Prosthesis too high after orchiectomy

FormerMember
FormerMember
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  1. Hi all,

I was diagnosed with (very likely) testicular cancer a couple of weeks ago and had a radical unilateral orchiectomy peformed 5 days ago (09/09/2020). I did the procedure privately (praise the Lord for insurance cover) with a well-regarded consultant and opted for a testicular implant to keep things symetrical.

I know that many people have written about their experience with testicular implants, but  I'd appreciate anyones advice:

I'm concerned that that the implant is sitting super high up compared to the left., so much so that it looks like its almost on top of the other remaining testical. It also looks like it's sticking out when facing the mirror (like a big bump to the right of my 'guy') which is also likely due to placement.

My consultant says it takes time to drop (anything from 1 - 2 months), but can it really improve that much? I know there are people out there in far worse situations, but I happen to be particularly OCD about my appearence (I'm working on it) and it's stressing me out.

Thanks for your help!!!

  • Hi and a very warm welcome to the online community

    I can't help with your questions but I noticed that no one from the group had replied to your post yet. If you haven't already, you could use the search function in the group to see if there are any older posts which mention the problems you are experiencing.

    You could also post your questions in the Ask a Nurse section of the community and one of the specialist nurses will aim to respond within  working days.

    When you have a minute, it would be really useful if you could pop something about your journey so far into your profile as it really helps others when answering or looking for someone with a similar diagnosis. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.

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  • Hi OBW, I had mine done yesterday, they cut the same scar left by the orchiectomy when I had my original testicle removed about 8 years ago.

    I looked at the result straight after the surgery and felt that the implant was stitched very high and was approximately 3cm higher than my other testicle it is also at least twice the size of my other testicle. I wasn't given the opportunity to see the different sizes or to feel the implants, and when I asked the surgeon pre-op about the size he said he would be choosing a suitable one. The feel to me is ok a bit harder than my other testicle. 

    From an aesthetics point of view the implant looks too high and the top of it begins at the bottom the shaft. so at the moment I feel for me its better than having an empty void feeling of not having a testicle at all and the scrotum having a more symmetrical look.

    I have read forums where others have said that theirs has dropped after a month or two, in any case for me I will wait and see for a few days. I am also feeling a pulling/pinching pain and think it is at the point where the prosthesis has been stitched. For me I if it doesn't drop and the size still looks large I will have it replaced or taken out (nothing to look forward too) at the moment I cant understand how and why a large prosthesis was used and why it was stitched so high, as long as there are valid reasons then thats fine but I can't think of any.

    My advice to anyone else would be:

    1) Should you get it done, thats a personal choice everyone is different. It took me 8 years to decide and it was my own decision.

    2) Never trust a surgeon ask as many questions as you need to, get to see the implants so you can feel them and see the sizes, ask the surgeon to show you exactly where the implant will hang/rest.

    3) If the Surgeon starts saying he has done 1000's of these ops without complaint and doesn't want to show you the implant or where it will be located - I would find myself a new surgeon. This is a straightforward procedure and there aren't any reasons why shouldn't have have a good idea about what the end result will look like before you undergo the surgery. At the end of the day you will know more about your expectations and the surgeon is the one who should be meeting them or explaining to you why they won't be able to before the procedure and not after.

    I hope this helps, if anyone here has had an implant and then had surgery to have it replaced/rectified for whatever reason I would be grateful if you could give any advise of how it all turned out for you.

  • FormerMember
    FormerMember

    I had mine removed and an implant inserted 2 years ago. After reading all the “reviews” on here, I asked for a medium one to be inserted.

    Mine was stitched too high and it caused discomfort (I run quite a bit) after lots of waiting for it to “drop”, tugging, pulling etc they decided to operate again 6 months later. The second op improved the position, it’s not like having a real one in there, but it’s not too bad. At least they don’t look like they’re stacked on top of each other! 

    One thing that’s worth saying, the scar after op 1 was barely noticeable, but much more prominent after op 2

  • Hi I had my opp a week ago today and my left one (my fake one) is super high and I’m feel I’m in a similar situation as you I’m stressing having sleepless nights over it and I’m already having doubts and considering having it removed. So I was just wondering how long does it take to drop ? 

  • Hi Jack,

    I was in exactly the same position, it about 4/5 months for the testicle to lower. I did help move it down by massaging it gently and was told to do so by my surgeon. Nothing to have worried about in the end!

  • Thank u very much Makka! this has made me feel a lot more comfortable Pray tone2

  • No problem - just massage very gently and review the progress by taking photos so you can actually keep track of the progress. In my case it eventually moved all the way down. Another thing to note is that the internal space becomes stuck together after time so if your testicle was removed a while back that could also be why it hasn't moved yet - massage every other day this should also help with opening up the void again. When you massage and if you feel a tug and a pinch that will be where the wire is tied to your skin so just be careful you should feel severe pain when massaging.

    Oh and definitely check back with your surgeon - mine was great and explained this to me really well and even told me how to massage it down.

     

  • When you refer to this massage technique, how long would you massage, and how many times per week?

    Thanks