Orchiectomy cost and concerns

[Chris8080]

I took a cab to the hospital from the hotel. I was picked up after by the hotel shuttle. I had made it pretty clear that I would be in town for the surgery alone. I live alone and don't feel it anyone else's business what surgery I was having so asking someone to make a 7 hour round trip drive and a minimum 2 nights in a hotel wasn't something I was even capable of doing.

[Devlyn]

Happyland? It was lights out like light switch, came to in post op with all the tubes & stuff already removed. I have no idea what sorts of drugs were in those IV bags hanging there, no doubt some kind if pain reliever included or at least I would think so. Haven't had or needed so much as an aspirin since the surgery. 7 days for me now and no trace of what bruising there was remains. Next to no swelling remains either. Tenderness is now reduced to almost nothing and the knots on the ends of the tubes are smaller and have moved up inside out of the scrotum. Stitches remain, I don't know how long it's supposed to take for self dissolving stitches to go away, best I can say is that not in 7 days. Seems odd that the incision and the stitches are not sore or tender or numb, no redness or swelling. Basically nothing, gotta look to see the stitches are still there.

Yeah, same here. I  lifted my head and the nurse had cookies and a drink in front of me in nothing flat. 

Hugs, Devlyn

[Chris8080]

Yeah, same here. I lifted my head and the nurse had cookies and a drink in front of me in nothing flat. 

Hugs, Devlyn

Say what? Now I feel cheated, I didn't get no lousy cookie or a drink.

[Devlyn]

Yeah, my boss told me that you get cookies in the recovery room after anesthesia, and he was right!

[AnneK]

Yeah, my boss told me that you get cookies in the recovery room after anesthesia, and he was right!

I never had that either.  Maybe he said you tossed your cookies...   

[Chris8080]

I never had that either.  Maybe he said you tossed your cookies...   

hehe . . .

Or maybe they are like those famous hospital aspirin tablets . . . $800.00 each! 

[Dena]

Yeah, my boss told me that you get cookies in the recovery room after anesthesia, and he was right!

I never had that either.  Maybe he said you tossed your cookies...   

When I had my voice surgery, they didn't give me anything other than water until dinner and I had my surgery about 7AM. They slipped me a drug in the pre op that prevented my short term memories from becoming long term so I didn't remember my trip to the operating room or even them giving me the drug. After I woke up they asked me three time if I had any nausea and I responded no each time. It was only after I was out of the hospital I figured out what was going on. While I was wheeled to surgery, they asked me why I was so nervous about surgery. I explained waking up sicker than a dog after surgery but some how they didn't realize that was the result of them using ether. I never got sick on injectables after that. I missed out on my cookie and drink because of a communication error.

[Ashley3]

Spiro is long gone. I kinda miss the salt cravings, to be honest! 

... an excuse to eat chips... and congrats on spiro being long gone.

[Devlyn]

Okay, the bill is not here but my summary of payments from bcbs arrived. It looks like:

The grand total was $4,469.75 (The operating room was $3,044 of that).

Insurance pays $2,681.85

I pay $1,787.90

[Laurie]

Well girl the is way better than you thought it would be. You can buy food.

[Devlyn]

Yeah, as long as I stay healthy I can buy food! 

[JennyBear]

    Been thinking about getting it done myself as soon as I have the budget for it. I have a couple questions though:

1.     Eliminating spiro from medication, has been covered. But does it also eliminate the need for finasteride if you currently need both? Or would i just drop down to a very small dose of one or the other? Currently been taking spiro and Finasteride, the last 3 months for the Finasteride, last 6 months for the spiro and I still get numerous erections a day, though my T levels have reduced, they are still higher than either I or my Doctor want them, but those are max recommended doses. (AKA really, really strong Testosterone production, partly thanks to the Army.)

2.     I live in a multi story townhouse with the bathroom on the upper floor. Am I gonna be in for it on recovery or are stairs not that much of a problem if your pain threshold is high enough?

3.     How does it affect prostate function, since the prostate also produces Testosterone? Does it further reduce the risk of cancer, or does the prostate go into hyperdrive, increasing risks? I'd get that removed too if I could, assuming it doesn't have any effect on post op vaginal self moisture.

    It's gonna be a couple years before I can afford GRS, and equally long before that A.D.A. suit could possibly have the effect of forcing insurance to cover it. This would be at least a step closer to my desires. There is also a technique being applied experimentally in the UK where the testicles (if present) are manipulated into the cavity and the penis is manipulated into itself with the scrotal sack and penis being held in place by surgical glue, giving the general appearance of a vagina. It's been used as a stop-gap temporary solution for those not ready for GRS, especially for minors. I haven't had any luck finding the name of the procedure though, or who stateside would perform it, or how much it costs. Anyone with any answers to any of these questions please chime in.

HUGS!

[Laurie]

Yeah, as long as I stay healthy I can buy food! 

Oh you're healthy Ruffian. You are made of strong stock.
  Now go buy a hoagie

[BeverlyAnn]

3.     How does it affect prostate function, since the prostate also produces Testosterone? Does it further reduce the risk of cancer, or does the prostate go into hyperdrive, increasing risks? I'd get that removed too if I could, assuming it doesn't have any effect on post op vaginal self moisture.

My urologist told me at a checkup after my orchi that, while I still needed to get prostate checks, the treatment for one form of prostate cancer is an orchiectomy and the treatment for the other form is estrogen therapy.  And no, the prostate does not go into hyperdrive.  My orchiectomy was April 26 last year and by the end of May, my T levels were less than 20 which means undetectable.  No, you don't want the prostate removed; too many problems are caused by that.

[JennyBear]

My urologist told me at a checkup after my orchi that, while I still needed to get prostate checks, the treatment for one form of prostate cancer is an orchiectomy and the treatment for the other form is estrogen therapy.  And no, the prostate does not go into hyperdrive.  My orchiectomy was April 26 last year and by the end of May, my T levels were less than 20 which means undetectable.  No, you don't want the prostate removed; too many problems are caused by that.

   Thanks for the info. I already knew about prostate removal, it was just wishful thinking, like ovary and uterus implants. That still leaves questions 1 and 2. BTW, after being informed on the policy, I have removed the dosages from my post.

HUGS!

[Cindy]

My urologist told me at a checkup after my orchi that, while I still needed to get prostate checks, the treatment for one form of prostate cancer is an orchiectomy and the treatment for the other form is estrogen therapy.  And no, the prostate does not go into hyperdrive.  My orchiectomy was April 26 last year and by the end of May, my T levels were less than 20 which means undetectable.  No, you don't want the prostate removed; too many problems are caused by that.

   Thanks for the info. I already knew about prostate removal, it was just wishful thinking, like ovary and uterus implants. That still leaves questions 1 and 2. BTW, after being informed on the policy, I have removed the dosages from my post.

HUGS!

As ever I shall qualify that this as opinion.

You may not need to continue to use Spiro or Finistrade  to control Testosterone production or activity BUT. There is always the BUT. Spiro and Finistrade are also used to regulate body hair growth and to place you into a female body hair cycle that may take a while to stabilise, if that is important to you.

You will need a cross sex hormone which is usually oestrogen of some form once T is absent.

As for climbing stairs, the pain tolerance becomes an irrelevance it is whether you start to pull out stitches etc and cause damage. Pain is natures way of saying don't move, and it is usually for a reason. I suspect most surgeons would put limits on movement and exercise following surgery. You will also have a limit on any weight you can carry.

[JennyBear]

   You may not need to continue to use Spiro or Finistrade  to control Testosterone production or activity BUT. There is always the BUT. Spiro and Finistrade are also used to regulate body hair growth and to place you into a female body hair cycle that may take a while to stabilise, if that is important to you.

You will need a cross sex hormone which is usually oestrogen of some form once T is absent.

As for climbing stairs, the pain tolerance becomes an irrelevance it is whether you start to pull out stitches etc and cause damage. Pain is natures way of saying don't move, and it is usually for a reason. I suspect most surgeons would put limits on movement and exercise following surgery. You will also have a limit on any weight you can carry.

    Thanks for the info. I am currently on Oestrogen, and the dosage should be increased once my BP and weight drop a bit more. Had a vasectomy years ago, and the doctor made a small mistake, causing excessive pain on one side (testicle.) are the pain and movement limitations that much worse?

HUGS!

[Cindy]

   You may not need to continue to use Spiro or Finistrade  to control Testosterone production or activity BUT. There is always the BUT. Spiro and Finistrade are also used to regulate body hair growth and to place you into a female body hair cycle that may take a while to stabilise, if that is important to you.

You will need a cross sex hormone which is usually oestrogen of some form once T is absent.

As for climbing stairs, the pain tolerance becomes an irrelevance it is whether you start to pull out stitches etc and cause damage. Pain is natures way of saying don't move, and it is usually for a reason. I suspect most surgeons would put limits on movement and exercise following surgery. You will also have a limit on any weight you can carry.

    Thanks for the info. I am currently on Oestrogen, and the dosage should be increased once my BP and weight drop a bit more. Had a vasectomy years ago, and the doctor made a small mistake, causing excessive pain on one side (testicle.) are the pain and movement limitations that much worse?

HUGS!

My surgery was somewhat more radical so I can't comment on that.

[Devlyn]

Obviously, my healing deviated from the norm. I had a lot of swelling, stairs had to be taken at an old persons pace. Pain was never the issue, it felt like a cramp way down low.

Chris seems to be on the normal path, more indicative of what to expect.

Hugs, Devlyn

[Chris8080]

I don't think there is a stock one size fits all answer to a pain level, seems everyone is just so different as are the surgeons that perform the surgery. I experienced no pain to speak of other than some minor discomfort but in my case the testicles were pretty painful for the last several years and any discomfort from the surgery was actually less than what the testicles caused 24/7. My surgeons only advice post op was no heavy lifting, no soaking in a tub, spa or pool for a couple of weeks. He advised a couple of showers a day starting on the day of surgery to help keep it clean and prevent any possible infection. Other doctors recommend no showers for 3 days. On the evening of the day of surgery I went for a couple of long walks and it was not only quite comfortable but a wonderful feeling with the evil twins not there.

It took 8 days but the stitches are finally starting to dissolve and with that there is a very small amount of blood spots. Kind of like little pin points where the stitches were.

I was on both spiro and Finasteride and as luck would have it both scripts were due for refill about a week before the surgery and my MD said to not re-fill either of them. Fine by me, I have no idea if I'm right but I blame both of those drugs for a continuing decrease in any sexual sensations. Didn't bother me much for down below but losing nipple sensation is pretty devastating for me. Off those two drugs for a couple of weeks now and some sensation has returned so maybe I was correct about the reason.

As for your question on prostate function that's a question for your Urologist and I wish I had gotten a little more time to discuss that. I had great hope for the enlarged prostate shrinking after surgery. Before surgery best I could hope for is two hours sleep at a time and off to the pottie. Starting on the day of surgery I was up every hour on the hour to tinkle.  9 days since surgery now and the last couple of nights I went 4 straight hours of sleep before tinkle time and that hasn't happened in several years.

I hope some of this helps ya out JennyBear, good luck and let us know how things go for you.