GUYS: Have you ever had a varicocele?

Have you ever had a varicocele ? Essentially its varicose veins of the epididymis part of the testicle. I have one spontaneously. No trauma or anything. Just a lot of swelling and pain. Anyone familiar with it ? Most Drs say it heals with time

I am familiar. It's not in the epididymis, it's in the testicular vein. It may or may not resolve spontaneously. Follow doctor's suggestions about support. Lie flat on your back for painful episodes.

Good luck.

No...definitely sounds unpleasant.

Definitely. Varicoceles are common in guys. I was surprised that a doctor said that I had one years ago. He didn't say anything about them healing. They are enlarged veins and can be uncomfortable. I didn't have many problems with mine but my doc told me to wear a jockstrap if it bothered me. Support definitely helped. The doc can feel varicoceles by examining the scrotum and testicles. Not usually detected during hernia exams.

If it becomes a issue see a urologist a minor surgery and the can tie off the excess veins. Had it done a year ago for fertility reasons they can effect motility of your sperm. Surgery will lay you up a few days then light duty for a few weeks. Other than that the surgery is not that bad just a bad location as it heals it tends to pull a little when you move but other than that i just used the pain medicine to help rest of a night tylenol during the day.

Miked: I went to a urologist and he pretty much told me the same thing, to wear a jock strap. he also gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. The swelling and pain have gone down since I have been wearing more supportive clothes. The bruising is still there, how long did it take you to go away ?

And that was the reason why I went to the Dr. to begin with, because I thought I might have a hernia

Hi

I had, I had to get sergury to remove it. it was done by blocking the vine the lead to my testicle.

blue dr

Had one diagnosed when I was a teenager. Told it was normal and benign. Still there at age 60; haven't had any problems with it.

Dr. Fireman, I don't remember any bruising. Did you mean from the varicocele exam? I wasn't given any antibiotic because a varicocele is not caused by an infection. I had epidymitis once and that is an infection within the scrotum.

I was having episodes of pain in my scrotum back in the spring. The first time I thought I had just injured myself and it would go away. Sure enough after a couple days the pain went away then about 2 weeks later another episode and the pain was worse and I noticed the varicose vein I started to become concerned. I had never heard of varicocele and cancer was the first thought to come to mind. So a couple weeks later a third episode happens and the pain was bad enough that I had to take a day off work. So I go to my NP and when she takes a look the vein is not visible and she finds no lumps in my scrotum but the right 1 was swollen and a little tender. She tells me that it could be a varicocele. I get the wear tight underwear/jock strap and if I have another pain episode to call and she would set up a ultra sound. I had 1 episode that was lighter than the last 1 and no more knock on wood. The vein is still viewable at times Hopefully no more pain

Yep. Found one at my last physical after loads of feeling around that began to get me quite concerned

I was taken to the pediatrician at age 12. She found the varicocele on the left. She told my mother to make sure I had brief type shorts for support. While the veins are enlarged standing up, they go down when lying down. I have had some pain, but rarely. The cause is that the left spermatic veins empty into the renal vein. The back pressure causes dilated veins. The right side goes directly to the vena cava, the huge main vein, so there is less pressure. I enjoyed telling my female doctors and nurses that I had a painful varicocele, so they would pay attention to my scrotum, and having me lie down and stand up--often naked! I love medical CFNM

Yes but the doctor didn't act like it needed special treatment unless it was very painful. He told me to wear briefs, not boxers, and to wear a jockstrap to run and for sports. I have and it hasn't been a problem.

Yes...it became pretty painful (despite wearing briefs) especially when standing for long periods of time or working out. I ended up having surgery (outpatient) then a few years later it came back. A second surgery a few years ago seems to have taken care of it.

I had one and the urologist said to live with it until it became too painful and I wanted it removed. When the time came, he operated and that took care of the problem. One testicle is no longer connected to my prostate, but it is still there, producing testosterone and such for the blood system. The other is fully functional, but at my age, it does not make any difference, for I do not want or need to have children younger than my grandchildren.

hankb

I just found out about them recently. My wife noticed swelling of my right testicle and was concerned. Consulted with my Dr who said varicocele or hydrocele and see what happens. A few months later I was back at the Dr and my wife was with me, and she had me bring it up as she thought it had grown. He said varicocele causes it to become too warm around the testicle and that can make cancer more likely. Had an ultrasound to determine which it was-very interesting experience I will relate elsewhere. Diagnosis was hydrocele so operation not necessary. I will say even with just water, it still gets pretty warm at night and can be sweaty and itchy. Does not bother me usually, but it can dangle around with boxers and sometimes I have to be careful to position it to keep it out from between my legs. One advantage-you can squeeze it pretty hard and it does not hurt.

I have never had a varicocele, but have had several bouts of epididymitis, cause unknown. One was bad enough to be hospitalized for a week getting IV antibiotics. (My left testicle decided that it wanted to know what it would be like to be the size of a baseball.) They kept ice on the area and support. This they did in a rather clever way. They filled a surgical glove with ice and set it in such a way that the glove 'cradled' my testicle in the palm of the "hand."

For less serious flair-ups, if it is bad enough for me to go to the doctor, I'm given a course of antibiotics and told to rest, support the scrotum, and ice. I haven't had a flair up for some time because I started wearing underwear that has a "pouch" that supports the testicles and penis. (Consequently, I have to order my underwear on line. http://www.undergear.com/) Don't get the ones with the built in "C-rings" They are too tight. You want support, not strangulation.

Stay off your feet and keep the support on. One tip: don't wear cotton underwear unless it is a Lycra/cotton blend. (Or spandex/cotton) of at least 75%/25%. Normal jock straps don't work well. If you can't get the ones with the support pouch, then wear trunk style shorts of Lycra and/or spandex.

David: that's what the Dr. told me too. I have been wearing more supportive clothes and it went away. I wore looser clothes for a day or so, and the swelling came back, with a little bit of bruising. I'm gonna get some more supportive underwear, but I really think I want a second opinion

Especially if you have not yet had a family and want one, they may recommend surgery to correct it.

My doc told me that guys with varicoceles who wear boxers are asking for trouble. He was negative on boxer wearing anyway as he said that he treats more guys who wear boxers than guys who wear briefs. Even though jockstrap wearing have decreased a lot for sports, he still recommended a jock instead of briefs or compression shorts.

So I still get swelling, not much pain anymore. It comes and goes . Is this typical ? Im thinking about getting a second opinion

This is the perfect reason why every guy should own at least a couple pairs of briefs. The support can make a difference.

I've got one. Was strange how long the doctor felt my balls when it was first detected in a physical

Ok so the next, question: did it affect your erections and is that normal ?

In my case yes One thing I did notice was ejaculation helped lessen the pain. Not sure if that is normal or not

Yes, a few years after my vasectomy i developed some pain and swelling in my right testicle. after about a month of discomfort i called the dr's office. when i told them my issue they made it sound like an emergency. my doc was not available so they had me see the nurse practioner within a couple of hours. she checked things out and asked me to get an ultrasound at the radiology center across the hall. my docs office had already set everything up. of course, i was a surprised and became a bit worried. the NP assured me it was probably nothing, but she wanted to be sure. it turned out to be nothing.

ten years later, i had the same issue but on the other nut. that time my doc took a look at things. she was very attentive and checked every inch of my scrotum. she too ordered an ultrasound. luckily once again it was nothing to worry about.

I have had varicoceles for my entire adult life. I have always had a bulging varicose vein visible through the wall of my scrotum while standing but will disappear when I lay down. No women have ever commented about it or even noticed it over the years. The first person to mention it to me was a doctor when doing an employment exam. She described it as a bag of worms and immediately asked if I had children. I was single at the time and told her no. She said that it can cause issues with infertility due to the additional heat as previously mentioned. She did not mention any treatment or even recommend a follow up with my personal physician. Every year since, the work doctor comments about it, never my personal doctor. (I guess they have to find something to justify their corporate existence.) The doc even seems amused or even relieved when they ask about children and I reply with the fact that I have had zero fertility issues. I have never had any pain or increase in size of the varicocele regardless of the type of underwear i wear, the sports I play, the length of time I am on my feet or the scrotal bondage applied the night before.

My doctor checked a week ago for a possible varicocele that I had discovered during a monthly testicular exam. Turned out to be a small cyst on the lower part of the right epididymis, a condition that my doctor said was fairly common in men over 50. Had a few anxious days leading up to the exam, but am glad I had it checked. No need to remove it, he said, although both he and I will check periodically for any changes. Yes, testicular self-exams do matter even when, like with me, there are no symptoms.

Yes, have one. Noticed it during a TSE a couple of years ago, but it wasn't a hard lump so I ignored it. Didn't even know what it was at the time, just that one side felt different from the other. It varies in size in me, some times it's more noticeable than others - probably a "grade 2". It aches every now and then depending on what I do, and probably explains why it took 5 years before we were expecting.

I wear a jockstrap under my boxer-briefs now, and it seems to keep things a bit more comfortable. I'm considering a vasectomy and am not sure how that will affect that. I figure I'll just tell the doctor to go in "old style" with a scalpel.