If you ever experience itchiness in the genital area you are definitely going to want to keep reading!

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were almost certain you were falling victim to a hidden-camera prank?

This happened to me a few years ago, while I was working at the pharmacy.

It all started when a man, accompanied by his wife, asked to speak with the pharmacist for a personal issue. Usually, when talking about “personal issues” people tend to lower their voice a bit, so that they aren’t overheard by other people at the pharmacy.

In this case however, the man was in his late 70s, had some hearing difficulties and spoke English with a very heavy accent… so he started telling me in a loud voice:

“I need a cream because I burned my sorrr… my soc… my sooot… I forgot the word! You know what I’m talking about??”

His wife standing right beside him was nodding, with an uncomfortable grin on her face.

He was also pointing down, so I kinda knew where this was going:

“Sir, do you mean you burned the skin around your testicles… your scrotum?”

“Yes, exactly! That’s the word I was looking for! How do you say it again?”

Me: “Scrotum”

“Yes that’s it. I burned my sorrctum… in the shower.”

After asking him if he had blisters or intense pain, I quickly eliminated the possibility of a second degree-burn. So I told him to follow me as I went to show him where he could find some aloe vera gel to help him relieve the burning sensation and speed up the repair of the skin.

He thanked me, then as I was ready to wish him a good day, he asked: “Reming me again… what’s the word I was looking for?”

I smiled: “Scrotum.”

“What? Say that again please”

In a slightly louder voice, I repeat: “Scrotum!”

“Sorrtum? I’m sorry I can’t hear you well… one more time?”

I found myself standing there, in the middle of the pharmacy, with people walking nearby and in the aisles around me, almost yelling:

“Scrotum. Scro-tum. Scrrroooo-tuuuum. SCROTUM. SCROOOO-TUM!”

“Ah yes scortum… thank you!”

I looked around… no hidden-cameras! 🙈 😂

On a more serious note though, I skipped an important part of my conversation with this man… The reason he was trying to wash his genitals with hot (boiling*) water was because he was feeling itchiness and irritation in that area.

Did you know that genital itching can be caused by high blood sugar levels? Yup. When your blood sugar is running high, your body tries to pass out extra sugar in the urine.

Unfortunately, sugar creates a fertile environment for bacteria or yeast to grow. Which can lead to genital infections… which causes itchy privates.

If you ever get itchy down there, (this goes for both men and women), test your blood sugar levels! Washing the affected area regularly, to clean away any bacteria build up, is always a good idea. But don’t use harsh soaps, and please don’t use boiling hot water! 😉

Of course, there are many other causes for genital itchiness, so please make sure to consult your doctor if your symptoms don’t disappear within a few days.

I hope you enjoyed this story and learned something new at the same time!

Much love, Sara

PS. Have you signed-up to our online course “Outsmarting Type 2 diabetes” yet? It’s completely FREE. Because we truly care about your health, and we know that you care about your health as well.