What I want other parents to know: A mother’s perspective of her son’s testicular torsion

What I want other parents to know: A mother’s perspective of her son’s testicular torsion

Toni is the mother of four boys. One of her sons experienced testicular torsion when he was nine years old.

Something seemed off

Toni’s son is a lively, glass-half-full child who loves being outside and playing football. But one day when he was nine, his parents noticed something wasn’t right.

Toni works in the school her son attends. Her son had been feeling unwell during the school day with a stomach ache so Toni gave him paracetamol and took him home from school not long after. He was quiet at home and said his stomach was still sore. He was sick once but not a lot. The next day her son went back to school but at midday, dinner ladies came to get Toni from where she was working to tell her that there was something wrong. Her son was sitting on his own not joining in with his friends and being very quiet. She noticed he had started to walk with his legs apart.

Toni did an e-consult with the GP and he was brought in to be seen. The doctor felt his stomach and asked whether his stomach was hurting or whether there was pain ‘down below’. Her son said “no” and unfortunately the GP didn’t perform an examination.

The GP gave him painkillers and sent them home. The next day he was off school; he wouldn’t get out of bed and said his stomach was sore. He was off his food and was unusually quiet.

That’s when Toni says her mum instinct kicked in. She could tell by his face that something was very wrong. She knew she had to get to the bottom of it and told him that if he was hurting ‘down below’ he had to tell her. Through tears, he admitted that the pain was in his testicle. When his Dad checked, it was swollen and much bigger than normal. They rushed to A&E.

Diagnosis and emergency surgery

At the hospital, doctors quickly diagnosed testicular torsion, which is the painful twisting of the testicle (ball). The twist cuts off the blood supply of the testicle. It’s an emergency condition and needs immediate surgery to save the testicle. Like so many parents and young boys, they had never heard of testicular torsion or its symptoms.

As soon as they got to the children’s ward, he was diagnosed and taken to the operating theatre quickly. The surgeon explained the possibilities to both parents and to their son: if the testicle was twisted, they would try their best to untwist it and restore blood flow. The surgeon also mentioned that in the worst-case scenario, there might be no way of saving the testicle and it would be removed. Their son listened bravely.

The operation lasted over two hours, which was longer than expected. As she sat in the corridor waiting for an update, Toni had a gut feeling the testicle must not have been saved.

When the surgeon returned, the news was heartbreaking: the testicle couldn’t be saved due to lack of oxygen. They had ‘anchored’ his remaining testicle to prevent future torsion.

Telling her son the news

When her son woke up the next day, Toni explained that they had done all they could, but they’d needed to remove his testicle. The doctors and nurses in the children’s ward were incredibly supportive. They talked about what had happened and explained that as he grows up there will be options available to him. Toni knew he was too young to really understand the implications of having lost a testicle and how this might affect him.

Recovery and impact

Recovery meant missing football, PE and outside play, but he returned to school after half-term. The main impact on her son has been physical as he was so keen to get back to playing football.

Both parents were keen to make sure that other young boys were informed about testicular torsion and asked other parents to speak to their children about it. His peers now know to always speak up if they ever feel pain in their testicles.

The school was incredibly supportive. As well as supporting her son, they wanted to make sure all parents and children learned about testicular torsion and they shared the ‘Save the Ball campaign’ video with pupils to raise awareness.

“It makes me happy to think we’ve managed to spread the message,” Toni says.

A mother’s perspective

For Toni, the experience was overwhelming.

“It all happened so fast, we had no time to process it,” Toni reflects. With four boys and full-time jobs, life is hectic, but they’ve found moments to cry and talk together. “He’s our little boy, and it’s a lot, even for a grown man, to go through.”

Toni urges other parents to trust their instincts: “Listen to your child. If something feels wrong, act.”

Looking ahead

Her son is back playing outside and enjoying school life. Toni worries that there’s no ongoing support for children after this type of surgery and knows that her son will likely have lots of questions as he grows. For now, they’re grateful he’s healthy and so proud that his story is helping others understand the urgency of testicular torsion.