Hydroceles and undescended testicles in babies: AIBU to ask about your own experiences to help me decide whether I need to complain about my own?

[Writerwannabe83]

Can I ask people please of their experiences with their sons being diagnosed with a hydrocele or an undescended testicle?

When it was detected and what treatment was needed? And how quickly was the treatment given?

I know it's a personal question and I know I shouldn't really compare my situation and experiences to others but I'm feeling very upset at the moment and am trying to decide whether to put a complaint in about my own experience with my DS

[thinkofawonderfulthought]

Hi OP. My DS was diagnosed at birth. Didnt have the procedure done until he was just over 2 - we had expected it to be done prior to his first birthday. The procedure involved general anaesthetic. They made an incision and pulled it down into its proper place. Recovery was fine. His scrotum looks totally normal now. Maybe one side is a little smaller but not noticeably. Is that the kind of information you're after?

[ILovePies]

I've just started writing a response out and my iPad died so bare with me!

[Lifeisontheup2]

My DS had a hydrocele, initially it was a wait and see as they often correct themselves. When it didn't he had an op at about 2 years old because he was having another op requiring a GA so they did both together.

[meddie]

Usually they just monitor until the child is at least 6 months old as testes can still drop until that time. Hydroceles can also resolve up to 12 months after birth. If either of these don't resolve they can fix one or both with an operation. In most babies they will just watch and wait to avoid unnecessary operations until this time period passes, unless the hydrocele is unusually large and causing problems

[ILovePies]

My DS' undescended testicle was discovered at his new born check, we were told to wait until 6 weeks to see if it came down by itself.
At his 6 week check it still had not come down, so were referred to a consultant who couldn't feel his testicle in his groin or abdomen so he was sent for an ultrasound.
They couldn't detect his testicle at the ultrasound, so the consultant assumed it was undeveloped & said he would need a camera in his belly button to see if it was there. If it was, they'd bring it down in the normal procedure. If not they would remove the undeveloped tissue as if left it could have become cancerous.
Unfortunately it was undeveloped so was removed from his groin. It was a simple procedure & he recovered very quickly.
All this happened before he was 7 months old.

[camelfinger]

The GP diagnosed hydrocele in my 6 week old and reassured me. Told me that it would likely disappear within the first year of life. It turned out to be a hernia (I think the conditions are related). He had an operation on that under GA and since then it seems to be ok. I would advise taking photos (make sure they're not shared!) to check if it is getting bigger. We had to wait 4 months for treatment. I hope your son is ok. It might be worth writing up your concerns anyway to help you get it all out. I think that in most complaints there is learning to be had to prevent someone else having a poor experience, if nothing else.

[wonkylegs]

My son had a hydrocele, noticed by me at 2&1/2 then taken to GP, we had a wait and see approach for a while and then we had surgery before he started school. We wanted him to be old enough to understand what was going on and cope with being told he couldn't ride his bike do rough play etc for a bit, give it a chance to resolve itself but do it before we had to take him out of school. Surgery and recovery was good and resolved it and it hasn't been a problem since.

[purplevase]

My son had an undescended testicle - it wasn't picked up for a while - maybe a few months into his life, I can't remember now? It was monitored for a while and then the GP said he still couldn't feel anything and referred him - he was probably about 5 at this point. The consultant we saw said he thought he could feel something and called in a colleague from next door who said the same thing. So they left it another year. And then referred him elsewhere and they decided that they needed to operate. They finally operated when he was 7 and the undescended testicle was quite a long way up and had atrophied so they took it away - I think it was undeveloped anyway. He had a week off school and has been fine ever since. It was a nuisance it took so long to resolve but it was nobody's fault. I was more annoyed by the school forgetting that he needed to stay in at break time for a week to rest once he went back to school and letting him go outside and run around.

The doctors who operated said he could have a prosthetic if he felt self-conscious about it once he got older, but so far he doesn't seem to be worried about it. But he's not interested in girls yet - though I've always thought that if a girl liked him enough to get that close she wouldn't be concerned and he does have a fully functioning one, he just has to look after it.

[Writerwannabe83]

purplevase - could they give you a reason as to why it was under developed? Was it because it had been inside his groin/abdomen for so long? I have heard that the warm internal temperature of the body can prevent normal testicular growth?

[mopants]

My ds had a suspected undescended testicle that wasn't noticed by doctors. I brought it up at his 6 week check. At birth they wrongly put on his record that he had hypospadias (??) so we were referred for that. After ultrasounds (2 or 3) they found said testicle was already in his scrotum but he had suffered a testicular torsion while in the womb (he is a twin and I have scan picture evidence of them kicking each other) and the testicle died while still very small. He was operated on a couple of weeks before 1st birthday to remove dead tissue due to cancer risk. He is allowed a prosthetic if and when required. One consultant told me most don't have prosthetics and then when we were discharged a different consultant told me that most do when they get to teenage years and have been through puberty.

[HazelBite]

Ds2 had one that was picked up at birth/6 week check, we were told to wait to see if it descended of his own accord. At about 13 months he developed a hernia in the groin which had to be dealt with so the undescended testicle and the hernia were dealt with at the same time. When I took the steri strips/dressing off it looked like he had a small scratch, no bruising at all!
I just remember that he was not allowed to wear a nappy for about 5 days (I wonder if that's still the case?) and that was, for me, far more traumatic that seeing my son go through the procedure

[Writerwannabe83]

mopants - one of my biggest worries is how it will affect him as a teenager. Bullying, girls etc etc. My DH thinks I'm silly to be worrying but I can't help it

[edwinbear]

Ds had an undescended testicle diagnosed at birth. He saw a private paediatric urologist via my medical insurance at around 6 months and the same consultant brought it down under GA when he was 9 months which was the youngest he would put him under. We were advised the sooner we had it brought down the better as it stood the best chance of developing normally the sooner it was in the right place. Ds is now 6 and it's still slightly smaller but other than that looks normal.

[Writerwannabe83]

My son wasn't operated in until two days before his 2nd birthday and I can't stop questioning whether the delay in the surgery is what led to his testicle being damaged beyond repair

[thesnailandthewhale]

Same as many others, was picked up at birth, operated on at about 2 years old - it had got caught in with a hernia while still forming and so was removed. Dr's also circumcised at the same time - looking back I wish I'd queried this further, they told me it was necessary as his foreskin wasn't retracting properly. All recovered quickly and no further issues.

[PansOnFire]

Our experience was exactly the same as Ilovepies although it was over a longer timescale. When they did the surgery to investigate through his belly button they found the testicle but the blood vessels weren't long enough for it to be brought down. He had to have another procedure 6 months later as an attempt to bring it down, we were forgotten about for almost a year despite lots of phone calls and letters etc. He finally had the final part of the operation, we're waiting for a follow up appointment but yet again we're left waiting and it's been 7 months.

It was noticed at birth, followed up when he was just over a year and his final operation was just before he turned 3. It seems to have been successful but I won't know until the consultant has checked everything over. It's definitely worth having the situation looked into, otherwise you'll always be questioning it. It could very well just be one of those things.

[philosophicmum]

My DS1 had enormous hydroceles at birth, both sides. We were told to wait and see, but they didn't change, so he had surgery when he was about 18 months. General anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital. There was a problem with the incision getting infected and he had to go back again and have it drained, again under general anaesthetic though we got home the same day that time. He was very sore immediately afterwards, but a week or so and he was running around as usual.

He's 10 now and while you can see the scars if you look, everything is fine. (He has other SN unrelated to the hydroceles, but in that department everything seems to be okay.)

[edwinbear]

OP our consultant said it was only relatively recently they started operating under 12 months and going back 10 years or so they would operate at more like 5 or 6 because the risk of the GA outweighed the benefits of bringing it down. We saw an NHS doctor too who said they would operate at about 18-24 months as standard. The thing is, there is an underlying problem with any testicle that hasn't descended properly, ds's probably won't be a functioning one and will give him a greater risk of testicular cancer. Please don't agonise over whether it would have been saved if it had been brought down earlier. He can have a prosthetic when he is older if he feels the need, it's more common than I think many people realise.

[bolleauxnouveau]

My eldest had both testes undescended on his paediatric check up at birth, we were advised that it was only a concern if it carried on after his 2nd birthday, by age 5/6 his testes were diagnosed as 'retractile' and as long as he could find them both when sitting in a warm bath (like boys need an excuse to play with their balls), we needn't worry.

So ime undescended testicles after age of 2 needed follow-up. Can't give you any help about hydroceles though.

[bolleauxnouveau]

mopants I'm always telling my boys off for thinking goolie kicking is a good game but at least I didn't have to police them in the womb.

I've heard the same info. about the cancer risk, and also that my son may be more prone to hernias in that area, (something my gf,df & db have had).

[Writerwannabe83]

Is the cancer risk only there if the UDT isn't removed? Or do they mean that any boy who had an UDT is at higher risk of cancer, even if that testicle was eventually removed and they only have the one remaining testicle which was always in the scrotum?

[mopants]

As far as I'm aware once the dead or damaged tissue is removed the cancer risk is gone as it is the dead tissue that can become cancerous. My son is only 3 but his brother (with two testicles) is almost 5 so I know we will get questions off them at some point. Ultimately I will leave it up to him whether he wants the prosthetic. It may reduce any confidence issues or bullying. But then might he use the 'I've only got one' as a way to stand out from the crowd? Who knows how boys think

[Writerwannabe83]

My auntie said that one of her ex boyfriends only had one testicle and he used it as his chat up line

[mopants]

Mine is a bit a cheeky charmer already so we are thinking he will do that!

[123lekl]

All my 3 boys had a hydrocele but with my older boys it disappeared before they were 2 so didn't need treating - my go definitely told me he wouldn't refer them that young. My youngest son, however, has just (literally 2 weeks ago) had an operation on his testicle at the age of 3 as the hydrocele was big and the consultant said it wouldn't go away by itself at this age.