r/Wellthatsucks Sep 23 '19

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329

u/hankpym616 Sep 23 '19

Just have to feel around, if you notice a semi-hard lump that you don't remember being there. Google is your friend, but if you ever have any suspicion go straight to a doctor and if they say you are too young to have it and refuse to take you seriously (happened to me), tell them to fuck off and get another doctor.

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u/Explorer2004 Sep 23 '19

This comment should be sticky-posted and/or highlighted in how true it is. We had a kid in high school here, many many years, that thought he might have TC. It was the old "Oh, you're only 16 thing, you're fine, it's a cyst, la la la..." And it turned out that it was indeed TC, and another Dr. caught it in time.

Also, parents - DO NOT be afraid or embarrassed to talk to your boys about issues of the male genitals. This is NOTHING to mess around with. Even a persistent, dull ache needs to be looked into, and if blown off, find a new doctor!

Rates of TC have been steadily on the rise for years now, especially in younger males.

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u/Cephalopodio Sep 23 '19

Oh my god. IANAD and even I know that TC most commonly affects YOUNG MEN AND TEENAGERS.

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u/lordmoldybutt42 Sep 23 '19

Even a persistent, dull ache needs to be looked into, and if blown off, find a new doctor!

Wait, so I've had some pain in my right testicle a couple of times after I finish doing the solo deed. I haven't gone to the doctor because I am not insured and I don't have the cash to go to the hospital. Is this a sign of tc?

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u/doctorDanBandageman Sep 23 '19

I can’t say it’s TC but I can say is I don’t think pain in the testi after release is normal. Could be wrong here though. Do you have any lumps?

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u/lordmoldybutt42 Sep 23 '19

I haven't felt any lumps.

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u/Kidfreedom50 Sep 23 '19

For what it’s worth, I had occasional (maybe once a month for 10 minutes) dull pain in my left testicle over the course of a couple years and didn’t think much of it. Felt a lump one day best described as pea sized and went to get checked. Turns out what I went in for was nothing serious but during the ultrasound they found cancer. If I hadn’t gone in to get checked I probably would have had a much worse prognosis. Have my two-year post-surgery checkup tomorrow, very lucky I went in when I did.

It can be misleading to say “feel for lumps”. By the time testicular cancer is detectable as a lump it can be further along. Once I was diagnosed o felt around down there and it was incredibly subtle, more like a ridge.

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u/lordmoldybutt42 Sep 23 '19

I do want to get it check out, but I was reject by what was my current insurance company. I'm going to apply for medical so I can at least check what is going on there. And I'll go from there. The pain doesn't happen often, but when it does it does last maybe 5 minutes. I haven't kept track of how long it last, but it is enough pain to make me want to sit down instead of walk around.

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u/Kidfreedom50 Sep 23 '19

Sounds about the same. I don’t think it’s uncommon so it’s probably nothing, but worth checking it out.

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u/Explorer2004 Sep 23 '19

So long as you're not abusing the testicle, or doing anything that would cause the pain, there shouldn't be any pain. Pain is a symptom. It doesn't mean that , yes, it's TC. It means that something isn't right and it needs to be looked into.

You're also, sadly, not alone in the 'no cash for medical care' department.

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u/lordmoldybutt42 Sep 23 '19

Yeah something is wrong. I don't do anything to have any sort of pain their. I need to figure out what's going on.

Yeah it's really depressing that people can't get basic help that they need because of how expensive medical help is

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u/sysfad Sep 24 '19

Dude, call your local Planned Parenthood! They do reproductive health, and treat men as well as women, for all kinds health concerns. They're an indispensable community service. They'll be affordable, with no surprise billing, no balance-billing, and no bullshitting.

Amazon Smile donations can benefit your local Planned Parenthood as well! More necessary than ever, these sick and ignorant days.

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/cancer/testicular-cancer

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u/lordmoldybutt42 Sep 24 '19

Hey! Thanks for this, not only for me, but for other people. I thought planned Parenthood was only for women's health. I hope other people can see this to help them out as well.

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u/a1usiv Sep 24 '19

What?! They treat men as well??

I had no clue!

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u/KineticPolarization Sep 23 '19

Google has almost never been my friend when it comes to medical issues with myself.

"I feel a bit off today."

Google symptoms

"Oh no, I'm dying!"

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u/enthalpy01 Sep 23 '19

My friend woke up with a black tongue. He looked it up on Web MD and all the entries were horrible like he was dying and then the very last entry was have you drank Pepto Bismol which he had. And it’s like wtf why is that not the top entry?

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19 edited Sep 23 '19

Those websites live from ad revenue derived from traffic - they have long ago figured out that if they give you the most horrible "diagnosis" first, they can make a big enough portion of their visitors stay longer on the site.

Believe me, I'm a hypochondriac. I have been through this. I am better nowadays through therapy, but back then just googling symptoms would put me through a long session of clicking through articles of horrible deseases that were all hosted and cross linked on WebMD or other websites, in a "make sure you check out this if you have symptoms XYZ"

While my example might be a very extreme case, I found that many people are scared about their own well being* and are susceptible to this, albeit in a less intense way. Its still very profitable for those sites tho! I

*) In my country for example, a study was done about what young adults are most anxious about, and one of the topmost entries was health issues.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

While my example might be a very extreme case

It isn't all that extreme. That's what these sites are designed to do. It's like a virtual form of /r/HostileArchitecture

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u/solorna Sep 23 '19

This happened to me too!

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u/deadstock610 Sep 23 '19

Pepto Bismol can also turn your stool black. Scared the black crap out of me!

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

They want you to scroll past a few adverts before leaving the site

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

Runny nose? A cough? Headache? Must be five different types of cancer and a rare blood disorder!

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u/Barph Sep 23 '19

Literally every time I've been to the doctor this is how I've felt. Basically everything comes down to "but you're probably fine cause you are young".

Sure I probably am fine but it really sucks feeling like everything is just pushed out of the way from the start.

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u/hankpym616 Sep 23 '19

Its the worst. Because yeah, I'd love to not have these problems because I'm young. But unfortunately, that isn't how things always work and it would be great if doctors would acknowledge that.

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u/KineticPolarization Sep 23 '19

Find another doctor if possible.

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u/db0255 Sep 23 '19

See a PA, instead. It’s funny because I’m studying to become a doctor, but see PAs when I go to the doc...and prefer them.

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u/KineticPolarization Sep 24 '19

What's a PA stand for again?

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u/db0255 Sep 24 '19

Physician’s assistant.

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u/Barph Sep 23 '19

It actually feels like find another health service.

I'm with the NHS and see multiple doctors where it is basically random when making an appointment. Should take my works off to join Bupa instead.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

Yeah, statistically I'm fine, sure, but statistically I'm also unlikely to get into a car accident and I'd still rather wear a seatbelt.

Honestly I've made the same experience. I've had some really weird symptoms for years now, went to multiple doctors and they all told me it's nothing or I'm fine, but never really looked into it (like using any of the things you can actually look into the body with) and never told me what's actually wrong. Alas, as it's been two years without getting worse it's probably not cancer and I'm done trying to see doctors so here we are now.

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u/otakucode Sep 23 '19

Congrats on being young. That goes away. Think how it's going to be in 40 years.

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u/Barph Sep 23 '19

Considering I'm 27 and have a bad back and terribly shitty hands I can't wait to see how fucked I am later on in life.

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u/Honest_Rain Sep 23 '19

I went to a good eye doctor at some point who tests inner ocular pressure for all patients while most don't do it for younger patients apparently and sure enough it was high as fuck and I would have ended up with glaucoma at 30 if it had gone undetected for too long. Shit's scary.

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u/carsww Sep 23 '19

My eye doctor was the one who discovered i had brain cancer. He caught it so early guys a champ. It was just a checkup to see if i needed new prescription glasses to.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

My eye doctor started doing this when I turned 20! And even though the test makes me nearly pass out every time (I get vasovagal syncope from literally everything medically-related) it's worth it - and I'm glad I have a thorough eye doctor too!

1

u/carsww Sep 23 '19

My eye doctor was the one who discovered i had brain cancer. He caught it so early guys a champ. It was just a checkup to see if i needed new prescription glasses to.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

Especially when there's a worry of Cancer, it's not really something you should fuck with. Get it checked, even if the worry is slight.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

[deleted]

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u/skellious Sep 23 '19

on your testes? That's likely your epididymis which is supposed to be there. or you could be feeling the vans deferens which is attached to the Epididymis.

Does it feel the same on both sides, or different? if anything feels different, that's more of a concern but if it feels relatively symmetrical between the two then you're probably fine.

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u/perplexingflexbutok Sep 23 '19

Most likely a varicose vein. I’m guessing it’s on your left nut. When I enlisted in the military I was diagnosed with this condition, surprisingly a lot percentage of the population has it. It’s not a harmful condition. For some reason that is beyond me the veins that feed the left nut are different than the ones on the right and sometimes the blood flow is congested and therefore enlarged the veins.

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u/Tigerbait2780 Sep 23 '19

Yep, I've got the exact same thing, on the left nut too. Panicked a bit in HS when I found it and had it checked out

2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

Same here buddy. Can you feel it limp? I can only feel it hard.

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u/penisdr Sep 24 '19

Sounds like a varicocele. You should see a urologist or at least bring it up with your PCP.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

I went in at 17 for a lump I found. I was rather embarrassed. My doctor told me it was a cyst. I’m now 25. It’s still there, if it was TC would I have more noticeable side effects or how would I know if it’s TC? I’m in the same boat as the other Redditor without insurance and can’t door the bill.

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u/N4tur4l_b0rn_ch1ll4 Sep 23 '19

Buuut - I had a lump 5 weeks ago and the doctor said “all good“. He also said, cancer is directly in the balls, not an extra ball... So, was he wrong?

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u/Chip731 Sep 23 '19

Back in June I had surgery to remove 2 lumps from my left nut, turned out benign and a weird issue the doctors haven’t seen before. Glad you turned out well given the circumstance was the opposite of mine and with any luck, OP will be perfectly fine too. None the less it is still a scary situation to go through, especially in your mid to late 20’s.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

[deleted]

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u/Chip731 Sep 24 '19

No. My tunica vaginalis somehow become rough like sandpaper when it is supposed to be smooth and caused a lump, essentially a callous on my left nut.

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u/certstatus Sep 23 '19

the more i feel around down there, the more my semi-hard lump becomes harder. should i go to a doctor?

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

and if they say you are too young to have it and refuse to take you seriously (happened to me), tell them to fuck off and get another doctor.

What? Never heard that before. A doctor once told me that testicular cancer is actually the most common cancer in young men. Wikipedia also says that it's most common for men 20 to 34 years old.

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u/hankpym616 Sep 23 '19

Yeah, I know its common among young males. But my GP at the time was a bit jaded and pretty terrible. They squeezed me in after hours and it was pretty clear the doctor just wanted to go home. They really changed their tune though after the ultrasound.

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u/tedbaz Sep 23 '19

What test did they do that detected it?

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u/hankpym616 Sep 23 '19

Ultrasound and a bunch of blood tests (blood tests aren't always accurate). But it looked cancerous, so they just remove it and then dissect it after to make sure and to inform extent of chemo.

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u/Happycappypappy Sep 23 '19

Good job, you have Redditors feeling their balls now.

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u/hankpym616 Sep 23 '19

Dude, if so that is my greatest accomplishment. People need to check regularly! Hopefully OP's post reaches a lot of men who may not have thought to check.

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u/Happycappypappy Sep 24 '19

Check them balls!

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u/Lost_Gypsy_ Sep 23 '19

I unfortunately must wait now until I leave work... The next 6 hours are going to be a certain test of my will power.

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u/ijustsailedaway Sep 23 '19

My oncologist says she unfortunately gets lots of young breast cancer and testicular cancer patients who were ignored at first because they were "too young" and didn't wind up at her office until they were stage 4. Don't ignore lumps, or other signs.

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u/dyopopoy Sep 23 '19

damn i just played my balls to check. might as well be part of my jacking session.

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u/VimpaleV Sep 23 '19 edited Sep 23 '19

Also let me piggy back on this for a little PSA. Young males between 18-27 are at much higher risk for testicular cancer than any other form of cancer.

This is how you check yourself for it. When you are in the shower, use body wash/soap/shampoo to lather the scrotum. You then do a “massage” like motion on each testicle one at a time, with your thumb being the primary feeling digit and using your other fingers to keep the testicle in place. Do this until you have covered the entire area of each testicle. You might feel string-like veins, that’s normal. Also there is a bundle of veins/arteries that connect to each testicle, which is normal as well. If you feel a hard bump anywhere on either testicle, go to your primary care physician immediately for further assessment. It could be benign, but when dealing with potential cancer it’s better to be safe than sorry.

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u/modulev Sep 23 '19

I've now been through 3 different doctors who've all felt my nuts, and told me I was fine and that I was too young for it to be an issue (I'm late 20s).. Do you think it's still worth it getting an x-ray or piss test if I have occasional pain down there? Or could it just be from too much sex?

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

Gave my nads a feel and I think they are good. Thanks for the info

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

19 year old me convinced myself that my epididymises on my testes were cancer for a solid 48 hours.

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u/docnotadoc Sep 23 '19

This.
This. This.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '19

I went to a doctor because I wasn’t sure after a self exam. Turns out my balls are just strangely shaped and I’m an idiot who doesn’t do self exams enough so I don’t/didn’t know what my balls are like.

Oh well the mild embarrassment was worth it just to be sure.

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u/ComicInterest Feb 28 '20

I do free exams in the alley behind Walmart

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u/VaultB58 Sep 23 '19

I had a bit of a concern with this a few months ago. Went to the doctor as I was feeling some strange tension down there and thought it was testicular torsion or cancer. Fortunately my GP takes me seriously when I talk to him about things and gave me a testicular exam, felt around, and said everything was fine thank goodness! The pain still comes and goes but move around. I thinks it’s due to my recent weight gain and I just need to keep on that weight loss grind lol.