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Testicle not “hanging correctly” 4 weeks after surgery
I had robotic-assisted laparoscopic repair surgery for a right inguinal hernia 4 weeks ago. The incisions were tiny and the healing progressed quickly, with pain becoming very manageable after a few days.
Then about 10 days after the surgery, I noticed discomfort and changes in the way my right testicle was hanging. I’ll try to sum up the changes as concisely as I can:
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When my scrotum is relaxed, and the left testicle is resting normally in the bottom of the sack, my right testicle is hanging about 1″ to 1.5″ higher.
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If I push my stomach out all the way like a pregnant belly, my right testicle drops almost to a normal position. When I suck my stomach back in forcefully, I can lift the right testicle almost 2″. The left one just hangs there normally.
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When my scrotum is tightened up (during walking, activity, cool air, whatever), the right testicle still sits higher than the left, and is pushed forward somewhat by my thigh. As such it rubs more on clothing and is uncomfortable.
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The greatest discomfort I have, however, is sitting in a chair. The bend at the waist seems to pull the right testicle up tightly, so that it gets squashed by pressure against my legs/groin, and within minutes I start to feel a sharp burning/itching/poking pain sensation near the top of the testicle. I cannot tolerate even an hour of sitting at my work desk, and I am constantly driven to “adjust” and tug on my scrotum to try to make room for the right one to “fall away”, but sitting just pulls it back into this uncomfortable position immediately.
I saw my doctor after 2.5 weeks and described these changes to him, he downplayed my discomfort and suggested icing and more time. Now at 4 weeks it’s not improving, and I’m getting seriously concerned. The sensation I am having is that the spermatic cord, or other nearby plumbing, is stuck, or pinched, or trapped by the mesh, or other surgery effects, and no longer provides enough slack for the testicle to find a comfortable position in my scrotum.
Should I expect this to improve with more time and healing? Is there any therapy, massage, stretching, etc. that I can do now to try to help get my hang back? Can additional functional damage occur from long-term testicle tugging/hanging by the cords instead of being supported by the sack?
I would seriously appreciate hearing from any other patients who have had similar complications, or from medical professionals familiar with these conditions.
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2 Replies
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Thank you for your respose Dr. Towfigh!
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Thanks for posting.
This can happen with any type of inguibal hernia repair. It is should not affect functionality. I advise my patients to massage the testicle downward, essentially gently tugging on the testicle and attached spermatic cord, essentially encouraging them to move down, perhaps releasing any scar tissue that is forming at the area of repair.
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