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Children's health

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Original poster

does anyone have any experience of a hydrocele?

20 replies

griffalo2 · 09/04/2011 16:32

doctor found one on ds testicle when he was born,they told me it would go away,hes now 5 and i think he still has it.
would be grateful for any info

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mousymouse · 09/04/2011 16:40

my ds had a hydrocele, we noticed it when he was about 15m old. his scrotum was just huge. I went to the gp for a referral, but he said the waiting list is about 4 months so we went private (have additional insurance).
the op took about one hour under GA and we went back home the same afternoon.
the scar was very small and was invisible a few months later.
the consultant said that a hydrocele should ideally be operated on before the second birthday (could lead to fertility problems later in life) and if left untreated it can open up into a hernia.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 09/04/2011 16:52

i didnt even know wat it was,doc just muttered it to me at 6 week check and scribbled it in red health book.i asked doctor few years ago weather it was normal for one side to be bigger than other and he said yes its fine without looking.so i didnt think anymore of it till i looked through red book and googled it.
Are they likely to send us away n say it will go away on own?

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mousymouse · 09/04/2011 16:57

we asked the gp to take a look and he did.
I don't think they will send you away, but maybe you have to insist to get a referral. at least you have it in writing in his red book.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 09/04/2011 17:06

goin to make appointment monday,hopefully ds will let him look,he hates the docs.
I read it can be a communicating one or non-communicating,do u mind me askin which one your ds had?was he in much pain after?

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CocktailQueen · 09/04/2011 19:43

Hi - my dd developed one at about 6m which went away on its own at about 18m iirc - took him to our hv and she said to keep an eye on it but if it didn't go away then they'd recommend operatng too - def by 5! I'd take your ds back to the GP I think.

mousymouse · 09/04/2011 20:05

he had a communicating one (iirc), meaning it got bigger and smaller depending on how much water was in there.
no post op pain, we were told to keep calpol at hand but didn*t need it. he was riding his ride on car the next day.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 09/04/2011 22:51

i feel like such a bad mum,i should of got a second opinion on the size :o(
We moved to different area when he was 5m but his notes should of been passed on to new doctor?
He squeezed it earlier when he gotta out of bath and it went like right up in above his willy(cringe),told him to stop playing he might make it sore

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Original poster

griffalo2 · 09/04/2011 22:55

that should of been a unhappy face :(

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littlerats · 11/04/2011 10:25

my ds had one when born and I was told it would go away (it was communicating, so got bigger and smaller all the time). It didn't go away by 18m, so he had an op just before his second birthday - only about 30min op under general and they drained it and closed the communicating hole thing. that was about 6 months ago and it's now gone and the scar is almost invisible.

apparently it is very common so it is a really standard operation and very low risk.

they said to me they operate normally if they don't go 2 years from birth so if it's still there at 5 they'll probably look to operate I'd have thought.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 11/04/2011 11:41

got an appointment for thursday,
I thought about takin a picture incase he doesnt let the doctor look?feels a bit weird though.
Is it normal for it to go up inside when he squeezes it or lyes down?ive not noticed it change in size any other time,im starting to really worry,wat if its already turned into hernia?

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mousymouse · 11/04/2011 13:13

take a picture after he has had a bath maybe? my sons hydrocele always got bigger after a warm bath.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 11/04/2011 15:23

his looks huge after bath,wat do u think the doctor is likely to do on thursday?want to prepare him as much as i can,hes absolutly petrified of doctors,screaming before we get to door

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mousymouse · 11/04/2011 15:28

the dr will most likely take a look and refer to the hospital for a consultant app who will then make an appointment for the operation.
the dr in our case darkened the room and showed light from the torch threw the area. was clearly visible the pink glow :) it will not hurt at all.
hope it goes well!

Original poster

griffalo2 · 11/04/2011 18:38

thank u all for your replies.just hope now they can get it sorted for him soon

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Original poster

griffalo2 · 16/04/2011 20:49

seen dr thursday,from what ds let him see he thinks he also has a hernia,hes prescribed some seditives to take before another appointment next thursday.has anyones ds had a hydrocele with hernia?will he need anymore tests to confirm it?

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beanlet · 18/04/2011 20:05

Your poor DS! Mine (9 mths) has one, and we were told that it's common, but that if if hadn't resolved itself by the time he was 2 he would need surgery. Sad to hear yours has become herniated.

Sirzy · 18/04/2011 20:43

DS developed one at 8 weeks. He was on CPAP when it appeared out of the blue, the dr said it was the biggest one he had seen and the poor lad had doctors coming in just to have a look!

The monitored it making sure that the blood flow etc where fine. He is 17 months now and most of the time everything is fine but some days it does go up again but never to a worrying size anymore.

We were told if it hadnt gone down by 18 months they would operate.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 18/04/2011 22:59

im so kicking myself for not taking him sooner,i just thought he was well hung or something,its about size of testicle shaped apricot,didnt know wat else to compare it to
Dr wasnt that bothered about the fluid i dont think.wants to send him for a scan to be 100% sure its herniated.
It doesnt seem to change in size like u have all commented?

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beanlet · 18/04/2011 23:02

Not changing size is normal if it's not resolving. Good news is apparently it's not at all painful.

Original poster

griffalo2 · 18/04/2011 23:08

must be uncomfortable though havin an apricot between your legs

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