Q. I have dull testicle pain and intermittent stomach pain. What could it be?

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am a 48 year old. I was never sick, I never go to a doctor. I do not take medications. I have worked out for 30 years five times a week. Nothing real heavy these days (treadmill three times a week - fast walking). Symptoms started about a month ago with intermittent dull stomach pain and mostly on the left side. It progressed to dull testicle pain - again mostly on the left side. It is usually not stomach and testicle at the same time. There are no noticeable lumps in the testicles - both feel the same to me, but the pain is more on the upper top of the testicle from what I can tell. I believe there are some tubes or cords there naturally and to me, it feels like the left side does feel more cordy (for lack of a better word). I have occasional groin tightness.

Symptoms I do not have:Any masses or lumps.No tiredness/fatigue.No bulges anywhere so I do not think it can be a hernia (I do not remember feeling anything).No pain urinating and no blood in urine or feces.No lower back pain but an occasional stab in my mid back (probably referred pain?).

My main symptom these days is the dull testicle pain on the left side upper top. Sometimes, I do not have any symptoms at all and almost never when I am working out. But for a month now, I know it is there and it is annoying and the last two days, I feel like the dull pain is slightly greater at times in the left testicle. Again, I am not one to run to the doctor. Anything, I have ever had has gone away if I gave it time. The pain/discomfort is not that great but it has been at least a month. After doing a tonne of research on the internet, I have seen so many conditions where my symptoms fit but none that pinpoint just a few symptoms I mentioned.

Sorry for the long winded query but what are your initial thoughts? And do you have any follow up questions for me? Thanks.

Patient's Query

Thank you doctor,

But you say it is most likely musculoskeletal. so, would I not have felt something happen in my groin area? Because I surely did not. And would the symptoms start with the dull abdominal pain and gravitate to testicles? I have worked out for so many years and never had this. Your reassurance that it is nothing to worry about is good but how long can I expect to feel this dull pain in my testicle(s) and abdomen?

Patient's Query Not sure if another Dr will reply or the same doctor but I wanted to give an update since it's been several weeks. Please refer to the last query to see history and ask me about any other symptoms if need be. As far as the symptoms I presented in the previous email the testicle dull pain is 95% gone and has been for over about 2 weeks. The abdominal pain is 75% gone but I still feel some pains here and there and on both sides. My biggest concern and symptom now is my back. Mainly dull aching pain in my mid back/thoracic area-sometimes the sides of my shoulder blades. Also some tightness in my lower back-nothing really painful and only really feel it if I bend back or bend forward.
I was on vacation last week and I felt the thoracic dull pain more during that week. I'm not sure if everything since my original query is all interrelated and all the pains relate to certain nerves and referred pain? I will tell you one other thing that I think could be relevant based on things I've read. For several years I get occasional episodes of what is probably referred to as acid reflux or maybe even GERD (again, ive never had it checked out). On average it might happen 1x a month. But when it does I feel like food gets stuck when I'm eating and won't go down. Then i spit up a lot of saliva and it can take a while for it to feel like the stuck food went down. And often times i have to gag it up. Coincidentally, while on vacation, it happened to me 3x of which 2 of the episodes were worse. And that's when I felt the shoulder blade pain/thoracic pain more in the following days. But like I said, I've had this problem for years but never had any back pains or abdominal pains as a result of it. And when I originally emailed you guys with the abdominal pain/testical pain I did feel that thoracic pain as one of the 1st symptoms followed by abdominal pain and testicle pain. It was the abdominal pain and testicle pain that were the main symptoms after a few days of onset-you guys thought it was musculoskeletal. Now it's the back pains that are the main symptom. Are all these things related? Could I have an acidic problem that is causing all these pains?

Again, I've never really been sick my whole life and feel pretty good these days as always but when I feel strange pains I get a little worried about something major.

Thanks!

Patient's Query Ok thanks. No problem with late reply. I guess I will eventually just need to get checked out. Most things just go away so I never worry too much, but these most recent symptoms are foreign to me. If it was just the testicle and abdominal pain I probably wouldn't worry as much since they have subsided a lot. But with the mid back/thoracic dull pain I still worry. SO, do you think that symptom is musculoskeletal related too? I know I never injured anything back there so is it referred pain from a nerve? It even seems to hit my side (rib) occasionally-just for a second or 2 though

Thanks again Doc!!