Testicle Pain
 

Hi fella's, I come looking for some advice, not car related though, it's a medical question. I thought who better to ask than a bunch of friendly guys, as you do when you're down the pub playing a game of pool. :D

So here goes... Have any of you guys suffered pain in the testes/balls? :eek:

I have been suffering pain/aching in my right testicle for 12 years now, and its driving me nuts... excuse the pun. I've had 3 ultrasounds during that time which have all come back normal. I have seen a urologist back in 2012 which was a waste of time, he said it could be Epididymitis, or its something I may have to live with as sometimes men get pain in the testes and we have no diagnosis to why. :shrug:

I've had several courses of different antibiotics to treat Epidiymitis, which relieves the pain for a short while, but as soon as I've finished the course the pain returns in a matter of days/weeks. The specialist did say they could operate and remove part/or all of the epididymis in severe case's, but he was not 100% sure this was the problem. He also said the operation could make the pain worst, that the removal of the epididymis doesn't always work.

The condition seems to be getting worst, the constant aching accompanied with pain is becoming unbearable. As soon as I sit down I am in agony, even certain clothing (jeans or trousers) I wear will trigger the pain and discomfort. I reckon soon I will need to wear a skirt, at least this will not aggravate the condition. lol :D

I went to the docs last week and said I've had enough, cut my blooming balls off I said. :eek: The doc is now sending me for another ultrasound which is this Thursday, this time I am hoping they can find what is causing the pain. The pain is always in my right testicle, groin area, and will travel to my inner thigh and down my right leg to my foot, at times my foot is in agony which does effect my walking.

This will be my 4th ultrasound, so its time to bear-all again to the lovely LADY specialist, we are getting to know each other quite well. :D

So... have any of you guys experienced something so crazy as this?

It could be a varicose vein problem,
Had a similar problem myself when I had a job that required a lot of time standing on my feet by a conveyor line.

Kev.

Thanks kev, I've read about this and it certainly would make sense.

Mine started the same, my job involve standing on my feet all day and involved a lot of heavy lifting, each afternoon I would feel an ache deep in the groin which would run down my right leg. It wasn't as bad at the beginning, so I put off going to the docs for a year or so, then I gave in as it was getting worst.

Did you have the pain/heavy ache in the left or right testicle, and did the pain travel down your leg to your foot? Did you have the veins removed, or did your pain just go on its own?

I know of someone who was an HGV driver that was diagnosed with a twisted ball - basically, the ball has rotated in his ballbag, twisting the tubes. He got it sorted but can't remember if via surgeon or some careful persuasion.

4 years ago, I suffered a poisonous spider bite to the balls in South Africa. The pain was excruciating, the balls swelled up and went black. I had to see the doctor every 2 days for dressings, pain relief, antibiotics and reviews as the poison was necrotizing. Basically there was a risk of one of balls dropping out of the testicular sac because the poison makes the skin rot and surgery would be needed. It was a living nightmare.

That went on for 3 months and it eventually cleared up until 2 years ago, when I got ball ache. The balls turned blue and my GP referred me to a surgeon in London. Like yourself Wes, I had a scan. In follow up I was told I had “varicose veins in the balls of moderate severity”. I was offered surgery, but this was postponed because of the bypass surgery I had in the leg. What was interesting and also was a relief, the bypass surgery cleared up the ball problem permanently.

I can empathise with you about testicular pain. It’s also something which is never easy to talk about on a public forum.

Spider! Blooming ek! Phil, that sounded painful. :eek:

Public forum :eek: I'm not shy, I'll talk about anything me... :getmecoat:

I've just been doing some reading about varicose veins in the testes, seems to be called 'Varicocele' and I reckon this is what my problem is...

I've just taken a look... AGAIN! :D and Yes! I have two whopping dark veins right at the bottom hidden out of sight. I suppose the doc missed these last week... :duh: The more I read about Varicocele, the more I reckon this is the problem I am suffering from.

I cant wait till Thursday, It will be blooming fantastic to learn this is actually my problem. I've read they can perform a Varicocelectomy which is a one day surgery, if this is the case I'm there like a bat out of hell.

To be free of testicle pain after 10 years of suffering will be blooming fantastic. :D

I have everything crossed, expect my legs because it flipping hurts. :getmecoat:

Water is brilliant and we don't drink enough, plain water without juice etc is best. I am recovering from a couple of days of gout and having 4 litres of water a day has sped up the relief from pain, it normally lasts a couple of weeks.
Well worth a try and water is free into the bargain.

I have a new dentist now, she is wonderful. I wouldn't mind her looking at my bits. :}

Its funny you should mention teeth, I said to my GP only last week ''I feel like I have Trigeminal Neuralgia of the testes'' he only looks up and tells me that is possible... :eek: I'm sure he was joking, I cant tell when he's joking and when he isn't. :shrug:

I drink plenty of water, that is all I do drink, or fruit juice. :shrug: I dont drink tea or coffee, no wine or beer anymore, haven't done for years. I'm a bit of a health freak to be honest, plenty of fruit and veg etc, I don't even smoke... You wouldn't believe it would you?

Phil has got me thinking I may have a heart problem now, is aching balls first sign of heart disease? I've already asked my father this, he says he has never suffered testicle pain, and he does have heart decease.

Don’t forget your rights to a correct diagnosis and to the correct treatment. If your not happy Wes, ask for a 2nd or even 3rd opinion. With my bad leg it took me 3 attempts to find a surgeon who would agree to operate and who also had the right skills. Good luck on Thursday.

ps My heart is in great shape. I had to have the leg bypass because I had an embolism and blood clot 5 days after doing a long haul flight. The blood supply was blocked from the knee below and the foot went gangrenous - nothing to do with heart at all ;)

Thanks for the clarification Phil, I can stress a little less. :}

Getting the correct diagnosis has taken 10 years :eek: and I still dont even have a diagnoses yet. Its near-enough impossible to get an appointment with my GP, but to be fair, he has fast-tracked this Ultrasound appointment through.

I phoned the hospital to confirm the appointment today, and they had a cancellation so I'm booked in for this Thursday.

My wife has taken photos of my bits showing the large dark veins incase the veins go down, the swelling has got to be the cause of the pain. This would make sense as I've done more than my fair share of heavy lifting, standing all day long, plus weight training many years ago...

This sounds so obvious to me... Copy and paste...
A spermatic cord holds up each testicle. The cords also contain the veins, arteries, and nerves that support these glands. In healthy veins inside the scrotum, one-way valves move the blood from the testicles to the scrotum, and then they send it back to the heart.

Sometimes the blood doesn’t move through the veins like it should and begins to pool in the vein, causing it to enlarge. A varicocele develops slowly over time.