Imagine carrying a bowling ball between your legs that weighs close to 200 pounds . If that image is too much to stomach , continue reading with caution . Wesley Warren , 49 , spent more than four years with this extra burden before having surgery to repair the damage from a rare medical condition called scrotal lymphedema . When doctors placed the swollen mass they had cut from Warren 's scrotum on the scale , it weighed 132 pounds . That 's not counting the fluid or smaller pieces of tissue the surgeons had also removed from the Las Vegas man . `` There are a lot of people that will look and laugh and stare in shock and awe and amazement , '' Warren says as he walks down the street in a preview for TLC 's upcoming show `` The Man with the 132-Pound Scrotum . '' The one-hour special airs Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT . `` It 's tough to deal with it , you know , because essentially , this is a sort of living and breathing freak show . '' It began in 2008 , Warren told TLC , when he awoke to a shooting pain in his testicles . The tissue around his penis soon began to swell , eventually growing at an estimated rate of 3 pounds per month . One doctor told Warren that it might be necessary to castrate him to fix the problem ; others told him that he would probably die on the operating table . And the cost of the surgery alone would be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars . After Warren appeared on the Howard Stern radio show , appealing for help , a fellow scrotal lymphedema sufferer referred him to Dr. Joel Gelman , who offered to do the surgery for free . Gelman , director of the Center for Reconstructive Urology at the University of California , Irvine , specializes in urethral and penile reconstruction surgery . Although the headline of TLC 's special is catchy , scrotal lymphedema is a very real condition , Gelman said . He hopes media attention surrounding the show will encourage other men with the problem to seek treatment . Here are some more answers about this condition : . What is scrotal lymphedema ? Scrotal lymphedema , also known as scrotal elephantiasis , is a `` massive enlargement '' of the scrotum due to thickening of tissue and accumulation of fluid , Gelman said . What causes it ? Outside North America , scrotal lymphedema is often caused by a parasitic infection called lymphatic filariasis that 's spread by mosquitoes . `` Thread-like worms '' lodge themselves in the lymphatic system , according to the World Health Organization , where they can interfere with a person 's immune system . But lymphatic filariasis is virtually unheard-of in the United States , Gelman said . Most cases of scrotal lymphedema here are caused by blockages in the lymphatic vessels that prevent fluid from draining from the area . Doctors are unsure what causes this blockage ; in Warren 's case , Gelman believes it was an injury or trauma to his scrotum . What are the symptoms ? The most obvious symptom is a large scrotum ; this can range in size from a grapefruit to a basketball . But the mass does n't `` max out '' at any particular size , Gelman said . It will keep growing until the patient seeks treatment . Warren 's scrotum was the largest Gelman had ever seen . `` ( Warren ) did n't report that he was always in pain , but I think the biggest problem is that the sheer size of the mass made it very uncomfortable for him , '' the surgeon said . `` It 's like lifting weights to take a step . '' Warren 's penis was `` buried '' about a foot under his skin , Gelman said , but fully functional . A tunnel of sorts had formed from the tip to the top layer of his swollen skin , allowing Warren to urinate without assistance . How common is scrotal lymphedema ? It 's rare , especially in the United States . Definite numbers are difficult to come by , and the condition may be underdiagnosed due to physicians ' lack of awareness , Gelman said . Many patients with the condition are also obese and are simply instructed by their doctors to lose weight . How do you treat it ? Surgery is usually the best option to remove the swollen tissue , Gelman said . A surgeon who specializes in this type of procedure will cut a T-shape in the mass , identify the penis and testicles to make sure they are n't harmed and then excise the excess tissue . The surgeon will then use undamaged tissue to cover the penis and scrotum . How is Warren doing now ? Warren is walking again and enjoying life , Gelman said . He 'll need a follow-up surgery to remove some additional skin that was damaged by his condition . Gelman will perform a skin graft to cover the penis and scrotum . Um , what if I think I have it ? If you are experiencing the symptoms noted above , see a doctor as soon as possible . Ask for a referral to a specialist if your primary care physician is unfamiliar with these types of conditions . An unusually large scrotum can have a variety of causes , Gelman said . One of the most common is a hernia , in which a small part of the intestines enters the scrotum . Another cause is fluid buildup on one side of a man 's body between the testicle and the skin ; this is called hydrocele . All are treatable and usually not life-threatening unless left too long .
Wesley Warren struggled with a medical condition called scrotal cancer . In the United States , it 's caused by blockages in the lymphatic system . A person 's own scrotum can stop growing if left untreated , doctor says .