# Hydrocelectomy = No fun at all!



## RickC5 (Sep 23, 2004)

This isn't a cycling injury per se, but just in case someone else was facing this surgery, here's how my recovery has gone so far.

A hydrocelectomy is the "removal" of a hydrocele, which in simplified terms, is a testicle sack swollen by liquid (like water) that doesn't properly drain. Google it for a better description. My hydrocele was a direct result of a hernia surgery from four years ago. Apparently lots of hernia surgeries can result in the "creation" of a hydrocele. 

After four years, my left testicle was about the size of a tennis ball, and riding the bike was getting to be most uncomfortable, so I scheduled the surgery for January 11, 2012 to take advntage of winter down-time.

Surgery took about an hour, went fine according to the doc, and I went home the same day. Everything was swollen, bruised and sore. The REAL pain started the next day when the IV surgery drugs wore off. OMG, it was like being kicked in the gonads 24/7 for about a week. Thank God for oxycodone, which I used for four days. The pain was much worse than a hernia surgery, FWIW.

After four weeks, swelling/bruising has gone down, and the big incision (big enough to remove a tennis ball) in my scrotum is almost healed--not quite. Maybe another week or so.

So it's been four weeks and I see the doc again this Friday to assess my progress. I'm guessing it will likely be 2-4 more weeks before I can start to ride again, and maybe a bit longer. We bought a spin cycle the other day so I can start getting back in shape once the doc says it's ok to do so. This hasn't been fun!


----------



## TallC1 (Jan 18, 2016)

I know this thread is old, but I am one month removed & still recovering from a Hydrocelectomy. I went on my first ride since the surgery and am sore & a little swollen. The last thing I want is for the Hydrocele to come back & I am looking for advice on saddles & which ones would be best for preventing recurrences. Any other tips & advice for continuing to ride after such a procedure would also be appreciated.


----------



## MyZenNolan (May 30, 2011)

In general there is a 10% chance the hydrocele will come back regardless of your seat choice. Personally I recommend a saddle with a stubby nose.

I have a recurring hydrocele that first presented after inguinal hernia surgery and a vasectomy. It recurred in under a year. So now I ride with it. I may get it fixed again, but I'll wait for the winter so it doesn't interfere with my riding.

Addendum: I know this is an old thread. But there isn't exactly a large collection of work regarding mountain biking and hydroceles.


----------



## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

This is the weirdest time gap for responses I've ever seen. and it kinda hurts just reading about it.


----------



## MyZenNolan (May 30, 2011)

watts888 said:


> This is the weirdest time gap for responses I've ever seen. and it kinda hurts just reading about it.


A lot of people are . . . uncomfortable . . . discussing their testicles, in a frank manner, with strangers on the internet.


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

Reviving this zombie thread because as of last night, I have a hydrocele. Though not as large as the OP's, it came on fairly quickly from what I can tell as it wasn't there earlier in the day but when I went to take a shower I noticed a significant other mass in/on my right nut. No pain whatsoever. Even so, I thought there's a possibility it may be a hernia so I went to the ER. After a CT scan the doc finally said it's a hydrocele and to make an appointment with a urologist. 
I've read quite a bit of people have this happen as the result of a hernia surgery or some other trauma to that region. I have had neither, so I'm puzzled as to why this happened.
Questions to anyone who's had this: How quickly did it form? How long did you wait to have it removed? What are the options for removing or draining? Anyone ever have it just go away on it's own?


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

JaxMustang50 - oddly enough, I got a hydrocele around the time of your initial post and have been living with it (and a second one that developed) for the last year and a half. Did you ever get yours fixed? Did it go away by itself? I'm currently looking at getting the surgery done.


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

Sorry to hear that. This is a strange affliction for sure. Not much knowledge out there on these. It's like the medical community has settled on a couple of not so hot "solutions" and hasn't really gotten to the bottom of all aspects - causes, alternative treatments, etc.
I still have mine. 
I went to the doc and had it drained, which was easy however it slowly returned. My doctor said there was a 67% chance it would return and it did. The only other option he presents is the hydroselectomy surgery which sounds awful and isn't even 100% fool proof. 
Mine is not crazy big like some can be thank God, and it slowly fluctuates in size as well. Some times it's noticeably smaller. It's strange in that manner as most guys say they just got larger over time. It's definitely big enough that I'm tired of it and will have to do something about it. I have just been living with it, researching and trying to decide what to do. I'm almost of the mind that it would be better to just keep draining it once in a while.


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

Have you tried alternative treatments? How long did it take to return after it was drained? I've seen two urologists and asked about aspiration/sclerotherapy, but no one wants to do it. We can take this conversation to a pm if you want, but as someone who has scoured the internet for answers with limited findings, I'm more inclined to leave it out where people can find it.


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

Yea I agree. More people talking and sharing info the better. I've never really worried about privacy when it comes to things like this. Why be embarrassed? It's outside of my control.
IIRC, it came back slowly and took about a month before I noticed any growth. It slowly continued over the next 2 months until it was back up where it started. Mind you, the first time it appeared was extremely sudden - a matter of a few hours. I went to the ER thinking I had gotten a hernia.
I've researched the sclerotherapy as well however my urologist does not do that treatment. Just aspiration or hydrocelectomy. He only did the aspiration once just to try it. He said if it comes back my only option is the latter.
I haven't tried anything other than aspiration and epsom salt baths (which was suggested somewhere online, can't remember where). I haven't heard of many other "alternative" treatments or nutritional treatments other than what we've already mentioned. 
My wife suggests trying hyperbaric chamber treatment. She read about a diver who had a hydrocele who ended up needing to get hyperbaric treatment after a dive (for the bends). It went away after that treatment. 
I cannot find any other info on the possibility of hyperbaric treatment for hydrocele, but it's something that the medical community should look into. There are many conditions that have been routinely alleviated by hyperbaric treatment though mainstream medicine doesn't officially list it as an effective treatment.
I may try it. It can't hurt. There are places that offer it outside of a hospital for general health and athletic therapy, though they don't operate at the same pressures and oxygen saturation that a unit in a hospital does. That throws in a wild card as there is no data to suggest what the parameters need to be in order to provide a benefit. Completely uncharted territory. 
Any doctors on here that have any experience with these care to weigh in as well? It would be greatly appreciated. 
Or anyone else who's had an experience?


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

That's interesting, I hadn't heard anything about the hyperbaric treatment. 

I'm going to try getting some adjustments at the chiropractor which I haven't been to in years, because I know my hips and back are jacked up from a previous back injury and a lot of sitting while working. I read somewhere - God knows where at this point - where someone had problems with their pelvic floor that led to chronic epididymitis that a chiropractor diagnosed and fixed. I don't (think I) have epididymitis anymore, but I feel like it's worth trying before surgery.

Other alternative treatments I've seen are cold hip baths, yoga, and turmeric. I took turmeric forever, which didn't make things better, but possibly kept things from getting worse... who knows.


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

That makes a lot of sense - pelvic floor and all. I hadn't thought about a chiropractor. Maybe one that is familiar with the lymphatic system or lymphatic drainage. I've read that some think they are related to the inability of the lymphatic system to drain the fluid properly. There's not too much out there about it but it's worth a look into. I'm very interested to hear what your chiropractor has to say about it. Do keep this updated. 
I did read about the turmeric but haven't tried yet. I'll have to look into it more.


----------



## johnnya3 (Apr 3, 2021)

I just joined this group after conducting an online search for "cycling after a hydrocelectomy" because I just had one done and I found this forum while looking for info. I am actually still in the stay at home and rest phase. I had the procedure done, it lasted about an hour and I had a two week convalescence period where they directed I stay at home. My directed rest period ends today and while the pain from the surgery has greatly reduced in the 2 week period I do not see myself being able to comfortably cycle for quite a bit longer, probably a month at least. To be up front I am not a "mountain biker"; I do have a mountain bike but ride it more for fitness and health. Probably couldn't make it up a mountain of any size even if I tried; I am 52 years old and new fairly new to cycling, the hydrocele start showing up about 2 years ago. It progressively got larger, to the point that it was uncomfortable in daily life (think grapefruit size) and a complete pain when it came to sleeping. My sleeping being negatively affected is what really forced my decision as it started negatively effecting work. I had the same diagnosis, we can aspirate it or remove hydrocele completely. The aspiration was basically a delaying tactic as the couple of doctors I talked to said it would definitely return (95% recurrence rate in their experience). In the early days they recommended I wait to see if it would self-resolve which it didn't. Right now, I would say the surgery was definitely worth it pending no negative after affects after I write this. There is still significant swelling (size) to the affected testicle but it is at least half the size that it was and the doc said that will reduce to almost normal as time goes on. What I found interesting is that most of the more intense pain wasn't in the testicle area it was higher in the lower pelvic region. If anyone is interested I can add to this post as I continue through recovery and try to get back in the saddle. Just like everyone else here noted there is not a lot of info on the web about this especially as it relates to cycling so I thought I would add my experience just in case it might help anyone else.


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

Yes, thanks for your input and please do keep us up to speed on your progress and experience.
Any info is greatly appreciated.


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

I'm also interested. Thanks


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

@JaxMustang50 reviving yet again, as I just had the surgery. I'll try to leave my comments more general and if you want detail, I can provide.
Went into surgery around 2 pm yesterday, it is now 6:30 am the following day. For context: I'm 30 years old, 150 lbs, 5'10", ok shape. I say ok because I'm not really in 'good' cycling shape right now, but probably in better shape than most regular people, can go on multi hour rides, etc. I had two hydroceles and a spermatocele. Right side - very hard, roughly the size of an avocado. Left side - hydrocele was slightly smaller/softer, but this side also had the spermatocele; this side collectively was a little smaller than the right.
I felt pretty rough when I came to from the anesthesiology, but they gave me some anti nausea meds and gave me a codeine pill. Took the codeine at ~530. Movement was slow. It's weird, because I don't feel too bad when walking, but when I stop, it's like all of that hanging/movement catches up to me and I feel like I was kicked in the crotch. All in all I feel pretty good. I'm taking tramadol now, and while stationary, nothing hurts.

I'll keep posting on here.


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

Great, thanks for the update and being willing to post. For sure, any personal experiences, details, and information is greatly appreciated.
I'm still rocking mine and will probably drain it again for now. I'm just not quite sold on the surgery. I'm very interested to hear how your recovery goes and will pray for no problems for you. You may encourage me to get mine done.


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

Alright so I'm now 9 days out from surgery. Got my drain tubes out last Friday, not bad. My balls were a warzone for a few days. Still pretty weird with the two incisions and bruising, but much better. The swelling is probably the same size as pre-surgery, but it's less consistent - not sure really how to describe it. They said the swelling could last for 4-6 weeks (which seems consistent with guidance others have received.)

I ran a bit of a fever after the surgery. Last Friday, when I got the drain tubes removed, the doctor prescribed me an antibiotic - I'm not really sure why the doctor performing the surgery didn't prescribe one. I didn't take this until Friday night, which was when I started running a higher fever (101.4). Saturday and Sunday I ran fevers in the evening after laying down, and Sunday with the guidance of the on call nurse, I decided to go to the ER to get bloodwork/more antibiotics. My white cell count was not elevated and I didn't have COVID, so I went to the urologist Monday. He reassured me that everything looked normal. Upon seeing that I was pretty thin, he asked if I was a runner. He suggested that perhaps because I was being uber sedentary, I wasn't expanding my lungs as much as my regular active lifestyle (or something) which could cause a fever. I supplemented my video game/couch time with deep breathing. I haven't run a fever since.

I still take 400 mg of advil in the morning and evening for discomfort, as I am back to working (from home, thankfully). If I had to go into an office, I would've just taken the rest of this week off.

Sorry, no real bike advice yet. I will let you know when I get there in a few weeks, but I didn't want to leave you hanging.

I found this comment on a reddit post before I got surgery:

__
https://www.reddit.com/r/malelifestyle/comments/ks1ly3/_/gip5vhe

Note the size he says his hydrocele was when taking his experience into consideration - 400ml. Pull out your nalgene and look at the 400ml line. I messaged the guy about time to get back on the bike and he said this: _It was about 10 weeks from op to back cycling but I probably could have gone back about 4 weeks sooner but the weather wasn't great here and I didn't want to risk a fall. That was road cycling but I actually went mountain biking for the first time about 2 weeks ago and felt no problems after it. _


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

asalz said:


> I found this comment on a reddit post before I got surgery:
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/malelifestyle/comments/ks1ly3/_/gip5vhe
> ...


make sure you actually click the link to navigate to reddit to read the thread, not just the preview


----------



## JaxMustang50 (Jun 26, 2017)

Interesting. Thanks for the update and link. 
Now another week on, have you noticed any reduction in swelling as of yet?
How's your general mobility / pain level?


----------



## asalz (Feb 2, 2021)

2 weeks and 2 days post op. Pain is much better. I haven't taken advil since.. I don't know, maybe 4 days ago? Most recently, I was experiencing discomfort with the incisions healing, but those are much better now. Balls are looking much more normal now than they were a week ago. Still larger than normal, but swelling is down from what it was. They are probably down to pre-op size. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm only 2 weeks out and the doctor said swelling could last quite a while. I am way more active than I was a week ago. Walking is fine and I'm feeling very mobile, just not 100%. I'm seeing the doctor next Wednesday, which will be the three week mark. I'll be in touch.


----------

