireland in 2019 when a 33-year-old man attempted to treat his chronic back pain by injecting himself with his own s***n – a method he developed without medical guidance.

The self-administered ‘treatment’ resulted in severe complications, ultimately sending him to the hospital and prompting medical experts to issue serious warnings.

The man presented at a Dublin hospital reporting intense lower back pain, which he claimed had started suddenly after lifting a heavy steel object.

However, during his examination, doctors noticed that his right arm was unusually red and swollen.

When questioned about the inflammation, he disclosed a startling detail: for a year and a half, he had been injecting his own s***n into his body as an experimental pain remedy.

Back pain
The man presented at hospital with back pain. Credit: Adobe Stock
This revelation came as a shock to the medical team, who had never encountered such a case.

According to a report later published in the Irish Medical Journal (IMJ), the man had been injecting one dose of s***n per month for 18 consecutive months.

The situation escalated when, shortly before visiting the hospital, he administered three doses in a single session using a hypodermic needle he had purchased online.

Further investigation through X-ray imaging revealed that the man had developed subcutaneous emphysema

(an uncommon condition where air becomes trapped beneath the skin), as well as a visible build-up of s***n within the soft tissue of his arm.

The condition required immediate medical intervention, including antibacterial treatment.

Cleveland Clinic defines subcutaneous emphysema as ‘a rare condition that happens when air gets trapped under your skin.’

In this instance, the emphysema was a direct result of the man’s unorthodox practice.

Arm

Further investigation through X-ray imaging revealed that the man had developed subcutaneous emphysema. Credit: Irish Medical Journal

Following initial treatment and as his back pain improved, the man discharged himself from the hospital before undergoing drainage of his arm.

Dr. Lisa Dunne, lead author of the IMJ report, wrote: “Upon further interrogation of this alternative therapy,

he revealed he had injected one monthly ‘dose’ of s***n for 18 consecutive months using a hypodermic needle which had been purchased online.”

The IMJ concluded that this was the first documented case of a human injecting s***n intravenously.

While similar procedures had been reported in animal studies involving rats and rabbits, no such human incidents had been previously identified.

“A search of more eclectic internet sites and forums found no other documentation of s***n injection for back pain treatment or other uses,” the report noted.

The report ended with a caution: “The dangers of venepuncture when carried out by the untrained layperson are highlighted

as well as the vascular and soft tissue hazards surrounding the attempted injection of substances not intended for intravenous use.”

It further warned about the significant risks of experimenting with unproven treatments without the backing of rigorous scientific research and clinical trials.