Can well understand your discomforts, have similar problem effecting my left testicle. After almost a year of on and off antibiotics one doctor wants to remove the left epididymitis. My other urologist advises against this how ever can not advise what should be done. I will be having it removed soon.

The common cause of it is lifting in hot conditions, this I believe is my problem. Have found quite a lot of info under the internet, most opinions are not to have the epididymitis removed how ever to suffer indefinately is also not a good move. Good luck.

Did you have your epididmys removed? Why do they advise against it?

As I read your posting, the hair on my arms begun raising. I have been suffering from a minor pain on my right epididymis for about ten years now; roughly. I have seen about five doctors in the past six months, as my pain suddenly exploded after lifting a heavy entertainment center, which in turn left me immobile, do to pain, for almost two months. According to kaiser - and their incompetent staff (reasons I rather not discuss) - my pain is do to anything other than a hernia, even though there is an existing history of hernia within my immediate family's men. All I know is that, I have tried everything from anti-biotic to physical therapy, nothing has helped. Time and again, I am left with the excruciating pain in my epididymis to tell the story.
All I can say is that, the pain is not in my head!
Another thing - I would not suggest removing your epididymus for any unknown reason, , unless of course, you know for a fact it is your epididymus that is causing the pain. There is a major chance that even after removal, your nervous system may still shoot pain signs to your brain... You would not want that for the rest of your life!

I continue to search for an answer to this problem, and understand, if I find any leads to what the symptoms is leading me to, unlike kaiser's incompetent staff, I will share it!

Ed

p.S. Please let me know if you too find any leads.

I have had my left epididymitis removed and still have major pain still. so it seems like my nervous system may still shoot pain signs to my brain, because doctors cannot find any reason for the pain!

Ed

hi

i think it is my epididymis which becomes large and sore
and it ONLY occurs after me and my girlfriend have 'fooled around'
not all the time, and its wen i dont ejaculate

it starts with a stomach ache, and gradually, wat feels to be a linking
tube or tendon connecting my testi to my stomach, enlarges and becomes sore.

i am not sexually active so i can rule out an STD
also due it hurting i dont think it can be cancerous

reply asap

the epididymis on my right testicle has swollen and i dont know why. i went to see the doctor and he said that this was normal, but its now nearly 3 weeks and nothings changed. my right testicle sometime rotates so that the epididymis is facing the scotum. what is happening! the person at the top said the doctor said this was bad. im worried and searching for answers on the internet only makes it worse.
im not sexually active so 1/2 the stuff on the internet about it doesnt apply.

the pain isnt that bad it just is noticable and i can feel my stomach rumble after i have a little look around down there. i can relate to the other peoples problems but im just scared of cancer and the thought of the removing of one testicle.

I'am having pain in my right testicle for 3 or 4 months now. Had 5 rounds of different antibiotics and am working on the 6th, but pain still remains. No swelling though. Icepacks give relief, but only so much as the scrotum will shrink from this giving extra pressure. Thight clothing I think does add to the pain, but supporting underware is adviced, so finding a good balance there is difficult. Have ordered a jockstrap from the internet, hoping this might help. Will have a bladder investigation in two weeks when antibiotics run out. Not looking forward to this appointment. Doctor thinks maybe prostate is cause of my problem. On the internet I found many info and posts on this subject. Seems to be bothering quite a few men. I do lack the contribution of men who have overcome the problem; their advice and experience would be of great value to all like me. And what if the pain stays, how do you live with that? I find it difficult to keep my spirit. Please post your stories. Will post myself when there is more to tell.

Alright boys, i finally went to the doctor, my Left epididymis is clearly swollen. i can feel it, and the doctor can too. he said it could be a cycst, which would be fixed from anti infamitories. he said he once had the same probelm and he guarenteed he would fix me. my problem is my cord from the testicle that suspends the testicle sometimes (a lot more recently) gets very tangled? and it causes pain to shoot throughout my testicle, and somtimes down my leg. i have had this pain so bad i havent been able to walk for a little while. i use non boxer brief underwear, to support my testicle, and i wear cycling shorts on top. i feel this helps a lot. im going on thursday ( i took a urine test ) to find out the results, and if not chlymidia, i will be given strong anti infams. either way, explain everything to your doctor or see a urologist. i have a few days to suffer through. im sexually active, and i am healthy, i work out etc. its just such a pain, it really hurts me so intensely. i hope we can all fix this.

I have seen two urologists who told me it was epididymitis and that anti-biotics, anti inflamatories, and scrotal support would clear me up. This was approx three years ago when I was in college. I was diagnosed with a varicocele which i thought to be the source of my pain but the doctors told me was impossible. I have found that weight lifting and running aggravate my condition and am almost out of options. I have researched this condition to no end but there seems to be no cure; I did however find out that when I was on prozac the problem was less prevelant. I haven't been able to work out since April 08 becuase of the intense pain that has put me on the couch for weeks, and I am unable to find a labor intensive job as that brings on the pain. I also came across interesting information that described in detail the nerves that run along the scrotum to the legs; my pain also radiates from my abdomen, to my scrotum to my left leg.

Has anyone successfully dealt with this problem?
Best Regards,
Steve

Well its been almost five years since my first post and i still suffer from a swollen epididymis and doctors dont seem to be that bothered by it. Iv been taking anti inflammatorys and they seem to help some what i do seem to go through phases where one month or so its worse than other times, i find keeping myself occupied and trying to ignore it is the best medicine but it does get very annoying at times. Unfortunately it seems like nothing can be done

I too suffer from this condition, I have a swollen bit at the top of my left testical and also below it. I had a cricket ball accident about 16 years ago which turned it purple and ended up having a hematoma, uroligist looked at it said that it should be right once the swelling was gone, anyway 16 years later I still have this swollen bit, I have had my moments where it has occassionally caused me discomfort but just recently in the past month its been a constant "heavy" feeling which I notice almost everyday.

It freaked me out that I went and saw a doctor thinking it was cancer but her couldnt feel any lump. He did press firmly on my inner left leg and it caused me a bit of pain, he said I might have strained my abductor muscle and told me ibrubrofen to ease the discomfort. 2 weeks on I still could feel this nagging sensation and still thinking I had cancer went to see another doctor who also said it wasnt, he also came to the conclusion it must be a strained muscle in my groin, he did say if it was still there in 2 weeks to come back for a ultrasound, apparently these help against muscle strains.

Anyway I have another doctors appointment in a few days time and I have been really trying to locate the centre of my discomfort and it definately feels like its behind my left testicle. I will post my results as there is alot with similar issues but no conclusive outcome.

Well it will be interesting to hear how it all goes for you. Mine really isnt too bad im off work at the moment and i think iv probably just been prodding around at it too much checking for lumps and so on getting myself worried outta my mind. I mean five years ago I got checked (see orig post) and they said it looks like i have two small cysts on my epididymis and if they were to grow any larger or anything to come back but to be honest they havent changed a bit since then i just get occasional pain mainly a dull ache a heavy feeling which radiates into my groin and leg occasionally but its not a constant pain. I still often worry about cancer but I suppose after five years of having it id either be dead by now or very sick so thats some worry gone. I have also noticed after sex the pain is slightly less and some what better for a day or so later.

Have any of you ever heard of a Sports Hernia? It is a weakening of abdominal muscles above the pubic bone which can cause groin pain and testicle pain in men. Just my two cents but I think that is whats causing my issues. Many urologists will look at you like your crazy if you happen to mention this injury since it is a relatively new diagnosis. There are only a select few surgeons in the US that can do this and one which I am reading a lot about in Germany, Dr Ulrike Muschaweck. The other two reputable names that I have found are Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia and Dr. Cattey in Wisconsin.

Best Regards,
Steve

WHYT, what happened to you in the end? (no pun intended lol) sounds like the same thing that i had maybe 2 years ago now. i would sometimes find that my testicle would turn upside down or spin around somehow. this was worse in the summer, as my balls would sag in the heat and give them more room to move around, and i had to be careful doing sports. this sometimes made my entire leg hurt on that side. this was eventually diagnosed as testicular torsion, where by the 'strings' were longer than they should be and so gave the testicles more room to move than they should. (like how ipod earphones always seem to get tangled up was the way i used to think of it). so i had an op to try and sort it out. basically the procedure involved sewing the tacticals to the skin of my balls (if that makes sense) so they physically cannot move, which i can tell you at the time HURT. lol, but all is fairly well now, i wear a jock strap all the time to keep them in place, but can play sports etc ok as well, although i am still very wary of any knocks etc. i dunno if anyone else knows what im talking about, and please dont take this as advice as im only explaining what happened to me, but if any of the symptoms are familiar please go and see someone who does know what they are talking about. with this condition as the headphone leads get tangled, it can stop the blood reaching the testicle. if this is left untreated for a number of hours it can lead to infertility. although i have been informed that the pain is extreme during the time this happens, so common sense would suggest that should you be in this much pain, especially in this area, you would go and see someone anyways.
hope this can help some people out there.

ps chuck91, what happened in your case? i would be intreaged to know.

You guys checkout info on spermatocele. you can google it it sounds like what you all have. I just got back from the doc and he checked me out. I have had it for the last 11 years.

I guess I ought to feel a little bit relieved - for the moment. I've had this swelling at my right epididymis for roughly 4 years now, and I've always thought it was probably some inherited growth anomaly at the groin area. After researching for the past 3 days on the Internet, turns out that it could be a case of epididymitis. Whether mild or not, I am not sure though. Can you people help me identify its severity?

It is right above my right testicle, a painless lump that is roughly 8cm long when measured vertically downwards, at its peak. It shrinks from time to time to about 3 - 5cm long when measured vertically downwards, but almost always reverts back to being 8cm at some point in time of the day. I have checked for the possibility of TC by checking for lumps on my right testicle - no sign of 'em at all. Also, as I have mentioned earlier, I have had this swelling for about 4 years now, so if it was anything life-threatening, it would have spread to my left testicle too or some other major organ such as the heart (which by the way, has moderate mitral valve problems, thus I go for yearly scans and nothing has ever seemed to be out of the ordinary), but nope, it has not. Also, I urinate normally, with only the 'burning' sensation symptom popping up once in a while when I have not drank much water for the day and went to pee, and still, I ejaculate normally during masturbation too, with a healthy, creamy white colour. I do remember getting a yellow discolouration in the semen about half a year back though, but ever since, it has all but disappeared. The swelling only hurts once in a while, like maybe everytime I have done something physically strenuous like a rough game of handball. Other than that, it just causes discomfort to me and I really don't know what to do at the moment.

Hope to hear some replies asap. Thanks guys (:

Ah, turned out its hernia. Gonna fix an appointment with the polyclinic tomorrow. So if any of you guys have this same painless lump as me, it might be hernia.

All the best for all you troubled guys here.

Here is some information that may help you all. There are a number of causes for epididimytis. First of all, it is an infection. STDs can account for it as well as any procedure that can introduce bacteria into the scrotum such as a vasectomy. It can also be caused when heavy lifting, during which, some urine is forced back into the epididymis causing a chemical reaction and infection. The epididymis is located behind the testicle with a larger portion of it near the top. When it inflames, it can seem like a large swollen mass on top of the testicle and even bulge out in odd directions like towards the other side of the scrotum.

Treatment is usually antibiotics but as this region of the body is isolated very carefully to protect the sperm, it is difficult to get antibiotics into the region. This means that it may take higher doses or a longer time. Also, antibiotics target a specific spectrum of bacteria. In my case, it would only respond to a cocktail of two antibiotics (Cipro plus Augmentin). One or the other didn't do it. If you are feverish, chills and have aches you probably still have the infection. Once the infection is cleared up, it can take weeks or longer for all the swelling to subside since again it is difficult to get fluids in and out of that region. Ibuprofen helped reduce the swelling. My dosage was 600mg 4x/day which seems rather high to me so check with the docs first for sure.

My infection has reoccurred twice now and the current theory is that a single course (about 10 days) of the antibiotic was not enough to kill all the bacteria in the region. It would kill enough to the point the body can keep infection in check but as soon as another factor was introduced (like strenuous martial arts in my case) some swelling or constriction of blood flow was just enough to let the infection grab hold again.

The current treatment in my case is longer term antibiotics until all evidence of swelling is gone.

Be careful because the infection can lead to an abscess and that is best removed surgically since again it is hard to remove fluids (and by products of fighting infection) from that region. The main risk is the abscess intertwines with the testicular blood vessels making it impossible to remove without removing the testicle.

My time line was like this: Swelling due to physical activity within about 12 hours. Increased swelling, fever, chills within 48 hours (no treatment except ibuprofen and ice during this time). 2 days of Augmentin with no improvement and 3 additional days of Cipro Augmentin before fever was gone. 1 week on both antibiotics before the swelling started noticeably reducing. 2 weeks total now and while half the size it was at the peak, the epididymis is still enlarged and hard. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it didn't/doesn't abscess but it appears to be progressing well now.

After more than 20 years suffering from epididymitis, taking antibiotics and 3 surgeries to remove cysts and a cancer scare (the doctor had a prosthesis to put in, in case he had to remove my left testicle, but thank God it was not cancer). With a 4th surgery, I had the epididymi removed.

I was warned that some people still have phantom pain after the removal, but I was done trying to deal with the severe pain and swelling. I had to take the chance. It couldn't be any worse than what I had been dealing with for so long.

The surgery worked for me. I have been free from pain and swelling for over a year.

This is a big decision, it will effect your ability to have children. Make sure you know all the facts from your doctor. The internet is a great place to find information, but always rely on your doctor(s) for the absolute answers. I suggest you get more than 1 doctor's opinion before having this procedure.