I told my story on these boards like a month ago, here is my follow-up:
A Quick Recap- I had a varicocele, and it just started hurting out of the blue one day. I went to a few doctors and was finally diagnosed. When the pain got too annoying, I looked into options and the varicocele embolization looked like the best one. I got that done in November. When it was over, it really didnt feel like it helped too much, but after a month or so the pain seemed to go away. I was happy. A few months later it started coming back.
I went to my urologist- I had gotten a new one because the NYU doctors were always very crowded. I had gotten the embolization done at Columbia (one of the best hospitals), so I decided to pick a Urologist affiliated with them.
I was lucky to find a really good one. He obviously does not endorse embolization, he tells me "veins always find a way, and the best way to get rid of these varicoceles is to cut them out, while looking at them." In my opinion, I thought he didn’t like the fact that he does not make $$$ off the embolization. But as the pain got worse, I decided to go with the surgery- at this point I needed to get rid of it.
August 19th- The surgery wasn’t so bad. The worst part was the anesthesia, it makes you nauseous after you wake up. That’s why they tell you not to eat before it. I was STARVING going into the surgery (about 3pm, hadn’t eaten since 10pm the night before), but when I got out I could barely get a cracker down. They shaved my pubes and made about a 3 inch incision on the pubic area above my penis. It’s bigger than I thought it would be. The first night was pretty painful, but the vicodin was good and let me sleep. I stayed in the next day, and just walked around the apartment, didn’t go outside. I was mobile, and the next day, I walked to the supermarket no problem- a little discomfort. Being an NYC resident, I walk everywhere, and this didn’t hinder it too much. I was back at work on Tuesday, got the surgery Friday before.
Results so far- My left ball was swollen a lot the few days following, and it still is a little today. It has gone down. It still hurts a bit down there. The actual incision hurts less and less everyday, and is a bit numb from the nerves getting cut (was told this is normal). When I sit for a long time, I feel the varicocele pain, but today, it feels less painful and more like a tingle. I think this a good thing? Tomorrow will be two weeks, and I hear it takes a while to fully recover. I will know more after 3 weeks I suppose.
Please feel free to add any insight as to the healing process, and how long it took for the actual testicle pain (not the incision) to go away. Remember, the reason I got this surgery was to alleviate pain. I think I am on a good path.
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