Occult Inguinal Hernia Right Side
Hey everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience because I’m finding this whole situation pretty frustrating and confusing.
I’ve been dealing with right-sided groin/testicular discomfort for a while now. The main symptom is a dragging/yanking discomfort that seems to refer into my right testicle. It gets worse when I’m standing or walking around for too long, and supportive underwear seems to help a lot. I’m quite active/fit, so it has been pretty disruptive.
So far, I’ve had multiple scans:
- Ultrasound of the testes: nothing abnormal found
- MRI: nothing abnormal with the testes
- CT scan: nothing abnormal with the testes
- Inguinal imaging: showed a right-sided inguinal hernia/fat protruding into the inguinal canal
- The hernia was apparently picked up best during a standing ultrasound examination
The confusing part is that despite the imaging showing a right inguinal hernia, there is no obvious external bulge. On physical examination, even with coughing/straining, it doesn’t seem to be clearly palpable. Because of that, my surgeon seems cautious about operating, which I understand, but the symptoms are very real and have been persistent.
I’ve also been reading about things like spermatic cord lipomas and small/occult indirect inguinal hernias, and I’m wondering whether something like that could explain the symptoms even without a visible bulge.
I’m not asking for a diagnosis or medical advice, but I’d really like to hear from people who had:
- A symptomatic indirect inguinal hernia without a visible bulge
- Imaging-confirmed hernia but negative/unclear physical exam
- Testicular pain or dragging discomfort caused by an inguinal hernia
- Surgery for an “occult” or small fat-containing inguinal hernia
- A spermatic cord lipoma found during surgery
Did surgery end up helping your testicular/groin discomfort? Did the surgeon find more than what imaging or physical examination suggested? Or did anyone have similar symptoms where the hernia turned out not to be the cause?
Just trying to understand how common this situation is and whether others have been through something similar.