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Strange bump and discomfort
Hello there, I noticed something odd the other day, in the head of my penis. It seems to follow my urethra, and might actually be long, and not a "lump" at all. It's hard to tell, really. It doesn't penetrate my skin or block urination, it's not noticeable unless I push down on it. I obsessed over it for a few days, and in trying to get a good feel of it, I think I may have caused an irritation.
Either way, now I'm having some very odd symptoms. It seems like after urinating, I have a very mild pain in the glans, or just under it. It goes away shortly after, 5 minutes or less. But at the same time, I have a very odd sensation.. I guess I'd describe it as tickling, or itching. It's very feint, and it doesn't really bother me that much. I feel it in the tip(or where the "lump" is), and also seemingly at the very base of my penis.
There's no chance of it being an STD. I guess a doctor's appointment is warented. But does anyone have any idea what I could be experiencing? I'm quite worried about cancer and such.
Thanks in advance.
Either way, now I'm having some very odd symptoms. It seems like after urinating, I have a very mild pain in the glans, or just under it. It goes away shortly after, 5 minutes or less. But at the same time, I have a very odd sensation.. I guess I'd describe it as tickling, or itching. It's very feint, and it doesn't really bother me that much. I feel it in the tip(or where the "lump" is), and also seemingly at the very base of my penis.
There's no chance of it being an STD. I guess a doctor's appointment is warented. But does anyone have any idea what I could be experiencing? I'm quite worried about cancer and such.
Thanks in advance.
The chest pains and malaise are both common with anxiety (I experienced both as well shortly after onset of my primary symptoms), so don't assume that it means you have something serious. At the same time, they are symptoms in other diseases as well, so don't ignore them, just try to be practical and realistic in your approach, and try to have an outside perspective, not being too reactive. Ask yourself, "if I were listening to someone describe symptoms that they were having that are similar to mine right now, would I be concerned for them?" That one helped me a lot, because invariably my answer would be that it doesn't sound like anything serious at all and I know plenty of people that have a lot worse that they have to deal with on a daily basis who have learned to function normally in life without even complaining.
As for the lump, I think that is what you should focus on. How long has it been there? How big is it? You do not have to see a urologist for that. Like you have already mentioned, it could be a swollen lymph node or a hernia, or possibly something else, but anyone with medical training should be able to help you out with it, so whether it is a general practitioner, a specialist, or a health clinic, get someone to look at that specifically. And you don't have to have insurance to see a doctor. It will be a little more expensive, but shouldn't be too bad if all you are getting is a consult and they are not doing procedures. And even then, if they end up needing to do procedures, you can set up a payment plan with the hospital or clinic, so don't let low funds prevent you from seeking the care you need. You might also see if you can get something to help you out with your anxiety.
As for the lump, I think that is what you should focus on. How long has it been there? How big is it? You do not have to see a urologist for that. Like you have already mentioned, it could be a swollen lymph node or a hernia, or possibly something else, but anyone with medical training should be able to help you out with it, so whether it is a general practitioner, a specialist, or a health clinic, get someone to look at that specifically. And you don't have to have insurance to see a doctor. It will be a little more expensive, but shouldn't be too bad if all you are getting is a consult and they are not doing procedures. And even then, if they end up needing to do procedures, you can set up a payment plan with the hospital or clinic, so don't let low funds prevent you from seeking the care you need. You might also see if you can get something to help you out with your anxiety.
Well, the more I deal with it, the more I notice other things. And while some of it is probably anxiety related, I do feel strange in other ways now. Namely, I have some very mild chest pain. I've also been feeling just generally sick. I get.. Chills, I guess, every so often. Though really it's more of a strange feeling. Like being on a bunch of medication. I've also had some burning in my feet..
Not only that, but I believe the pain is really more located at the very base, and under my scrotum. It seems more toward my left side. Also, I've noticed pain in my leg, near my groin. It really only hurts when I move my leg in a specific way, maybe I pulled something.. Or could it possibly be a swollen lymph node? I've had abdominal problems for a while, and just got of ignore it. And recently I've noticed sort of a lump, lower left quadrant. It becomes irritated when I push on it(I can't help myself), and seems to shrink after a bowel movement. Maybe it's just being pushed further towards the surface when my intestines are full.. I do not know.
I live alone, and am currently unemployed. No insurrance, so doing things efficiently is very much on my mind. I have nothing but time, and no one to really talk to about it. I've never experienced anything like this before, so it's rather disturbing to me.
Regardless, it will be mid November before I can even see a urologist, so I'm not entirely sure what to do. I figure I'll set up an appointment early next week, and address all these concerns.
Not only that, but I believe the pain is really more located at the very base, and under my scrotum. It seems more toward my left side. Also, I've noticed pain in my leg, near my groin. It really only hurts when I move my leg in a specific way, maybe I pulled something.. Or could it possibly be a swollen lymph node? I've had abdominal problems for a while, and just got of ignore it. And recently I've noticed sort of a lump, lower left quadrant. It becomes irritated when I push on it(I can't help myself), and seems to shrink after a bowel movement. Maybe it's just being pushed further towards the surface when my intestines are full.. I do not know.
I live alone, and am currently unemployed. No insurrance, so doing things efficiently is very much on my mind. I have nothing but time, and no one to really talk to about it. I've never experienced anything like this before, so it's rather disturbing to me.
Regardless, it will be mid November before I can even see a urologist, so I'm not entirely sure what to do. I figure I'll set up an appointment early next week, and address all these concerns.
Why are you starting to freak out? What is it you are dealing with that concerns you the most? Have you developed new symptoms, or have your symptoms gotten worse? I don't know if a urologist can do x-rays, but they are more likely to do ultrasounds and UAs (you don't want an x-ray near your testicles, especially if you might possibly conceive chidren soon because of the negative effects of the radiation on rapidly developing sperm cells). They can take blood as well, but may have to send it off to get tested, so you may have to wait a day or two for the results. I would say the urologist is a good place to start, and if they feel your problem is not in their area of expertise, they can refer you to an appropriate specialist.
Like I said in my last statement, the worrying could be the problem, and the more you worry, the worse the problem can get. I was worrying about a lot of things when this first started for me... everything from cancer to MS and a host of other possibilities. It was driving me crazy, and all the anxiety brought on a host of other symptoms, mimicing other conditions, and was even starting to affect my work and my relationships. But learning to accept it has made all the difference, and has even reduced the severity of the symptoms. In fact, I have been practically symptom free for the last few days.
Incidentally, how old are you? What region are you located in? Married? What do you do? Do you participate in any activities that put pressure on your perineum? I would encourage you to get as many opinions from qualified professionals as you feel necessary, but don't worry until you have something to worry about; that will only make it worse. The best you can do is to get people to look at it who know more than you, and you are doing that. If it is something serious (which I seriously doubt), they will be able to detect it. Otherwise, I think you will see that time and relaxation, giving yourself a break from worrying, will make all the difference.
Like I said in my last statement, the worrying could be the problem, and the more you worry, the worse the problem can get. I was worrying about a lot of things when this first started for me... everything from cancer to MS and a host of other possibilities. It was driving me crazy, and all the anxiety brought on a host of other symptoms, mimicing other conditions, and was even starting to affect my work and my relationships. But learning to accept it has made all the difference, and has even reduced the severity of the symptoms. In fact, I have been practically symptom free for the last few days.
Incidentally, how old are you? What region are you located in? Married? What do you do? Do you participate in any activities that put pressure on your perineum? I would encourage you to get as many opinions from qualified professionals as you feel necessary, but don't worry until you have something to worry about; that will only make it worse. The best you can do is to get people to look at it who know more than you, and you are doing that. If it is something serious (which I seriously doubt), they will be able to detect it. Otherwise, I think you will see that time and relaxation, giving yourself a break from worrying, will make all the difference.
Well, I'm starting to freak out, it's official. I've decided to make an appointment, but I have no idea what kind of doctor I should actually see.. I'm thinking a urologist, but I have a few other unrelated(hopefully) problems I'd like to get check out, namely abdominal problems. Would a urologist be able to set me up with x-rays and such? And blood work? I do not visit doctors often, and have very few people to ask.
You can read a lot about what I have been dealing with in the thread entitled "Vibration sensation in penis" started on 8/6/2006 (and I started a followup thread on 10/6/2006). Basically, it is an intermittent very faint vibrating/buzzing sensation in the penis that is not painful and has no adverse effect on my life, other than my freaking out wondering what it was. I went through lots of tests (family doc, urologist, neurologist) ruling things out, and all the big stuff has been ruled out. I am thinking now that it is Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. It seems a lot of other guys are dealing with the same thing. For some it goes away in a few days, for some a few weeks, and for some it can take a year or more. For some it goes away but comes back. I have decided it is something I can just tolerate for now (it has been 11 weeks) and much like I said before, it will either go away, remain as is (sometimes irritating, but I have mostly gotten to where I can ignore it) or it will develop into something more serious, at which point I will seek more help.
I also had strange bumps/ridges that I thought might be having a part in my condition (actually I have had them for many years), but even those turned out to be nothing... most likely deep arteries and possibly a small amount of scar tissue (from what, I don't know). Anyway, it is common for penises to have bumps, ridges, different colors, etc. So I can relate to your frustration, but for the most part it seems that if you are not experiencing any loss in function and all the tests come back negative, all they can really do is tell you not to worry about it, and that probably is the best advice. Because, at least in the case of CPPS, it is the tension in the pelvic floor muscles that causes nerve irritation and creates even more pain and strange sensations, which makes you focus on that area even more, increasing tension further. kind of a vicious cycle until you can learn to break it and let go of the anxiety.
Good luck, and keep me posted how it is going.
I also had strange bumps/ridges that I thought might be having a part in my condition (actually I have had them for many years), but even those turned out to be nothing... most likely deep arteries and possibly a small amount of scar tissue (from what, I don't know). Anyway, it is common for penises to have bumps, ridges, different colors, etc. So I can relate to your frustration, but for the most part it seems that if you are not experiencing any loss in function and all the tests come back negative, all they can really do is tell you not to worry about it, and that probably is the best advice. Because, at least in the case of CPPS, it is the tension in the pelvic floor muscles that causes nerve irritation and creates even more pain and strange sensations, which makes you focus on that area even more, increasing tension further. kind of a vicious cycle until you can learn to break it and let go of the anxiety.
Good luck, and keep me posted how it is going.
Same thing happened to me a few months ago when I went in to the uologist's office. They took a UA and found "trace" amounts of blood a protein, but they said it wasn't enough to be alarmed about. 4 subsequent UAs all came back completely clean, so who knows.
It sounds like you may have been dealing with something similar to what I have been going through with weird sensations in the genitals. From my experience so far, if your symptoms do not fit nicely into something they recognize, and there are no difinitive findings in your UA and other typical tests, there doesn't seem to be much they can do for you. Seems best they can do is "wait and see." Basically, they have to wait for your symptoms to either go away (which is what will likely happen) or develop into something that they recognize. But the good news is that there are only a few types of cancer that typically develop in that region, and they are pretty easy for a professional to detect, so you are probably fine other than just having to deal with a little discomfort. But if you feel you are not getting the attention you need, consider getting a second opinion.
It sounds like you may have been dealing with something similar to what I have been going through with weird sensations in the genitals. From my experience so far, if your symptoms do not fit nicely into something they recognize, and there are no difinitive findings in your UA and other typical tests, there doesn't seem to be much they can do for you. Seems best they can do is "wait and see." Basically, they have to wait for your symptoms to either go away (which is what will likely happen) or develop into something that they recognize. But the good news is that there are only a few types of cancer that typically develop in that region, and they are pretty easy for a professional to detect, so you are probably fine other than just having to deal with a little discomfort. But if you feel you are not getting the attention you need, consider getting a second opinion.
Thanks for the reply, stillcurious. What really bothers me is that the doctor basically looked me over, and set me up with a UA. Nothing else was done. I probably should have been more forceful about needing more information.. And he didn't seem to believe me when I told him it wasn't possible for it to be an STD..
Either way though, you say you had a similar problem eh? And did it resolve itself, or is it persistant? I worry I'm going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life. That would be quite horrible. If you get a chance, could you possibly post a bit more about what your experience was?
Either way though, you say you had a similar problem eh? And did it resolve itself, or is it persistant? I worry I'm going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life. That would be quite horrible. If you get a chance, could you possibly post a bit more about what your experience was?
Well, I visited a doctor and the diagnosis was.. I'm perfectly fine. I find this very odd, to say the least. They told me my urine was very concentrated, though it normally isn't, and that I just need to drink more liquids, which I'm doing.
I do worry though that the doctor didn't do all he could have. I pressed for more information, he basically told me that at first they noticed blood in my urine, but after looking at it under the microscope, it's a "normal amount". IS blood in your urine ever normal?
I do worry though that the doctor didn't do all he could have. I pressed for more information, he basically told me that at first they noticed blood in my urine, but after looking at it under the microscope, it's a "normal amount". IS blood in your urine ever normal?
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STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
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Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
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