My Balls, this Forum, and Avoiding the Doctor

LegacyUser

What could they possibly have in common?

Well about 2 months ago I started to get a dull ache in one of my testicles. Like a lot of guys I ignored it in the hope it would eventually go away. Have never been too good at examining my balls, because as some comedian once put it; "It's like looking for a lump in a bag of lumps" and thought that if I search hard enough I'll always find something that feels weird. Had an auld rummage and couldn't really feel anything out of the ordinary. Thought about checking online for possible causes but as people often say "avoid Dr. Google", I didn't bother and just tried to put it out of my mind which I pretty much did for the best part of a month and a half.

Fast forward to last week and the aching still hasn't gone away, plus I now think it's slightly swollen. Again tried to put it out of my mind and reassure myself; "you're just getting paranoid, it'll go away, it's not swollen you're imagining it," etc. Had a feel around again and this time I think it feels a bit lumpy around the back, which of course has me sh*tting bricks! Calmed myself down, caved in and did a few online searches of possible causes (that weren't the dreaded cancer), and was marginally reassured to see that as unlikely as testicular cancer is, it's even more unlikely for it to cause pain or discomfort.

The best thing by far that I came across however was a couple of threads in this forum which really reassured me and convinced me to go & get it checked out. (Specifically these two: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055385209 , http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72775460 )

I went to the doctor today, he had me lie up on the stretcher thing with my pants down and he had a feel. Wasn't nearly as awkward as I'd thought it would be to be honest, was all very professional.

He said he didn't find any lumps or abnormalities (was just my paranoid mind after all!), that it's quite normal for one testicle to be slightly bigger, and that the aching was most likely caused by an inflamed epididymis. He gave me a script for anti-inflammatories and sent me on my way. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. Two months of worrying, dispensed with in half the time of an episode of Friends. Definitely worth it for peace of mind!

So, just thought I'd come back here and make this thread about the whole experience. It's quite a hard thing to talk about with others, and consequently you start to feel alone and a bit overwhelmed. It's easy to say to someone "just go to the doctor" but many of the things that were stressing me out about it were not concerning medical advice, but about the whole process of going to the doctor for an issue like this in itself and what to expect. I had questions like; "What's the next step if the Doctor finds something? What kind of tests do they do? Will I need an ultrasound? What's it like? How much will it cost? What's if it's cancer?".

Reading other peoples accounts of their experiences with similar issues helped me answer those questions and really put it into perspective that these things are quite common. To read that other people went through this and it wasn't the end of the world really reassured me and made me feel not so isolated. I read is a lot more A lot of people don't understand why a person wouldn't just go to the doctor if they are concerned about something, but for many, getting a check up (especially when it's about your balls) can be a very intimidating thing, even more so if you are not used to seeing the doctor. That's why I think it is important to share your experiences of things like this so other guys out there can read them and see that it's really not such a big deal to go to the doctor and have a check up.

Open, informal discussions with other guys in similar positions like the ones I read in this forum were an easy, informative, and un-intimidating way for me sort my head out and respond to my medical concern in the way I should have. The two threads I linked to above directly lead to me biting the bullet and scheduling a doctors appointment, so thanks those who were involved and to this forum for facilitating them!

(Let me just highlight I do not think seeking medical advice or encouraging the giving of same over the internet is a good thing, and I think it is right that it is against the rules on this site. I hope it is apparent that that's not what I am encouraging here!)

DazMarz

It really is a case of guys building this stuff up in their own heads!

I'm notorious for never going near a doctor if I can avoid it. I just don't like it. But, if I need one, it is the first thing I will do. I don't put it off too long if I think something is wrong.

And people (guys especially) must remember that your GP is not some malicious gossip. He is actually bound by law not to tell anyone anything that goes on in the surgery. What happens between you and your doctor, will STAY between you and your doctor. Especially if it is something of a private nature.

I remember one time a while back, I woke up with a throbbing ache in my lower back. "Great, a pulled muscle," I thought. Into the toilet for the morning pee... and I nearly fainted from the pain. 'Pissing razor blades' came to mind. My urine was also dark red.

Called work, no can do, straight to my doctor. He took a urine sample. But to be thorough he asked me if he could examine me more carefully. After a bit of squirming and being slightly reluctant, I agreed to let him examine me.

It's nothing. Seriously. He has a quick check around. It is absolutely nothing. Painless, takes only a couple of minutes and it's over.

Your doctor is your friend. He will steer you right, will look out for your health and knows a helluva lot more than fúcking Google for a start.

Guys, seriously... we all value and love our... nether regions. So it does no harm if you think something is wrong down below to get it checked out. Seriously. Which would you prefer? A quick, painless and reassuring check by your GP, or potentially losing something very valuable to a disease?

I know which I'd prefer...

Oh, and my peeing blood was just a bog-standard kidney infection. Antibiotics cleared it up inside a few days. Just in case you were wondering!!! :P

everlast75

F**k that lads, get the MOT done every year with your Doctor - The whole thing!

Peace of mind and god forbid there's anything there you catch it early.

The best thing you will ever do

P_1

In the same boat at the moment, noticed something that's not quite right down there and booked into seeing the doc next Tuesday to find out what's going on. To be honest I'm trying not to think of it at the moment but I'll deal with whatever happens when I find out one way or the other.

Resisting the temptation of consulting Dr Google and freaking the living daylights out of myself is a tough one though.

Wibbs

Honestly? I avoid doctors like the very plague. I'd need to be bleeding out from an artery before I'd go to one and even then I'd be breaking out the band aid and hoping for the best. It's a near religion with me. All the dafter given I have a few in the extended family. I'll likely never change in this. And guess what? I am a fúcking idiot. It'll probably at the very least shorten my life and will more likely be the actual death of me. Don't be me.

Though that all said if my man tackle was compromised I'd be pretty quick to hit the docs. Possible heart attack? Ah be grand, it'll pass. Mickey rash? 999 and make it quick lads, it might be early stage mickey ebola. The male mind in all it's glory.

old gregg

meh, a rub of a damp cloth fixes everything :P . Seriously though, if I've learned anything over the last 12 months of health hell is that being open with your doc is nearly always going to be better than stewing at home wrecking your buzz in anxiety.

The most macho thing I did on a morning last July was say to my female doctor that I'd almost died the day before (prescribed medicine severe side effects) and my life was in bits because of that. Still recovering and getting all the support I need because I manned up to being suddenly incapable of understanding what had happened.

Then again, if a snake bit me * I'd shrug it off and laugh at any guy who complained about the impending death :cool:

* I'm an Aussie living in Ireland so can be macho about these things and get away with it when the rest of you can't

mariaalice

There was a documentary on about a while ago about an RTE news reported who had cancer it was mostly about her, however she talked to a man of about 20 who had cancer, he was going back to his school to talk to the boys...he had felt a lump in his balls in his early teens but never told anyone( embarrassed about it? ) by the time he went to the doctor aged 17 or 18 it had spread, now the sad thing is testicular cancer is entirely curable if caught early.

I doubt if any adult male would not go to the doctor with a lump but it might be different for boys in their early teens.

HalloweenJack

I'm going through a medical problem myself at the moment. Between one thing and another, it was about two months between when I first noticed it and when I went to the doctor.

Stupidly, I did some research online and came up with three possibilities, one which contained the c-word. So made an appointment for the next day. Didn't sleep well that night and work that day was a nightmare. Went into the doctor and, within five minutes, told me there was no chance it was cancer. It was the ultimate relief. They also told me that my problem isn't urgent and can quite easily be resolved whenever I have the time.

_Kaiser_

I have to admit, I'd be like Wibbs above - almost never set foot into a doctor's office.. I don't even HAVE a GP!

It's not helped though by the fact that - despite my bad diet and lack of exercise - I rarely get anything more than the occasional headache and a cold once or twice a year.

It won't last forever I know, and I really should be getting myself checked out every year, but for whatever reason I just don't (probably because there's nothing obviously wrong with me most of the time)

P_1

I think it's because quite a lot of us are prone to be reactive, rather than proactive about our health. Basically we'd only go to the docs if something rather drastic has gone wrong rather then going for the annual MOT as it were.

Now quite why that is the case I don't know. Is it anything down to the perceived societal notion that men are supposed to be the stoic ones, perhaps but I'd like to think that outdated way of thinking no longer applies but I guess what we're brought up with is a tricky one to shake.

Knex*

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

I have to admit, I'd be like Wibbs above - almost never set foot into a doctor's office.. I don't even HAVE a GP!

It's not helped though by the fact that - despite my bad diet and lack of exercise - I rarely get anything more than the occasional headache and a cold once or twice a year.

It won't last forever I know, and I really should be getting myself checked out every year, but for whatever reason I just don't (probably because there's nothing obviously wrong with me most of the time)

Could have wrote this myself, really.

I'll have to change my mindset as I get older, though. That I know.

Standman

Anyone ever read about Lance Armstrong's cancer diagnosis? He had noticed swelling in his testicle but didn't get it checked out until he was coughing up blood and his ball was the size of "A good-sized lemon", at which point it had already spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. :eek:

petes

I still let things build up but if anything has been niggling me for a while I'll go. Peace of mind and all that.

There have been a couple of times I had to go as I suffer from gout. Numerous trips to the GP but by the time I could manage to get there it can't be diagnosed as you need a blood test while having an attack to more or less confirm it.

Ended up in casualty it was that bad and got the bloods done.

Might take a previous poster's advice and get a yearly check up from now on.

Pawwed Rig

Standman wrote: »

Anyone ever read about Lance Armstrong's cancer diagnosis? He had noticed swelling in his testicle but didn't get it checked out until he was coughing up blood and his ball was the size of "A good-sized lemon", at which point it had already spread to his abdomen, lungs and brain. :eek:

That is crazy when you consider he had virtually unlimited access to doctors on a regular basis. It is not like he had to take an hour off work and pay €60. In hindsight he was probably afraid of what they would find in his blood tests

ancapailldorcha

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

That is crazy when you consider he had virtually unlimited access to doctors on a regular basis. It is not like he had to take an hour off work and pay €60. In hindsight he was probably afraid of what they would find in his blood tests

Crazy indeed. I had a lump on my foot. Day after I found it, I had one of the doctors I was working with at the time look at it.

Also, €60 to see your GP is a pitiful joke.

Gael23

I 100% agree with everything dazmarz said.
I had something like dazmarz also a few months ago. I had been feeling a bit off colour for a few days until one morning I passed red urine and the stomach pain I had been having got worse quite quickly. I dodnt rush to my GP immediately because I had what I thought was a stomach bug for the previous 2 days so I thought I was just a little dehydrated.
Fast forward to the next day which was a Saturday, more red urine and stomach pain now accompanied by feeling sick so now I went straight to the out of hours GP and sure enough my urine was full of Blood and Infection. Turned out it was a Bladder Infection. Over the next 2 months I would have an Ultrasound of my abdomen and see a consultant which was in all €250 but you can go public and wait if your not in a position to go private like I fortunately am.

Also, your GP will never, ever tell anyone about your medical problems or even that you saw them so do not worry about that in any way. Nothing is too bad to tell a doctor, they will have seen it all before will always set you right. I have to see my GP every few months because I have a long term illness and while I wouldn't term him a friend, he should be someone that you share things with as you would a trusted friend.

Standman

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

That is crazy when you consider he had virtually unlimited access to doctors on a regular basis. It is not like he had to take an hour off work and pay €60. In hindsight he was probably afraid of what they would find in his blood tests

Yea probably. It did bite him in the ass eventually as friends who were present when he admitted he had doped to a cancer doctor were forced to testify against him years later.

Most guys don't have that to worry about that though so they've no excuse :pac:

Pawwed Rig

Standman wrote: »

Most guys don't have that to worry about that though so they've no excuse :pac:

Apart from access to a doctor (ie the cost) and taking time off work.

P_1

Not wishing to hijack the thread but I went to see the GP today. Nothing ruled in or out but I've to go to A+E tomorrow to get an ultrasound to find out what's what. Not going to lie, I'm kinda freaking out a bit over it. Has anyone here gone through this (not looking for medical advice I hasten to add) but what should I expect when I go in? I know to bring a book, the GP's referral letter and presumably a packed lunch with me. Anything else?

Pawwed Rig

That should see you through. The sitting around A&E waiting is the worst part. Best of luck with it. Hope all is ok.

LegacyUser

P_1 wrote: »

Not wishing to hijack the thread but I went to see the GP today. Nothing ruled in or out but I've to go to A+E tomorrow to get an ultrasound to find out what's what. Not going to lie, I'm kinda freaking out a bit over it. Has anyone here gone through this (not looking for medical advice I hasten to add) but what should I expect when I go in? I know to bring a book, the GP's referral letter and presumably a packed lunch with me. Anything else?

Part of the reason I posted this thread was in the hope that others going through similar situations would come and post about it, if for nothing else than for a bit of moral support, so you're not hijacking the thread as far as I'm concerned!

Hope all goes well for you today man!

P_1

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

That should see you through. The sitting around A&E waiting is the worst part. Best of luck with it. Hope all is ok.

a packed dinner should have been brought too. Got the scan done at 3, been sitting about scratching my hole ever since

ulinbac

Went to doc yesterday about checking a lump on the scrotum and a rash that appeared at the same time along inside of groin. Doctor google can be informative but on this occasion did not help.

Had it 2 months but was in another country working so wanted to see my own doc. When I arrived at the doc yesterday I was put into the room where the female doctor usually works out of and I was quite annoyed as I had requested the male doc (more in my head, thinking I would prefer a male looking at it). Turns out my male doctor was working out of her room for the day .

Anyway turns out to be Vascular vein on the scrotum which causes a hard bulge on the edge of the vein and the rash is from gym sweat and scratching. Very easy to talk to the doc and made a bigger deal in my head than anything else. It was the waiting around for 2 months that was a bigger issue than anything else.

Gael23

ulinbac wrote: »

Had it 2 months but was in another country working so wanted to see my own doc. When I arrived at the doc yesterday I was put into the room where the female doctor usually works out of and I was quite annoyed as I had requested the male doc (more in my head, thinking I would prefer a male looking at it). Turns out my male doctor was working out of her room for the day .

I do think such matters are best discussed man to man but then I guess Doctors have seen it all before.

Pawwed Rig

P_1 wrote: »

a packed dinner should have been brought too. Got the scan done at 3, been sitting about scratching my hole ever since

Hospitals are a disaster. Hope you got through it eventually and are not still there :eek:

krudler

I'd have a fairly good relationship with my GP, he's known me all my life and I go regularly for blood tests for a long term illness, nothing overly serious just need to have my bloods checked every other month. Years ago I was having dull pains down there as well and it took ages to pluck up the courage to say anything, I did finally and it was nothing but some fluid that went away on its own after a few weeks.

Most guys will go to the doc for something else then go "oh yeah by the way" as they're heading out the door, lads doctors see guys dicks every day. every. single. day. Yours is nothing special so if somethings giving you grief just go, takes only a few seconds to be checked out and better that than something more serious.

P_1

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Hospitals are a disaster. Hope you got through it eventually and are not still there :eek:

still there but on a ward now. Had the bothersome ball in question removed today so hopefully that's the end of things. Amazing how ones mindset can change over time. Maybe 6 months ago there's a chance i would have used this as a pretext for a one way flight to Zurich

Pawwed Rig

Really? Hopefully that is it then done and dusted. A friend of mine had one removed there 5-6 years ago. He went through a tough time for a while but since then he is back to normal. Still plays football and has had another kid.

Best wishes during your recovery. It must have been a scary experience.

Gael23

krudler wrote: »

Most guys will go to the doc for something else then go "oh yeah by the way" as they're heading out the door, lads doctors see guys dicks every day. every. single. day. Yours is nothing special so if somethings giving you grief just go, takes only a few seconds to be checked out and better that than something more serious.

I had a problem at the other end last year and didn't go to a Doctor until it got so bad I couldn't put up with it any more. He wasn't my regular GP so I felt he was a bit surprised I came to him about such a thing but he told me to get on the table, drop my pants and he had a look. All done in 30 seconds.
I put up with that for a month for nothing, now looking back I wish I just went to my own doctor when it started and spared myself all that discomfort.

P_1

So an update, they've let me go home for the afternoon, not too much pain and the mobility is slowly coming back. It was a tumour that they took out but they seem pretty confident that is the end of it.

Standman

P_1 wrote: »

So an update, they've let me go home for the afternoon, not too much pain and the mobility is slowly coming back. It was a tumour that they took out but they seem pretty confident that is the end of it.

Everything happened so quickly, must be a lot to take in! Great news that that seems to be the end of it anyway.