Bump on Left Testicle

[trevor32]

Over a week ago I had some slight tenderness coming from my left testicle. When I checked it I noticed a firm round mass directly on top of the testicle. It is perfectly round, smooth, and about the size of a marble. It feels like it is attached to the epididymis and separate from the testicle. It is not painful in general, but I do get a pain when I try to squeeze it. My GP felt it and said it is probably an epididymal cyst, but has sent me for an ultrasound to confirm. I have been reading about it on the internet which is a bad habit of mine, and I read somewhere that if you shine a light behind the mass (transillumination) and the light shines through it is most likely a cyst. I tried this with a small flashlight and the mass seemed to be somewhat dark with some light shining through at times, but not clearly. Is this a reliable test? Could I be doing it wrong? I am worried now that I have a solid tumor attached to my epididymis. My ultrasound is not for 2 weeks. Please help.

[Scott]

It does sound as though it's more likely a cyst than a tumor. The ultrasound will clear things up. I don't think the flashlight test is awfully reliable.

Hang in there, Trevor.