Has anyone son ever had to have orchidoplexy surgery?

[AintNobodyHereButUsChickens]

7yo DS has an undescended testicle and is on the waiting list for surgery. He’s really worried about it (although thrilled he has to have a week off school afterwards!)

How was the recovery? Does the surgery usually take long?

DH had it - I appreciate it was a long time ago! He says he remembers it was sore afterwards I'm afraid but that he loved the magazines his gran bought him 😂.

Please also ensure they discuss fertility with you - DH wasn't aware and his parents didn't ask (it was the 80s) but he's been left wholly infertile due to the late surgeries. He had both brought down but the first two attempts failed / partially failed so he was 9 before it was fully resolved. It seems to be something that's underplayed but it's so important that everyone understands the risks.

I'm sure things have improved in the last many years, I hope it goes easily for him!

His consultant did mention fertility, she said because he has one that’s fine he should still have some fertility, even if the op goes wrong and the testicle can’t be brought down.

My son had this done when he was just under 2 years old when it was realised at 15 months old that only one of his testicles was in his scrotum.

Undescended testicles are usually picked up much earlier and surgery is generally done when the babies are still young (in order to achieve the best outcome) so even at 15 months old it was a very late diagnosis for my son. Can I ask ask why your son is only having this done at 7?

Anyhow, he was referred for surgery and we were told one of three things would happen:

1. They wouldn’t be able to locate the testicle.
2. They would locate the testicle but it would need to be removed due to tissue death as a result of of it having been undescended for so long (most likely expected outcome)
3. They would find it, it would be healthy and it would be able to be bought down into the scrotum (most unlikely outcome).

As expected, the testicle was found but it was basically dead tissue as it had been tucked up in his abdomen since birth and so it had to be removed. I was really upset about it ☹️

He was in surgery for a couple of hours and his one remaining testicle was stitched into place in order to prevent in from travelling up into the abdominal cavity (as apparently this can happen when there is only one testicle in the scrotum).

He’s almost 12 now and he has always known that whereas most boys have two testicles he only has one.

To look at him it is very obvious he only has one testicle (lopsided scrotum) but he’s not bothered as he doesn’t know any different.

His doctor says that as puberty comes on and his remaining testicle grows, it will likely fill the scrotum and so things won’t look so uneven.

There is the option to have a prosthetic testicle at 18 but the surgeon said that very few boys go on to have them as they get used to just having one and prosthetics come with their own risks.

Going through school my son has had to be very careful with contact sports as he knows that he can’t risk anything happening to his remaining testicle. Apparently the risk of testicular torsion can be increased in boys who only have one testicle so we have always been told that if our son notices any difference in the appearance of his scrotum, any swelling or redness, or any slight testicular pain then he is to go straight to A&E.

Although we have been told his fertility shouldn’t be affected, apparently it’s advised now that boys who’ve had a testicle removed freeze their sperm when they are 18 in order to ensure they still have the option to have children in the future in case anything happens to their remaining testicle. We have broached that subject with our son and it’s likely something he will do.

I still feel upset that the undescended testicle wasn’t picked up earlier (my concerns were fobbed off for a long time) as all this could have been avoided, but it is what it is.

My son has been really resilient about it all, and his entire school year knows as he quite openly talked about it during their lesson about puberty in school last year 🤣 He’s certainly less bothered about it than I am which I guess is a good thing!!

But, now that puberty is approaching I’m preparing for him to possibly have some confused feelings about it all, possibly some embarrassment or anger, but I will deal with that if the situation arises.

@LondonLady1980 I didn’t realise I had to check for it and it was never picked up at any of his check ups. (Although saying that I don’t think we ever actually saw his HV after her first initial visit after he was born)

It’s only been picked up now because a few months ago it was hurting him to pee and his GP had a look, saw his scrotum was underdeveloped and referred him to paediatric urology. We’ve seen the ‘lost’ one on an ultrasound to make sure it was actually there and they said it looks healthy. I’m not sure how reliable that is though.

I hope your son deals with it okay!

Also I just realised I spelt it wrong in the title 🤣🤦🏼‍♀️

My son had this procedure at age 10. We had been referred to urology for another issue and it was picked up upon examination - his testicle wasnt undesended, it was retractile, which means it had been descended but had retracted at some point.
The surgery wasnt long, an hour or two. I dont want to minimise the recovery - he was very sore in the hours after surgery. This improved quite quickly but he was still sore for several weeks, and had to adopt a kind of 'crab scuttle' with his legs far apart. After the first day his pain was totally bearable, he just spent most of his time on the sofa and I think he had about 3 weeks off school.
Unfortunately the testicle that had retracted is now very small and will apparently stay that way. The surgeon said this only happens in a very small proportion of cases and that he was unlucky. She told us his fertility should be close to normal and his risk of cancer the same. Aesthetically he may opt for an "implant" when he's older.

Descended testicles are checked for in the new birth baby check (straight after baby is born), and at the 6 week check with the GP. Both of these checks are recorded in the Red Child Health Book and so if it was documented that both testicles were in the scrotum then it may be that your son’s testicle retracted at some point after the checks took place. (This is what happened with my son). I first had my suspicions that something was wrong when he was about 5 months old as I could see and feel during his nappy changes that something just didn’t seem right. I kept going back and forth to the GP but I was fobbed off a lot. At 18 months of age he eventually got an ultrasound scan and then fast tracked for surgery when they realised one of his testicles was in his abdomen (tucked behind his kidney).

In most cases it is picked up at birth and referrals are put in for surgery when the baby is 6 months old in order to ensure the highest chance of testicular survival by surgery being done before the baby’s first birthday.

Testicles cannot survive/develop in the body’s internal temperature hence why they hang in a scrotum as they can only survive in cooler temperatures. This is why surgery is done as early as possible to prevent tissue death.

I’m glad your son’s testicle was found but I would prepare yourself that if it’s been tucked up inside him for 7 years then there’s a good chance it will not be functional and will need to be removed. I don’t know if the surgeon broached this possibility with your son but if not, it’s a conversation you will need to have.

I really hope that’s not the case though and you have a happy ending 🤞

My ex husband had bilateral and says he wasnt that bothered by the surgery as a child and recovered quickly but he was infertile, completely because it was bilateral and discovered late.

@LondonLady1980 I just dug out his red book. There’s no mention of testicle checks until the 8 week review page and it’s completely blank, in fact all the review pages after the 6-8wks one are blank. I was absolutely militant about taking his red book to every single appointment so I can only assume he didn’t have an 8wk check, or any others at all. His jabs are all there, just no health reviews.

My 7 year old has just had this! One undescended or possibly retracted - I don't know.
Op took around 90 mins and was successful. Brought down, no concerns by surgeon. When he first woke up after surgery he was disoriented and upset, he got some painkillers and went to sleep for an hour. When he woke up polished off a packed lunch and walked out of the hospital.

He was uncomfortable for a couple of days and walked like a cowboy for a few more but pain was totally manageable with paracetamol. I was surprised how little it bothered him. He probably would have been ok back at school after a week if he'd really needed to be there but it was only a few more days til Xmas hols so just kept him off.

Same as my DH. Sadly the advice in the NHS in the 70-80s seems to have been to watch and wait with zero consideration given to fertility. That advice changed in the early 90s. But no one warned him or his parents about fertility. I'm now evangelical about making sure parents are informed of the possibility, but it does seem to form part of an early conversation now thank goodness.

Oh this sounds positive! Is he doing okay now then? Also how far were you able to go with him? Were you able to be with him when they put him under or did you have to leave him before that point? DS has had time to think about it, beyond simply getting a week off school and he’s quite anxious about it now, bless him.

Yes went with him while he went under and then they brought me back when he was waking up. Then they wheeled him through to recovery in his bed and we sat with him for a couple of hours til ready to go home.

He's totally fine - wounds look healed and didn't even need dressings at the time. No complaints about pain. He thinks it was a bit of a win given then got loads of treats, no bath for 5 days and no school :)