About Swollen Epididymus!

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.

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edvernier
replied May 31st, 2007
Re: About Swollen Epididymus!
eduardo wrote:

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

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chuck91
replied August 26th, 2008
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

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uglybat
replied January 26th, 2012
google" blue balls"!

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aslightlyworriedperson
replied January 17th, 2009
swollen epididymis!
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.

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sigma73
replied February 9th, 2009
how to overcome?
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.

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WHYT
replied February 18th, 2009
I suffer as well
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.

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stevec1129
replied March 11th, 2009
Epididymitis...?
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

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luke777
replied March 27th, 2009
epididymitis swollen possible cysts
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

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Tigerz75
replied March 28th, 2009
swollen epididymis
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.

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luke777
replied March 31st, 2009
Swollen epididymis
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.

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stevec1129
replied April 8th, 2009
sports hernia
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

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anyusernamewilldo
replied May 3rd, 2009
some thoughts
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.

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leafscorpion
replied June 17th, 2009
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.

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Shadori
replied June 18th, 2009
4-year old suspicion finally confirmed.
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 (:

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Shadori
replied June 19th, 2009
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. 

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ouchies
replied July 23rd, 2009
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.

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SorryAboutYourLuck
replied August 18th, 2009
Epididymitis
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.

Read more: Swollen Epididymis - Mens Conditions Forum -

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