You don't say if your doctor is a urologist or not. If not, go to one. I am one, and I can tell you a significant number of men referred to me with testicular pain and epididymitis DO NOT have epididymitis. An ultrasound is useful but not definitive. I don't know your age but ciprofloxacin in younger people has been associated with spontaneous rupture of the achilles tendon( very rare but very bothersome). Is the skin of the scrotum red? Were you doing any unusual lifting before your symptoms? Do you have any urinary symptoms such as burning or discharge? If your doc is not a urologist get to one- I am not trying to scare you because this is very unlikely to be something serious, I just don't want you taking a bunch of antibiotics you may not need- I see that all the time.

okay 34, sorry. so the ciprofloxacin connection to the achilles is less of a concern. but epididymitis does not usually come for a day or two, then go away and come back. True epididymitis is usually accompanied by red scrotal skin, the epididymis and sometimes the testicle are 2-3X normal. It is frequently misdiagnosed in men who have idiopathic(of unknown cause) testalgia(testicular pain). So anyway get to a urologist. We love playing with balls.

+1 Go to a urologist if you haven't already. If you run a search on the forums, you'll probably find my rant about this somewhere. I spent a total of several months on various -floxacin antibiotics for what turned out to be a spermatocele - something that does not require antibiotics. Just a cautionary tale...

Have that nut removed - it helped Lance.

It's like getting kicked in the balls every 30 seconds. The single most painful thing I have ever endured...took about 2 weeks to recover with anibiotic treatment. Your urologist is your best friend during this time.

If your primary care doctor performed a complete genital exam, including hernia exam and prostate exam, urinalysis for infection & STDs, and ultrasound ... and all the tests came back negative ... you have very little to risk in completing the Cipro. If you are in pain, don't forget about wearing supportive underwear [briefs], and taking something like ibuprofen for inflammation and discomfort. A urologist is a surgeon, and you don't need a surgeon for your problem at this point! If you don't start to feel better ... then ask for a referral [if you need one], but there isn't a whole lot more that should be done, other than taking it easy, taking pain meds, and being patient. Sounds like your doctor did just fine!

JP

None that have been proven.

Family history, an undescended testicle, Congenital abnormalities, being hit there... those are some things which have links to TC. Cycling does not.

Ooh. I have an idea for a poll...

+1 on the pain and seeing a urologist. I went to a reg MD and he jacked around for several weeks with different antibiotics that didn't work. He finally sent me to the hospital where a urologist had it cleared up in 24 hours, but it was a month before I could go back to work or do anything strenuous.

My doctor did all of these thing, plus prostate check, ick!

LAst question: should I ride my bike? If not now when?

Be careful with Cipro, one of the side effects is inflammation of tendons, especially Achille's tendons. (This is from the manufacturer's website) This is also true of any fluoroquinine based antibiotics like Levaquin.

Listen to your tendons.

Az

I've had something flair up "down there" twice. The first time it was diagnosed as epididymitis after an extensive exam, and it went away with treatment. The second time I saw a general practitioner who wrote it off as a "boggy prostate". Both times the symptoms were intermittent, shooting pains that would really grab you by the... well, you get the picture. No red skin. Both times this happened I just happened to be doing some lifting. By which I mean the episodes were 10 years apart and both times I was in a period where I felt I needed to do squats to build some leg strength. Coincidence?

I have been diagnosed with this a couple of times, although I have to admit that I didn't have redness on my scrotum. I suppose mine was a mild case, although I found it quite irriating, especially in the early stages. I had an ultrasound done, and it showed a slight case of it. When I've gone to the doctor he always asks me if I am wearing a jock. I tell him no when I'm riding my bike. He asks why. I tell him about the underwear nazi and other such stronly opinionated folks. I tell him that bikes and jocks don't go too well together. He pointed out that epid. is generally a bacterial problem, but indicated that it can be brought about by blows to that region, or jarring of it. When I have the pain I find that jocks for every day use are helpful. The pain is reduced. I am careful when I ride to elevate my body when I go over bumps. And yes, I often do wear some kind of undergarment while riding to keep things very tight. And when I participate in other sports (racquetball) where some kind of blow to the testes could occur I keep things protected. It's not a fun experience, I know. I wish you the best.

I have thought about wearing a jock when riding.

I'll throw in with the sympathy and similarly scary cancer moment with, "you need to get that checked, and I mean now!" My scrotum swelled up, and I could barely walk. Went to the local emergency room, and was immediately referred to a urologist.

(I wasn't riding a this point, it was nearly 20 years ago.) I've had off and on reoccurances since, and have found that increased stress levels have contributed. Cipro is powerful, and I had great success with it. Keep in mind antibiotics tend to reduce your skin's ability to cope with UV rays, so use extra sunscreen.

Anyway, hope you feel better, keep us posted on your progress, and be gentle with he boys.

If all the tests are negative what is the benefit of antibiotics? you are correct very little risk but also very little to gain. While a urologist is a surgeon a urologist is not ONLY a surgeon, way < 50% of my practice is surgical. He should see a urologist to confirm or refute the diagnosis. Many primary care docs don't know their way around the scrotum. Next to women with recurrent urinary tract symptoms misdiagnosed as recurrent infections, "epididymitis" is one of the most commonly overdiagnosed things I see. So what is to lose?

actually epididymitis is usually a chlamydial problem( STD) in men of cycling age, or a chemical problem possibly secondary to reflux of urine up the vas deferens- it is very common to see a man with true epididymitis who has a history of some unusual heavy lifting. A jock while cycling i don't think would prevent epididymitis, it might help prevent pain by keeping the boys in a more stable position.

It took 7 - 10 days to get over the pain and swelling. I was back on the bike in about two weeks if I remember correctly.

I have never gotten over that transvestite midget.

Wow! I must have it now!

okay, i had these same symptoms. the doctor diagnosed me for double hernia and sent me off to a surgeon. i checked in with the urologist also and neither of them diagnosed me for hernia. i asked about epididymitis and they all said probably not. the general consensus (except for the primary doctor) was strain or pain from jarring on the bike seat. it lasted for a while and kind of came and went in various levels of intensity, but finally ended up going away. at least for the last few months. i was given no antibiotics.
good luck.

I wasn't indicating that the jock would prevent the epid., but I do find that it helps me deal with the pain. I appreciate the insight about the reflux of urine. That makes sense to me. I've wondered if this isn't what causes my problems when they occur. I suppose also my wife could be passing an infection on to me.

I get this about three or four times a year for the last 15-20 yrs or so. Ouch! It has defnitely gotten worse over the years in terms of both frequency and pain level. I too first got it a bit before the Lance scare so I went to Many urologists - all gave me the 'no cancer' okay, which was gr8, but it took about 10 yrs for someone to finally diagnose as epidytimitis.

I don't get the redness, and only slight swelling but what originally was just uncomfortable and annoying for a few hours went to me getting through the day with 3-4 (x200mg) ibuprofen every 4 hours. Now I don't fool around - it is so bad I can't get dressed, let alone go to work. It usually lasts at least 24 hrs when i get a flare up. I take 2 vicodin at the first signs, get on the couch in a bizarre legs open position and listen to M***y Star till I can move again.

anyway - DEFINITELY get seen to rule out the big C and be careul how you lift, and gentle with the boys is right. Good Luck

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