Testicular check - info please

[Jonny967]

Hi, i would like to know exactly what to find when performing a testicular check?
I can feel my epididimus running behind both testes but on the right side it seems to loop underneath and come up the front a little. It feels soft and squidgy so nothing sinister but if i mess around with it too long i gat a pain in my groin and back similar to if i was kicked in them (you blokes know the feeling!).
Is it normal to have this and is the pain from messing for too long?
I had a ultrasound five months ago about a lump i found but turned out to be a varicole and ever since then feel paranoid and have a urge to check everything, the only problem is i dont know what is normal and abnormal. a cancerous lump is very hard and painless located on the front and side of a teste - this is about all i know.

[Jonny967]

Hi, thanks once again for your reply.

I visited the doctor this morning to have a check on a very small hard ridge/bump at the front/bottom of my right testicle. He did not seem to concerned over this and reassured me that small bumps and ridges can be part of a normal testicle as evryone can be different. He told me generally that a cancerous lump would be larger (about the size of a pea) and very hard, it would also keep growing and not stay the same size as what the bump on my testicle is doing. Within 30 days a cancerous lump can double in size and if it has been there for some time there would be other symptoms e.g. groin pain, mass swelling or reduction in size.
He did however praise me for taking time to check myself as a lot of men don't and these are the ones where cancer goes undetected and makes them very ill.

would you agree with his comments? especially regarding how lumps will grow fast if undetected.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  I'm not sure what you mean by a "normal sized testicular lump". It's not normal to find any "lumps" adjacent to the testicles, other than the epididymis itself.  Most of these lumps are non-cancerous conditions, like a varicocoele (the condition you have) or an hernia.  But a non-cancerous or benign condition is not the equivalent of "normal".  As I've said, don't dwell too much on it.  You've had yourself checked by ultrasound and no cancer has been found.  So relax and take it easy.

[Jonny967]

thanks for your reply, what is the normal size for a testicular lump? and are they round or can be other shapes.
Are the lumps definate enough to be easily found when doing a testicular check?
I thing i may be too detailed in my checks and find the smallest things freak me out,

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  You're right. Manipulating your testicles will be painful if done for a prolonged period of time. This is normal.  You're also correct in saying that testicular cancer typically presents with a solid, firm to hard, and painless mass located in the testicle or adjacent to it.  However, there is really no set of physical characteristics which will tell us for certain whether a testicular mass is cancerous or not.  You need a biopsy for that.  The important thing is to see a doctor early whenever you find anything suspicious down there.  While it is all right to be vigilant in detecting abnormalities in your testicles, I hope you don't dwell too much on it.