Testicular lump!!!

[lewis_29]

i was born with an undecending testicle which is now corrected, now i have aquired a lump in the tube of my left testicle at the age of 18, the lump doesn't hurt but if applied with pressure it does. I have been taking anti inflamitries and anti biotics which were prescrbed by my doctor after going for a second opinion ,after the first doctor said it was a epididimal cyst, but the second doctor disagreed he also said it was not a hernia either he has booked me in for a ultra sound scan so fingers crossed. but the other morning i woke up in real pain my left testicle was aching really bad and had a shooting pain going through my groin into my lower stomach and even the doctor at the hospital didnt know what it was so he said just wait for your scan. my syptoms are aching testicles, groin pain, back ache, lower abdomen pain,heavy feeling testicle, a firmer testicle than the other, tenderness and its swallon ocassionally, really grumpy/moodsswings, and after ejaculating it feels like you have been kicked where it hurts. I have been taking the prescribed medication the lump is still there, just witing on the scan now.
Any Suggestions?

[neurotransmissing]

Sounds like the ultrasound/scan is the ticket, you are now at the real "Starting Line" ... the ultrasound scan will tell them much, much, more than they can possibly see or do without that technology! I realize the waiting time is difficult, and then you must await the results as well. Try to occupy your mind and relax as much as possible.

How long before the ultrasound/scan?

[lewis_29]

i have to go the 20th of may fingers crossed its nothing bad, so im finding it hard to sleep just awake most of the night worrying. I hope i dont have to have a biopsy for them too find out what it is which i will dred because of the corrective surgery before. it just when they put that mask on your face

[neurotransmissing]

Hello,

Try not to worry, you may not need surgery ... but you may; in the event that they feel the biopsy is necessary, I assure you that the anesthesia these days works very well; if you feel any pain, you should tell them and they will find you the right relief. Also, express these concerns about pain to your doctor/surgeon so that he/they will know in advance and have proper and thorough pain relief available for you ... knowing of this concern well in advance. When you get arrive, confirm to insure this is all gathered together and taken care of ... just in case it's in the file but they haven't actually "physically" prepared prior to your arrival. Perhaps ... by turning in the scripts/orders immediately and confirming that will you, to insure you will not have to wait for relief and all is done that can be.

Be very polite, but do request this (if they are quick to answer or seem cranky, it's not you ... so don't take it personally; it happens often so just ignore it. Remember ... they are extremely busy helping others and saving lives; in many cases, there is not enough staff to cover all the patients ... so bear that in mind and take nothing personally). Before the surgery begins, tell them the mask messes with your mind ... so to tell you when they will be applying it so you can close your eyes. Try to meditate, think about something else that is beautiful and try to imagine yourself there, like a warm, sunny seaside beach, a good memory, etc. I'll hold your hand if you like.

Meanwhile ... distract your mind with hobbies, call people just to chat, get out of the house and socialize. About the sleeping, same problem here too; do you read? I am a devout Christian, so I read Psalms and relax and fall asleep much better; I also have the Bible on c.d. for the times when my eyes go out and I can't read. Or try a relaxation technique perhaps, start at the top of your head and tell each muscle to relax one by one ... starting with your scalp, your face, your eyes, your mouth, top of arm, bottom of arm, hand, each finger ... be very detail-oriented! That will take awhile and by the time you are finished, you may be asleep before finishing. Once finished, imagine yourself in a beautiful or comfortable place ... use your imagination and take a small broom and sweep out each and every thought, picture it as thoughts creep in and begin the process of relaxing again. If you are filling your head with thoughts yourself, it doesn't leave much room for other thoughts to enter; I was told that if your head is filled up with good things, there's no room for bad ... but this takes practice and concentration. Remember, use your imagination and creativity and imagine yourself in any scene, surrounding, landscape, room, etc. that you would feel good in .... then start sweeping and imagining yourself there, then start the muscle/body relaxation again to aid you for concentration on the pleasant so you don't need that broom so much. Do it over and over ... and make sure you are in a quiet place.

Remember, I will be there holding your hand as well, and nobody will know; it is on my calendar! I am a Mother of two boys, and both of my children have grown up and moved on with their adult lives ... I am 42. Yes, I married and started very young ... LOL.

You'll be okay!!

[Vikefantam]

i have to go the 20th of may fingers crossed its nothing bad, so im finding it hard to sleep just awake most of the night worrying. I hope i dont have to have a biopsy for them too find out what it is which i will dred because of the corrective surgery before. it just when they put that mask on your face

Hi, Lewis.

If you do have to have surgery, relay your fears to your doctor (surgeon). Tell him you want something to relax you before you go into the OR. You won't be the first person to tell him that. When you get to the clinic or hospital, be sure to let your preop nurse know the minute you get there that you are very nervous about your biopsy or surgery and would like something to calm you down as soon as possible. Believe me - they have enough hassles - they prefer calm, goofy patients to really nervous ones. You will most likely have to wait for the anesthesiologist. He's your best friend. Trust me. He can and most likely will make sure you are in quite a happy mood when you go to the OR. He will give the approval for preop meds. Or, you may have a preop interview with him a few days prior to surgery and you can tell him then that you want something to relax you. He'll write the order and the nurses can give it without having to wait for him to see you in preop. I have it both days at hospitals in different states. If you are in the U.S., you will probably be given Versed. If you've ever had Valium, Xanax or Ativan, it's like that only much more powerful. It takes about 20 seconds to go thru your IV into your veins and you no longer have a care in the world. Trust me - you'll be good and stoned, and you'll probably giggle a little. I'm claustrophic and not really fond of that mask either but with the meds they have nowadays, you're only conscious for 3 seconds. Try counting backward from 100 or start at 1. Try to stay conscious past 5. Betcha don'e make it. I believe I made it all the way to 3 for my last surgery. They like to knock me out quick because I ask lots of questions - what are they giving me - med-wise for anesthesia, asking them about their jobs, etc. Hey, I work in the medical field, I'm curious and stoned out of my mind on Versed. I think they had me knocked out in record time for my last surgery. I didn't used to have such a fear of surgeries. Then, I had hand surgery at Hartford Hospital in CT. I had to register, then go down a floor, change into a gown and wait in a room with a bunch of other patients. The nurse called me into a room and I spoke with her. Back to waiting room. Anesthesiologist calls me in and speaks to me. Back to the waiting room. Another nurse calls me in and gives me an IV port, back to the waiting room. Then, that's when they damaged me - I had to walk into the OR for own surgery. I had always been wheeled in, so I only saw the ceiling. I didn't much like seeing the OR where I was having my surgery.

Here's a few mind games I've learned to do when I am in a stressful situation like that (I've had way too many surgeries): I've been a Vikings fan for 35 years. I'll start at #1 and think of a player, past or present, who has worn that jersey number. Or I'll do the alphabet and name prescription medications, starting with the letter A, or try to name foods from A to Z. I am NOT a patient person when I'm not in control of the situation, such as surgery, and my last 2 surgeries ended up being delayed I was so worked up both times, it wasn't funny.

Please let us know what happens. Something to keep in mind - do you have pets? If you do, keep a pillow on your lap to protect the biopsy/surgical area. After my hysterectomy, I was in the hospital for 3 days. When I got home, my 3 pugs were nuts, wondering where I'd been. They sniffed me like crazy. I carried a pillow with me to the couch and placed it on my abdomen before I sat down because they often race each other to see who can get the spot next to me first before I can get there. After a few weeks, I took the pillow away and was rewarded with several kicks, head butts, sleep jerks and stomps to the incision area. The pillow returned. When one of my pugs had hip surgery last year, I joked about poking him in his incision once every couple hours or so to get even but I felt so bad for him and I'm not a cruel person. As it was, I spent days with him on the floor, making sure he was okay..

Anyhoo, testicular lump can be a lot of things. Try (I know it's hard) to keep your mind off of it. I guarantee they will act fast if it is cancer. Out of 21 years in the medical field, I've only known of one person in their 20s who had it, so the odds are majorly in your favor.

Again, please keep us posted and take care!

Tammy

[lewis_29]

ive been relaxing since the weekend the lump is still there i would have thought it would have got smaller or gone since taking anti inflamatries and antibiotics but no i got told by someone i have a higher risk of getting cancer because off the undecending testicle when i was born. i said to them well that helped me didnt it, you have just made day worse ,you know what i mean telling someone they might have cancer. just witing till the scan on wednesday now.

[Hermie]

ive been relaxing since the weekend the lump is still there i would have thought it would have got smaller or gone since taking anti inflamatries and antibiotics but no i got told by someone i have a higher risk of getting cancer because off the undecending testicle when i was born. i said to them well that helped me didnt it, you have just made day worse ,you know what i mean telling someone they might have cancer. just witing till the scan on wednesday now.

Hello: First, should it be testicular cancer, relax. It is one of the most curable cancers. My brother had it 19 years ago and is doing just fine. Also, the lump could be many things. My father-in-law had one in one of his testicles and it went away after a while on it's own. Continue to follow up with your tests. But don't worry. It may not be at all as bad as you think.

[Vikefantam]

ive been relaxing since the weekend the lump is still there i would have thought it would have got smaller or gone since taking anti inflamatries and antibiotics but no i got told by someone i have a higher risk of getting cancer because off the undecending testicle when i was born. i said to them well that helped me didnt it, you have just made day worse ,you know what i mean telling someone they might have cancer. just witing till the scan on wednesday now.

That was *real* nice of your friend. I've had a few like that - nothing like having 2 women discussing the misery of their pregnancies right in front of you even though they know you've been dying to get pregnant for years and would put up with that misery in a heartbeat.

One more day until your scan. Now, where are you having it done? Do you have to wait for your doctor to call you with the results because it's being done at a hospital and the radiologist has to read it? Anyone here know how to get the results quicker this way? One thing is for sure - if it is done at a hospital, your doctor's office should have the report by Thursday, but no later than Friday. Call their office by 1:00 p.m. on Friday if you haven't heard anything! Don't make yourself go thru another weekend of mental misery.

If you are worried about future fertility issues, well, I'm sure there are options there too. My husband and I tried for years with no luck. We did all the testing, had IUI, no luck, no diagnosis, nothing wrong with either one of us. Go figure. We could not afford the expensive fertility procedures (in vitro, ICSI, etc.), nor the $40,000+ for adoption. Our solution was to end up with 3 beautiful pugs. They bring us a lot of joy. IF it comes down to that for you, you will come out of it just fine. We have a friend who has a condition that required a re-routing of his urinary system (he was born with this condition) and he was unable to have children due to this. He and his wife used a donor and have 2 beautiful children.

Please let us know!

Tammy

[lewis_29]

ok i went for the scan just waiting on the results now, the hospital doctor done a quick scan i timed it 2 mins only looked at my testicles not the tubes he said there was a bit of inflamation but just got to wait for them to go over the pictures in detail and send them to my doctor now, the doctor at the hospital said he couldnt see no lump but there is definately still a lump there right in my tubes i said to him its here in my tube but he didnt look with the machine which got me a little frustrated there wasnt even no lubracant there when he was finished. only 1 thing was ok the lubracant was warm i though it would be cold lol so gotta wait on my doctors now. going to ring them tomorrow its all done by computer now so they should be there.

[lewis_29]

im still witing on the results my doctors dont have them yet wont be open till tuesday now because of bank holiday so if it is anything bad they sould get in touch ive been really ill the past two days hardily sleeping so im really snappy at people atm not really eating properly beacause im worring and im just feeling really rough the lump is still there and still aching pretty bad!