Famously, Ernest Hemingway believed each man had a limited supply of orgasms in life and that it was necessary to space them out in order to preserve this most important resource. In most cases, Hemingway’s somewhat fanciful theory probably is not very wrong — after all, many men eventually become impotent due to any number of health and age-related causes — but now there’s the case of a 34-year-old man who says he knows with certainty the exact number of orgasms left to him. BroBible tells the compelling story of RLS, who has been diagnosed with idiopathic fibrosis of the corpora cavernosa by his doctors, and as a result he has exactly 100, in his own words, “real, working, orgasm-capable erections remaining.”

Far and wide, this living nightmare has been reported by the media. “You cannot imagine the feeling,” RLS writes in a letter to BroBible. “I go in for what I think is a routine physical, and I’m blindsided. My whole life changes in an instant; like hearing you have six months to live.” RLS adds since the initial diagnosis, he’s “seen the full battery of experts and specialists who labeled his condition “idiopathic fibrosis of the corpora cavernosa.”

Breaking that mouthful down, let’s begin with idiopathic, which simply means, in doctor-speak, unexplained. Next, the corpora cavernosa contain most of the blood in the penis during an erection; the two separate structures forming the corpora cavernosa begin down at the pubic bones and lie along the length of the shaft, and join together at the head of the penis. Made of a sponge-like tissue, their main function is to protect the urethra during erection. Finally, fibrosis is a term used with regard to scarring and essentially refers to any build-up of excess scar tissue in any part of the body, from the lungs to the liver.

Altogether, then, RLS’s diagnosis simply means he has an unexplained build-up of scar tissue in his corpora cavernosa, which, according to the specialists he consulted, interferes with his ability to orgasm. As RLS explains it, each erection creates some autoimmune reaction, which in turn causes a scar tissue build-up. “I’m the first case anyone’s ever seen, and no one can tell me why it’s happening,” RLS writes. “I don’t wear briefs or hang out in saunas. There’s been no blunt force trauma to the balls.”

So, truth or fiction? Is this simply a terrifying nightmare dreamt up by the editors of BroBible to scare its readers into continued and close perusal of their webpages, which include essential BroTips like “best memories come from bad decisions?”

A quick glance through the scientific literature says fibrosis of corpora cavernosa certainly can happen, as it does here and here, though a more thorough look tells us this condition would most likely plague only older men or men who previously had suffered some serious injury to the area. In that case, though, most doctors would diagnose RLS’s condition as Peyronie’s disease. In fact, a description of Peyronie’s fits his symptoms to a T: the condition is all about the development of scar tissue in the penis that eventually causes curved, painful erections. While most times the cause is obvious — an injury — some researchers believe it also might result from inherited genes or other health conditions.

In the meantime, there’s RLS struggling with his problem. “So I’ve been through the five stages of grief. I accept my fate,” he writes, requesting suggestions or even a “Make a Wish for a Dying Penis bid.” Perhaps the best he can do is simply follow this timeless BroTip: “If you can’t afford new shoes, new laces will fool a lot of people.”