Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Minor pain and swelling of left testicle as well as daily painful priapisms.

So im not sure if any of this is related but here is the events prior to the pain and swelling:

It usually helps me sleep if I masturbate so before bed that's what I did. I did feel a slight tingle in the crease of my leg and scrotum but almost unnoticeable.

I was able to sleep for a few hours (fetal position, like normal) before I woke up to a priapism that was very painful. I couldn't get the blood to flow elsewhere by moving around or standing up. At the same time I noticed I had a small urge to urinate which may have opened the flood gates and the priapism was gone along with the pain but was left with numbness in the penis and testicles for a few minutes after.

It wasn't that common for me to get a priapism and even when I did it was never this painful nor has it been so hard to get rid of. The the painful priapism became more frequent and the swelling of my left testicle worsened over a week and a half.

I went to urgent care when I had a hard time doing hard physical activities. I did forget to mention the priapisms to them.

They did an ultrasound on my scrotum regardless. They said there were no hydrocele, varicocele, cysts or lesions. There was no evidence of torsion, orchitis, or epididymitis. There was normal doppler flow. Their impression based on the ultrasound was that everything looked normal.

They recommended seeing a urologist which I plan to but I was wondering if there has been any similar cases or if anyone has any ideas of what this could be?
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I'm a little curious.  You say you are getting priapisms, but those are erections that are not only painful but last for over 4 hours.  What it sounds like to me is you're waking up with erections you don't want.  If they go away when you urinate, they aren't priapisms.  They are unwanted spontaneous erections, which are quite common.  There's a lot of different reasons to get them.  I would be concerned if they are painful, don't get me wrong, but again, the dangerous priapisms last a really long time and again, you sound like you're just getting normal nocturnal erections.  The pain I don't get, though, so I'm not saying don't be concerned, just that you might be concerned about the wrong thing.  
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Your right, I misunderstood. I thought priapism was the term for morning wood but nocturnal penile tumescence is the term I should have used, correct?
They do feel like they last a while though and do become painful.
And it is possible these 2 problems aren't correlated but I still thought I'd mention them in case they were.
Avatar universal
My first thought is, yes, please see a Urologist - this type of issue is right in their wheelhouse.

Question: Are you by any chance African-American? Black men are prone to sickle cell disease, which can cause priapism. I believe in rare cases, White men can have this condition, so this may need to be investigated either way. Normally race wdn’t enter into these kinds of issues, but in this case, there’s a slight possibility it could.

Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you as far as the reason this is happening, but one thing is for sure: you need to get to the bottom of this issue. Priapism is no laughing matter, not only is it painful, but repeated episodes could do damage to the Corpora Cavernosa - the 2 chambers (one on each side of the penis) which fill with blood to create an erection. If these chambers are damaged significantly, it could result in severe ED that might not be reversible, so please don’t delay - get this checked out w/ a Urologist ASAP.

Also, please check back in here & let us know what’s found - that info could help some w/ the same condition…
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Im caucasian. And so I've learned recurring priapism is not to be taken lightly. I have been able to sleep on my back. It did prevent priapism last night if I stayed flat and didn't scrunch my legs close to me. It's not the most comfortable position but I got some sleep.
Avatar universal
I forgot to mention I'm a 26yr old virgin so no STDs.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Urology Community

Top Urology Answerers
Avatar universal
Southwest , MI
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
Dr. Jose Gonzalez-Garcia provides insight to the most commonly asked question about the transfer of HIV between partners.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.