Dad Warns Parents To Take Teens Seriously If They Complain Of Testicle Pain

Testicle pain in teens might seem like no big deal, but it could actually be a serious medical issue

When kids have aches and pains, it’s all too easy to tell them to walk it off, sleep it off or just ride it out. They’re young and tough and constantly dealing with growing pains and bumps and bruises. It’s all no big deal, right?

More often than not, that’s usually the case, but with one very notable exception: testicle pain in teen boys. One dad shared his son’s harrowing story on Reddit as a warning to other parents that testicle pain is something you don’t want to ignore.

The dad, who goes by the screen name “Bollocksave,” wrote that his 15-year-old son was throwing up and complaining of testicle pain at around 3 a.m. While sending the kid to bed and following up in the morning would seem like an appropriate way to deal with those symptoms, Bollocksave took his son to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with testicular torsion.

“The condition requires emergency surgery,” the dad wrote. “It’s a pretty simple surgery and they work on the other testicle as well to prevent it from happening again in the future. The boy is doing alright. We’re home now and he’s relaxing. He can’t play sports or do any strenuous activity for a few weeks, but his testicle is fine.”

Testicular torsion can hit men of any age, but is particularly common in teens between the ages of 12 and 16. And if it goes untreated, testicular torsion can cause some serious problems.

“The doctor told us that his last THREE cases of testicular torsion involved the testicle dying because the patient waited too long,” Bollocksave wrote. “It’s best to get the surgery done within 4-6 hours of pain onset. If your son starts complaining of this kind of pain, DON’T tell him to sleep it off. The testicle could die.”

Since those teen years can be a little touchy when it comes to parent-child relationships, he also stressed the importance of creating the kind of environment where kids are comfortable talking about pain and discomfort down there.

“Make sure you foster an open enough relationship to where your kids feel comfortable discussing this with you. Hiding it could also result in the death of the testicle and that’s not what you want,” he wrote. “This is most common in boys between the ages of 12 and 16. I understand those years can be a little tough, but it’s not tougher than being down one ball.”

Amen to that.

H/T: POPSUGAR