Happening so quickly, I have a couple of questions

[Bandc416]

I am 46 years old. And I have a family history of prostate cancer, but I have never been diagnosed with cancer before.
So, in May I went to my gp with a pain in my left testicle. I found a lump and pointed to the location and he touched it and said yep it's a hard lump. So he stopped with the exam and scheduled the bloodwork and an ultrasound.
He said the bloodwork looked ok but the ultrasound shows cysts in my left one and a pea sized tumor in the right. He referred me to a urologist. When I met the new Dr, he walks in and said his name and then my 3 options. Really that quick! So we decided to do a radical orchiectomy of the right one. They said they couldn't do it until the end of August, but we found a closer date of July 31.
Ok so here are my questions. I asked these from the nurses, but really didn't think they were hearing me.
First question: my pain is in my left one, but not my right one at all. They say it is a phantom pain that will go away when the right one is removed. Anyone go through this?
Second question, they say get special underwear for after the surgery, what kind should I get?
Last thing, I am now having continual pain like in having stomach cramps, for of like when you have been hit in the testicles. I Aleve but when it wears off it seems to hurt more because I got used to no pain. Any tips on that?

[eodtech2001]

Phathom pain from left to right or right to left? Could it happen sure if you had 1 removed. But reading you havent so from the sounds of it the cyst is causing you pain not phatom pain if i am readimg it correctly. Sounds like they had no clue that is just my humble opinion.
2nd questions a jock strap should be all you need for support after surgery.

[Bandc416]

Thanks eodtech2001
The left one hurts (has cysts) and the right one has the tumor no pain.

[eodtech2001]

I never had pain just a heavy feeling and it was hard as a rock. My clue started with nite sweats and a numb feeling feeling on the inside of my thigh right where my boy hanging next to my thigh. Then i had the heavy feeling in it, but like i said never pain

[JeskiM69]

Phantom pain makes no sense. That's something you may get after the orchie...but not before.

Typically tc itself is painless. I never had pain with mine and I had a pretty decent sized tumor.

I have an occasional recurrent epidydimal cyst in my remaining guy and it does cause some pain. So I would say that pain can be expected with a cyst.

The stomach pain may be from stress. I would mention it to the doc because it could be any number of things.

- Matt

[Bandc416]

Thanks guys, I'm thinking the cyst are what is causing the pain, but u don't think he will address it until after the right one comes out. All I can do is hope that it does or I will have to have a second operation instead of just taking care of it all at once. I haven't even processed steps after surgery yet.

[Trekga]

You can have pain with TC, my son had immense pain and could barely walk by the time he felt brave enough to approach me. His testicle was baseball sized from swelling large tumor. Per my husband and Urologist (I never looked). So yes, pain is not common, but it is does occur. Hopefully, you get answers, and relief from pain.

[vpirh]

I had pain like being kicked in the balls. It was an infraction. Unfortunately infraction in the testicle almost always gets misdiagnosed as TC. So you end up loosing a ball.

[JoeTheAstronaut]

I didn't have phantom pain, but definitely it seems like the pain is all over the place... A bit like picking out glasses, after trying on a couple of pairs it's hard to work out which ones you like, it all seems the same... Normal underwear can work fine, but what really helped me was getting comfortable trackpants with lots of room!

[Bandc416]

I had pain like being kicked in the balls. It was an infraction. Unfortunately infraction in the testicle almost always gets misdiagnosed as TC. So you end up loosing a ball.

That's what I'm afraid of, the one comes out and it's not TC and I am left with a left one that hurts all the time. Then what?

[JeskiM69]

In that case I believe that surgery could remove the cyst.

Right now the primary concern is to get the cancer out of their and then determine/take the next step.

- Matt

[vpirh]

Except you don’t know if it is cancer until you take the ball out.

[Davepet]

It is very rare for the U/S to misdiagnose TC. Can it happen, sure, but of the thousands of guys who have posted here, I would guess there are less than a dozen.

For the record, I didn't wear any underwear at all post surgery, loose sweatpants were what I lived in. Anything else was uncomfortable.

Also, I think I would be pushing for surgery sooner than a month from now, even if it means changing docs, that is just a long time away.

Dave

[Bandc416]

I did ask for an earlier time, they wanted the end of August. Now its end of July.

[eodtech2001]

I would probably see if there is a urologist that does surgeries out of a same day surgery center. Work it backwards, call a couple of surgrey centers and ask them what urologist have privileges there. Then call that urologist office directly. I know with me i went in at 7am and was having the I/O by 10am. Sorry but a month is in my opinion way to long to wait.
Another thought is if your a veteran walk into the nearest VA hospital and they will have that thing out in record time for the VA. Thay is 1 good thing about the VA ERs they dont play around with cancer.