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Inguinal Hernia: Loss of testicle

On March 17, 2011, I was emitted into the ER for an inguinal hernia on my left side. The ER wanted to attempt to push my intestine back in; I assured them that it was not a possibility, that immediate surgery was necessary, but they insisted. After I woke up from the twenty minute anesthetic, the doctor told me that they were unsuccessful in pushing my intestine back in, and surgery would be necessary as soon as possible. I was so relieved that they were going to do in-service surgery, for I did not want to wait any longer to be referred weeks later.
After surgery, I felt a bit nauseous, but I assumed it was mostly from the antithesia. I could not hold my food down and I requested that I stay at the hospital for an additional day until I felt strong enough to leave.
After discharge, I went to stay with my brother for recovery, for it was more peaceful than my house. I am well aware of what post-op is like for an inguinal hernia, for I had one repaired when I was eleven, on my right side though.
To my surprise, the following days were awful. I could not hold any food down, I felt nauseous, and had stabbing pains in my lower back, and I also felt extremely sore in my groin.
I called my surgeon and explained my symptoms and he explained to me that it was particularly normal to feel the way I was feeling. I trusted my surgeon, for I thought he knew what was best for me.
On day 3, I noticed an swelling in my left testicle. I also felt "stuff" in my scrotum; some of it felt like fluid, but there was other foreign particles floating around and it made me feel very uncomfortable. I can't describe the pain, but all I know is I was doubled over in the bed, and no position made me feel better. It felt as if my left testicle was on the verge of exploding. I called the surgeon again and explained my updated symptoms. He advised me that I had a pretty serious surgery and that the "stuff" I was feeling was fluid. He told me to take motrin and put either an icepack or frozen vegetables (wrapped in a towel) underneath my scrotum and keep the lower half of my body raised. I did as my doctor told.
On day 4, My left testicle was the size of a cadbury egg. My scrotum was a dark purple; it looked as if it had been punched repeatedly for hours on end, and believe me, it felt just the same. I called my surgeon again and explained my symptoms. He assured me to calm down and to understand that these symptoms were completely normal. He said he understands my concern and worry, but assured me I had nothing to worry about, and the pain WOULD SUBSIDE eventually. I never left the bed for the rest of my time at my brothers. My ex (an RN) continued to advise me to go back to the hospital, but I told her I trusted my doctor.
On day 5, I called my doctor once more. He told me if the pain had increased by the next day, to call him again, and he'd check me out just to make me feel better. I ignored my doctor this time and forced my brother to take me back to the hospital.
I went back to the same hospital that did the surgery, for I figured it would be best, since they had all of my records and recent history of the operation. I waited for three hours in the waiting room and when I was finally put in a bed, I waited another hour for a doctor. The doctor was very arrogant in her response when I alluded to the fact that something was wrong. They ordered an ultrasound, and I'll never forget this very moment. They moved the instrument on and around my right testicle first, you could hear pulsating sounds and flowing blood. Then the technician told me she was going to test the left testicle now. She moved the instrument around the swollen purple testicle and all I heard was static and crackling. I knew instantly that something was wrong.
After an hour of returning from ultrasound, suddenly, the doctor who was so negligent and carefree entered the room alarmed followed by the director of the hospital, my surgeon (who had driven to the site), and a urologist. They asked my family to leave the room, and then began to divulge the bad news. They never admitted to any wrong doing, but simply stated that something had occurred that resulted in cutting off the blood flow to my left testicle, and it was past the point of salvation. They later removed my left testicle that evening.

I have read plenty of testimonies of those who suffered from scrotum/testicle pain after an inguinal hernia surgery. Many of you have described the symptoms that seemed so similar to mine, but seemingly you all wound up fine, or perhaps the same thing happened to you, but I'll never know, because the majority of testimonies are never followed up.
If there is anyone out there that has had a similar circumstance resulting in the removal of their testicle, I would really appreciate your time to discuss your experiences. It has been nearly over a year since the surgery, and I am struggling to get my life back together. I feel as if I have lost the greater part of my sexual drive, my erections do not last as long, and I have lost 90% of the feeling in my orgasms. I still produce semen, but there is not overwhelming climaxing feeling. I am not sure if it's trauma or not. All I know is I hate what they did to me, and I would love to speak with someone who is familiar with my experiences.


This discussion is related to effect of testicle removal.
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Avatar universal
I have to say that the entire episode that you describe makes me ill.  I do not pretend to be a surgeon, but I am aware that hernia operations are quite common.  What is not common is for a man to lose a testicle due to one.  The only term that applies to that surgeon is gross incompetence.  

The term that applies to his response to your post-operative pain and concerns is gross negligence.  If nothing else, just to put your mind at ease, he should have had you return to the hospital afer the second time that you called.  Unfortunately, I suspect that it was too late, even then.

I seriously doubt that you need me to tell you this, but please ensure that the urologist that you see over the summer is not, in any way, affiliated with the doctor who performed your surgery, or the hospital where he works.  In fact, if you can, please see a doctor who is in another city.  You do not want even the potential for a conflict of interest, that could occur if your new doctor is acquainted with your previous one, either professionally or personally.  

I also urge you to speak with a lawyer, even before your appointment with the urologist.  He or she may have some advice on how that appointment should be handled.

Beyond the legalities, though, what's important is that you recover from this, and return to a normal life.  I agree with remar that you may have low testosterone.  Even if your right testicle is not fully functional at the moment, there may be therapies that will work to correct that.  Certainly, testosterone therapy, such as the patch, could work wonders for you.  Your new, competent urologist, is sure to have even more to offer.

In addition to the physical problems, this sort of experience can leave psychological scars, as well.  You might want to seek some counselling while you are going through all of this.  The therapist could help you through some of the emotional issues that you face.

I do hope that you will update this post, once you have more news to share.  I wish you the very best...
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COMMUNITY LEADER
I'm pretty sure they will do non invasive testing first. Make sure you do some research on the new Urologist. You do not want an uncaring Dr like you had before.  
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I have plans to see a urologist over the summer, and perhaps even get opened back up for my own peace of mind; I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared for my life though.
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Good, I'm glad to hear you have already gotten started on things. It's really hard to say if your problems are from the previous hernia. Do you have a Drs appointment set up yet?
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Yes, I am in the beginning stages of litigation. I just began seeing a therapist, and the next step is to have my semen and testosterone levels tested. I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I do have a theory. When I was eleven, I had a right inguinal hernia surgery. At eleven years old, I was not at the age of puberty yet. When I finally began producing sperm and experiencing orgasms, I always felt as if all of the "magic" came from my left testicle; in other words, most of the climaxing feeling came from that area. I know if you lose one testicle, the other one is supposed to compensate for the loss in amounts of semen and testosterone. But my right testicle... the tube feels tight, and the testicle itself is very sensitive. Ergo, either I am just extremely protective of this testicle, and the trauma from my previous surgery is causing me to have psychological and physical pain OR when I was eleven, perhaps the right inquinal hernia surgery I had when I was eleven affected my right testicle and I just never knew it until now, since it's the only engine I have to fly on.
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Avatar universal
Hi,
   I too feel very sorry for you, I wish if you could consult another doctor when your surgeon did not care to attend to your post operative complaints. Are you aware that it is possible to seek ' legal action against medical  negligence ' ?, if you do not know, Google for the quoted phrase and you will get enough info.
Solace
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COMMUNITY LEADER
I've never had this experience but wanted to say how sorry I was to read what happened to you. I really don't understand why some Drs just will not listen to their patients. We know ourselves better than anyone and you knew this did'nt feel right.
If I were you, I would see a different Dr this time and have your testosterone checked because it could be low. This may be what's going on with your sex drive. Of course it could be from the surgery and lack of care you received. But it would'nt hurt to have things checked out.  
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