So roughly a week? That's not so bad, I suppose. That's about where I'm at right now, orange sized. It's odd that you can remove almost the entire contents of the contents of the scrotum, then the next day it's over double the size.

Thanks

I must have been very lucky as I had absolutely zero pain post op and was driving my stick shift car about 24 hours post surgery. I never had a drain in my scrotum, the incision was sewn up completely. What swelling I had as well as the two hematomas at the ends of the cords wasn't that much more than my scrotum had been before the removal of my testicles. I did have bruising of note, which resolved over about 2-3 weeks.

I guess I was either very lucky or the surgeon was really skilled. I do occasionally have a bit of sensitivity in the cords, so will probably have them removed around the same time I have my scrotum removed.

I wonder why some orchiectomies cause large hematomas and impossibly huge swellings while other orchiectomies look healed in 3 weeks, without initial hematoma or large swelling... Is it surgeons skills or orchiectomy style or anatomy or age?

erikboy (imported) wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2015 3:25 am I wonder why some orchiectomies cause large hematomas and impossibly huge swellings while other orchiectomies look healed in 3 weeks, without initial hematoma or large swelling... Is it surgeons skills or orchiectomy style or anatomy or age?

Mine were done radically. I had no problems to speak of, other than some soreness and bruising from the surgeon pushing and pulling them out, and I healed very quickly. I was actually very surprised how smoothly the healing process went. My only observation is that I have some residual minor numbness from nerve damage at one of the incisions, which isn't noticeable unless i feel it, but it causes me no issues. My incisions are covered by pubic hair so you cannot even tell that I had the surgery.

erikboy (imported) wrote: Wed Oct 07, 2015 3:25 am I wonder why some orchiectomies cause large hematomas and impossibly huge swellings while other orchiectomies look healed in 3 weeks, without initial hematoma or large swelling... Is it surgeons skills or orchiectomy style or anatomy or age?

I think I just have a severe allergic reaction to scalpel and needles. Seems to be pretty common.

On a positive note, it's day 3 and I'm now able to get in and out of my full size truck without being on the verge of tears, and without doing some wierd climbing maneuver. Swelling and bruising is still big and unchanged. Each cord end feels like an 1 1/4" teste sitting at the top of my sack. The 2" incision across the lower front of my scrotum it's getting itchy, which usually means something is healing. The bottom of my sack is full of clotted blood, I think. Whatever the case, it's keeping that are very irritated and... prickly?

The pain isn't too bad today. Laying down is nothing. Being up and about is okay, but you can definitely feel it when there is increased blood pressure at the cords. When you first stand up and the blood rushes downward in your body, they really sting, or maybe feel like an Indian burn in your sack. It's an interesting sensation and it's safe to say I won't miss it one bit.

I've still yet to feel any change whatsoever hormonally. I was on a lowish dose of Androcur prior to surgery and stopped it cold turkey the day of surgery. I'm interested to see what changes there are, if any, in the next few weeks in this area. I'm avoiding any HRT for now to see how it goes.

Jared

nvrgag44 (imported) wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:49 am LT, for how long after your surgery did you use ice? I don't know it it's correct or not but I've heard that using ice is only effective after an injury or surgery for a short period of time and the sooner it's applied, the better. It supposedly is used to reduce swelling, not aid healing. Not disagreeing with using ice, just asking the question because I don't know the answer. My post-op instructions didn't say anything about ice and I didn't think to ask so used none. I was fairly uncomfortable right after surgery and just wanted to sleep anyway.

It's only effective on the swelling for a day or so, after that it's only really therapeutic effect is numbing the area. I iced almost 24/7 for two weeks after my penis was removed.

Day 5 - The swelling in my scrotum has reduced, now it's only about 150% its normal size. Still a lot of dark bruising, but the spreading seems to have stopped. The bruised skin is a bit tingly and irritated. The swollen cords are pretty huge, about the same diameter but longer than my testis were. I'm also very happy to report the "the plumbing works, and so does the electrical." That's even while just about everything is tender and sensitive to any shaking or bumping movements. It was a bit odd... lots of "Ahh...." and "OWW!" going on at the same time down there!

I've been back to work since Tuesday, but I was able to work from home the first day. My job is in management, and my schedule and location is pretty flexible which is great with my current circumstances. The cords still hurt while I'm standing up and the blood pressure on them is increased. They actually sting/ache pretty bad with no lortab/ibuprofen/tylenol in my system. I haven't really found a way around that yet other than loading up on pain relievers, and hope it resolves pretty quickly. It just feels like somebody is pumping the cords up with pressure until they're about to burst. But it goes away pretty quick if I lay down. Also the sutures are itching like mad quite a bit of the time, mostly later in the day. They even itch while I'm laying down. I've found the Neosporin with pain relief (numbing) helps a bit, but only for an hour or so after you apply it.

Anyway, I'm surprised at how different things aren't overall. I realize I'm only five days in, but that's enough time for testosterone to crash with no supply and start feeling the effects. I've had no hot flashes, no depression, no calm or euphoria, my hair didn't suddenly grow back. I'm looking forward to the weekend, and hopeful I'll be a little more comfortable being up and about for the day.

Take it easy this weekend, unlike what I did the first weekend after my balls came off.

What you're describing is fairly typical. It WILL pass. I wouldn't expect hot flashes for at least another 2 weeks. You won't have to guess when one hits, you'll definitely know.

If you're having pain at the incision site, get some medication at a drug store called, "Anecream" It was over the counter in California, and they're pretty restrictive there. Basically it's a cream folks who have hemorrhoids use to relieve the topical pain associated with them. What it is is a topical lidocaine anesthetic. If you can't find that, ask at the pharmacy counter if the store sells an over the counter topical lidocaine cream.

--LT

Thanks for the tip on the cream. I just need to make sure I'm also getting Neosporin on there twice a day to prevent infection. Not sure how much the cream will soak in when I'm slathered in petrolatum.

I'm very much hoping that me being on Androcur right up to the surgery prepped my body for the extremely low-T. I know it's a fat-soluble drug, so levels of Androcur in my system will taper off for the next couple of weeks. I figured that with such a low half-life, testosterone levels would drop like a rock after surgery. But apparently that's not the case, after reading several accounts from other members. I feel like I'm at a pretty good T level right here and now.

So is 2-4 weeks a reasonable time frame to expect my T levels to find their new normal?

Jared_in_UT (imported) wrote: Fri Oct 09, 2015 7:18 pm So is 2-4 weeks a reasonable time frame to expect my T levels to find their new normal?

No. It isn't.