AIBU to think my son should see the doctor

[nowisreallynottherighttime]

My son is 20, he has discomfort in his groin and he has told me there is a swelling in his right testicle. I think he needs to see the doctor (not sure if this is possible) or go to the walk in centre ASAP. He doesn’t want to go as he feels he wouldn’t be referred for tests due to the pressure on the health service at the moment, so he’s going to wait it out until things get back to some kind of normal. Am I being an anxious Mum or is he being an idiot?

I’ve just checked and our walk in centre is no operating as an A&E, the A&E at the hospital is purely for Coronavirus. So I think I’ll try the GP first, surely if there is a small lump in the testicle they would have to examine him.

I absolutely agree he needs to be seen and sooner rather than later, however given that he's 20 and the issue is with his testicle not his mouth or throat, why can't he call the GP? I would've been mortified to have my mother call a doctor for any reason on my behalf at that age, let alone a genital one. Don't raise a man child OP, I'm sure he's more than capable.

I would phone your surgery first thing and ask what he should do, OP. Don't forget a swelling is not the same as a lump, if that's any reassurance.

@Theredjellybean they aren't in my area thank you. Please do not spout inaccurate information as fact when you have no clue where people live. Thank you.

He’s saying it’s swollen and he can feel a small lump. The only reason I am calling the doctor is because he is no longer registered with the practise, I thought if I explained the whole family apart from him were registered I might have more of a chance of getting him an appointment. He’s by no means a man child, but certainly very scared at the moment.

Poor thing. Torsion is more urgent than waiting till the morning I'm afraid. You need to ring 111.

I called my GP for advice on Thursday and as they are unable to see patients there was nothing they could do. But also the receptionist was in an absolute flap and had no clue regarding minor injuries/out of hours availability in our area. I ended up calling the unit myself and getting the information that they were in fact open for walk ins, once you passed some initial screening CVD 19 questions over the intercom. The care we had was amazing under the current circumstances when we arrived.

Our local minor injuries unit is still open - I went there a couple of weeks ago as I fell down a manhole, broke my big toe and needed a tetanus jab. It was fine - very quiet - and they were screening at the door for a temperature.

My nephew had Testicular cancer caught very early. He was 21.
That was nearly 20 years ago and he is very much alive and well.
Please get your son to see someone this week OP

Definitely don't let him wait, it'll likely be benign or something simple, but what if it's a cancer that could easily be treated now and that opportunity is missed. I'm not sure why people are suggesting A&E for something described as a discomfort even forgetting the current climate! GP or WIC if they'll see him, if not 111 will get him an appointment with somebody suitable.

Also he's 20, he should be ringing himself not you!!!! It'll be much less embarrassing for all involved if he looks after his own testicals. "Can you ask your son if he has had difficulty maintaining an erection? Is he still able to ejaculate? Could you describe any discharge?..."

hamster totally inappropriate!
Testicular issues PAIN or not are initially considered a medical emergency.
Personally any A&E would be pleased to see and help a person experiencing this concern

Totally inappropriate?! Or actually from the initial description of the presentation exactly inline with nhs advice as can be read in the link below:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/epididymitis/

I am not "spouting inaccurate information"
NHSE told gp surgeries on 6th March they must stop seeing patients face to face unless absolutely necessary and must use tel and video consultations.
Wales followed suit
Not sure about Scotland though.

I was in the same position 2 weeks ago (not my testicle!) I spoke to my GP on the phone four times but didn't want to go to the hospital. After 4 days, I was rolling on the floor in pain and thought I was going to die. I went to the hospital.

Encourage him to go. It won't be a covid ward that's dealing with it.

Sexual health is another option if he is reluctant to go to a&e.

Torsion doesn't have to be agony at first.
He must get seen today.
We had this with our DS11 in Jan. Painful but not agony and he was still taken in for exploratory surgery. They take this very seriously.

theredjellybean but GP surgeries aren’t closed - they are doing telephone consultations & taking further action as necessary. They are still doing face to face consultations if deemed essential. So to say, ‘GP surgeries are closed’ is inaccurate.

@Theredjellybean exactly. And if you read my original post I did say IME which is internet speak for "in my experience" if you weren't aware. I am Scottish and I am offering up a different point of view which I thought was the purpose of fora like this. There's a whole world outside England with different nuances and rules, you might like to experience it once the lockdown is over? It's fascinating. Therefore please don't tell me to be quiet when my experience is both very recent and factually correct. Thank you.

he needs to be seen - and the specialists who need to see him are very much available and not overwhelmed at the moment (as they aren't involved in treating cv19 patients) so it is fine for him to be seen. the hospitals are all divided into cv19 and non-cv19 zones, and the non-cv19 areas are quite able to provide urgent time-sensitive treatments and assessment when needed. obviously anything that can wait till after the crisis will be postponed but your DS is not the best judge of whether or not it can wait. he should consult a gp asap and get referred.

I work for the NHS. One of their key messages is if you need treatment then access it, don't wait. They are worried about the number of non-covid patients (especially children) arriving at hospital really ill because they waited.

The 2 week rule still applies, He will be sent for tests, they will not leave this 'til after' I promise you.
Get him down to the walk in and make sure he gets the 2 week referral.

My 13 year old son had the same issue three weeks ago. Played football but wasn't hit with the ball, and became very painful if anything brushed it.

Saw the GP who sent us to children's A&E in case it was torsion which would have required surgery as soon as possible. A&E thought it wasn't torsion but could have been epididymitis or a cyst. We ended up seeing a consultant the next week who confirmed it was a cyst and would go of its own accord.

The lesson I learnt was, that if there is pain in that area, I should have seen my GP earlier as torsion surgery is more successful the earlier it's done. But also, try not to worry as there are other causes that it may well be.

I work for a GP surgery - we are NOT closed!
we are still seeing patients, I see approx 30 per day still for urgent bloods/ecg etc
They will accept him as a temporary resident and should refer under 2 week wait rule if necessary.
Some Gp have locked the doors to prevent people walking in with covid symptoms therefore meaning surgery has to deep clean but lots are still working as normal with just some lrecautions like booking by telephone only and telephone or video consultations

I spoke to him this morning to tell him I was going to try and make him an appointment, his answer was ‘not today Mum’. I’ve been blunt with him, told him that it’s most likely nothing but dull groin pain, lower back pain, swelling and a rice shaped lump are all symptoms of testicular cancer. His fear is holding him back.

Fingers crossed that you get an appointment for today x