Pain in my lower abdomen going to my left testical

I have had a pain in my lower abdomen for some time now(more than a year). When I pass gas it gives some relief. The pain also is felt in my left testical. I could feel a little knot in my anus about an inch inside. I am a 40 yr old male in good shape.

Dear Dennis,

Thank you for contacting us.

I know you said you are a 40 year old man in good health. But, have you lost any weight unintentionally recently? Has there been any change in the consistency of your stool (any diarrhea or constipation)? Do you smoke? Is there any history of abdominal aortic aneurysm in your family?

Have you been seen by your doctor for this pain in your lower abdomen? You will need your testicle to be examined actually. An ultrasound scan of your abdomen and scrotum is highly advised too, if all these have not been done already.

It appears to me that you might have at perhaps two different reasons for the pain you are describing.

It is very important that you get properly examined and tested to exclude:

• Testicular problem
  
• Problems in your lower bowel pressing on your rectum and perhaps vessels or tubes that connect to your testicle
  
• Aortic aneurysm, though this tends to happen in much older people and it is very very less likely to be the problem, but it is a common cause of pain that radiates to the left testicle
  
• Irritable bowel syndrome as one of the potential causes of your lower abdominal pain that gets better when you open your bowel or pass flatus.

Some general blood work would be in order too.

Once all these are done, then potentially serious causes of your symptoms would have been eliminated. How do you feel about this approach? I hope my suggestions do not alarm you. It would be very presumptive for me to be able to reach any conclusion just from the brief story you have provided here and without physically examining you, to reach any sensible conclusion. So, yes, I am not suggesting that you have any thing very serious as a cause of your pain or pains, but it is important to check things properly. And soon.

Do not hesitate to come back to us with updates or even further questions. We would be very pleased to hear from you on how things went.

Continued Good Health To You.

Dr Omatseye Edema MD MRCGP CCFP MSc DRCOG
Family Physician, Emergency Medicine Practitioner and WebMD
Abdopain.com.

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