varicocele, swollen lymph nodes & pain - Men's Health Message Board

dwaynex · 02-28-2003, 09:13 AM

Hey I need some help.

I am a male in my 30's with several enlarged lymph
nodes in the groin area on my left side. The lymph
nodes have not increased in size and they are non tender. They are about the
size of a pea. I also have a moderate size varicocele on
the left side. I sometimes have pain in my lower left
abdominal area and along my left side in the flank area
along the pelvic crest. My lymph nodes sometimes are
sore and I sometimes have pain in my testicles.
(Sometimes after having sex.)

I've had the varicocele for about 3 years. I just notice the
swelling of the lymph glands 8 months ago. (They
could of been there longer.) The pain in my lower
abdominal and glands started about 6 months ago.

I went to a urologist who diagnosed me with having a
varicocele on the left side and suggested for me to
have a CT scan of my abdominal & pelvis. He also
suggested an x-ray of my chest.

The findings from the X-ray and CT scan are:

Lung bases are clear. My organs are normal.
There are several unopacified bowel loops, but there
are no retroperitoneal or retrocrural adenopathy.

There are no pelvis masses. The bladder normal.
There are several unopacified pelvic bowel loops, but
there are no gross bowel abnormalities.
several small, non-pathologically enlarged common
nodes in the inguinal area bilaterally.
There are several non-pathologically enlarged inguinal
nodes.
There is no pelvic adenopathy.

I don't understand some of the medical terminology, but
my urologist told me that the results were pretty much
negative. (If you see somthing in the findings, let me know.) I'm concerned because I still have swollen
glands and occasional pain in my abdominal and groin
area.

Unfortunately, I don't have any medical insurance and I
don't know what to do or what is the cause of my nodes
swelling. I had a root canal about a year ago and I was
wondering if that had something to do with the swelling.

I want to know if there are any alternatives (i.e.
herbs, lotions, pills etc..) to relieve the pain of the varicocele & lymph nodes?

Also, will the same medications for varicose veins &
hemmoroids work on varicoceles? (aren't they
similar?)

focus · 03-01-2003, 03:15 PM

I've had a varicocele which was corrected by surgery 4 years ago, so I can answer some of your questions about that. But the other things you're asking I'm not really sure about (lymph nodes, CT scan readings, etc.)

As far as the varicocele, it can cause pain around the testicle and groin area. Mine did, and it was like a dull aching pain. Not major, but annoying. The pain would come and go almost randomly, although it would seem to be worse during the hot weather months and the testicles were hanging low. Basically the pain is from the swollen veins with too much blood in them.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any medications or herbs that specialize in releving the discomfort of a varicocele. The only recommended non-surgical treatment for varicocele discomfort is to wear an athletic supporter (jock strap). The extra support helps keep the testicle from hanging too low and takes some of the weight off the spermatic cord and veins. It does help with some of the discomfort. At least wear briefs if you're not already. Boxers are a no-no with a varicocele.

Other than that, surgery is the other option to correct the varicocele. I've had it and it was successful. I wrote a lengthy post on this thread about it recently, in response to some other questions from people who have varicoceles too. So take a look there or do a search on the forum for it for more info.

Hope this helps.

focus · 03-01-2003, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dwaynex:
Also, will the same medications for varicose veins &
hemmoroids work on varicoceles? (aren't they
similar?)

Oh, I forgot to answer this question. No, varicose vein or hemmoroid medication won't work on a varicocele. While both hemmoroids and varicoceles are a form of varicose veins, topical ointments can't reach inside the scrotum to the actual affected veins, unlike hemmoroids which are at the surface and can be treated directly. So because the varicocele is inside the scrotum, and not on it, they cannot be treated from externally applied medications.

dwaynex · 03-04-2003, 11:44 AM

What about internal treatments, such as "Venastat", Horse Chestnut or other varicose vein supplements? Will those affect the varicocele?

focus · 03-06-2003, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dwaynex:
What about internal treatments, such as "Venastat", Horse Chestnut or other varicose vein supplements? Will those affect the varicocele?

I never heard of those, so I'm not sure. I do know my urologist didn't mention any medications to treat the varicocele, and I think he would have if there were any available.