1. Community
  2. Men's health
  3. Hydrocele

Hydrocele Surgery

Posted , 69 users are following.

matt12
matt12

Hello,

I had my hydrocele surgery on February 15th, 2013 in Houston, Texas. I wanted to share my story as I was terrified before having the surgery from all the posts I read.

Mine was on my left side and was about the size of a small grapefruit. I was living with this hydrocele for about a year, but going to the gym started to get quite uncomfortable. I started to show a bulge even in my dress cloths for work. It was quite embarrassing and all I could think about was people staring at me and mumbling "whats wrong with this guy." I am married with my first child on the way so I wasn't to worried about what some single guys worry about.

The day of the surgery I was pretty terrified, I work in Healthcare so being on the other side of the privacy curtain was pretty dramatic for me. I wasn't as much scared about the surgery as I was being put to sleep. I am 27 years old, live in Texas with my pregnant wife. My entire family all reside in Indiana, as we moved down to Houston 3 years ago. I kept thinking "What if I don't wake up?", "Ill never meet my kid", "I wont get a chance to say goodbye to my family.".... I questioned the anesthesiologist for about 5 straight minutes on what I could expect. They put in an IV and started pumping me full of water to hydrate me. This did calm me down a bit, then they gave me some valium. I highly recommend this before getting put out for anyone, this really calms you down. They rolled me into the surgery part, put a gas mask on me and I was out.

The surgery took about 30 minutes and I woke up about 30 minutes after that. Obviously when you come out of being put to sleep you are very groggy and confused. I couldn't feel any pain. I got dressed and the nurse rolled me to my wifes car and we went home.

I had about 10 stitches (dissolving ones) and a drain tube inserted to help reduce swelling. The first day wasn't bad as everything was numb. When I woke up the second day I had a migraine from hell. Probably from all the drugs the day before. It was hard to walk, but I didn't have any problems peeing.

The third day the pain started to come, honestly the stitches never hurt from beginning to where I am now. The pain I had was from the drain tube. Do not be alarmed when you have a lot of blood from the drain tube for the first 3-4 days, its normal. My surgery was on Friday and the drain tube was removed on Monday.

Swelling. Lots of swelling, expect this. Swelling will most likely be bigger than what the hydrocele was before it was removed. Looked like I was carrying around a softball in my pants. It has been three weeks and the stitches are gone and the drain tube hole is closing. I still have some pain from where the drain tube was, but not to bad. I am walking fine and going back to the gym tomorrow. Swelling has gone down, but still noticable. Feels like a hard rock sitting on top of my testicle. You have to remember, the testicles and sac are very vascular. Lots of tissue and what not so you will have swelling and bruising.

The swelling is smaller now than the original hydrocele and it can take a few months to fully go away. They say people can live with a hydrocele with no long term effects other than it getting bigger, but honestly, why would you want to do this? It's not normal, so why risk anything by just accepting that it is there. Get the surgery done and move on. You will be laid out for about 4 days. I was back to work on Tuesday (Surgery on Friday). Let me know if you have any other questions, don't read into all the horror stories. Everybody's body is different and if you have a solid doctor, they will take care of you.

I was asked about costs. I am on a high deductible plan with my wife to keep our monthly premium low as we are pretty healthy people. The doctor fee was $350. The surgery center is where it gets you. For everything it was $4,900. So in total for me out of pocket was $5,200. Fortuantely I have a HSA account and had the finances in that which are all tax deductible. Just depends on the type of insurance you have. My deductible is now met, so with the little one being born all doctors visits will be paid 100% in full for the rest of the year.

Also- Find a good doctor. It's your body, so always get a second opinion. Make sure you are comfortable with the Urologist

Good luck

Matt

9 likes, 148 replies

148 Replies

Prev Next
  • ali10774
    ali10774 matt12

    Posted

    hello  Matt

    My problem is that my testicle are small, when I weartrosers or jeans they look like there is no testicle exist, please how can you hel p me?

  • paul60458
    paul60458 matt12

    Posted

    1 week out sore..... swelling not going down...using ice. thanks for info Matt

     

  • mrkamranumer
    mrkamranumer matt12

    Posted

    Hi Matt,

    Infact i was 20 years old and i had a problem with my left testicle with hydrocele issue. Later on i had a surgery and from time now i am 38 years of age and i have pain when i touch that testicle or press it. Other wise i can run , walk sleep and have more more sex after that with my wife

    Can you explain me the correct answer or tell me why its pain after that

    i went to two doctors and they said that its normal pain due a bounding thread inside the scrotum area.

    Thanks if you could tell me about this i am so scared because i have two kids and one good partner.

     

  • chandrasekhar_n
    chandrasekhar_n matt12

    Posted

    hii  matt,

    its me chandra sekhar nayak from india. I have had a hydrocele surgery on 07th oct 2015.its already being a month passed. now i am feeling comfortbale.. but still have swelling (like a small egg). hope it will reduce in upcoming months..

  • karula
    karula matt12

    Posted

    Thanks for all the info. Still on the fence. It's uncomfortable but haven't found facility that will afford all male team from start to finish. Don't want females involved at all after being humiliated.
  • don999
    don999 matt12

    Posted

    Thanks for all the information on the board, I am 13 days post surgery right now and things seem to be around where you all are with the recovery. I'm swollen to about a baseball on my right side, it's painful to the touch but manageable with day to day tasks and work.

    My biggest question is what did everyone's swelling feel like, as in what did you testicle and swelling physically feel like? My tewticle itself is hard but it feels if there is some sort of membrane around my testicle that feels softer but not squishy like a hydrocele, it feels more gel filled.. This membrane is surrounding about 60-75% of the testicle but is connected towards the epididymitis... I'm almost wondering if the swelling is part of the epididymitis or if it's just the outer layer of the testicle...

    I'm really just hoping it's not the hydrocele again... The dr seemed good with my results after the first week but i just don't think I can afford to have this taken care of with my deductible starting over already

    Please feel free to share your experience and tell me what your swelling was like, I'm hoping mine isn't a unique thibg

    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      What you are feeling is where they peeled back the membrane surrounding the testicle that caused the hydrocel. They stitch it to the back of the testicle(it consists of a few layers of tissue), I still have this and I am well over a year past my second hydrocelectomy. You can still see the outline of it through the scrotum I got a second opinion and this is what the Dr. told me he also said it was partially due to scar tissue from both surgeries. My testicle is still about the size of an egg and again still surrounded(about 75%) by the membrane.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      How swollen was your testicle post surgery? And can this folded stitched membrane fill up with fluid? I would think that turning it inside out would be to prevent it from filling up again. I noticed you said second surgery, did the first one not go right?
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      Mine was huge for the first 4-6 weeks (tennis ball size) which freaked me out because my hydrocele wasn't that big to begin with (a little larger than a large egg). It eventually went down but it's still the size of a small egg, fluid can return i had a second surgery 6 months after the first after an ultrasound was done and the doc thought some fluid had returned none had (he figured this out DURING surgery). So now my testicle is about 2 times the size it was before the hydrocele and you can clearly see through the skin where they folded back the skin and it feels very lumpy (kind of how you would think a brain would feel to the touch).
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      Mine was huge for the first 4-6 weeks (tennis ball size) which freaked me out because my hydrocele wasn't that big to begin with (a little larger than a large egg). It eventually went down but it's still the size of a small egg, fluid can return i had a second surgery 6 months after the first after an ultrasound was done and the doc thought some fluid had returned none had (he figured this out DURING surgery). So now my testicle is about 2 times the size it was before the hydrocele and you can clearly see through the skin where they folded back the skin and it feels very lumpy (kind of how you would think a brain would feel to the touch).
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      I feel like majority of my swelling didn't really start until a day or so after my surgery.. Is that normal? Also the pain of my testicle is going away but it's still very swollen (tennis ball size as well). And finally, since my surgery, I've lost about 10 pounds. Now I have been dieting before the surgery and eating a lot cleaner, but what I'm wondering is is it possible that my testosterone has increased after the hydrocele was removed? Did you have any changes like that after your procedure?
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      From everything I have read testosterone isn't effected by a hydrocele or the surgery to remove it so I doubt your test has increased. I think I gained a few pounds on my second surgery because I didn't leave my bed for 2 weeks as I was scared that something I had done during my recovery from my first caused fluid to return (even though it hadn't). I I honestly don't remember how big it was the day of surgery i was pretty doped up on pills but I would think it would take a bit for the swelling to reach its max. You will probably have pain around the incision for 4-6 weeks it will feel like a tugging pain as they stitch your testicle to the scrotum so don't freak out if it feels attached because it is but that will loosen up over a 4-6 month period. Your testicle may not return to its normal size either it may stay a bit larger mine did and from discussions I have had with other people and read on different Websites it does happen quite often.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      When you say a bit larger, how large are you talking? I'm carrying around a potato right now... How long were you out of physical activity? I weight lift and would like to return, I've read a month is the typical time out.. I'm assuming that's for the stitches since I'm going to be swollen longer than a month.. Also in a side note, I'm hoping my KC Chiefs take down your Patriots this weekend
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      So I just had my 4 week follow up and the dr thinks the fluid has returned. This made me think of your situation. He wants me to schedule another ultra sound to have it looked at. He also said he fears that the swelling of my veins and cord maybe a sign of poor or no circulation to the testicle. It's been a month so if there isn't blood flow down there then I've been carrying a dead nut for a while... I'm really thinking the Dr has never had someone be this swollen and doesn't know what to do about it... Kind of got me shook up a bit thinking of having removed since I'm not even 30.. He told me that there isn't much that can be done without an ultra sound but no more damage can be done from where I stand right now. I may look for a second opinion soon
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      Sorry too hear about your situation (and your Chiefs lol but the Pats just got their butts kicked so they are playing golf now too). My testicle wa huge for a good 2 to 3 weeks (softball size), I go to the gym too I didn't really do anything heavy for about 6 weeks I was using the elliptical at about 4 weeks I figured it was low impact enough and would keep the juices flowing till I could get back to lifting. Definitely have the ultrasound IF BY CHANCE they have to remove the testicle it's really no biggie it won't effect test levels or having kids. I know from personal experience as I had my right one removed when I was 13 due to a doctor miss diagnosing torsion(I'm 38 now) and I have three kids and normal test levels. They put in a fake one still self conscious about it though especially now that my left one is still quite large from the 2 hydrocele surgeries and hangs funny because they stitch it to the scrotum.
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      If you have any other questions I will answer as best I can so don't hesitate to ask.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      Appreciate the advice. I just find it weird that the testicle would have to be removed because everything I'm seeing about circulation or torsion issues the testicle shrinks and this is not the case here. Was your sperm tube (vas deferen) swollen? As well as your epididymis?

      And my dr said he didn't sow the testicle to my scrotum, so I don't know if that was supposed to be done and it didn't, but it sure feels like it's stuck in a fixed spot.. But that's probably from the swelling

      I'm going to try the gym tomorrow, I won't be able to run or jump wig the the swelling, it pulls pretty hard.. I mainly lift and do core work.. An olypical may be nice though

      I may wait on the ultrasound, my swelling sounds a lot like yours and my dr didn't say it was urgent to get it done so I'll see if the swelling changes and how everything feels after a couple months.. I'm guessing the excessive swelling is normal but not known by all drs I guess

      How long were you post op on your first surgery when your dr said your hydrocele came back

    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      No if you had torsion it would swell mine got huge but I also got very sick as I went into shock from the infection and the pain would be unbearable. From what I have read they always stitch the testicle to the scrotum but I'm just going on what I have read online. Both my vast deference and epidytimitis are still much larger than before and you can feel where they peeled back the sack around the testicle it almost feels like a brain. I saw my Dr about 4 months after the first surgery they did an ultrasound and he said some fluid had returned but when he went to do second surgery he said he was surprised at the size of the testicle(it was bigger) and that fluid had not returned. I asked him how my testicle could grow and he had no answer for me so I got second opinion and that doc said it was scar tissue.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      So all your swelling was the testicle and the outer membrane stretched backed. Is it that rare to have the testicle swell that big? I mean I guess most people probably don't have the same outcome as us so most Drs haven't encountered this before.. What is your current state swelling wise and how long ago was your second surgery again? Do you have any pain doing any activities? And does your dr expect your vas deferens and epididymis to swelling to go down? Finally, my entire testicle and epididymis swelling is very oblong in shape,. Not round at all, more like a lin odd shaped potatoe
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      I don't think it's very rare I've talked to many people who have had a similar experience. The testicle remains about the size of a small egg or golf ball even after surgery. I am 13 months post op from my second surgery and it's still the size of a small egg. You can see where they pulled back the membrane when the scrotum is real thin (like when I get out of hot shower) it isn't round like yours it's oblong shaped and it definitely still has weight to it(hangs low). When I went for second opinion because I wasn't satisfied after 2nd surgery the doc said it was a buildup of scar tissue from the surgeries and the membrane was what I was seeing through scrotum. I had a catscan of my stomach about 2 months ago and my GI did note swelling still in the testicle (he mentioned I might want to see a urologist but I had just seen one a few months prior and he said there wasn't anything that could be done). I thi k docs know that in many cases the testicle never returns to normal size but they don't tell the patients this as they may opt not to have surgery and that means less money for them.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      I'm just going to have to wait it out, if there is no change in the swelling after 3 months I'll get the ultra sound done. I live in a 15k size town so the dr there may have only done under 100 hydrocele procedures so I could be the only one that looks like this.

      I do regret getting this done at this point because the hydrocele was non communicating and idol.. It developed after the hernia surgery I had back in July.. (Same dr). I was feeling good but the testicle was larger because of the hydrocele. My deductible was met so getting the surgery done didn't cost me anything more, but now it's taking up some more visits and possible more procedures...

      I don't think I'll have the same guy do the next procedure if I really have fluid back (I still think I don't, it's just swollen and an enlarged membrane).

      How long was it till you saw noticeable change in your swelling.. I feel like I've had zero change and I'm 4 weeks post op

    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      It was a few months before the swelling stabilized to where it is now they say it can take as long as 6 months but usually around the 3 month mark is where you know how big it will remain. Your situation sounds almost identical to mine I scoured the Internet for hours a day trying to figure out if my experience was normal and from what I have read it's pretty common. My hydrocele wasn't that big to begin with I only had it done because like you my deductible had been met and it wouldn't really cost me anything. I that's why I had my second one 4 months later as well I had to get it done before my deductible reset (I had the second one on Dec.23 2014 and the first Aug 7 2014). I don't "feel" the fluid anymore but like I said it still feels meaty and is about 2 x times the size it was before the hydrocele which has killed any self esteem I had left. I had got separated from my wife a few months before I got the hydrocele so now I'm even afraid to date because of it and what happened to me at 13 years old. I live in a pretty populated area and my doctor was at a big hospital he said he had done thousands of them but he never mentioned anything about the testicle remaining larger after surgery all he said was the operation would fix my issue and I would be good as new. I had an ultrasound 3 months after my first surgery the doc said some fluid had returned but when I awoke from the second surgery he said it had not returned and he was surprised at the size of my actual testicle but he couldn't give me a reason as to why at 37 it could have increased in size.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      The testicle is basically veins, so inflamaion has to be easy once there is any cut done to that area... I really wonder if the inflammation to the epididymis and vas deferen is a cause to the whole problem.. You said yours is still inflamed and I've read that infect or inflammation to both can cause reactive hydroceles.. Both epididymis and vas deferens were inflamed like hell after my hernia surgery and we're getting better before the hydrocele procedure... My dr said that there isn't an infect in the epididymis because I would have a fever and be sick, but there was a lot of contact to both regions when my hernia was repartee and I'm sure it was all disturbed when the hydrocele procedure happened
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      My vas and epidytimitis are definitely thicker but they do not hurt, I did have a nagging feeling for about 4 months after the surgery though. Everything seems thicker from the vast and epidytimitis to the membrane around the testicle it doesn't feel fluids though it feels like actual flesh or muscle.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      Mine is still nagging and causes some pain.. I'm not even going to try doing any jumping or running for a while.. It pulls since everything is so heavy. I just got done lifting and doing squats didn't cause any pain so I at least have that going for me right now.. Although I know sitting down will be painful since I've been out of the gym for a month..
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      Compression shorts or even tighty whities will help while it is still swollen, I actually had to switch from boxers(I wore them my whole life) to boxers briefs permanently after the surgeries as it still has some weight to it even to this day.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      I wear briefs as it is, but man this still hurts from time to time... I'm kind of still panicking a bit since there hasn't been any change in size.. But One things been bothering me because I can't figure out. How can a hydrocele come back after they turn the outer sack inside out and attach it back the way they do... I can't figure out how fluid could collect if it's done right
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      So you've said that when the dr opened you up for the second surgery, they found no fluid... I just read about the flash light test to see if the mass is fluid or solid... Sad to say here that it all lit up like a Xmas ornament.. I've some how went from a small fluid build up to a tennis ball/ orange... I really don't know what I'm going to do..
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      Yes they took an ultrasound and the doc said it looked like fluid had returned, so he said he would do a slightly different procedure that removed the sack completely. But when I awoke from the second surgery he said I was surprised at the size of the actual testicle and that there wasn't much fluid in there and he didn't do the second surgery he just drained it of a bit of fluid. Like you I have no idea how fluid can return and if there are 2 types of procedures why not just do the one that promises no fluid return and remove the whole thing instead of turning inside out and stitching it to the back of the testicle. I wouldn't freak out right now with the whole light test they say fluid returns after surgery but is then re-absorbed back into the system so just give it some time(a few months).
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      I appreciate the comments, I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself for paying my entire deductible again with it being the new year (4K)... We basically drained our savings to get my hernia repaired back in July, and I trusted this dr when he said it would be best to have this small hydrocele removed... So with everything already met I had the procedure done in December since I had met the 4K... Now that I'm carrying around all this fluid from the swelling it has me freaked out because I'm looking at paying 4K again for something that mr dr ultimately created... I've always been a glass is half empty guy and look at things in he negative way, so I'm still going to wait it out and probably see a second opinion, but just feel that I'm pretty much at the mercy of my surgeon and paying more money for another procedure that I shouldn't need... I'm holding out that it will all absorb back in my body but when the dr tells you that it's not good and it shouldn't be this way, it kind of concerns me. Again, thanks for helping through this, and whether it takes me another surgery and more money I'm going to get better, I just have a hard time keeping s positive outlook here
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      Your situation sounds eerily similar to mine minus the hernia aspect my hydrocele formed out of the blue. One day i noticed that my sack looked swollen and i could actually feel fluid filling up as the day went on. I had my first ultrasound done in June of 2014 my PCP said nothing was wrong even the woman who did my untrasound  a few days prior knew i was really nervous so she got the radiologist to come in and tell me i had a hydocele but it wasnt anything major like cancer. My PCP said if i had any concerns go to urologist so i did(one at a major hospital who had 30 years experience) he said no biggy he could do operation(siad he had done thousands) and everything would be fine. i waited a few months but i had met deductible with an endoscopy earlier in the year so i said may as well get it done whilke it wont cost me anything so i did in August.my testicle swelled to the size of a softball for a good few weeks(the hydrocele was only the size of a large egg to begin with) i also got an infection of the incision. after about 4 weeks i saw the doc and he said all looks good even though my testicle was jacked up still. after about 2  months i started freaking out because my testicle hadnt returned to normal size so i called him again and he said i should have another ultasound so i did in Novemeber. Doc called a few days later and said some fluid had returned so i set up second procedure in December so i wouldnt have any charges because of deductible being met. Upon waking from second surgery doc said he was surpised at sze of testicle and ther was very little fluid so he didnt do second procedure couldnt tell my how my testicle grew either. Swelled up huge yet again and i got another surgical site infection(so more antibiotics). Waited a few months still satyed size of an egg and felt really meaty so got second opinion he siad it was scar tissue from where thy turn sack inside out and pin it back but there was nothing that could be done and i would have to live with it. The original doc said nothing about any of this he said it would all be taken care of with surgery but it wasnt . Now my testicle still looks much bigger, feels differnt and feels heavier than it was before. Oh and im a half empty glass kind of guy myself and the glass is filled with urine lol.
    • don999
      don999 pf7

      Posted

      Was your swelling ever fluid? Outside of the little your dr took out? Was any of the softball size swelling fluid or was it just the testicle? I'm just wondering if this fluid will absorb or not,.. What makes this worse is that the area it's swelling up isn't the full membrane since it was cut and it cause discomfort so much compared to the original
    • pf7
      pf7 don999

      Posted

      I don't know if it was ever actual fluid maybe it was and most got re-absorbed,I would definitely give it a little more time before freaking out though.
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.