Hi everyone.

A few weeks ago I felt an ache in the testicles, assumed it was nothing, it went away quickly. I then went down to New Orleans to visit a friend. A few days into the trip, I had moderate pain in the right testicle area. I foolishly went to the gym and did intense exercise, but the pain went away completely.

A day passed with no pain whatsoever. The day after that it came back shortly after waking up. Very bad pain in the area right above the right testicle, and it felt and looked bunched up and extremely sensitive to touch.

I went to the emergency room. The took blood and urine, and did an ultrasound. By the time I had the ultrasound done, the pain was virtually gone.

The doctor said it looked very good, he didn't see much, but that I "probably had a bit of epididymitus." They gave me a shot of Rocephin, and an 8 day course of doxicycline.

Well, the day after the ER I had a fever. I came home early to recouperate, and have basically spent the last four days in bed feeling weak and sick.

I have had what I would describe as a dull ache in the testicles, consistently since I came back home. It's not very painful, maybe a 2 on a scale of 1-10, but it's definitely not normal.

I saw my doctor back home who also confirmed the epid. and prescribed an anti-inflammatory that I began taking last night.

I'm pretty sure the folks at the ER made a clinical diagnosis and weren't even sure that I had an infection down there.

NOW: I am a personal trainer and for the past eight months or so have been extremely active and highly physical, with and without weights. The printout they gave me said it can be caused by intense exertion. I feel that I was not abusing anything, being very careful (I obviously know what I'm doing), and nothing beyond what a healthy, athletic 25-year-old male could do.

Basically I'm distressed and need some good news. Everyone seems to be so vague about this condition, what causes it, what it is exactly, and how to treat it, and if it can recur.

Exercise is my life. (doctor said no bike riding for a year but i don't really ride a bike anyway, so i can live with that).
Doctor said it was very common and very "innocent."

*How long until the dull ache in my testicles goes away?
*Am I in any danger of doing damage to the testicles?
* When can I resume exercise again?
* Do I need to feel like I'm treading on egg shells when I return to exercise?
* What are the odds of this condition recurring?
* Can it affect things like libido and fertility?

The thing I'm most afraid of is having this turn into sommething chronic and on-going.

Some more info: Haven't had sex in a long time, definitely not an STD related thing. Haven't been kicked in the nuts or anything like that, either. I have been obsessing about my sexual health for awhile ever since I stopped taking zoloft and have had libido and erection issues.

The exercise, incidentally, really saved me from depression and anxiety and I really rely heavily on it for my well-being.

Guys, I feel for all of you. I really appreciate any support or knowledge you could offer me.