Please help. Testicle pain

Hi

3 days ago I developed pain in my left testicle which I’d describe as the pain you have when desperate for the toilet. It’s spread to both balls now and groin area and they’re sore to touch. I need a wee constantly and as soon as I've had one I need another.

I’m booked at the doctors on Friday.. I’m in an absolute panic. Terrified.

Ive not found a lump. My balls are just sore and the groin area and i have that pain that I’m desperate.

I’d give the ball pain a 5/10. There’s no burning when I wee either or blood.

Note my back pain moved to my sides about 12 months ago and over the past 6 months my sides hurt so much. It feels like I’ve been kicked in the ribs. So now I’m thinking maybe I have some kidney infection.

please help..

 

It could very well likely be TMS. But get checked out by a urologist, get a urine culture done, ultrasound, etc. to make sure you're healthy. You don't have blood or discharge so there's a good chance there is no infection present. Testicular cancer is pretty damn rare and easily treatable so don't worry too much yet! It is also even more rare to be in both sides and usually doesn't cause pain.

Panic is the fuel to the fire and you are likely tensing your pelvic muscles, causing referred pain to your back and testicles. If you notice your testicles while you're relaxed, they hang a bit more free. When tense and anxious, the scrotum tightens and pulls the testicles up. This can cause spasms of the cremaster muscle which causes testicle pain. The tense abdominal and groin muscles put tension on the bladder which causes urinary symptoms. I have similar issues, and noticed it mostly when anxious, deep in thought or completing a stressful task. My scrotum would get super tight and cold, my penis shrunk and became rubbery. It was weird. Erections looked different, I would get pain after ejaculation. After pelvic PT I found a bit of relief, but it wasn't until I learned about TMS and the mind body connection that I was able to heal a bit further. I am still experiencing setbacks due to health anxiety, but I am on the up and up. This is after 10+ years of on and off testicle/groin pain and continuous back pain that would flare up multiple times a year.

I remember this starting once I became sexually active and I would worry about pregnancy and STDs constantly. Which likely led my brain to tense up all those sensitive areas when I felt fear. Please update us once you visit your doctor. From the way you are writing, you remind me of myself. I understand the panic of thinking something is seriously wrong but it usually isn't the case.

 

Thanks for your response and sympathy, I really appreciate it. I will update you after the doctors. Sorry to hear you struggled for 10 years.. I know exactly what health anxiety is like - I get incredibly anxious when a new symptom comes along, especially like this one. Both my testicles ache and have done for days, i thought I was coming down with a fever before and I was shaking. I believed I may have a urinal tract infection.. it is terrifying to me. I must admit the fact I have chronic sore/painful muscles in my sides and lower back does match up with what you’re saying about pressure on the bladder. I was watching videos on testicular cancer and serious testicle problems this morning and I actually cried with anxiety. I’m having an early night.. if this is TMS it’s rather fitting a few days before Christmas which is an incredibly stressful time of year.
Thanks again

 

@patrickj It definitely makes sense with how close we are to the holidays. It definitely sounds like you are suffering from CPPS due to the large number of different symptoms and the fact that you do not have fever, discharge, blood, burning, etc. The widely accepted treatment is stretching/PT, meditation, yoga and taking general care of yourself. Similar to lots of other chronic pain syndromes and TMS. So once you get the all clear, get started doing some diaphragmatic breathing and some basic pelvic floor stretches. I recommend CureCPPS on YouTube. Great resource! And work on that anxiety my friend!

 

Lots of tmsers report similar pain.
Consider how you may hold your body in tension. Legs, abdomen, even anxietal breathing patterns can effect parts of the body not near the pain site. The site of pain is merely to get your attention the most. Doing tms work helps rekax the nervous system by teaching awareness of your emotional and behavioral habits, personality contributors, how you create internal stress and how you deal with external stress. While waiting for your medical work to be completed, why not begin to learn to calm yourself?

https://www.tmswiki.org/forum/search/2352562/?q=Testical+pain&o=date&c%5Bnode%5D=26 (Search Results for Query: Testical pain | TMS Forum (The Mindbody Syndrome))

 

@patrickj, I've been there. Got it checked out and it was another form of TMS

 

After an initiate examination at the doctors he has diagnosed a UTI (urinary tract infection)
My immense health anxiety doesn’t fully believe him 100%. He didn’t find any lumps but did say I feel a bit inflamed. And he felt my sides which are absolute murder, but they have been for months with chronic back/side pain. I also have a bit of fever and flu. Balls have been aching for nearly a week now and I’m terribly worried. He’s prescribed a course of antibiotics…
I worry because I have an excellent track record of things not getting better. So my brain thinks, this is the next problem I’ll have for years..

 

Thanks.. I just replied to another member on this thread. Doctor said there’s nothing to worry about and said it’s a UTI and gave antibiotics. My problem is I have zero faith in doctors as they rarely make me better.
However, the majority of my doctor visits are pain issues which they’re clueless about. When I’ve been with stuff I need medicine for such as vertigo, the tablets have worked.

I’m just worried now that this won’t go away. It’s been a week almost and still got ball ache. Mostly on the left side. Some groin pain too and slight burning when pissing.

Hope you recovered?

 

@patrickj I am glad you got to the Doctor. Did they run a urine test or anything? Fever can be a part of UTI so it could very well be it. But take the antibiotics and if it doesn't work they will likely send you for an ultrasound to make sure nothing is going on in the scrotum. But to me, it sounds like it is likely a stress response causing less blood flow to the genitals. It is a normal reaction during times of stress, especially if you're constantly touching your genitals to feel for pain, lumps, etc.

An example I dealt with was when I was reading on forums about "hard flaccid" and got worried since people are so negative and helpless on the forums. I didn't have any symptoms until I started touching my penis and scrotum constantly to feel for issues. The constant touching of my penis and worrying about getting symptoms ended up giving me hard flaccid symptoms. I was able to work through it, but that shows how powerful the mind body connection is. Once you get the all clear medically, I think you really need to delve into your mental health. Simply getting on some anxiety meds will probably resolve a lot of the tension and stress. Then you can work on it in therapy. You definitely have a lot of health anxiety that is likely causing this. You fear and do not trust doctors so you are feeling hopeless and lost that you will never get better. I've been there, done that and I totally get it. What you need to do right now is get the all clear physically. Do the tests, etc. And if all clear, you should get a hold of your mental health and focus on the TMS work and not fearing the pain. Good luck and keep us updated?

 

Thanks for your support and help on this again. Things have changed a bit since I last posted and I wasn’t 100% accurate. So the doctor mentioned a urine infection and also an infection called Orchitis, which he thinks it is. He said my scrotum was inflamed too. But since then the pain has got worse and changed a bit. And no he did not even do a urine test which has created even more doubt in his diagnosis.

My balls are still sore, the left more so. And the left groin area has this weird feeling. Like the feeling a tube is infected or in pain. Hard to describe. There’s also a weird pain feeling in my bottom too.. which is really scaring me because then we’re going down the prostate route. Reading up on Google I would diagnose Orchitis or Epididymitis..

Also I’ve noticed one of the veins in my left ball is really visible and looks swollen, it’s proper blue and it looks to me like that vein could well be the problem. I’m fucking terrified if I’m honest. I’m on day 3 of antibiotics.. but I'm pretty sure I’ll be taking myself to the hospital A&E tomorrow for another opinion. I almost wish I was one of those people that just said “doctor says it’s Orchitis and to take these pills for two weeks, I’ll be fine” but this pain in my groin, bottom and that scary swollen vein is new and really worrying me.

You’re right, my health anxiety and general anxiety is through the roof. I have been in a state of panic for days and was physically shaking when we went out for a meal after I’d noticed that swollen vein. And the pain in my sides on top of all this which I have chronically is getting worse. I’ve had anxiety meds before.. a few times. I just stopped taking them. I’ve had anti depressants too which I just stopped taking. I’ve also had therapy and CBT for anxiety and I have another course coming up soon..

I’ll try my best to work on my mental health and I will check back in a week to let you know how I’m doing.

Thanks again and I hope you had a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2023.

 

@patrickj Definitely stop googling. It will bring you down a rabbit hole and it will lead to nothing but issues. I know the feeling about going to the doctor and expecting a diagnosis and easy cure with medication. Sometimes it isn't that easy, but don't panic yet. I know it feels like you will be suffering forever, but that is not the case right now so try to just go with the flow and act as "normal" as possible while you try the treatment. I've been in this situation and finding Dr. Sarno's books and this forum has been a godsend. Most of the forums and Reddit groups are extremely toxic and negative. Once you get the all clear, you definitely need to focus on dialing down the fear and anxiety and letting the pain just be there. Once you realize nothing is wrong, it will become easier to just notice the pain and not let it bother you as much. Eventually it will get better.

I understand the feelings and sensations you're talking about. From what it sounds like, you have a tight pelvic floor. It can happen from years of panic and worry. The pelvis holds all that tension. It can be solved with relaxation and stretching to loosen those muscles up and help them heal. I take clonazepam as needed, and when I take it, my symptoms get so much better. That tells me what I need to know. It is all tension and anxiety from an overactive nervous system.

 

oh geez. this hits home.
my recent symptom imperatives (for 4 months now) have been intense bladder pressure and urgency and weird sensations in the testicles.
it’s gotten waaaaay better since it started in August 2022. but it still dogs me now and again~ with oddly shifting sensations and various degrees of manifestation. it’s been a very difficult TMS symptom grouping to deal with.
what’s been helping have been daily meditations with progressive relaxation, and somatic tracking. along with my regular morning journaling.
but there does seem to be something quite pernicious about groin TMS.
it’s a process!