If it's not one thing it's another

Well, the Husband went to his Dr's appointment and while he was there, he brought up the strange lumpy thing that comes in goes in his testicle area. It has worried me for years, but he had thoroughly researched it on the Internet and self diagnosed it as nothing to be concerned about. I was still a bit concerned, but the worry factor hit a high when I was reading a blog from a male infertility sufferer who had the condition that the Husband believes he has and it has been a major factor in their failure to conceive.

The cute female Dr. felt the area (the Husband was less than thrilled that I had selected an attractive female as our primary care physician) and ordered an ultrasound to get a better look. The Husband did not bother to tell me that she also called a few days after the ultrasound to say that though she did not feel anything in her exam, the test showed a mass and she referred him to an urologist. He finally told me after his appointment with the Urologist on Thursday. And what an appointment it was.

He was finally seen an hour after his scheduled appointment time. The Dr. made a quick exam of the area and immediately recommended surgery to remove the mass. This caught the Husband by surprise as there was no discussion of what it could be, just a quick decision to cut into his sack and yank it out. When the Husband tried to discuss what the mass might be he was told that it could be almost anything and it was probably nothing to worry about (easy to say when it's not your testicles) because it is an unlikely location for any cancer. When the Husband pressed him for a bit more info before being sliced open, the obviously rushed Dr. was very nonchalant, saying again that it was probably nothing to worry about but it wouldn't hurt to remove it just because.

The husband disagrees about the not hurting part. He is more than willing to have the procedure (out patient, pretty minor), but would like to spend at least a few minutes discussing the issue. They apparently see things a bit differently and when he called back on Friday to request an appointment to speak with the Dr. he was told they had already scheduled his surgery for October 23rd. Wow! He has an appointment for Monday (they are really good about seeing you quickly), but this appointment is only necessary because he spent a grand total of 5 minutes with the Doctor on his first visit and the Doctor was obviously not prepared because one of the things he told the Husband was that he would like for him to get an ultrasound before the surgery. The Husband, who was at this point stunned to the point of not knowing what to say, told him that he had just had an ultrasound and that was why he was referred here. A quick check in the computer proved him right, but instead of taking the 20 seconds to look over the results, he told him he would try to look at them later. Unbelievable.

When I was informed of this visit, I immediately told the Husband that he really needed to locate another Urologist and get a second opinion. I would prefer this man not come near my husband with a scalpel, but the Husband is willing to give him a second chance to sit down and discuss the risks and such.

According to the Husband's research, the mass (which shall now be referred to as the "thing" since I really don't like the word "mass") is probably one of two things. It is not actually attached to the testicles, it just shares the general area with them. It does not cause pain and it fluctuates in size. When a light is shined behind it (yes, this is a legitimate diagnostic tool according to the info the Husband has found) it shines through the "thing" which means that it is fluid and not solid. It is probably either an enlarged vein (think varicose vein) or a blocked sperm duct. According to the research, it is usually not removed unless it causes pain or is upsetting enough to the patient to warrant it's removal for peace of mind. The removal can also decrease fertility, so that is a major consideration for us.

On one hand we don't want to take any risks that this could stand a very slight chance of being something that needs to be removed, but we also don't want to do any more damage to our fertility. I would really like to be at this appointment, but apparently this Doctor is not really big on spouse participation judging by a scene the Husband witnessed while waiting for his turn.

We should have more answers by Monday, but who knows at this point. If he does need the surgery, we would really like to have it done before the end of October since my insurance changes on November 1st and we will then have a deductible.