DS is having his hydrocele removed next week please help me stay calm

[Wailywailywaily]

I accept it needs to be done, just. I am irrationally panicky about the thought of him having an operation.

He is nearly 5 and has had the hydrocele all his life, this is the second time he has been booked to have the operation, last time I panicked and refused consent

Ds had this done in January at just turned 7. It's a tiny operation really, are you always so anxious? It needs done, it's happening, end of. Don't let the thought of cancelling enter your head. Ds was off school for a week but was fine in himself just got sore walking or standing for too long . He felt groggy the next day because of the GA but didn't need any more than calpol for 2 days .

He was put under with a mask and had the OP and when he came round he had morpheine because he was in pain. Was painting and playing after that and ate like a horse.

It's nothing to worry about .

Thanks 306 and I'm normally a very relaxed parent bordering on neglectful

I have spent the day looking this up and I'm not really clear on why he needs it. I know that if it hasn't gone within a year it should be operated on but I can't really find any info on the consequences of not having it done. Even the risk of infertility is hotly disputed. The only reasons I can find are cosmetic and possible discomfort if it is really large. Its not really large and not getting any bigger despite having been there for over four years.

I am very close to refusing consent again, DH will kill me but I just don't see the point.

Well it's only cosmetic afaik but it's not something I wanted him to feel self conscious about tbh.

An objective opinion; surely it's better he has it while it's young and it isn't causing problems rather than leaving it until it does cause problems. Think of it as nipping it in the bud.

My ds was born with a hydrocele, his testicle twisted and he lost it, it must have happened in the womb as there was no saving the testicle, the hydrocele absorbed and the testicle just shriveled away, he is now 9 and we are in the process of trying to explain to him that he is missing a bit and just hoping that the teenage years go smoothly, he can have an op when he has stopped growing to have a prosthetic testicle put in.

claimed does it really bother him? DS is not at all self conscious, I know he is only 4 but he really seems very shelf assured, I can't imagine it bothering him. If it had been his older brother I don't think I'd hesitate as I know he would have had a real issue with having a slightly enlarged testicle.

No not yet, he now has just one testicle and just enough sack for one testicle, I am worried about when he's a teen and in changing rooms with other boys, as I don't want him laughed at but he has the gingerest hair and thickest glasses and is quite self confident and if anyone has mentioned them to him in a bullying manner he is quite good at one liners or shrugging it off so I'm hoping he would respond in a similar way!

When I mentioned the plastic surgery to him recently he recoiled in horror but we will see how he feels in 10 years time!

Good on your DS. I'm not sure, do boys really look at each others scrotums in the changing rooms?! There are physical characteristics of my DS that would be far easier to tease him on if a bully was so inclined.

fairyking that's the thing though, I'm not convinced that it will cause problems - its not getting bigger and its not painful or uncomfortable - why put him through the risks that an operation (however small) involve. It could go wrong, I know the risks are small, and how could I forgive myself if it is all for cosmetic reasons?

When my DS had this op I was told if he didn't have it there was a high risk of him developing a hernia which would result in a much bigger OP sometime in the future. They can get bigger and also can become infected.

No one ever mentioned that it was just or even mainly for cosmetic reasons

Is it definitely cosmetic?

Would it be a bigger OP in the future if not done now?

Are there negative effects/potential problems to not getting it done - those would be my questions.

Ds3 has an outward turning squint which we refused an OP for because the OP wouldn't improve his sight, can be done at any time, delaying has no negative effects and even if done now may need to be done again. In addition he hates medical procedures (even simple ones).

Would maybe have made a different decision for DS2

Hi saintly, the op has been cancelled for next week by the hospital so will be rescheduled soon. I feel relief and dred. I asked the gp about it today and she said that they wouldn't operate unless it is necessary. There is a risk that it will get larger and become more serious.
I'm very torn.

DS had this OP when he was 2.5, it took about thirty minutes and he had a very small scar on his lower abdomen which was glued rather than stitched. The GA has fewer risks I think than the risk of it getting larger and causing other issues.

Well they cancelled the op. Thw will reschedule for later in Sept.

And now DH has a date for his hip replacement - Sept - so the chances are that they will both be in different hospitals at the same time.

Hello, DS (3.5) is having a hernia and associated hydrocele removed on the 8th September. I'm trying not to think about it! Good luck to you

Thanks Badger, good luck to you too.

It's our op tomorrow! Got to keep him nil by mouth from 6.30am until the op which won't be until at least 12.30. That'll be fun!

Wailywailywaily and PseudoBadger how did the ops go?
I have a nearly 3 yr old due to go in in about 3 weeks time and have gone from hugely relaxing to insanely bricking it like a neurotic loon