One Week In.. now nerve pain?

[shamrok]

My wife found a lump on the left side, I had an ultrasound on Monday, my 6cm seminoma was removed tuesday, and now I am awaiting a PET-CT on Monday.

The recovery since surgery seemed to go well for first 2 days, maybe it was the meds, but now over the last 72 hrs I have swollen up and for pretty much can no longer walk. I feel like I am caring a grapefruit with road rash between my legs and the back left spot on my left testie has some pain. When i recline the pain is greatly diminished but when i stand up it seems like the blood flows into it and it is very painful.

I have greatly reduced my meds over last 72 hours but I thought that the swelling would decrease over time. I feel like I have a rash all over the region but my wife thinks it is probably nerve pain.

Is there anything I can do to reduce the pain? and has anyone else experienced anything similar? Thank you.

[Scott]

Welcome, shamrok. Sometimes pain medication and a bag of frozen peas is enough to get through, but it sounds as though you should give a call to the urologist who performed the surgery and get his assessment.

[shamrok]

Cold is still good?

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought I was suppose to stop cold compresses after 72 hrs? I must be wrong. Cold sounds goooooood. ty

[Fish]

I agree with Scott. Your discharge papers should have a phone number to call. The symptoms you describe should be reported to your doctor. If the swelling gets worse, I would consider heading to the ER, it might be nothing, but don't take any chances.

[cbuysse]

Shamrock I had the exact same symptoms after my orchiectomy. I swelled up huge after the surgery and about day four the whole area felt like road rash and standing up was real painful. My swelling did not go down all the way for 7 weeks but the pain when standing only lasted about 3 weeks which at the time seemed like an eternity. Check out my other posts and you will see what I wrote about it at the time. I was quite upset really because most of the other guys who had the orchiectomy didn't seem to have the road rash and swelling nearly as bad as I or you. Best of luck to you. Bottom line is they got the cancer out you will be fine shortly. Oh yeah I called my PCP and had him prescribe a topical rub for the road rash pain that helped.

[shamrok]

ouch...

Thanks for the note.. i am going to look up your posts now. It sounds like you "felt my pain"... ouch..

[Ras Joe]

I think the road rash feeling is from the prep for surgery when you get shaved, at least that was what I was told. Both times I had it done I felt the same thing, dull razor or something!? Check my posts-- I think I gave a description of both my R/O (12-5-00) and my L/O (7-19-06). And to add to what I write in that post-- I went for a two mile walk today (2+ weeks out) w/ my dog who thankfully didn't drag me around like he has been known to do (85lb American Pit Bull Terrier)! I am sore but I have used ice everyday since my surgery this time and I think it has shortened my recovery time greatly. Hope you feel better.

[IowaBrian]

Welcome:
SOunds like you need to take it easy and ICE ICE and ICE swelling is natural but too much is not a good thing Go and get a couple zip bag and ice the area really good(I went to drug store and got one of the rubber ice bags they work great they have a screw on cap so no leaks). If the swelling is really bad you need the doctor to take a look to make sure there is no infection. Remember rest and ice is your friend even after the first week. I think I over iced but the flip side is a lot a swelling and that is the one thing the doctor warned me about because it can cause an infection. I am sure your swelling will go down with time but be on the safe side and give the doctor a call.
Brian

[Sans rt1]

Are you scheduled to have a check (or did you) with the urologist that performed your surgery? I had my surgery on a Monday evening, and he had me in on Thursday evening (4 days later) - to check how I was healing and if I had any issues or questions. It was a good idea, although I did not have any complications. And, my pathology and blood work had come back so we were able to discuss that at the same time. I too had started to wean myself off of the ice and pain meds, and my urologist told me not to rush it and to keep the ice on it as long as there was any swelling, take the pain meds if I had pain and keep off my feet as much as possible for a few more days.

Everyone is different, but it sounds like you are having a tough time of it. Ice is your friend if you have swelling and don't hesitate to take your pain meds if you are in pain. Stay off of your feet and let your body heal a bit more.

You mentioned that it was 6 cm seminoma, is that from the pathology report? If so, what else did it say? Let us know what the CT shows. The good news is that seminoma is very treatable. You can thank your wife for helping you find it (perhaps it was a bit more pleasurable than my son helping me find mine with a misplaced baseball )

[shamrok]

Thanks for the notes..

Yeah it was a 6cm.. pretty big from what i hear.. everything else looked good and my PET CT was this morning. I am going into my first radiologist visit today at 1pm and then meeting up with my oncologist at 2pm for some relief.

The pain is very odd.. when i lay down it subsides to just a little ache but when i stand up.. it takes about 10 secs for the blood or whatever to rush into my scrot and then the burning/nerve pain starts. It must be related to the pressure from blood.. dont know but my oncologist will hopefully have some answers.

If I stand up completely bow legged without contact to anything it still burns.. so it is very confusing. I will update this thread after my meetings. Thank you all again. Take care

[Don]

Sounds like common symptoms od Neuropathy which can be from chemo or from a nerve being cut in surgery.. I had some pain fron the Orch because the incision was (from what the dr SAID) 3 times longer then normal due to the size of the tumor... Oddly I still have nerve pain when I do certain things and/or overdue it... I suffer from pretty bad neuropathy in both feet, 7 out of 10 fingers, my left thigh and as of late in my shoulder..... If it is nerve pain your DR can prescribe you Neurontin,Amitriptylyne, or Lyrica which will help wish nerve pain.......... I hope you feel better soon.... Be well!!!!!!!!

[shamrok]

I'm Relieved..

I had a PET CT this morning, an radiation oncology appointment and urology appointment today and so I think my view of this condition is now pretty clear. I am very fortunate that my large tumor did not spread.. very fortunate is my guess.

My abnormal amount of swelling and pain is most likely do to my complicated anatomy. I had a hernia taken out from the same side when I was very young and the Urologist had a hard time making heads or tails of how to get my O/T done. It should have taken about 45mins.. mine took 2.4 hrs. My guess is that I probably have some nerve damage but at this point my Urologist is saying it is most likely from the swelling and should subside when the swelling goes down.

I am now wearing a "thearaputic jock strap" in hopes of getting more comfortable and helping the swelling to subside through compression. I have always been prone to large blood clots which I had numerous when I had my wisdom teeth taken out (took 3 tries) and this time it looks as though I am blessed with more of the same very large clots in my scrotum.

I will be going in for 17 sessions of radiation therapy and hopefully that will do the trick. I wish everyone the best of luck and really appreciate the comments and existance of this great resource. THANK YOU

[Sans rt1]

Congratulations on the clear CT. Hope you heal quickly and the measures you describe take away some of your discomfort. Sounds like you have a reasonable treatment plan ahead.

[stevenh77]

I am sore but I have used ice everyday since my surgery this time and I think it has shortened my recovery time greatly.

Really? My doctor told me the opposite. I asked him the day of my orchiectomy (before going into the OR) if ice was a good idea to help take care of any pain or swelling. He said it's ok to use ice if you need it, but it can also slow down the healing process because it keeps the blood from flowing the way it should. He recommended using ice no more than 15-20 minutes at a time every 2-3 hours.

[shamrok]

Thanks....

My doc recommended ice for the first 48 hours after O/T then heat pads if needed. For the reason you stated blood flow and getting any blood clots broken down quicker.

In my case, I had a ton of swelling... lets just say purple grapefruit with a dimple where my you-know-what used to be.. ouch.. My swelling reduced after 5 days and got more manageable. I personally think that the compression help reduce my swelling eventhough it was prob my idea more than his. After wearing mine for 2 days I would actually recommend a jock strap for 2 reasons.

1) It's stylish... errr.. let me try this again..

1) It is great support and keeps the jewels close to body which I think keeps it warmer like maybe a mild hot pad.
2) The thich waist band places pressure on my incision site and when I sneeze, cough or do something that would make me wince.. it was already there with compression on that sensitive stitch/staple area.

I am now a little over a week out from my O/T and looking forward to driving and being an indepent person again. Thanks again.