9 Month Old Having Surgery for Undescended Testicle

Updated on April 05, 2008
H.B. asks from Brighton, MA
23 answers

I am looking for support from other moms who have gone through this.
He'll be going to Children's Hospital in a couple weeks.
The doctor said the procedure will take 1 1/2 hours, including general anesthesia.
Needless to say I am nervous and worry about what kind of pain he will be in
during recovery. He'll be given a presciption for tylenol with codeine.

What can I do next?

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H.C.

answers from Boston on

My son, Ricky, had this done at a year old. When he was coming out of the anesthesia it kind of freaked me out. It was like he was crawling out of his skin. He was very groggy all day and slept for most of the day too. The following day it was like nothing had happened. My son also had the same prescription. I didn't have to even finish the bottle that was prescribed. You will be fine. I do suggest though to not go alone. My husband was with us and he went with Ricky when he was put under the anesthsia. That was something that I couldn't deal with. I hope this helps. I wanted to be as honest without scaring you.

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X.D.

answers from Boston on

My daughter was "replumbed" at Children's Hospital in Boston when she was a year and a half old. Simply put, they are the best. Her diagnosis was different from your son's (double ureter on a duplex sytem on one kidney and reflux on the other - simply put), but I assume that you are dealing with the urology department. Her surgery was about seven hours long and it as done by the Davinci robot with Dr.Peters as her surgeon - no longer there). We still go to Children's for follow-up and although almost 4 years old, she is still on prophylactic antibiotics. Knock on wood, she has never had a urinary tract infection.... I think surgery at a young age is easier on the child. The older they get, the more uncomfortable they feel. They gave my daughter a "happy pill" to get her into the operating room (thank God because both of us were a mess by then - waiting, no food, etc...) Are you breast feeding? If you are, you are lucky as this will be your child's main source of comfort. I spent two weeks at home (after three nights in the hospital) with a child attached to me in an easy chair. No complaints - there was no other place on Earth that I wanted to be, but be prepared that you will be tired and probably unable to do anything else. The Tylenol with Codeine worked well - she only had a few doses.... She had a stent which wasn't so much painful as awkward and irritating. Anyway, feel confident in your choice of Children's. Feel free to contact me if I can be helpful. This should (hopefully) be a very short period of your young son's life. God bless!

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K.A.

answers from Portland on

My son had this same surgery done, but they waited until he was about 4 years old. I would be a little concerned that they would not want to wait to see if it drops by itself. Anyway - we had a great experience with Children's they were great and the Dr. was great - no scar was left from it. His recovery was pretty good he did not complain of pain at all - we did give him tyle w/ codine also - the had part was not letting him climb or staddle anything for a while. Good Luck.
K.

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S.M.

answers from Lewiston on

Hi H.,
My son had the same surgery at 14 months. The hardest part was watching him go under anesthesia. I was allowed to go in and hold his hand while he went out and it was pretty scary. It took him much longer than I had thought(they said it was normal). It was probobly only about 1 minute but just watching him fight it freaked me out. I am glad I was there for him I just wish I was a little more prepared. As far the recovery it was super smooth. The tylonol codiene helped him sleep the first day and after that he was fine. He didn't even seem that uncomfortable! Good Luck!
~S.

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B.K.

answers from Boston on

H.,

My 3 year old just had eye surgery at Children's Hospital Boston. I cannot say enough about the team there. They did a phenomenal job keeping both Andrew and my husband and I calm (I was the hardest one to keep calm, I think...) before, during and after surgery. At one point, the entire surgical team was singing Happy Birthday to Andrew while putting him under anesthesia! He did great. I know eye surgery is a completely different surgery and recovery, but I was amazed at how resilient he was and how quickly he bounced back. GOOD LUCK!!

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J.Z.

answers from Boston on

Hi H., My name is Jen. My son is eleven months old and just had open heart surgery at Children's to patch a hole in his heart. His surgery was on Tues. March 25th and we were happily sent home on Sat. the 29th. I know that it is not the same problem you are dealing with but I wanted you to know how great everyone is at Children's. The day of the surgery was very scary for us, his surgery lasted four hours. There is always a risk with anaesthesia as I'm sure you know, but when you talk with the anaesthesiologist you will feel comforted, at least I did. Amazingly enough we weren't sent home with any perscription pain meds, He just takes motrin every six hours and tylenol in between on the third hour. He is doing really really well and doesn't seem to be very uncomfortable at all, he has even started doing his little army crawl again. Kids seem to have a remarkably fast recovery time and the best part is they are so young they won't remember any of this down the line. I hope that this note brings you a little comfort at this very stressful time. Hang in there!

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C.N.

answers from Portland on

H.,

My 17 month old girl had surgery at 7 weeks. We were at Children's. They are amazing. Trust that you have the very best and know that you know your child. If you think that he is in pain follow your instints.

C. N.

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R.C.

answers from Hartford on

My son did the same surgery when he was 2 years old as we were waiting for it come down by it self. The procedure went well took him home same day, he cried alot especially when he had to pass urine as area was tender, good thing is however that was only for the day he was fine, up and walking the next day. They are quite resilient, he is quite young should be fine. (His surgery was done at Bustamante Children's Hospital in Jamaica and he is fine; i'm sure your precious little one will be ok too.) All the best.

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N.F.

answers from Boston on

My son had a undescended testicle and he also had hypospadias. He went to childrens and was in the care or Dr. Doodie!LOL I know it is funny. He was great his sugery took alot longer because of the hypospadias about 4 1/2 hours, but he was just fine. I do not think that there was much pain. He had no problems when we got home, eat and slept just fine.
As far as children's they are the BEST there. We were there and had to stay the night and they told me that they would keep him medicated well so he would heal faster. I think that his testicle was almost healed in a mater of days. It is a very simple procedure and you will be amased at the amount of children that are there having the same procedure done. If you have any other ? please ask. We were at childrens Aug. 6 2006 and now it is like nothing ever happened. No scars or anything. You will be more upset than he is!!!
Good luck
N.

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C.L.

answers from Hartford on

Hi H.,

My twins needed to have surgery for the same thing in November, and they were 9 months. We were expecting the worst in terms of pain and were pleasantly surprised when they were totally themselves the next morning. And actually started climbing up stairs -- which they had never done before! One of my sons also had a hernia (which is common with an undesc. testicle) that was also repaired and he was no more uncomfortable then his brother.
We did the tylenol with coedine for only one day and then just tylenonl.
We went to Children's Hospital in Hartford and the staff was just incredible.
Please feel free to e-mail me directly if you have any specific questions.
Good luck!
C.

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S.

answers from Boston on

My son had it at 13 months, he is now almost 6. The procedure went well, lasted for about an hour, and to be honest, the look of his parts hurt me more than him! He didn't seem bothered one bit! We didn't give him any of the tylenol with codeine but once, and it caused more pain from constipation than anything.

My husband was is shock, couldn't believe the little guy was running around the next day like nothing happened!

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S.M.

answers from Boston on

My son had this surgery. However, it was not picked up until he was 7. The surgery went fine and my son really only felt a little uncomfortable the day after the surgery. So basically not much pain.

His problem was that he was not able to do much that summer. No swimming, running and bicyling until the stiches dissolved. That took longer than expected (two months) and he was miserable. However, your little guy is so much younger and that would be a plus that he is not very active.

It is never fun to have a child undergo surgery, but he should be fine.

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E.S.

answers from Boston on

Hi H.- Although my son did not have that exact procedure, he had three urological procedures at once at Children's Hospital. I would suspect that you are being seen by the same pediatric urologists' office that we went through, and the procedure time was about the same as your son's will be. I have to say, the whole process was certainly nerve racking HOWEVER we could not have asked for better care. Everyone that we delt with on that day was extremely kind and,trust me, they were very sympathetic to our nerves. They suggested my son go into anestesia with me as well as his pacifier and blanket so as to make him as comforted as possible. I cried (what mother wouldn't!?) But, once my son was in surgery they were really good about checking in with us to let us know how it was all going.
Once we were home. I have to say I had no luck giving my son tylenol with codeine. It tasted awful and was too much for his stomach. So we actually just gave him regular children's tylenol every four hours, and he did ok. And most likely a nurse will be in touch with you after you are home to check in and see how things are going. I know I am rambling, but it's all coming back to me now, and I certainly know how you are feeling! I wish you all the best...

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C.R.

answers from Boston on

Hi there... I know you have gotten a lot of similar responses. My son had this procedure done at age 7 months. He also had a hydrocele repair at the same time. About 1 year ago, he had a cyst removed from his scrotum. He had all of this done at New England Medical Floating hospital. I have another son who had a different surgery done at Boston Children's Hospital at age 9 months.
Both hospitals were amazing. You will certainly feel very reassured once you are there, to see how many children really do go through this!

My son with the undescended testicles... when he was in surgery, they had injected some pain medication to make him numb afterwards. That really seemed to help him after the surgery. He really seemed to handle the pain very well. We really just managed it with tylenol. He was still nursing, so that helped him a lot! I got to nurse him as soon as he woke up. That comforted him.

My only complaint with Boston Children's, is that following my other sons surgery, they told me clear fluids only. We had just weaned my son from the breast, so I did not have breast milk to give him. They gave him apple juice, and advised me to do the same. Well, if you have ever given an infant apple juice, you know that was the worst suggestion from them! He had diarrhea for weeks! It was awful!

So, anticipate clear fluids only following the procedure. Breast milk is best if you are nursing.

Also, anticipate not being able to hold him in a straddled position for about 2 weeks afterward. he will not be able to sit on anything in a straddled position for about 2 weeks. It's not that difficult for this age... It's more difficult when they are older, and can't ride their bicycle!

As far as the morning of, we were anticipating a horrible time not being able to feed the boys. We were pleasantly surprised each surgery at how well they did! We just kept them occupied, and got in the car early to keep their mind off of not feeding them! It will go more smoothly than you anticipate!

GOOD LUCK!

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A.M.

answers from Boston on

My son had a "similar" surgery at Children's at 3 months old and a second surgery at 1yo to remove a tumor. Children really do respond to sugery much better than adults. Both times we didnt even finish the tylenol with codeine prescription. It really was as if nothing had happened within a day or two.

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J.G.

answers from New London on

My older son also had hypospadia and went through several operations (Yale New Haven hospital) over the course of three years (he's now 23 and married). I married his dad shortly after that, but was there when he had surgery to remove scar tissue and address an undescended testicle - at 8 years old. He did fine with just tylenol and occasionally ibuprofen. It was most definitely harder on us than him. At that age he was more freaked out about having his privates on view than suffering with pain. Keeping off the bike was a struggle too. My grandmother used to say "Don't worry, you won't feel it on your wedding day" - and it's true, he won't.

Good luck - my second (3 years) was very premature and I know how hard it is to see your child in the hospital, for any reason.

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R.S.

answers from Boston on

my son was 6 years old wan thay did his procedure he recovey was slow but as long as thay stay still for the first week thay shood be fine

a little about me i am a stay a home mom of a 10 year old boy and a 2 year old little girl i am 27

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H.D.

answers from Barnstable on

Hi H.,
I went through the same thing with my son. He recovered quickly with little to no pain(he only had regular tylenol) and has no recollection of it at all.

Me on the other hand...I remember everything! This is a common procedure and your son will be fine.

Hang in there and good luck!
H.

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J.T.

answers from Boston on

My godson just had to have his circumcision he was just about 8 and 1/2 months old. When he was born his little peepee was crooked and they couldn't do it then so they had to wait till it straightened out a bit. But he had it done they gave him enough tylenol with codiene for 3 days (not very much) and he seemed to be in a bit of pain the day of and the day after his surgery but then seemed ok..poor kid started cutting a tooth at the same time so he was miserable the next couple of day but bounced right back as soon as that tooth came through. Hope this helps a bit.

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H.R.

answers from Hartford on

Are you referring to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)? If so, they are fabulous! I can't say enough about the nursing staff in particular, but the technicians, doctors, everyone was great.

I think the scariest thing for me was the anestesia and the waiting...is he going to be okay? I just wanted to know he was ok and then to hold him after. Someone from the surgical team came out right away to let us know he was okay and we talked to the surgeon, too. I stayed overnight with him especially because I was nursing, and we both did really well.

My son's surgery was a little different...he had a testicular torsion (twists over itself and cuts off blood supply) in utero and had to have one testicle removed and the other one "tacked down" so it wouldn't do that too. His surgery was at one week old.

FYI, my husband is a family physician and he researched extensively where to go for this surgery. The best pediatric urologists are at CHOP.

May you have the strength to handle whatever comes your way (I repeated that to myself over and over again during the surgery)Truly, good luck.

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C.B.

answers from Providence on

My son was supposed to have the same surgery at 4 years old. We took him to the Childrens hospital and when they put him under, the testicle came down and no surgery!!

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B.T.

answers from Boston on

H.. my grandson just had it done . he was very sore but he will be fine ina few days . no neet to wory childrens hospital in bosto is the best . but i would go to new england medical center.they are the best . unleast he is coming home with mild medication my grandson took morfine . i no your nervouse and its hard for you to look at but he will be just fine . make sure you speack to they doctor hue buts him under. he plays a very important part in this surgery . good luck
B.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

Hi H.,

My son had that exact surgery done at about 10 months old. He is now a perfectly healthy almost 6yr old (9 more days til his b-day).

It's a genetic thing in my family tree - my brother had it & my maternal grandfather had it as well. All 3 of them had the surgery & they're all doing fine.

I remember when my son had it done - the absolute WORST part was him getting the anesthesia - I was holding him in my arms when they put the mask on him to breathe in (bubble gum flavor) and he did fine - no fussing/fighting ... he was actually pulling the mask tighter to his mouth b/c of the taste. anyways, when it finally kicked in, his body went completely limp (almost like he died in my arms) that was the creepiest part - thankfully, i'm very strong emotionally & can handle pretty 'tough' situations, but if my husband had been the one in there w/him, he would've come out crying.

Otherwise, ofcourse you're anxious during the surgery. But it will all be fine. Make sure, if it's possible, to have someone other than your spouse go with you. It helps w/keeping small talk going during the wait. I was fortunant to have both my mother & aunt with us, and just being able to sit & talk, really eased my mind during the surgery.

As far as recovery went. Most kids are resilliant. My son was very mellow. No crying/fussing/nothing, he did awesome. That was the first time in a long time that he would just let me hold him (when we got home) to read & watch a movie & I fed him while he was on my lap (we did chicken rice soup - goes down easy, warm for the belly & tasty). He fell asleep & the very next day he was running around like nothing happened. He did awesome. I had to restrain him from stretching his groin area due to running, jumping, falling, straddling things, etc. But he healed beautifully. The scars are barely there now, and he's happy & healthy & everything (as far as we know) is in working order. =0)

the tylenol w/codeine is great. helps them sleep later too, he'll be able to settle down & get comfy w/o too much discomfort & have a good night's sleep.

I know that there really is nothing anyone can say until you've gone through it & you see with your own eyes that your child is ok & it's all said & done with. But just know that it is a common surgery & i'm pretty sure he'll do fine.

Good luck & God Bless!

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