Testicular pain made worse by urologist

I went to see a urologist after I was experiencing mild (yet sufficiently annoying) testicular pain in my right testicle. During examination, the dr squeezed my left testicle so hard that I spent the next few minutes bending over with my hands over my groin. I could barely walk back to my car, let alone drive home. When I finally arrived home, I spent an hour in the hot tub weeping from pain on a level I have never previously experienced, and most definitely not in my left testicle...

The urologist diagnosis was that I have epididymitis. Except that I had already tried antibiotic treatment (prescribed by my GP) prior to seeing him to no avail. I had also gone through all the lab work to show that I had no STI either. When I spoke to him later that evening, he explained that the infection must have "spread" to the left testicle which is why it was "triggered" by his exam.

It's now been 1.5 weeks since this event and while the pain has subsided since the day of my visit, I still suffer from it daily. I'm now taking prescription-strength pain medication, with no end in sight.

Has anyone else suffered similar trauma or injury? What are some techniques to deal with this type of pain?

Thanks in advance...

 

so much testicular pain is TMS related. i have suffered through it myself. once i solved that, i ended up with GERD.

it’s a somewhat seemingly endless cycle of symptom imperatives for many of us.

 

How did you solve the testicular pain, if you don't mind me asking?

 

my goodness~ your blog is seemingly, largely about bad reviews and a lot of very negative energy. i say this respectfully, but no wonder you’re suffering from TMS related issues!
the energy around your blog even gave me a lot of anxiety and fear. those are two of the most central emotions that create/exacerbate TMS symptoms.
I also say this respectfully, but you need to really look in the mirror and examine your personality traits~ what kind of rage, anger, stress and anxiety are you living with; maybe some you’re not even aware of?
i wish you very well on your journey of healing.

 

PS
in order to completely resolve my testicular issues i had to really do some serious, searching and illuminating inner work; journaling meditating, facing my own personality. it was really hard. it took many months. but it completely resolved my testicular pain.

 

That's true. I've had some very negative experiences over the past several years. I honestly don't know what I did to deserve it. I always try to pick myself up and heal but then something else comes along that really puts me down.

 

I looked at your blog and honestly you need to change the "story" you have in your head to one that is accurate. Not only are you slandering a physician but you are clinging to a victim narrative that will only perpetuate your pain and misery. The doctor performed a routine exam but your brain perceived it as a life threatening assault because your brain was ALREADY sensitized. You were "primed" and the "squeezing" of the dr., activated the alarm in the brain and symptoms and signals ensued. Your perception of his exam was most likely amplified by a million times as well. You are very much keeping this alive and acute because of these false beliefs you have about your body and the doctor visit. Everything you write about is extremely common and I have heard versions of your same story, so many times now I've lost count. By actually posting a narrative in which you were a victim of malpractice, it's creating a fight or flight scenario on steroids. In order to reverse this brain based pain, the first step is taking responsibility and ownership. Decide that you created this and you can just as easily "uncreate" this. TMS (neural circuit pain etc.) is highly highly treatable and reversible. Do yourself a favor, take that blog down and re write the script. This time an accurate one. As @fridaynotes wrote, do an inventory and assessment of your personality, childhood history, adult history, daily stressors, emotions you are probably repressing. Become aware of your negative thought patterns that have become false beliefs at this point. Do the work and then you can write a whole new blog and chapter of your life....one in which you take the hero's journey.

 

With all due respect, I do not see in what world this remotely classifies as slander. There are negative physician reviews from patients all over the internet. There are dedicated sites for this, amongst Yelp, Google, etc. This is my experience. I told it as is. Just the facts. I never used the world malpractice. I never stated any opinions. I went to see a doctor with mild pain, walked out with insufferable pain. Are you calling me a liar? Are you saying I'm imagining things? That the 600mg of Ibuprofen I'm taking 3 times a day has a placebo effect? How is that not legitimate to share my story? I am now in pain day and night. I had to take time off work. I spent hundreds of dollars on copays for followups with other doctors. According to the new urologist treating me I may need injections to my scrotum. My manhood has been taken from me. My mental wellbeing is tanking every day, and I now need to pay for expensive therapy. And you seriously want me to believe the physician is the victim here? That's just incredibly rude and insensitive of you.

 

I suggest you read "The Mind Body Prescription" by Dr. Sarno and "Unlearn Your Pain" by Dr. Schubiner to first obtain the knowledge and education piece. Your pain is real and no one is saying that it's not, but it was not caused by the doctor or his exam. That is a spurious correlation. There is nothing wrong with your body (although you don't believe me yet) and your "manhood" was not "taken away by the doctor". That is simply not reality. It's the story your brain has created. I'm giving you good news, so before you get defensive and attack me, read a book. Its will save you untold amounts of money and more trauma. If you go down the medical mill route, I can assure you, you will find yourself in a deeper rabbit hole. Somehow you found the TMS wiki but it doesn't sound like you have the knowledge or acceptance of the mind body connection , so you're not ready to "hear" my message or fully read or absorb what I wrote.

 

And how would you know that? Were you there? Are you a physician? Have you secretly examined me in my sleep? Or perhaps you're a fortune teller of some sorts?
Why was I referred to another ultrasound, despite having had one prior to my visit with this physician? Why am I being offered a medical procedure to stop the pain? Why is it I need ibuprofen to sleep at night whereas I had zero issues sleeping prior to my visit? As much as I appreciate the whole mind-spirit-body thing you have going on, I have never in my life experienced imaginary pain.

 

All pain is real and all pain is created by signals in the brain. Your brain was primed before you arrived at that doctor's office. That experience was the final drop in the bucket that tipped the water over. It could have been a paper cut or a stubbed toe. When the brain reaches it's limit cumulatively, the alarm gets activated. That was your limit. You have a choice. Remain a victim and go down endless rabbit holes of the medical industry where you will be bestowed endlesss theories, treatments, labels, referrals, tests, scans, injections, drugs, and dead ends, or educate yourself on the brain and pain. Unless you have a tumor, a disease pathology or a structural issue, it points to the brain and the psyche. Absolutely no one will be able to help you with that, but you. It's an inside job. What do you have to lose by reading a book or trying this approach? I don't need a crystal ball to predict what is in store on the medical merry go round. I also know this is a proven approach with hard science to back it up.

 

So you are basically denying modern medicine and science? Yes, pain is signals in the brain, and one of the causes of pain is trauma or injury, which is what I experienced by going to see this physician. There are also nerves in the testicles. Many of them. Nerves can, and do occasionally experience irreversible damage. Whether that's the case here or not, I do not know, but you certainly wouldn't either.

 

If you had "irreversible nerve damage" you would be NUMB. Your issue is FEAR. That's it. All injuries heal (not diagnosing if you actually have one or not). For the most current brain science, refer to the PPDA website. There is a bibliography of all the most recent peer reviewed research studies. While I don't purport to be a doctor, I do know you will never get your "answer" in the medical mill, nor will they ever "fix" you in this case. It will be up to you. In the meantime, I suggest you consult with one of the MDs listed here. If you need the rubber stamp from an MD, they can confirm that this is just a mind body issue (which means you are fine and nothing is actually wrong with you).

 

This is factually wrong. I have lived enough to know that many of my medical issues, including toothaches, were successfully treated by science and the medical community. Had I just sat around reading a book on pain and coaching myself that it's "all in my head", I'd probably be dead now, or at the very least with far less teeth in my mouth.

What you are doing here is classic gaslighting.

 

If you reject the diagnosis of tms, why are you here then? Because you sincerely want information or so you could post the doctors' name here 4 times and link your negative "review"?? Also, please do not put words in my mouth I never said. Where did I write that it's all in your head or your pain is not real? When we are in fight or flight, all reason and rationality goes out the window. We are in a reactive state and we only focus on those tidbits that fit our negative narrative, rather than seeing the whole picture (or in this case reading and considering my comments in their entirety). As Victor Frankl wrote, all your power lies in your response. "In our response lies our growth and our freedom". Instead of assuming the worst in others or that others want to hurt you, take a breath, pause, and listen. Understanding leads to a different response. And that is truly what leads to healing.

 

I didn't come here for your diagnosis. You are not a doctor, and even if you were, we have not established that kind of relationship.
I'm not sure at which point it was implied that I've accepted TMS as my diagnosis. Yes, shutting off the pain signals is definitely an idea I'm willing to explore. Heck, at this point I'm open to pretty much any snake oil you want to sell me. I'm desperate, if that wasn't clear. But to suggest that the pain wasn't inflicted, that it's all made up, that it's based on "false beliefs" etc is quite far fetched, disrespectful and offensive.

Please, have you seen my blog? It contains a handful of posts over the past 7 years. It has zero ads, zero affiliate links and near-zero effort. It's paid for out of my own pocket. I couldn't care less about promoting it here or elsewhere for that matter...
And for the record, I only mentioned the dr's name once.

 

I stated that you seem to reject the diagnosis of TMS in a general sense based on your comments. It does not sound like you have the foundational knowledge on the subject yet. Which book have you read on the subject? I'm asking you to allow for the possibility that you were not actually "injured" in the way you think you were. It was your brain's perception of the "event" . Just because we think something, does not make it true and when we have habitual negative thoughts they do become beliefs and belief systems and eventually even our identity. No one on the wiki is selling anything other than perhaps having some belief in yourself and the willingness and open mindedness to go inward. Unfortunately I cannot engage productively because you take offense to and misinterpret my words. As another member tried to point out to you, your comments are mired in fear, anxiety and negativity so my message to you ,that you are not somehow irreparably damaged or broken, is simply not getting through. When our fear level is through the roof, we are literally in survival mode and there is no room for receptivity, reason, problem solving, creativity or connection. Wishing you all the best.

 

This is called gaslighting, and is generally considered offensive. You have no way of knowing this. You do not know me, you do not know my medical history and you've never examined nor even met me. I have had exams before. I've had dental work. I've had surgery under local anesthesia. I can assure you that despite all the unpleasantness of these procedures, I never once returned home and burst in tears from pain. I never had ongoing pain that lasted for days. I never needed prescription strength medication to sleep through the night.

 

I have (as well as many others here) experienced what you described. I've also experienced real damage from childbirth that left me totally incontinent. I had to get surgery and a sling to hold up my bladder. I've experienced both real injuries that healed or needed surgery, as well as dramatic forms of TMS. Allow for the possibility that you may not actually have an "injury" or "damage". This is very often false alarm signals from the brain. Ask yourself why this offends you so much? I'm not invalidating your pain at all. Just trying to help you see that the cause of your pain may not be what you think it is. Wouldn't that be far preferable to having been damaged in some way? Gaslighting has the aim of keeping someone down and powerless. I'm trying to convey the exact opposite. You are in control and you can get better. If that's your definition of gaslighting, so be it. If you cling to the belief that you were injured structurally, that will only take you down one road....the medical one. The good news is you are also free to pursue that. Therein lies our freedom.

 

Again, you have no way of knowing this. I have seen other urologists after this particular doctor. They examined my testicles. It was not painful. I actually have a reference point. Also note that I never claimed the injury was permanent. Injury can be transient. The body can heal. Whether or not that will be the case for me, nobody knows.

You make it sound like this is a bad choice. I don't see what's wrong with preferring science over witchcraft.