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Hoping someone here can offer some advice, or at least validate my impressions of what's going on w/ my husband - this is long and complicated, but I'm at my wit's end right now so bear with me.
Last fall (10 months ago) my then 37 YO husband developed an inguinal hernia on the right side while at work - his second, the first being in his late teens. Concurrently, he developed a painful, swollen right testicle. He saw a worker's comp. Dr. who diagnosed him with an incarcerated inguinal hernia, and told him he had epididymitis based on the physical exam. He reduced the hernia, told my husband to see what happened over the next couple weeks, and to call if the problem worsened. Due to the swelling and pain in his testicle, I urged him to seek a second opinion, which he did, the same day. THAT Dr. (a urologist) told him he had prostatitis, and put him on three DAYS of cipro (he has had recurrent bouts of prostatitis in the distant past and knows those symptoms). I found out later that the urologist he saw has paid out several malpractice suits, which I can imagine if he's treating prostatitis with 3 DAYS of ABs. No mention there of why prostatitis was causing such swelling and pain in the testicle.
When the pain and swelling did not resolve (nor the hernia, which continued to pop in and out) he was referred to a surgeon, who scheduled surgery for the following month. Because his symptoms continued to worsen the surgery was moved up and he ultimately had a the hernia repair (open w/mesh). Upon recovery of surgery, the testicular swelling and pain resolved almost immediately (w/i a couple days).
A month and a half or so ago, 8 + months post hernia surgery, the testicular swelling and pain in the testicle and also the groin at the surgery site began to recur - it was gradual in onset, taking a couple days coming on. It became gradually worse, so my husband went back to the original surgeon, who again told him he had epididymitis and that it was unrelated to the hernia and referred him to a urologist, and put him on bactrim.
The urologist confirmed the epididymitis but also said he felt a mass-like lesion in the inguinal canal (not the testicle). He did not come right out and say it, but intonated its relationship to the hernia. He kept him on the bactrim, and said he was going to schedule an ultrasound. We waited for him to call with a date - he never did but 2 1/2 weeks later, the US lab called to tell us he'd missed his appt. (which he'd never been informed of). He scheduled another for later that week, and the US tech told him when he walked in that she had on sight eliminated testicular torsion as a cause, since he was walking, and then performed the US, telling him that he had a small stricture in what she called his 'vasal tube' and a "cluster of blood vessels" in his testicle, but nothing to worry about. So he didn't, except that for the ensuing 1 1/2 weeks the pain and swelling did not relent, so he called back the urologist, who had his receptionist call the following day to schedule an immediate appt. for that Friday, only to call back a few hours later to say the Dr. wasn't in that day, to come Thurs. instead. So, he went there, waited for 45 minutes, finally saw the doctor. The doctor somewhat sheepishly admitted that he was never presented with the US results, and that it was a good thing my husband had called, because it turns out he has a tumor in his testicle, as well as another mass in his testicle that the US tech called a cyst, but that looked more like a tumor to him. He explained (per my husband) that the mass was on the back side of the testicle and the "cyst" was adjacent to it, more on the outer side of the testicle (but apparently within the testicle). My husband said the US tech gave him different information, and the Dr. explained that they are trained to tell the patient that so they don't think they are imagining the discomfort (but based on HER words, he may never have even called the doctor back...) The Dr. said he wanted to run some lab work - tumor markers, a PSA, tests for sexually transmitted diseases and a urine culture. He then went on at length about solving the problem with the epidimytis - nerve blocks and removing the epididymis completely, etc. which to me seemed ridiculous if he was telling my husband he had a testicular tumor, which would mean removing the testicle, and thus the problem with the epididymitis. It made no sense to me that he would be even having that conversation after telling him he had a testicular tumor.
Unfortunately at this point, my husband had been kept waiting so long that now the lab was closed, necessitating another trip the following day. The doctor told him to call back Mon or Tues, to make sure the Dr. had gotten the test results, since obviously there had been some problems in this area already. He went for the blood draw (this being Fri), and the lab told him the tests would be available to the Dr on Monday. He called the Dr. Mon afternoon and was told the tests results were on the Dr's desk, waiting to be read and the Dr would call him back when he was done appts. Well, he didn't call back, but the following day (Tues) we got a message from the receptionist stating that the tests results "still aren't in but the Dr will call as soon as they are". My husband called back to inquire as to the discrepancy and was told by the receptionist that she didn't know why he was told they were in or who would have told him that - his reply was that SHE had told him that...
By Thurs we still hadn't heard from the Dr. so he called again, and demanded a return call from the Dr. that day. The receptionist did volunteer that his tests for STDs was negative. The Dr. finally called, had a ONE MINUTE phone conversation with my husband saying that his PSA was slightly elevated, and that the tests for the STDs were negative, that there were some "borderline values" in some of the other tests (he didn't elaborate, and my husband didn't ask) and that he felt he was dealing with "an infection" and told my husband to continue taking the cipro for a full 4 weeks. He wanted to schedule a follow-up ultrasound in a couple weeks, and instructed my husband to call on Tues. (last week) with a progress report. My husband was so relieved to hear this news that he didn't ask any questions, and was pretty irritated with me for making the obvious points.
The symptoms did not diminish at all (or much) and when he called last Tues as instructed, the receptionist took a message that things were the same (ie: still bad) and that we had some questions we wanted answered regarding the tests. We waited all week for the return phone call and my husband called back Fri to find they were closed for the day - he left a message demanding a call back and requesting a copy of all his lab results, at my insistence. So, now, here were are, almost a week after his last message for the doctor, still waiting a return phone call to explain these tests results, still awaiting an appt for the follow-up ultrasound, still pretty much waiting for everything.
So, I guess I am concerned about a few things - obviously my biggest concern is how this doctor went from "you have a tumor (or two)" to "you have an infection" - an infection of WHAT? The testicle? The prostate? Who knows... I am concerned that this doctor has decided its ok to wait a month to determine whether my husband has a tumor (or two) or not. I am concerned that this stems from some injury to the testicle caused by the original hernia - he had no problems with his testicle at all prior to getting this hernia. I am concerned that no mentioned was made of this "vasal tube" stricture, and the possibility that IT is causing the problem, or was caused by the hernia. Mainly I'm concerned that this Dr. has only been practicing for a few years and may not have the experience necessary to handle a problem that is this complex and that his office staff (and/or him) are completely incompetent - there has not been one thing they've done so far that has been without a complication of some sort, and the fact that he is so sloppy about test results really concerns me. I have urged my husband to seek a second opinion, but he is reluctant to go through all this again. Meanwhile, his testicle is still swollen and painful, though it has improved slightly, and does feel better with elevation and rest. Complicating things, I think, is the fact that he drives a truck for a living, and he is much more uncomfortable at the end of the day than at the beginning, feels much better on Mon a.m.s after not driving for two days, etc. It does seem to be more painful after sex as well, and he reports that the affected testicle is egg-shaped, but seems to be going side to side rather than front to back (ie its oblong, but its relationship to the unaffected testicle seems to be the wrong way). He *thinks* he can feel a mass, but he didn't before it was mentioned to him, so its hard to know if its there or not... The Dr. never mentioned being able to palpate a testicular mass, just whatever he felt in the inguinal canal, which he initially chalked up to scar tissue from the surgery, and then never mentioned again.
While I am not, obviously, ruling out the testicular tumor diagnosis and in fact am very concerned about it, it does seem odd to me that he would have this problem begin with the hernia, go away for 8-9 months, only to recur with exactly the same symptoms that much later - it would seem to me a testicular tumor would do some progressing over that period of time, and would not "come and go" in this manner.
So, hopefully, someone can offer some advice, experience or at least tell me I'm not over-reacting to this doctor's method of treatment.
Thanks
Last fall (10 months ago) my then 37 YO husband developed an inguinal hernia on the right side while at work - his second, the first being in his late teens. Concurrently, he developed a painful, swollen right testicle. He saw a worker's comp. Dr. who diagnosed him with an incarcerated inguinal hernia, and told him he had epididymitis based on the physical exam. He reduced the hernia, told my husband to see what happened over the next couple weeks, and to call if the problem worsened. Due to the swelling and pain in his testicle, I urged him to seek a second opinion, which he did, the same day. THAT Dr. (a urologist) told him he had prostatitis, and put him on three DAYS of cipro (he has had recurrent bouts of prostatitis in the distant past and knows those symptoms). I found out later that the urologist he saw has paid out several malpractice suits, which I can imagine if he's treating prostatitis with 3 DAYS of ABs. No mention there of why prostatitis was causing such swelling and pain in the testicle.
When the pain and swelling did not resolve (nor the hernia, which continued to pop in and out) he was referred to a surgeon, who scheduled surgery for the following month. Because his symptoms continued to worsen the surgery was moved up and he ultimately had a the hernia repair (open w/mesh). Upon recovery of surgery, the testicular swelling and pain resolved almost immediately (w/i a couple days).
A month and a half or so ago, 8 + months post hernia surgery, the testicular swelling and pain in the testicle and also the groin at the surgery site began to recur - it was gradual in onset, taking a couple days coming on. It became gradually worse, so my husband went back to the original surgeon, who again told him he had epididymitis and that it was unrelated to the hernia and referred him to a urologist, and put him on bactrim.
The urologist confirmed the epididymitis but also said he felt a mass-like lesion in the inguinal canal (not the testicle). He did not come right out and say it, but intonated its relationship to the hernia. He kept him on the bactrim, and said he was going to schedule an ultrasound. We waited for him to call with a date - he never did but 2 1/2 weeks later, the US lab called to tell us he'd missed his appt. (which he'd never been informed of). He scheduled another for later that week, and the US tech told him when he walked in that she had on sight eliminated testicular torsion as a cause, since he was walking, and then performed the US, telling him that he had a small stricture in what she called his 'vasal tube' and a "cluster of blood vessels" in his testicle, but nothing to worry about. So he didn't, except that for the ensuing 1 1/2 weeks the pain and swelling did not relent, so he called back the urologist, who had his receptionist call the following day to schedule an immediate appt. for that Friday, only to call back a few hours later to say the Dr. wasn't in that day, to come Thurs. instead. So, he went there, waited for 45 minutes, finally saw the doctor. The doctor somewhat sheepishly admitted that he was never presented with the US results, and that it was a good thing my husband had called, because it turns out he has a tumor in his testicle, as well as another mass in his testicle that the US tech called a cyst, but that looked more like a tumor to him. He explained (per my husband) that the mass was on the back side of the testicle and the "cyst" was adjacent to it, more on the outer side of the testicle (but apparently within the testicle). My husband said the US tech gave him different information, and the Dr. explained that they are trained to tell the patient that so they don't think they are imagining the discomfort (but based on HER words, he may never have even called the doctor back...) The Dr. said he wanted to run some lab work - tumor markers, a PSA, tests for sexually transmitted diseases and a urine culture. He then went on at length about solving the problem with the epidimytis - nerve blocks and removing the epididymis completely, etc. which to me seemed ridiculous if he was telling my husband he had a testicular tumor, which would mean removing the testicle, and thus the problem with the epididymitis. It made no sense to me that he would be even having that conversation after telling him he had a testicular tumor.
Unfortunately at this point, my husband had been kept waiting so long that now the lab was closed, necessitating another trip the following day. The doctor told him to call back Mon or Tues, to make sure the Dr. had gotten the test results, since obviously there had been some problems in this area already. He went for the blood draw (this being Fri), and the lab told him the tests would be available to the Dr on Monday. He called the Dr. Mon afternoon and was told the tests results were on the Dr's desk, waiting to be read and the Dr would call him back when he was done appts. Well, he didn't call back, but the following day (Tues) we got a message from the receptionist stating that the tests results "still aren't in but the Dr will call as soon as they are". My husband called back to inquire as to the discrepancy and was told by the receptionist that she didn't know why he was told they were in or who would have told him that - his reply was that SHE had told him that...
By Thurs we still hadn't heard from the Dr. so he called again, and demanded a return call from the Dr. that day. The receptionist did volunteer that his tests for STDs was negative. The Dr. finally called, had a ONE MINUTE phone conversation with my husband saying that his PSA was slightly elevated, and that the tests for the STDs were negative, that there were some "borderline values" in some of the other tests (he didn't elaborate, and my husband didn't ask) and that he felt he was dealing with "an infection" and told my husband to continue taking the cipro for a full 4 weeks. He wanted to schedule a follow-up ultrasound in a couple weeks, and instructed my husband to call on Tues. (last week) with a progress report. My husband was so relieved to hear this news that he didn't ask any questions, and was pretty irritated with me for making the obvious points.
The symptoms did not diminish at all (or much) and when he called last Tues as instructed, the receptionist took a message that things were the same (ie: still bad) and that we had some questions we wanted answered regarding the tests. We waited all week for the return phone call and my husband called back Fri to find they were closed for the day - he left a message demanding a call back and requesting a copy of all his lab results, at my insistence. So, now, here were are, almost a week after his last message for the doctor, still waiting a return phone call to explain these tests results, still awaiting an appt for the follow-up ultrasound, still pretty much waiting for everything.
So, I guess I am concerned about a few things - obviously my biggest concern is how this doctor went from "you have a tumor (or two)" to "you have an infection" - an infection of WHAT? The testicle? The prostate? Who knows... I am concerned that this doctor has decided its ok to wait a month to determine whether my husband has a tumor (or two) or not. I am concerned that this stems from some injury to the testicle caused by the original hernia - he had no problems with his testicle at all prior to getting this hernia. I am concerned that no mentioned was made of this "vasal tube" stricture, and the possibility that IT is causing the problem, or was caused by the hernia. Mainly I'm concerned that this Dr. has only been practicing for a few years and may not have the experience necessary to handle a problem that is this complex and that his office staff (and/or him) are completely incompetent - there has not been one thing they've done so far that has been without a complication of some sort, and the fact that he is so sloppy about test results really concerns me. I have urged my husband to seek a second opinion, but he is reluctant to go through all this again. Meanwhile, his testicle is still swollen and painful, though it has improved slightly, and does feel better with elevation and rest. Complicating things, I think, is the fact that he drives a truck for a living, and he is much more uncomfortable at the end of the day than at the beginning, feels much better on Mon a.m.s after not driving for two days, etc. It does seem to be more painful after sex as well, and he reports that the affected testicle is egg-shaped, but seems to be going side to side rather than front to back (ie its oblong, but its relationship to the unaffected testicle seems to be the wrong way). He *thinks* he can feel a mass, but he didn't before it was mentioned to him, so its hard to know if its there or not... The Dr. never mentioned being able to palpate a testicular mass, just whatever he felt in the inguinal canal, which he initially chalked up to scar tissue from the surgery, and then never mentioned again.
While I am not, obviously, ruling out the testicular tumor diagnosis and in fact am very concerned about it, it does seem odd to me that he would have this problem begin with the hernia, go away for 8-9 months, only to recur with exactly the same symptoms that much later - it would seem to me a testicular tumor would do some progressing over that period of time, and would not "come and go" in this manner.
So, hopefully, someone can offer some advice, experience or at least tell me I'm not over-reacting to this doctor's method of treatment.
Thanks
Mom knows best! We have lots of women here dragging their men-folk to the doc and appointments. They may gripe, but at least they're still around to gripe!
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