A grandfather has described the harrowing moment his left testicle exploded ‘like a volcano’ after he contracted salmonella.
David Worsley was enjoying a holiday to Tunisia with his wife Joanne in July 2014 when his life was turned upside down.
The 59-year-old began suffering from African salmonella, which is potentially deadly, just a couple of days into the holiday, and was severely ill when he returned to the UK.
The security guard from Bolton, Lancashire said he lost three stone (19kg) as he could not keep food down, before waking up one day with ‘excruciating pain’ in his testicle.
He said: “I woke up at about 5am with the most excruciating pain in my left testicle. I could barely move and I was in tears from the agony.
“I said to my wife Joanne ‘I’m really unwell’ and she called the doctor who advised I go into hospital immediately.
“I was in for 10 days and the pressure continued to grow. It got so big that I needed to carry it around in my hands. It was the size of a grapefruit.”
Although he was vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea, doctors eventually sent him home – but the swelling continued to worsen.
Mr. Worsley said he was having a bath when the pressure in his genitals reached breaking point.
He said: “I got in the bath and it just exploded. It literally went bang and that was it.
“When the doctor saw it later, she said that it was like a volcano exploding. It was leaking so much that I had to get one of my grandchildren’s nappies and put it around it to stop the flow.
“There was no embarrassment at that point as I just wanted the pain to go away.
“When it happened, I felt like a weight had literally been lifted from me, as I suppose it had. It was almost a relief that it had happened.”
Mr. Worsley needed surgery to remove his testicle.
Describing the psychological effects of what happened, Mr. Worsley said the couple did not go abroad for three years after the ‘holiday from hell.’
After recovering from the illness, he visited his local branch of Thomson, but the holiday company said they could not do anything.
Mr. Worsley has now taken legal action against tour operator TUI through Slater and Gordon Lawyers.
He added: “This has definitely affected me psychologically and I felt down for a long time. It may sound silly but I didn’t feel complete even though the doctors say you can manage without them.
“It was the holiday from hell and what we have been through was a nightmare. What has happened to me as a result has changed my life.”
Hannah Crosby, a specialist travel lawyer for the law firm, said: “Mr. Worsley and his wife were looking forward to their trip to Tunisia for a bit of rest and relaxation but what happened, through no fault of their own, changed their lives.
“This is without doubt one of the worst holidays from hell I have seen during my time as a travel lawyer.”