Boy moms: The one complaint to always follow up on

We stood in the ultrasound room at the hospital, hoping that things weren't as bad as they seemed when we arrived at the emergency department.

The surgeon stood a few feet away watching carefully as the ultrasound technician took images and looked for signs of blood flow.

It was a terrifying moment for our family and it was worse because we had been through it before three years ago. Then, we had no idea it could happen in the first place, much less it could happen again! But nothing surprises me anymore.

And after two trips to the ER and two recoveries without surgery needed, I want to make sure every boy mom knows about testicular torsion and its cousin testicular appendage torsion.

What is testicular torsion?

It is as painful as it sounds.

"Torsion of the testicle is when the entire, cord of the testicle twists," said Dr. Sherry Ross, Associate Professor of Urology and Chief of Pediatric Urology at the UNC School of Medicine. "Generally speaking, we see this in peri or post pubescent males. We can see this in infants."

"It's the sudden onset of severe testicular pain," Ross said. "Pain is located throughout the entire testicle."

In addition, there can be redness and swelling.

"If we have a child with nausea, vomiting and testicular pain, We consider that a testicular torsion until proven otherwise. And we'll oftentimes take that child straight to the operating room," Ross said.

It is important not to wait to go to the emergency room or see a doctor if your son has these symptoms, as it can be a urological emergency.

"Treatment is often emergency surgical intervention, and there is potential loss of the testicle," Ross said. "So time is of the essence. Generally speaking, if we can get to the testicle in four hours or less, we can save it. But after four hours, the testicle does begins to die and necrose. And so at 24 hours, very rarely can we do anything to save the testicle."

As long as one testicle remains, there is not loss in fertility, Ross said.

My son was brought into the ER for possible testicular torsion in 2018 and 2021. In both cases, he complained of leg or groin pain. At first we thought it was a pulled muscle.

The first time, swelling happened very quickly - within a matter of hours. We had a pediatrician appointment and thankfully she examined him and found the swelling, sending us immediately to the ER. We were rushed to a room, then ultrasound, then things slowed down because they saw blood flow. It wasn't testicular torsion - at least not that type of torsion.

What is testicular appendage torsion?

There are appendages associated with the testicle that can also twist.

"We don't really understand why the testicular appendage twists," Ross said. "Usually we see this in pre-pubescent males. It can be either sudden or a gradual onset of testicular pain and can be quite severe."

When testicular appendage torsion occurs, the pain is typically located in the upper part of the testicle.

"Generally speaking there's pain, but no nausea and vomiting," Ross said.

Appendage torsion is treated with ibuprofen, rest and scrotal elevation.

"There's no potential loss of the testicle, but it can be quite scary," Ross said.

That's what happened to my family - twice. We had a sudden onset in 2018 and in 2021 a gradual onset. In both cases, doctors feared it was torsion and we got our son immediate treatment. If we hadn't gone through the 2018 scare, we would have not known to look for the signs this year.

And since testicular pain and swelling could mean torsion, it is important to be seen immediately by your doctor.

"In general, testicular pain, especially if it's severe, is an emergency regardless of age," Ross said. "If your son experiences testicular pain, please seek emergency medical evaluation, either in the emergency room or with your doctor. Please don't give them anything that you eat or drink, they may need surgery."

Following our ER visit earlier this year, we went to see a pediatric urologist who reviewed the ultrasound images for my son. He said the appendage on one side twisted in 2018 and the appendage on the other testicle twisted this year. Hopefully we won't have another issue like this as those appendages have died off.

But the trauma of having to go to the ER twice for the same issue caused my son a lot of anxiety. He was OK with me sharing his story as he hopes that anyone dealing with this issue gets medical treatment and evaluation quickly like he did.

So boy moms, if your child is walking funny - my son was walking like a cardboard cutout of a person - you might want to ask them if they are experiencing any issues in their groin. While it can be embarrassing to talk about, it just might save them from surgery.