When would I start to feel better?

[MarmiteKing2]

I’m a 23M, not sexually active, don’t smoke or drink.

sorry for the long post.

Since the end of November I had some right sided testicular pain. For around a week I put ice on it and took paracetamol. I thought this was referred pain from the boils as I’d kept getting on my scrotum. On the 1st of December I decided to go the the Hospital as the pain got slightly worse and I couldn’t sleep. They did a blood test and checked my temperature which gradually throughout the visit got worse. The doctor said at first it was epididymo-orchitis, she gave me cipro as I weren’t sexually active so it was impossible for me to have an STD. They arranged a scan and managed to get it on the same day. The report said

’Both testes are symmetrical in size, echotexture and vascularity. No suspicious focal lesions.

The body of the right epidiymis is slightly swollen, with mildly increased vascularity. Small reactive hydrocoele. No abscess. No evidence of associated orchitis.

Normal appearance of the left epididymis, small left sided hydrocele noted.

Impression:

Appearances suggestive of very mild/early right sided epididymitis,

although not entirely in keeping.

Suggest low threshold for re-scan to ensure changes resolved in 4-6 weeks.’

I went home and rested, elevated my scrotum, took pain killers and put ice on regularly to. It took like until the end of treatment to feel better. However just a week later after the antibiotics I started to get urinary symptoms and kept on going toilet all of the time. A few days later the pain returned but a bit more severe than before. On the 30th December I called the doctor and they saw me at the doctors surgery. He requested a full blood count and urine test which came back clear. Also I tested negative for diabetes which was great. He said he thought the epididymitis came back again. He prescribed Ofloxacin. fortunately my scan was scheduled for the 5th Jan requested by the radiology team. Around the 3rd of Jan my left testicle started to feel puffy and a bit sore. But not so much pain.

On the 5th Jan I had my scan, the person doing the ultrasound said the right epididymis looks abnormal. I managed to get the results to confirm what they found. The report said:

The right epididymis appears heterogenous in echopattern (non-specific finding) and slightly lobulated appearance. The right epididymal tail is not clearly visualised on today's scan. No obvious hypervascularity suggesting epididymitis on the right is seen on today's scan.

The left epididymal body appears slightly thickened, in comparison to the right, with mildly increased vascularity in the epididymal tail that may suggest inflammatory changes. A 5 mm simple, anechoic cyst at the left epididymal head noted.

Additional follow-up (?level 2 scan) is advised, if of clinical concern. No hydrocele.

No obvious varicocoele.

Impression:

No obvious intratesticular lesions seen.

Heterogenous right epididymis and slightly lobulated appearance. The right epididymal tail is not clearly visualised on today's scan.

Slightly thickened left epididymal body (in comparison to the right) with mildly increased vascularity in the epididymal tail that may suggest inflammatory changes.

Additional follow-up (?level 2 scan) is advised, if of clinical concern. Left epididymal cyst.’

Last Monday night the left testicle started to become red and slightly bigger with a lot of pain. Now both sides are started to become swollen randomly. Triggers are usually walking, light exercise of not sitting with a cushion on my thighs.

They referred me urgently to the urologist and I spoke to him. He said that I need another scan this would be like the 3rd ultrasound. He said it would take a few months to heal and I should start taking stronger anti-inflammatories to help me sleep as it’s near to impossible. Fortunately for the past few nights I was able to sleep a bit better with taking the Diclofenac. However the pain continues on both sides.

Why is it taking so long to go down? I read it takes 2 weeks to heal this condition not months.

[deepdiving]

Hi - specifically with regards to Diclofenac, be very careful with this drug. I took it a fair bit and don’t know about the possible damage it can do to renal function. My renal function is now reduced and I now have to have blood tests on a regular basis to ensure no further deterioration. Unfortunately kidneys are very poor at repairing themselves.

Have a look at this and maybe also do other research for yourself:-

kidney.org/blog/ask-doctor/...

Good luck with everything.

[MarmiteKing2 in reply to deepdiving]

Thank you for the information. Wow I didn’t know that. It was my only other option as codeine messed up my Liver and raised it by like 50 times the normal limit when I took it a few years ago. Like you I had to have regular checks and it finally went back to normal. Other anti-inflammatory medicines don’t help much and at least ti one helps me sleep even when I’m in a lot of pain. It also reduces the swelling significantly.

[deepdiving in reply to MarmiteKing2]

I’m definitely no expert. Wish I’d known about diclofenac. I’m now unable to take it or any other NSAIDs including Ibuprofen. Worth researching. Good luck with your condition.

[MarmiteKing2 in reply to deepdiving]

Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be on it long. It just this condition takes a long time to go away. Today I could barely sit on the bus, the vibrations was soo uncomfortable. My back and pain down below was so intense that I had to stretch my back on the wall. I had to walk with my legs stretched out and very slow. It’s such a piss take man, I just want my life back again.