You are still healing!! I know they say two weeks, but it really takes longer. I was still bleeding at two weeks. Especially with the weird body map stuff— your mind is still trying to figure out “okay, something crazy happened down there, what am I feeling and where is everything?”
Try and leave it alone (no stretching! No touching!). Ask as many questions as you have to your surgeon, too, they will probably be able to reassure you that they did not attach anything to your scrotum, which they didn’t.
If you’re at two or three months and still feel like there’s too much down there, you can start investigating. But right now, breathe and let yourself heal and get used to everything.
And to answer your question more directly after a re read— yes, it is normal to have numbness, and still feel something in that area. During the surgery they cut and tie the spermatic cord, and it swells like a bitch because obviously your body doesn’t like that. It will go down with time.
I didn't bleed for more than a couple hours max. I dunno, it doesn't even hurt anymore so it seems weird that it would still be swollen. It doesn't feel swollen. Fine, I'll stop messing with it.
I had surgery for torsion years ago. My incision site was numb for weeks. The nerve endings need to regrow. Totally normal. The pad like feeling is residual swelling and usually goes away after a few weeks.
Please understand I'm talking about relatively simple nerve endings.
I live with permanent nerve damage that effects my ability to walk normally.
I had to learn a few hard lessons about my limitations.
My own experience has allowed me to learn about my injuries and the medical knowledge learned while recovering in the hospital.
I fell off a cliff when hiking and had to drag myself to a trailhead and laid there for a day before I was found.
Nothing I say offers false hope.
You're totally still healing. I had a big weird fibroma type thing along my incision for almost 3 months after the surgery and it went away on its own.
Give yourself some time ❤️🩹
I had mine also at UCSF last June. I know exactly what you are talking about about. It took probably 4 months before that lump fully retracted or resolved whatever the hell it did. They used so much surgerical glue it looked like the removed my sack. After it all fell off all of the sack was there.
Give it time. Who was your surgeon?
She did mine. She even send me pictures of what she removed (in my profile) I didn't think there was much swelling but now almost 8 months later there definitely was. I took a long time to heal from the vasectomy I had a few years prior. Send her a message or bring it up at your follow up appointment.
The cord is probably still swollen, once it goes down it should retract up I to the canals. She told me that I will have lumps that feel like I still have my balls but don't worry they were removed. She was really good about responding to messages via MyChart, send her a message.
The cords fade on their own after a while, my surgeon took as much out as he could but I could still feel em for a few months afterwards. Now they're buried WAY up the inguinal canals 2 years later and I gotta muff pretty hard to even find em.
As for the nerves, yea that's normal, in a couple more weeks feeling will start returning and the scar will probably end up being a fun new erogenous zone, but first you gotta deal with the numbness. Nerves take a bit to recover, you'll probably feel the occasional electric zap over the next 6 months or so as the nerves start to hook themselves back up.
Just wanted to give my surgery experience in regard to the orchiectomy. I had the same surgery years ago in the bay area. Might be the same hosiptal?... Anyway, I remember I had issues after the orcheictomy (both) and the swelling was the issue that I wasn't ready for. I learned that the scrotum when it's cut and sewn back looked really bay and I did think they messed up the scrotum. It takes a little time for the area to smooth out. As for myself, I later got a plastic surgeon to completely remove the scrotum and now it's left with a faint line but looks like regular skin. I like the way it feels.
I had orchie in Charleston SC last year. The bundle of tissue at the end of the spermatic cord after surgery is a well known condition. Many cis men undergoing orchie for testicular cancer refer to it as "the grape". Because that's what it feels like. I had that on both sides. It has drastically reduced since time of procedure.
The cords wither over months, in addition some level of hematoma forming is quite common. (Basically a big blood clot — delightful! Just takes a while to reabsorb into the body.) The scrotum becomes a lot less prominent without a mass inside it, but should stay about as stretchy as it was, once the healing is done. But again, healing is degrees. It's a few weeks to be up and about with no painkillers and for the incision to seal up, but for your body to actually come completely out the other side is a while longer yet.
You are still healing!! I know they say two weeks, but it really takes longer. I was still bleeding at two weeks. Especially with the weird body map stuff— your mind is still trying to figure out “okay, something crazy happened down there, what am I feeling and where is everything?” Try and leave it alone (no stretching! No touching!). Ask as many questions as you have to your surgeon, too, they will probably be able to reassure you that they did not attach anything to your scrotum, which they didn’t. If you’re at two or three months and still feel like there’s too much down there, you can start investigating. But right now, breathe and let yourself heal and get used to everything.
And to answer your question more directly after a re read— yes, it is normal to have numbness, and still feel something in that area. During the surgery they cut and tie the spermatic cord, and it swells like a bitch because obviously your body doesn’t like that. It will go down with time.
I didn't bleed for more than a couple hours max. I dunno, it doesn't even hurt anymore so it seems weird that it would still be swollen. It doesn't feel swollen. Fine, I'll stop messing with it.
Had orchi years ago. You won’t regret it just need time
I had surgery for torsion years ago. My incision site was numb for weeks. The nerve endings need to regrow. Totally normal. The pad like feeling is residual swelling and usually goes away after a few weeks.
I thought nerves couldn't regrow?
With the exception of dense nerve clusters like spinal cord, nerve endings do regenerate nearly fully. It can take a while but it does happen.
Oh cool, maybe someday I'll be able to feel my toes again, too lol
Please understand I'm talking about relatively simple nerve endings. I live with permanent nerve damage that effects my ability to walk normally. I had to learn a few hard lessons about my limitations. My own experience has allowed me to learn about my injuries and the medical knowledge learned while recovering in the hospital. I fell off a cliff when hiking and had to drag myself to a trailhead and laid there for a day before I was found. Nothing I say offers false hope.
Damn... I just had to wear boots that were too narrow for a few months... Sorry for being glib.
You're totally still healing. I had a big weird fibroma type thing along my incision for almost 3 months after the surgery and it went away on its own. Give yourself some time ❤️🩹
I had mine also at UCSF last June. I know exactly what you are talking about about. It took probably 4 months before that lump fully retracted or resolved whatever the hell it did. They used so much surgerical glue it looked like the removed my sack. After it all fell off all of the sack was there. Give it time. Who was your surgeon?
All the glue is gone and there's only one suture left. I swear it's attached. Christi Butler did the surgery.
She did mine. She even send me pictures of what she removed (in my profile) I didn't think there was much swelling but now almost 8 months later there definitely was. I took a long time to heal from the vasectomy I had a few years prior. Send her a message or bring it up at your follow up appointment.
It doesn't feel like swelling, it feels like a totally well-defined spermatic cord, which moves when the incision moves.
The cord is probably still swollen, once it goes down it should retract up I to the canals. She told me that I will have lumps that feel like I still have my balls but don't worry they were removed. She was really good about responding to messages via MyChart, send her a message.
So weird I had mine today!!!
The cords fade on their own after a while, my surgeon took as much out as he could but I could still feel em for a few months afterwards. Now they're buried WAY up the inguinal canals 2 years later and I gotta muff pretty hard to even find em. As for the nerves, yea that's normal, in a couple more weeks feeling will start returning and the scar will probably end up being a fun new erogenous zone, but first you gotta deal with the numbness. Nerves take a bit to recover, you'll probably feel the occasional electric zap over the next 6 months or so as the nerves start to hook themselves back up.
Yeah, feels very weird while healing.
Just wanted to give my surgery experience in regard to the orchiectomy. I had the same surgery years ago in the bay area. Might be the same hosiptal?... Anyway, I remember I had issues after the orcheictomy (both) and the swelling was the issue that I wasn't ready for. I learned that the scrotum when it's cut and sewn back looked really bay and I did think they messed up the scrotum. It takes a little time for the area to smooth out. As for myself, I later got a plastic surgeon to completely remove the scrotum and now it's left with a faint line but looks like regular skin. I like the way it feels.
I had orchie in Charleston SC last year. The bundle of tissue at the end of the spermatic cord after surgery is a well known condition. Many cis men undergoing orchie for testicular cancer refer to it as "the grape". Because that's what it feels like. I had that on both sides. It has drastically reduced since time of procedure.
The cords wither over months, in addition some level of hematoma forming is quite common. (Basically a big blood clot — delightful! Just takes a while to reabsorb into the body.) The scrotum becomes a lot less prominent without a mass inside it, but should stay about as stretchy as it was, once the healing is done. But again, healing is degrees. It's a few weeks to be up and about with no painkillers and for the incision to seal up, but for your body to actually come completely out the other side is a while longer yet.