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Positive outcome so far

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Caddiac
Caddiac

I had my hydrocelectomy yesterday morning and so far I have had no swelling.   I read a lot of patient comments prior to my surgery and realize this is highly unusual. I attribute this “miracle” to a borrowed Ossur Cold Wave. A friend who recently had a knee replacement was no longer using the one he purchased.. I purchased a small rectangular pad for the Ossur on Amazon.  Following advice from my friend, I froze six 16 oz water bottles. They last from  4 to 5 hours in the Cold Wave and don’t increase the water level.  I have kept the pad on the scrotum on the outside of my underwear with the fabric side facing OUT. This is contrary to the instructions from Ossur but the cloth underwear and gauze provide the layer of protection the skin needs. To hold the pad in place I tuck a soft blanket in my crotch.  This insures it stays in contact with my scrotum area.

The hose can be a pain to handle but what works best for me is having it come down from behind on one side and up onto my abdomen when laying down on the sofa.  The hose is not a problem when sitting up. 

I will also note that my pain medication is Noco 5, two tablets every four to six hours. I have take a total of three tablets, one at a time, 12 hours apart. I Attribute this to the lack of swelling  and a certain degree numbing from the cold.   This belief is supported by noticeable discomfort when the ice bottles are thawed.

I hope my experience countinues to be a positive one. If so the Ossur Cold Wave is the reason.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • chris65540
    chris65540 Caddiac

    Posted

    Caddiac, good to hear went well, but you will swell up. I'm almost a month post and I'm still swollen, about double my normal size and still expands when driving my truck. No real pain but still alot of weight hanging when I stand. It's still uncomfortable and still can't sleep on my stomach yet. I had just over a liter of fluid removed I was told 3-6 months for full swelling to go down based on my size. The first 10 days were the worst, very hard to walk, had to wobble and I even needed my wife's help cause I got stuck in toilet seat I was so swollen. It's getting better every day and I wish you luck

    • Caddiac
      Caddiac chris65540

      Posted

      My doctor told me to wear “snug” underwear so my junk was not hanging down between my legs. Sounds like yours was much bigger - mine was about the size of a closed fist.  So far it is smaller than it was yesterday but it has not been two days yet. best wishes in your recovery.
  • Caddiac
    Caddiac

    Posted

    Progresss update: I stopped icing my scrotum yesterday after 48 plus hours post op as I was seeing an increase in drainage.  A little blood tinged body fluid on gauze goes a long way.  While it might look like an an axe murder was committed in my underwear, it would probably be considered normal.   Overnight and this morning, the drainage was significantly less. However, there was some minor swelling.  Only discomfort is minor soreness associated with changing the gauze. Last pain medication was Saturday morning. Back to the ice today. 

    The ice machine I am using is an Ossur Cold Rush. I previously called it Cold Wave.

  • Caddiac
    Caddiac

    Posted

    So my surgery was on the morning of April 27th, today I went back to have the drain removed. Unless something changes, this will be my last post. Swelling is minimal, no pain but there is still some drainage; The tube might be gone but there is still a hole in my scrotum well below the incision.   I was surprised at the length of the drain. While there was less than two inches on the outside, there was easily four inches more on the inside.  It looked like they pulled a tape worm out of my ball sack - no pain, hardly noticed it. 

    For me, the drainage drainage peaked on Sunday the 29th and it might sound weird but it was the worst part of the recovery.  One minute everything is good next minute my underwear is wet and starting to soak into my shorts.  So sit on a towel just in case.

    I am returning to work tomorrow which for the most part involves walking, climbing some stairs and sitting in an office environment. I will be prepared to deal with any drainage until I pull clean white gauze out from under my balls.

    In summary, the key to recovery for me is knowing, in detail, what to expect at every step in the process - and yea, that includes knowing the length of the drain.  Below is a list of stuff I recommend having on hand before you have the surgery. The quantity is up to you; buy more and wash the less or buy less and wash more. Prayers for those whose experiences were bad and best wishes for those who have yet to have a hydrocelectomy

    - Loose fitting, soft shorts, - 2 pair

    - Jock straps and or boxer briefs that will hold your junk up. You will want your balls well supported for at least a couple of weeks. Regular boxers won’t do that.

    - 8 - 16 oz bottles of water for the Cold Rush

    - Ossura Cold Rush, you can rent them

    - Small rectangular pad for the Cold Rush.

    - 4x6 or larger gauze, the thicker the better figure on changing it 3 to 4 times a day for the first three days. Thinner gauze will require more sheets to do the same job. 

    As for the Cold Rush machine, I was told to keep ice or frozen peas on my balls for the first 24 to 36 hours. That’s a lot of back and forth to the freezer. How the hell can you sleep like that? Cold Rush is silent lasts for hours and  only requires swapping out the water bottles (two at a time). Less pain more comfort, and great control of the swellIng  in my case. 

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