Testicle Pain

[Dallas]

Its just so much hard work just to get some help, you just get pushed from pillar to post, and the length of time waiting is simply a killer.

[klarzy]

My boy has shoulder issues..
NHS 5 weeks for an x-ray, 15 week wait for physio

Went private
Saw consultant, physio, MRI scan, surgery, more physio.

All within 5 weeks...
Most times you can book to see a private consultant for less than £100 if you don't have insurance... it may be a faster way to getting you sorted...

[Gate Keeper]

Good morning Wes, if you do go private you should budget for more than £100. I say this, so you won’t get a shock if it is more. Private health for myself: I have insurance, but have an excess.

The appointment to see the Doc was £150 - London. The scan was more expensive. In January I had to have an ultrasound scan and a follow appointment with the surgeon in London. I had to pay for both myself at £402 I arranged everything by a phone call to the surgeon’s secretary and she did the rest by email. It was very quick, all done within 2 days of my arrival into the UK

I realise Private Health is not for everyone, but it’s useful for those times when the NHS does not work so well, no cancellations, or when certain treatments are not accessible because of the cost. But when it does work, the NHS really is the best in the world.

[rustymotor]

Hi Wes, sorry to hear your problem, go back to your GP and bang the table you can't live like that and you shouldn't have to..your local health center can authorise private treatment, my wife had a problem and she was referred to a private hospital paid by the NHS. If all fails pay for the treatment end the suffering.

[Dallas]

Good morning fellas, Yes the wife and I have agreed I will go private if the NHS takes too long, I would off course rather save the money and go with the treatment from the NHS, its whether I can stand the pain for much longer will be the decider.

The worrying problem is the not knowing exactly what is causing this chronic pain, my GP and the NHS Urologist are not 100% sure. Its when they say we could remove the epididymis, but this may not solve the problem, there is no guarantee (that is the bit that freaks me out).
I dont understand why they haven't sent me for an MRI to investigate further, I did ask the urologist would an MRI be beneficial for a correct diagnosis, his reply was 'No'

On Wednesday I did have my Prostrate examined by the urologist that was an experience I wish to forget. I also gave another urine sample, it would be good if it came back with a bacteria infection, that would explain the problem.

I also have an appointment in May for a 'Flow Test' basically I have to pee into a machine. This is to make sure I'm emptying my bladder fully. I also had a PSA test last year which came back low, so there should be no worries regarding my prostrate... I hope.

My thoughts are... They dont really know for sure what is causing the problem, is it Epididymitis, or a Varicocele, Spermatocele, Hydrocele, Prostatitis, Hernia or even damaged nerve structures (it certainly feels like neuropathic pain). Surely they need to perform an MRI before giving me an operation that they dont really know whether or not it will work. I suppose this is where private treatment may be beneficial, will they start from scratch and carry out further tests to try and find the cause of the problem?

It seems to me that the NHS doesn't have the funds to perform tests, they just go for what is likely to be the problem and hope for the best.

I will try and wait till May and have the flow test, otherwise I will give them a call and explain I cant wait another 6+ months, that I need something done now. If all else fails, I will go back to my GP and ask to go private.

I cant see these pelvic floor exercises working, the urologist said the problem is more than likely a damaged epididymis, so why he has given me exercises for six months is beyond me.

[Gate Keeper]

Pelvic floor exercises are useful for helping with low back pain and for strengthening the muscles in the testicle region. Treat conservatively first, before doing anything invasive and more costly. If you think you might go private and dont want the NHS tests repeated again, it’s best to look for a specialist who works in both private + NHS, who works for the same NHS Trust you are using, as all the results will be on that computer system. I keep a copy of all of results and letters on an encrypted NHS website, which I can access anywhere in the world with a log in and password.

If you don’t understand why the specialist you saw Wes, said no to an MRI, if I may suggest, you find out. Ring up his secretary or email him with the question.

I think you are in a difficult position with so many unknowns and decisions. You don’t know what’s wrong, do you hold out for the NHS to come up trumps, or do you ask for the NHS to fund you, or go private and all the time your suffering.

In the interim, what you can do is to check out your specialists performance. The NHS has a league of tables which shows how many operations a specialist has done, the type of surgery and morbidity rates per year. You’d be looking not going for someone with higher than national average death rate. Look for someone from those tables in your area who is very experienced, who has done 30+ procedures in 12 months. One of the vascular specialists I saw, had an above average death rate. I never saw him again and found someone who had no patient deaths in the 12 months. There are top doctors around who genuinely care for their patients and who are passionate about their work

Hopefully the 6 months of Pelvic exercises will do the trick and you won’t need to have the op.

Good luck!

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Dallas

It seems to me that the NHS doesn't have the funds to perform tests, they just go for what is likely to be the problem and hope for the best.

I'm certainly not used to diagnosis and treatment from the NHS, but I am of the opposite point of view...

Last September after suffering dizziness and visiting the GP for really the first time with any problem, they realise I had very high BP. Pills, pills and more pills to bring it down. I was still suffering some dizziness, despite my BP coming down, which then initiated a whole series of tests and appointments, to investigate the dizziness. It only seemed to happen, when I am active.

Over recent months I have had 2xMRI scans, 1x heart function scan, 1x 48 hour ECG, 1x 48 hour BP recording, 2x eye scans, 4x specialist appointments and numerous GP appointments and GP phone calls to discuss progress.

They have found no real cause for the dizziness, but it really began when I began taking all the BP pills. They found I had a partially blocked artery feeding my head, or rather the exterior (facial) on the left. They decided my heart function was perfect. That I have a none serious slight bleed in my left eye. My heart briefly recorded as having stopped pumping for 2.75 seconds at 05.14 one morning.

The consultant agrees with me, that because of the partial blockage, that my BP should not be allowed to be brought down too low by the pills. 140 to 150 is what it is and what I should be aiming for. I have actually recorded it as low as 93. In the 6 months, my heart rate has fallen from over 100 BpM to just over 80 at rest.

My own suggestion of the cause of my dizziness, is my BP diving too low, backed up by my own BP spot tests. I was of the understanding that my BP should go down with any exercise, but the GP's are saying that is wrong, it should rise during any exercise.

My only real complaint about the NHS is the long delays involved waiting for the tests and further tests and diagnosis letters. It dragged on for many months and I am still waiting for a specialist eye scan referral to come through. I suppose I am lucky in that I only have slight symptoms and no pain at all.

One pill they added to the list of pills I take for BP recently, was Doxazosin. The GP prescribed 1x 4mg per day, the leaflet suggested it should be started on a 1mg dose - so I asked the pharmacist who said take as prescribed, so I did. The first one completely wiped me out - I ended up collapsed in a wheelchair, unable to walk in Wilko's on a Saturday morning. I got in touch with the GP on Monday, explained what had happened, what the leaflet said and my dose was dropped to 1mg. They have now upped that to 2mg.

[Dallas]

Funny you should mention about blood pressure Harry, I myself have low blood pressure, always have. I've noticed I'm beginning to suffer dizziness now and again, only when I stand up from sitting down. I must either stand up too quick, or my blood pressure takes a further dive for a split second.

3 weeks ago I felt absolutely awful, everything ached. headache, sinus, runny nose etc, I thought it was just a common cold. The second night into feeling ill, I got up out of bed for a wee, it was 3:00am in the morning. The next minute I found myself laying on the bathroom floor looking up at the ceiling (I had passed-out/fainted). I've never passed-out before, its quite a scary feeling if I'm honest.

I ended up at A&E and I was told I have Influenza A, I was put in a isolated room and monitored. A few bloods tests later I was allowed to go home, all blood tests came back fine except the test for my 'Liver' it was elevated. The Doctors put this down to the infection, but want me to have another test in a few weeks to make sure. They reckon my blood pressure had dropped so low which lead to me passing out from getting up from a laying to standing position, I understand blood pressure drops for a second when you stand up from a sitting or laying down position, this will explain my dizziness they said.

7 days went by and I was back to normal, my GP said that is the quickest he has known someone to get over Influenza A. My reply to him was, that is the first time I have felt that awful, and the first time I've fainted. While I was in A&E I asked them if they could fix my testicle, sadly they didn't. However, the strange this was... while I had 'Influenza A' for those 7 days, my right testicle pain completely stopped, no pain at all. I explained this to my GP and the Urologist, they reckon this was due to taking Aspirin and Paracetamol for those 7 days. My answer was... but these over the counter drugs have never worked before, even the most powerful of medications such as Tegretol, Gabapentin and Amitriptyline rarely work.

I was going to post about my passing-out episode a few weeks ago when it happened, but this testicle pain has really got me down over these past few weeks, I've not felt like doing anything TBH, I've not even been enjoying my ZT, I just dont feel like doing any jobs lately...

I need a sign, some answers, some help from the NHS would be nice.

[HarryM1BYT]

Feeling faint, after taking your bodies systems by surprise by suddenly getting up is normal. I used to suffer it in my youth. About five years ago I took too hot and relaxing a bath, got out after I immediately knew my BP had fallen away to very low, so I just allowed my self to collapse on the floor and stayed there until I felt better. Now I take things a bit more slowly, think of getting up, wait, then get up.

The worst I have ever felt was the incident I mentioned earlier in Wilko's, I was about ready to ask them to do a 999. I went there on the bus, felt not too clever as the trip progressed, but was determined to get there and back. When I did eventually get back in the afternoon, I just went to bed and stayed there until I was back to near normal.

I have always tended to ignore any health problems and just keep on working through it, I never took any 'sickies'.

[Dallas]

I dont want to count all my chickens just yet, but what the hell is going on are these pelvic floor exercises actually working?

I have been performing the pelvic floor exercises for just 9 days, and the amazing thing is... I have been pretty much pain free for the past 3 days, its absolutely bliss.

Just being able to actually sit down without pain and discomfort is simply unbelievable, I forgot what this has felt like. Just being able to walk around without a constant heavy ache is simply amazing. I still have a slight ache thats coming and going, but I can put up with that, thats not a problem.

These pelvic floor exercises are a miracle, surely this isn't all that was wrong? You mean I've been in pain for 10 years and all that was needed was some simple exercises?

Its a bit hard to believe, I'm not quite convinced yet, but why has the pain all of a sudden subsided? Unless some other factor is going on, and my body is playing tricks on me, I'm lost for words. I'm actually sat down typing this post with no pain, what an incredible feeling after all this time.

I hope this is the beginning of the end, and to think I only emailed the Urology clinic on Monday to demand a better care plan. If this is the beginning of being pain free, I will happily apologise and worship that Urologist I saw, may be his diagnoses was correct... I do hope so.