From hot testicles to pain relief – Dr Jeff answers your health questions
DR Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
See h3health.co.uk and email at drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.
Q) MY husband is 57 and always has really hot testicles – unbearably so for him in recent months.
He has been to the doctor and they said it’s common and prescribed him steroid cream to help with a rash he got on the skin around them but they couldn’t help with the heat.
He rides an electric bike for 20 miles daily but wears special shorts to keep the testicles from touching the skin around them.
Around the house he doesn’t wear underwear at all to try to cool them. Is there anything you can suggest?
Lauren, London
A) Testicles don’t just become hot. Unless it is a psychological sensation, there is always a cause.
In your husband’s case it is most likely due to the time spent riding his bike.
The warmth can reduce testicular function, any sweat can result in a fungal infection, which increases his risk of prostatitis, and vibrations can also cause skin irritation.
In the summer months, scrotal sweat rashes are very common and symptoms can be an itchy rash, feeling of heat and generalised discomfort.
Normal treatment usually involves a topical steroid cream but this would also be combined with an antifungal cream and removing the cause.
If the problem is the bike riding then it will keep returning even if it is successfully treated with a cream.
Q) I’M 63. In late 2022, after severe shoulder and chest pain, I was found to have hardening calcium in my shoulder.
It’s still painful and makes it hard to sleep. The GP said I needed physio and maybe surgery but I’m still waiting for a referral for both.
I drive for a living which makes it very uncomfortable.
Is there anything you can recommend to try to ease the pain while I wait for a referral?
Derek Lawrence, Sunderland
A) In recent years, waiting times for specialist NHS treatments have soared, which puts an enormous strain on an already busy primary care service.
GP’s are left trying to manage patients with complex secondary care problems who have to wait, often in pain, for many months.
In general, if you need surgery, everything you do in the meantime is about minimising further damage, reducing pain, and improving quality of life.
In your case, this would mean taking suitable pain relief such as anti-inflammatories or discussing stronger medication with your GP if needed.
Keep the shoulder as active as possible because while rest may feel like it’s protecting the joint, it can weaken muscles around the shoulder, making recovery from surgery or physiotherapy more difficult.