The man with a watermelon-sized scrotum: 25-year-old with swelling weighing a STONE is now desperate for surgery to remove it

A man whose scrotum has swollen to the size of a watermelon and weighs nearly a stone is desperate for life-changing surgery to treat his condition.

Tyrone Bowd, 25, has been diagnosed with scrotal lymphedema, a rare ailment in which the lymphatic vessels become blocked, causing fluid and tissue to accumulate in the skin around the testicles.

Over the past two years his scrotum has swelled from the size of a mango to the size of a watermelon.

The enlarged testicle makes it difficult for Mr Bowd to walk, and he has been repeatedly hospitalised with a bacterial infection as a result of it.

Tyrone Bowd, 25, has a scrotum which has swollen to the size of a watermelon and weighs nearly a stone,

Mr Bowd has been diagnosed with scrotal lymphedema, a condition where the lymph vessels in the groin become blocked so fluid and tissue accumulates in the skin around the testicles, causing them to swell

His mother, Tanya, is raising money to get her son treatment in California, which will allow him to lead a normal life again.

But the family, from Willowbank, Australia, has yet to reach the $100,000 (£64,888) target needed for the travel and treatment.

Mrs Bowd said: 'Tyrone's scrotum has continued to grow. He's got to walk with his legs apart.

'The scrotum has reached below his knees now. It bangs around on the back of his calves when he's trying to walk.'

Mr Bowd, the eldest of four siblings, was diagnosed at a young age with developmental delay and autism and still needs a lot of day-to-day help.

Two years ago, his mother responded to a call for help when her son was in the shower.

Mrs Bowd said: 'I caught a glimpse of his scrotum and said: "Forget about the shower, what has happened to you? There's something wrong.''

Mr Bowd, who has autism and developmental delay, finds it difficult to walk and has been repeatedly hospitalised with bacterial infections due to the swelling

Her son's scrotum had swollen to the size of mango but ultrasounds at the local hospital revealed no clues as to the cause of the immense swelling.

For several months, doctors remained baffled by the condition and his scrotum continued to grow.

The scrotum has reached below his knees now. It bangs around on the back of his calves when he's trying to walk 

Mr Bowd's mother, Tanya 

'His pants were no longer fitting, we went from one size to the next to the next - we had to look for bigger shorts and bigger trousers,' Mrs Bowd said.

'I haven't even seen watermelons the size of his scrotum now.'

Mr Bowd recently weighed his scrotum and discovered it was 12lb (5.44kg) - meaning he spends every day with almost a stone in weight hanging down between his legs.

After months of tests and examinations he was diagnosed with scrotal lymphedema.

This is a disease that is caused by blockage of the lymphatic vessels meaning they do not drain properly.

As a result, tissue builds up outside of the testicles, resulting in swelling.

Mr Bowd's mother, Tanya (pictured), is raising money to get her son treatment in California, which will allow him to lead a normal life again

Ultrasounds at the local hospital revealed no clues as to the cause of the immense swelling, and Mr Bowd's condition baffled doctors for months

THE RARE CONDITION CAUSES A MAN'S SCROTUM TO SWELL 

Scrotal lymphedema is a rare but serious and debilitating scrotal condition that can lead to massive scrotal swelling.  
The entire scrotum becomes extremely large as lymph fluid and tissue accumulates.  
Eventually, the skin of the scrotum becomes very bumpy and irregular and the penis becomes buried within the tissue. 
This condition is also referred to as scrotal elephantiasis, and is often seen in obese men.
Patients referred with this condition have scrotums so large that the sheer size interferes with walking.
In many cases, patients report that they were previously seen by a number of doctors, advised to lose weight and scheduled for various X-Ray tests, but not offered treatment. 
This is a disorder that is best treated with surgery to remove the mass of tissue. 
In some cases, skin grafting may be required.
Source: The Center for Reconstructive Urology 

A urologist from California, Dr Joel Gelman, has been examining his condition using medical reports and images.

Dr Gelman said: 'Scrotal lymphedema is a condition that develops gradually, the tissues under the skin outside the testicle grow and that causes significant enlargement of the skin and the penis to be buried so it can't be seen.

'When a man develops scrotal lymphedema as the mass enlarges, he patient becomes progressively incapacitated.

'Over time, patients can lose the ability to walk normally and that affects them physically and can affect them emotionally as well.'

Mr Bowd's enlarged scrotum has led to him being hospitalised with cellulitis - a bacterial infection of the deeper layers of the skin - four times in the last 18 months.

The bacteria under the skin can also trigger septicaemia - blood poisoning - which is life-threatening.

But Dr Gelman believes there is hope as Mr Bowd's growth is still small enough to be treated.

'The good news is that his problem isn't as advanced as those of our other patients,' he explained.

Mrs Bowd and her family have so far raised $60,000 (£38,942) through fundraising events and are still $40,000 (£25,961) short of their target of $100,000 (£64,888)

Mrs Bowd, pictured with her son, said: 'The scrotum is getting so big that he must be in a lot of pain. We just want Tyrone to get better. We want our Tyrone back.'

Mr Bowd's story appears in the new series of Body Bizarre, and will be aired on TLC on Thursday September 17 at 9pm

'I believe that Tyrone at our medical centre (in California, USA) would very likely have a very positive outcome.'

But travelling from Australia to California for treatment will cost as much as $100,000 (£64,888) - which could take years for Tanya to raise.

Mrs Bowd and her family have so far raised $60,000 (£38,942) through fundraising events and are still $40,000 (£25,961) short of their target.

She said: 'The scrotum is getting so big that he must be in a lot of pain.

'We just want Tyrone to get better. We want our Tyrone back.'

The news comes after MailOnline reported on another man with scrotal lymphedema last September.

Dan Maurer, from Battle Creek, Michigan, had a swelling that weighed more than 100lbs.

He underwent a succesful 14-hour operation to remove the growth. 

The 39-year-old said his condition had affected his relationship with wife of 20 years, Mindy.

But following the life-changing surgery, the couple have been able to resume sexual relations.

Tyrone's story appears in the new series of Body Bizarre, which is aired on TLC on Thursday September 17 at 9pm