How Do I Come To Terms With The Fact That I Lost My Left Testicle?
Sorry you had to go through that!
There are a few things you can do, but they’re all going to take a bit of work on your part.
The first step is figuring out what it is that’s bothering you. Is it the loss of a body part in general? Is it the fear of what that means for the future if you decide you want kids? Is it telling potential partners? Is it the fear of their reaction?
I know that may have seemed like a lot, so let’s break this down.
Are you over the accident itself? A lot of times when people have accidents that cause major harm to the body it’s easy to get stuck on that. You may be replaying the accident over and over in your head. If that’s the case, you might want to talk to a mental health professional who can help you move past the accident itself.
Anytime there’s damage to the body, like a part missing or the body now looks different than it used to, it can impact our self-image. This is also true for scarring from an accident or from surgery. How do you feel about your body now? Do you constantly think about the missing testicle? Do you feel like this impacts your masculinity? It can be easy to associate the genitals with your masculinity. But remember that being a man is about so much more than what body parts you do or don’t have.
Have you made it to a place in your mind where you can accept that you lost a testicle but still have one fully functioning one? (I’m assuming this to be true. If it’s not and the other was damaged, let me know).
Are you thinking it’s going to impact sexual functioning, and that’s why you’re having problems coming to terms with the loss? If that’s the case, a lot of what you may, or may not, experience is going to depend on the remaining testicle. As long as that’s still functioning, there shouldn’t be a noticeable impact on your sex drive. It also shouldn’t impact your ability to get someone pregnant in the future, if that’s your goal.
If you have noticed a difference in your sex drive, then it may be linked to recovery from the accident itself. I’m assuming that this accident was a whole body experience and if it happened recently, then your whole body needs time to rest and recover. It’s not unusual to have a slight drop in sex drive as your body recovers from something major like the accident. And also from the resulting surgery where they removed the testicle.
If it’s been a few months to years and you’re struggling with a drop in sex drive compared to before the accident, that might be linked to the missing testicle. But it also might be linked to any body image issues you’re dealing with, and also any concerns for how potential partners might react to the missing testicle.
It can be hard to tell a potential partner that there’s something different about your genitals. If you want to share that you’re missing a testicle you might want to do it ahead of time. That way they can ask questions if they want to. They might be afraid that touching your scrotum might cause you pain or discomfort. Having an open conversation about this ahead of time might help make you feel more comfortable getting naked with them.
The good news is that a new partner may not be able to notice if they’re looking at your scrotum.
If you’re really bothered by the idea of the missing testicle, then you can get a prosthetic one put in. But this is going to involve minor surgery and you should think about how you’d feel about that after everything you’ve been through.
I know there was a lot here. If you need more help with one specific aspect of coming to terms with this, just let me know.
Until next time, be safe, and have fun!
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