I have a lump on my testicle

[AnthroInFlorida]

Hi everyone.

So yeah, I have a lump on my testicle. It doesn't really hurt, but sort of has a dull ache associated with it. I have an appointment to go to the doctor tomorrow. He will probably order an ultrasound eventually.

I'm not really scared or worried like a lot of the people here. I don't know why. It just...is...I guess. That is really odd for me because I'm usually a big wimp in regards to medical issues. I'm more concerned about the blood tests that I know are coming than the actual condition itself.

I'm also worried that this will interfere with a month long trip out of the country that I am planning in July. How long was recovery for you guys who had the I/O? Could I fly and do light manual labor in about 3 weeks?

At any rate...good luck everyone.

[MrsB]

Glad you are getting this checked out right away. The ultrasound will go a long way toward giving you information on whether it is TC or not. I would say that to get all your tests done and surgery and still plan a trip in 3 weeks is pretty iffy My husband had his ultrasound on the 10th of Feb but surgery was delayed until the 21st due to the urologist being gone then it still took 2-3 weeks before he could do much. If your ultrasound comes back suspicious for cancer, you may need to rethink your travel plans. Just take one day at a time and see what the ultrasound shows first, hopefully nothing serious!

[CW406]

If you have the I/O and nothing else needs to be done, you could probably do the aforementioned in 3 weeks. But that's a big if. You'd need staging to know. But you've not even had an ultrasound yet! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

[Fed]

CW is right. You need to be properly diagnosed, and for that, you need a scrotal ultrasound. If it shows evidence of a solid mass, the testicle will have to come out (95% of the times, a solid mass is malignant). The surgery will put you out of commission for a bit, but from personal experience, I actually flew for Christmas vacation with my family 3 weeks after the surgery (I just couldn't lift any luggage ). One step at a time.

[AnthroInFlorida]

Heading to the doctor now. Wish me luck

[hopeful_joe]

hey. i read ur posts and curious about how the doctors visit went. hope all is well, write back to let us know.

[AnthroInFlorida]

The doctor's visit went fine I suppose.

I have an appointment for an ultrasound tomorrow morning at 930.

We'll see how that goes. I suppose it is the litmus test as to exactly what is wrong in the world of testicular issues. The doctor did take my urine to make sure it wasn't an infection or anything like that (and I came back non-infected). He hasn't ordered bloodwork yet though, which I guess comes after the ultrasound?

Either way. It was an early morning today...I'm going to take the rest of the night off.

I hope everyone is feeling well. Good Night

[CW406]

Let us know how it goes. Litmus test indeed.

[Fed]

The ultrasound is key. Till then, get some rest.

[AnthroInFlorida]

So, I went for the ultrasound today. I will get the results tomorrow, and I have a follow up with my doctor on Wednesday (so I might have to wait until then to get the results).

The tech, of course, would not say anything really in regards to the situation, but I did get a little bit of information.

1) it is about 1 cm long, and is fairly circular.

2) it is INSIDE my testicle, as opposed to being on the outside.

inside means that it has to be cancer right? the hydrocoele and spematocoele are on the outside of the testicle or on the epidymis (sp?).

[Paul54]

We know it is impossible to avoid jumping to conclusions, but wait until you hear from your doctor. If it is in fact a solid mass, chances are pretty high that it is a tumor and the testicle will have to be removed. If that's the case, I hope you find some satisfaction in knowing that you found it very early (1 cm is "small"), and removal will probably be the only treatment you will ever need.

Let us know how it goes.

[CW406]

Yeah, if it's inside, then odds are you're going to be joining the one ball club pretty soon. Of course, it could be something benign (odds are about 5%), but there's only one way to find out. Wait for the results to be sure, of course.

[wally_world]

Mine showed something similar. It was inside the testicle, about 1cm around. The radiologist also pointed out minimal increased vascularity, also describing it as a solid mass. Note that my ultrasound was ordered after a sports-related accident, though.

I did end up having the orchiectomy just two weeks ago, and mine turned out to be nothing, a pool of blood the doctor said. I don't know how that showed up as a "solid mass", but it did. It was probably related to the injury (I got hit in the right testicle, but the lesions were showing up in the left testicle). In my case, both urologists I saw could not feel the mass (non-palpable).

So, no one can say that it is cancer for sure until it is removed, but given that your testicular mass is palpable, ultrasound has confirmed it is intratesticular as opposed to extratesticular, and that most lesions like this are cancerous, it's probably a good bet that it is cancer. Either way, it's probably got to come out.

The I/O wasn't too bad, but I'm sure you won't be feeling like traveling for at least a week. I'm now two weeks out, and except for minor discomfort related to the incision site, a little numbness in the area, and the pubic hair growing back and itching like crazy, I'm pretty much back to normal. I'm not running any 5Ks anytime soon, but walking around is pretty normal, I'm sleeping very well, energy level is fine, etc.

[AnthroInFlorida]

So I just got back from my GP. He gave me the results of the ultrasound, which I will copy.

History: Mass right testicle.

Findings: Right testicle measures 4.5 x 2.0 x 3.0cm and contains a complex, hypoechoic mass lesion measuring 1.1cm maximal diamer. No color Doppler flow is seen. Neoplasm such as seminoma is primary differential consideration. Less likely consideration may be hematoma. Absess is felt to be highly unlikely. I would recommend surgical consultation. Lesion appears complex and multioculated appearing in several images. The left testicle measures 4.8 x 2.3 x 2.9cm with normal echogenicity and vascular flow. Epididymides appear unremarkable.

Impression: Heterogeneous complex hypoechoic intratesticular lesion on the right measuring 1.1cm. Cannot exclude neoplasm. Recommend surgical consultation.

Blood work tomorrow and a urologist soon after that. Any impressions? Any of that sound weird or abnormal (apart from the whole cancer bit)?

[broo0203]

I'm kind of in a similar situation at the moment. I have a 1 cm growth in my left testicle but it can't be palpitated. I have my I/O scheduled for July 18. My bloodwork came up normal, no tumor markers. I'm looking forward to getting the surgery out of the way. Today I called to see if I could do the CT scan before the 18th, they said that it should be alright but are going to let me know tomorrow.