Excruciating pain after Hydrocele surgery

Men's health
1

I had a hydrocele surgery 7 days ago. At this time, I have excruciating pain when I stand up or walk. It's a charp burning pain as if someone was pinching my suture area. However, the pain is almost none existent when laying flat on my back. It's the only position to get relief and become comfortable. Furthermore, I can't lay forever. Pain medicine is not relieving this pain. Is this normal?

I'm been told that the pain will go away between 7 to 10 days post surgery, but I'm not seeing any pain improvement. I have the same pain I had on days 2 & 3.

I'm hoping this pain will go away soon. I'm not worried about swelling because I read it will go away with time. But this pain is horrible. It should be noted that I have a high tolerance for pain but can't help it with this.

Any suggestions???

2

Tighty whities or compression shorts will help a bit but it's the blood flow and the fact they stitch the testicle to the inside oft he scrotum which is causing the pain. Mine lasted about 2 weeks before it lightened up but I still get a slight twinge every once in a while and im about 7 weeks post surgery.

3

 Are you wearing a jockstrap it helps I have still a  slightly swollen testicle  still a little pain not bad though after two months  it will get better I thought the same thing jockstrap does help get one and wear it 

4

Thanks for your response. No, I am not using jockstraps but I'm using tight underwear that supports the scrotum. It is just painful bro...it really sucks.

5

 Go buy a jockstrap it will make a difference it helps I know it certainly helped me I am pretty much without pain it's nowhere near as bad as it was so it will go away eventually  but trust me it's worth going and getting a jockstrap  

6

Thanks for your response. I think you're right, it's the blood flow when standing. It's the only reasonable explanation. I really hope it goes away or significantly reduced in two weeks time. I am really hurting. I can't stand or walk for long because I scream. Did pain medication helped you at all? The doctor prescribed Tylenol 3 (with Codeine) and it really made no difference when I took it. I even doubled on the dose with no effect.

7

Will do, thanks.

8

No pain meds did nothing I stayed pretty much in bed for the first 10 days. But when I did get up to get food, go to the bathroom etc the pain was pretty bad.

9

Had exactly the same experience. Mine started to subside in about 10 days, but wasn't completely pain free until 2 weeks post surgery. I was given a jockstrap to wear, but my doctor told me it was to control swelling. It did little in regards to pain. I didn't like the pain killer I was prescribed, so I got a prescription for an anti-inflammatory and that helped a bit.

Good luck!

10

I really appreciate your response. Were you able to stand and walk for more than 10 minutes ten days post surgery?

You are the second person to state that the pain will subside around day 10, and goes away around two weeks. I really hope it will be the case for me, as I wondered at times that something went wrong during surgery that is causing this horrible pain.

11

Yes, I was able to stand and walk after 10 days, but there was still a little pain depending on how I moved or lifting things (I was instructed not to lift anything more than 10lbs for 2 weeks.) I also continued to wear a jockstrap for 2-3 weeks.

You didn't indicate how large your hydrocele was. Mine was a 1/2 litre of liquid, but I also had a "communicating hydrocele," meaning it had started to enlarge up into my lower abdomen. Because of this, there was more internal suturing and thus more scar tissue. As a result, I had extensive bruising, swelling, and pain.

I've heard some people are OK after a few days, some in a week, and then some 2 - 3 weeks. I think a lot depends on the size of your hydrocele and how extensive the internal stitching is. 

During my first 2 weeks of recovery, I thought "Why did I do this myself," but after 2 months (with the pain, swelling and bruising gone) I can say I'm glad I did it. 

12

Good Afternoon, I am a 71 year old male (obviously) and had a hydrocele repair three days ago. I would describe myself as having discomfort but no real "pain."  I have a prescription for percoset but have been successful treating discomfort with napoxen sodium 220 mg tablets, two per day.  For me the key is ICE, ICE and ICE.  I have had the hydrocele for several years and as it didn't cause pain or interfere with daily activities I kept delaying having it treated.  Finally last year I decided against surgery but decided to have aspiration and sclerotherapy.  My urologist referred me to a radiologist who, using ultrasound, used aneedle to drain the hyddrocele and then inject a scarring agent to seal the area from further collection of fluids.  This worked well for about a week and then the damn thing filled up again.  We tried the same thing agan but with the same results. A year later I decided that ssurgery was the only practical solution.  So three days ago had the surgery.  Becasue of the scarring of tissue, procedure was longer and more difficult than originally anticipated.  Didn't expect to wake up with a drain but that goes away in three days. Not a pleasant procedure but now it is done. For you naz, a combination of ice and pain reliever may help you through the recovery.  For others considering hydrocele treatment, research the aspiration and sclerotherapy as you may have better results without the surgical complications.  If surgery is the solution, work with a urologist who has done "hundreds" of these procedures.

 

13

Thank you for all the replies, which have reassured me that there is nothing seriously wrong.  Having read things like 'you may be able to return to work after 7 days' and that it only needs over the counter pain relief, made me think it wouldn't be that bad.  I have had a hip replacement, so I am no stranger to pain.  I am now 6 days post op and the first three days were fine.  I went out for a walk and even went to a gentle social event.  The last two days have been exactly as naz initially described.  Relatively pain free lying out flat.  Agony when standing and walking.  Screaming with pain.  I would confirm the jock strap is better than tight pants.  Today is slightly better.  I have swelling running from the side of the operation up towards the hip and even a small band of swelling at the top of the leg in front of the hip.  This doesn't seem painful and is not particularly hot or red.  Did others have swelling away from the immediate area of the op?

14

Hi Dan,

I got in contact with my doctor yesterday who recommended a low grade (325mg) Percoset. It is working like a champ. I still have a slight pain, but I can tolerate it. It allowed me to walk and do things, it's great. I was tired of laying on the couch all day. The doctor suggested a pill every 3-4 hours, but I only took two (total) yesterday and felt great.

Yes, ice works great to reduce swelling but it didn't do anything for pain. I hope the pain will completely subside in a few days without meds.

As far as aspiration, I tried that four times without a long term success. Then, I decided to do surgery.

15

Ben,

I only had swelling in the scrotum area and some bruising just below on the leg. Initially my urologist prescribed Tylenol 3 with Codeine, but it didn't relieve my horrible pain. I contacted the doctor again and described my issue with pain, he put me on low grade Percocet and it is working like a champ. I still have some pain but tolerable. I was told the pain will completely go away in about two weeks after surgery. Good luck.

16

Thanks for the advice  naz.  I have decided to see the doctor for prescription painkiller tomorrow.  Switched from cocodemol to a combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen today which has improved things already. 

17

Hey naz, just wondering how you are doing now. 1 week since the surgery I have a lot of pain walking for a kilometre or so.

18

I also have excruciating pain. On day 6 after surgery and the pain is a lot worse now. Can't walk or stand up, only relief is to lay flat in bed. Will call doctor and maybe try do a check up to make sure nothing is wrong. I did not expect this surgery to cause so much pain and bruising.

19

What made it better for me was to increase the dosage of the pain medicine. Once that was done, I didn’t feel the pain anymore. After a couple of weeks, the pain should go away completely and you won’t need pain medicine. Good luck, that pain was unbearable when I stood up.

20

My surgical experience of hydrocele Based on my experience, I can say that either your hydrocelectomy was not completed properly or it might have been completed using the conventional method of hydrocelectomy. In any of these cases, a patient can feel pain even after days or weeks of the surgery. Therefore, I think laser surgery of hydrocele is the best option as it's a precise, safe, and successful surgical procedure. The risks of side effects are as low as zero and the chances of success are as high as 100%. I can say this simply because I have gone through this procedure myself.

I too was suffering from hydroceles a few months back and the size of the hydrocele kept growing bigger and bigger with time. After a certain time, it starts inflicting pain and it becomes uncomfortable for me to sit, stand or walk properly. Since I work in the corporate sector where I need to sit for long hours, it becomes hard for me to continue my job. Hence, I decided to consult a urologist. After searching for a while on the internet, I came across Pristyn Care who offers laser treatment for hydrocele. The very next day, I went to the clinic and met the doctor. After diagnosing my problem, the doctor advised me to undergo laser surgery as it was the only and best treatment option for me. I was quite convinced by his explanation about the benefits of laser surgery.

In nutshell, my surgery was scheduled for the next day. So at night, I searched about the types of hydrocele treatment and read about it. Then I came to know that the surgery of hydrocele is known as hydrocelectomy and hydrocelectomy can be done in two ways, the first one being open hydrocelectomy and the second is laser hydrocelectomy. However, laser hydrocelectomy is considered the best treatment. Simply, because it's a modern and advanced way of treating hydrocele.

The very next day, my laser hydrocelectomy was completed successfully within 20-30 minutes. This surgery was performed under the influence of anesthesia so I didn't have to feel any pain or problems during the entire surgical procedure. Since it was a daycare procedure, I returned back to my home the same after a few hours of my surgery. Post my surgery, I had MILD pain for the first 2-3 days. But it boils down within the first week of the surgery.

My doctor prescribed me pain medication and also suggested wearing scrotal support for the first 3-6 days. I was also asked not to avoid heavy weight lifting for the first 1-2 weeks which I followed diligently. This helps me in recovering quickly and comfortably. In totality, I had mild pain post my laser hydrocelectomy for the first 5-7 days. After that, it was all smooth. I even started my light daily routine after 2-3 days of the surgery and I faced no issues. Mild pain or discomfort is quite possible for the first few days after laser hydrocelectomy. But within 2-3 week’s time, you recover completely. However, if you still feel pain even after a week of your surgery, then you should contact your doctor immediately. He can explain the exact cause of your pain and fix it on time.