Hi Tiffanni, I had the proceedure about 4 months ago. scaring turned out a little worse then it looked like it would be in the beginning. Mine was bilateral and done to allow me continue HRT on low dose as I was no longer a canidate to be on HRT at all for medical risk and this was the compromise.
The Urologist discussed the scaring issue with me as the most common method is to open the scrotum and cut the cords at that level then stitch the scrotum sac back up, which yes, messes with the elasticity of the scrotum skin if it is needed for skin graft.
We decided on the alternative method of opening up through the groin area, cutting the cords at the top and pulling cords and testicles up out of the sac through the incisions.
I ended up with 3 incisions. 1 on each side of the penis, each about 1 1/2 or 2 inches long in a kind of V shap with the penis shaft at the bottom of the V and another horizontal one right of center at the top of the V. Not sure what that one was all about, and never did ask.
It wasn't any kind of serious operation at all really, I was taken into OR,given a sediitive, went to sleep and when I woke up I was back in a recovery room. After being checked by a nurse to make sure the lights were really on, I got out of bed, dressed in the Jeans, Top and sneakers I came in with (had a little dificulty tying my shoe laces) and talked with the nurses until my woman came to pick me up. She had just dropped me off and left a couple of hours earlier, From there I walked out of the hospital with a nurse following, got in the car and was driven home.
No pain killers were necessary as I never use such things and allow no drugs into my system other then what are scripted by docs as an absolute necessity. sides, pain that I know to be a temp affair seems to just slide off me like water off the back of a duck. I know what it is to approach or surpass the total limits of endurance, as I've been there to the extreams all to often and this little thing wasn't it. I've had worse stubbed toes.
The Doctor had given instructions to remain flat for 48 hours then to remove the bandages and take a shower (please?). As far as work was concerned, he said I could return to duty anytime after that but not to do any lifting of any kind for at least a month. I returned to work in a week and did my normal duty with no problems, though I did tend to drain a lot of blood from the sutures into my underwear. Part of that was normal drainage as I understand it and some of it was from streatching sutures as I load and unload totes of medical charts XRays etc, and deliver them to doctors as well as do a truck run picking up dirty laundry and cardboard at the various clinics in the roseville area.
All in all it wasn't all that bad, though after sitting or laying down for a while it was a little tricky getting back up for a while due to the streatching on the sutures.
I'm still not sure if there were any psychological effects of removing the testicles or not. There was no stress or reservatoins about the removal itself of course and there didn't seem to be any changes in my thinking or moods that I could judge for myself. At first there was a sense of relief that at least that was done and I'd never have to worry about testosterone again and I had a weired Idea that I could somehow be resolved of the responsibility and guilt of some of my past life as male because of it. That idea didn't last long though. I started low dose 10 days later, I had been off of everything for a while by then so I know I was a little screwy, but I had no self conception of being so. I'm pretty stableized out now and I still don't feel much different other then I don't seem to have impulsive anger strikes like before. I guess I have mellowed out some since the proceedure, but I wouldn't really notice it myself so much, but other people, family, friends etc. comment on it a lot and always make remarks about how if such and such had happened before, how differently I would have handled it, but like i say, it's not really all that obvious to me from my prospective.
Is good they got to you in time to prevent the spread of cancer, just to bad they didn't take the other one also as a preventive measure. As long as it goes someday huh?
Geez, 15 years on HRT huh? That must be getting old anymore. I have the darndest time remembering to take the pills. You wouldn't think I could possibly forget something like that but I quite often walk out the door without my morning dose, but I keep a small bottle in my purse for just such cases. It's funny, about the way to the shower it will go through my mind not to forget the damn pills, then somewhere along the line I just seem to forget and won't remember for perhaps a few hours. It's just gotten so routine that it's hard to be councious of it. All to often I can't remember if I did or didn't, so I just do.
Answer me a question if you will Tiffani? my original perscribing Dr. told me that in time I would start noticing a weight shift, starting in the face and working its way down as muscle deteriated and fat redistributed. It's been near two years now and I'm just seeing slight examples of this, so if i may ask, how long did it take in your case for it to noticably begin and how long to become a stable effect? I realize that won't necessarily have anything to do with my own effects, just curious as a comparison guideline. I've never talked with anyone who has been on high dose for so long, so you should have seen about the entire range of effect by now.
Terri
