I have testes and scrotum that feel completely normal 99% of the time. I have no noted swelling, lump, or physical abnormality that can be felt or seen from general examination.

However, certain movements reveal a tenderness in what i believe is the top area of the left testicle. Shaking my penis after urinating, prodding when in a seated position, and sometimes sitting down with force all give a split second of discomfort. As soon as it's been felt though, the pain is gone.

Having had this for a few months (the lack of physical change left me to assume something that would pass), I went to the docs a couple of weeks ago. He pinched the testicle and tubes from top to bottom, and found the tender area which he clarified was an inflamed epididymis.

Docs verdict was that i'd obviously "knocked it", or maybe caught from a virus. I questioned antibiotics, to which he reluctantly gave me two weeks course of trimethoprim, but didn't think it would do anything. Should that fail, i'm to go for ultrasound at the local hospital, the doc explaining that there may be an epididymal cyst or the epididymis itself may need removing. When asked further though, he asured that these things are not dangerous. (Why surgery then?)

I've now finished the course and he's right - the symptom is still the same.

I've read so much on epididymitis and tender/painful testicles, but nothing ever seems to fall in the list of symptoms I have. It's not acute, there isn't swelling, I don't have fever, and it's not really effecting my day to day living, apart from giving a very occasional reminder that it's a tad inflamed.

Has anyone else suffered such a symptom, or knows of somebody who has? The tenderness is noted most if you are to lift the testicle and push it up a bit towards the abdomen.

And of course, despite the docs unconcerned exterior, i'm still messing myself that this is a testicular tumour!