My introduction

[TrustyTrout (imported)]

Greetings from nw us.

It seems most socially proper to introduce myself before commenting or asking questions. So if you’ll humor me, here goes.

65 year old straight male, married 38 yrs. Chronic irregular scrotal contents pain for 35 years, numerous infections. Bicycle riding three to five thousand miles per year about 30 of those years probably didn’t help. Looking for ideas to convince urologist to do bilateral removal. Much more to the story.

Nine years ago I was in an accident, and I’m paralyzed from the arm pits down, in an electric wheelchair most days, unable to reposition my legs or dangly bits. However near normal sensation in peri-anal region, including the chronic testicular pain. I often feel as though they’re being squeezed for hours, or the cords stretched unmercifully. Some days and nights I’m nearly pain-free, others the pain is all I can think of.

I have talked over getting them removed with my wife, and she’s completely on board and supportive. Three urologists (so far) have bluntly said that ice and nsaids several times a day is the best they can offer. I registered an account thinking I might share some of my research on pain, and learn from those whose local urologist was accommodating.

Thanks.

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

One urologist told me he has tons of long term patients with long term testicle pain that he can t do anything about curing. What a steady income that provides for him for doing nothing !

[Dekeldoh (imported)]

Hi there! Welcome to the forum. I hope you get what you need.

When I went to a local urologist after getting a letter and finding a PCP to put in a referral, the local urologist actually refused to see me for some kind of ambiguous religious reason. They wouldn't even schedule a consult after seeing the referral and letter. I ended up flying to Oregon and had a flawless experience there with Dr. Spettel.

It seems like luck is a major factor, but making eye contact and being direct, concise and assertive is what helps me. You're there for a reason and it's their job to help you. Don't dance around the issue; tell them you need X and that if they can't help you they should send you to someone who will. It only takes one sentence to respectfully say that you're in pain, meds won't cut it, other urologists are assholes, and you want an orchiectomy.

If they really won't help you then that's on them. Orchiectomy for orchalgia is in the books even though urologists are reluctant to do it. You have the moral high ground, and you can bitch to everyone about how they aren't doing their job.

[GordonGG (imported)]

I ended up flying to Oregon and had a flawless experience there with Dr. Spettel.

Question, did you have a medical reason for the orchiectomy? Or just 'cause you wanted one? If the later what kind of hoops did you have to go through with Dr Spettel to get it done? Letters?

[Frida G Cavic (imported)]

welcome

[Dekeldoh (imported)]

Question, did you have a medical reason for the orchiectomy? Or just 'cause you wanted one? If the later what kind of hoops did you have to go through with Dr Spettel to get it done? Letters?

The medical reason was "gender identity disorder of adult." My understanding is that she'll do a self-pay with one letter but insurance generally requires two. I can't recommend her for self-pay though, since she does them at a hospital whose operating room utility fee exceeds $5000. And once you have one good letter, there are tons of places to hammer out a second letter in one session. Feel free to PM me with more questions.

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

Greetings from nw us.

It seems most socially proper to introduce myself before commenting or asking questions. So if you’ll humor me, here goes.

65 year old straight male, married 38 yrs. Chronic irregular scrotal contents pain for 35 years, numerous infections. Bicycle riding three to five thousand miles per year about 30 of those years probably didn’t help. Looking for ideas to convince urologist to do bilateral removal. Much more to the story.

Nine years ago I was in an accident, and I’m paralyzed from the arm pits down, in an electric wheelchair most days, unable to reposition my legs or dangly bits. However near normal sensation in peri-anal region, including the chronic testicular pain. I often feel as though they’re being squeezed for hours, or the cords stretched unmercifully. Some days and nights I’m nearly pain-free, others the pain is all I can think of.

I have talked over getting them removed with my wife, and she’s completely on board and supportive. Three urologists (so far) have bluntly said that ice and nsaids several times a day is the best they can offer. I registered an account thinking I might share some of my research on pain, and learn from those whose local urologist was accommodating.

Thanks.

If you had a vasectomy done, that can cause chronic testicular and epididymis pain for some men from either internal pressures from daily sperm production being trapped and accumulating sperm backing up into those ares. But usually blow out will occur from those back ups to relieve the pressure and leak sperm into the scrotum where there is lots of open space to reduce that pressure and let the man s own immune system break down and digest his trapped sperm.

That same immune system sperm digestion can also enter a man s testicle interiors by entering through those same pressure blow outs to breach his natural barriers between his sperm, containing only half of his DNA, and his immune system which can see his own sperm as invading foriegn objects to be attacked and digested inside his testicles. This can lead to chronic ball pain and the usual and expected destruction of most men s ability to produce healthy sperm that occurs around 15 yesrs after most men get vasectomies. But this process can happen sooner or later among different men.

The intense squeezing pain in the testicles and cords leading to them might be from intermitant testicular torsions which can be from the muscles in one or both spermatic cords twisting and rotating inside the scrotum with muscle spasms. These can cause lack of adequate blood flow which can damage or kill testicles from lack of oxygen and blood flow. Emergency surgery may be needed to untwist torsioned testicles by doing an orchiopexy, usually within less than 6 hours from the time the testicular torsion started to cut off the blood flow inside the testicle or both testicles. Usually it occurs in one testicle at a time, but both can torsion at any time in males at any age from infants up to older men.

You should get an ultrasound done while you are having these pains to see if your blood flow to your testicles is being impaired by torsions.

I agree that at your age and stage in life, drs should be very willing to use castration to relieve your pain, similar to drs using hysterectomies in women to prevent pain in females. Suffering great pain in testicles beyond their reproductive years can easily be solved by castration if men want it done. Drs have no valid reason to force older men to keep their testicles if they are causing them significant problems. Nearly all older men are done breeding and can be castrated very effectively to treat chronic testicular pain. Age slowly teduces most mens testicular functions and sperm and testosterone production anyway. Castration simply causes that sooner and more fully than normal aging will eventually do to most mens testicles anyway.

[gayglenn146 (imported)]

I had low testosterone for several years.

My PCP prescribed Androgel for the low T.

Then a couple of years ago testicle pain became a problem.

My PCP referred me to a urologist who did an ultrasound.

It revealed there was no cancer but that there was no living tissue in my testicles.

A CT scan was done next.

This positively identified no living cells in my testicles and no cancer.

It was he who said removal of the testicles was indicated.

At age 71 I had no problem with that.

They were not working anyway and I had no need for them.

Then four months they were removed.

Not the most painful surgery I have had but definitely a significant amount of pain during the healing process.

Now, after 4 months I have no further pain and am a satisfied customer.

I am fortunate to have government sponsored medical insurance, which paid for everything.

I hope your situation can be quickly and easily resolved.

[cutnbulls2ox (imported)]

I had low testosterone for several years.

My PCP prescribed Androgel for the low T.

Then a couple of years ago testicle pain became a problem.

My PCP referred me to a urologist who did an ultrasound.

It revealed there was no cancer but that there was no living tissue in my testicles.

A CT scan was done next.

This positively identified no living cells in my testicles and no cancer.

It was he who said removal of the testicles was indicated.

At age 71 I had no problem with that.

They were not working anyway and I had no need for them.

Then four months they were removed.

Not the most painful surgery I have had but definitely a significant amount of pain during the healing process.

Now, after 4 months I have no further pain and am a satisfied customer.

I am fortunate to have government sponsored medical insurance, which paid for everything.

I hope your situation can be quickly and easily resolved.

Taking artificial testosterone long enough and in large enough doses will cause the body to turn off the testicles temporarily or permanently. The longer the time on T, the more likely the testicles will stop working permanently. That permanent stopping of the testicle functions is caused by the pituitary gland sensing artificial testosterone in the bloodstream. The pituitary gland controls the testicles

sperm and testosterone production.

I have never read if that permanent shutdown of the testicles leads to the testicles dying or just going inactive but still staying living tissue after the shutdown ?