Coping With Varicocele

I am 31 years old, and on November 21st of 2008 I had a bilateral varicocelectomy. Before the surgery I had pain in my testicles about 2-3 times a year and it was controlled with laying down and using rutin and other bioflanvonoids to strengthen the veins.

I first noticed the varicocele 5-8 years ago, I cannot recall exactly when. I recently got married and my wife and I wanted to start trying to get pregnant. She went in to her OBGYN to get checked and he recommended I do a semen analysis as well. The semen specimen I gave was not great, I had previously had better and I knew it wasn’t my best based on thickness and volume. The semen analysis came back and it said that I had less then 1 million sperm per milliliter, and my sperm motility was less than 50%.

My wife’s OBGYN recommended a local urologist that specializes in fertility. The urologist’s office did a blood test for hormones, and I came out with less than 300 testosterone, and my LH and FSH levels were normal. The urologist said that the varicocele on the left was a grade 3 whereas the right was a grade 1. The urologist recommended the varicocelectomy plus possibly some hormone therapy as well depending on the outcome.

After the surgery the doctor said that the varicoceles were pretty extensive and it took a little longer than he had planned. There were two incisions made directly at the level of my inguinal canals. He said he had to use full magnification to do the surgery and that the artery and lymph vessels were preserved. I was sent home with a prescription for Cipro, an antibiotic, and Hydrocodone for pain.

2 days post surgery I had a pain level 10 out of 10 in my testicles whenever I tried to move or get up. Each of my testicles were swollen to the size of a small avocado and were red and purple with a bruise on the bottom. I was in so much pain, I had to use a bottle to urinate in bed because standing up made all the blood rush to the testicles and the pain was unbearable. I was not due for a visit to the doctor for a week, but I was worried so we went in to see him 4 days post surgery.

He said he was worried and he put me on Levaquin (a stronger antibiotic) and an anti-inflammatory. He made an appointment for me to have an ultrasound done to assess the testicles. The ultrasound technician said that the testicles were bruised and he sent the results to the urologist. The urologist called me later that day and said that the testicles had venous blood flow away from the testicles but no arterial blood flow to the testicles. I asked him what that meant, and he said that it would be possible that the testicles would be compromised (meaning I would LOSE MY TESTICLES!) if I did not get blood flow to the testicles.

I asked him if there was anything else I could do to help the recovery, and he told me to wear tight underwear and to continue to hot pack the testicles to increase vessel dilation and blood flow.

Later after contacting the doctor to express my concerns, he contacted some other urologists to consult on the matter. He then prescribed Viagra and Celebrex (a cox 2 inhibitor anti-inflammatory). The idea was that the Viagra would increase blood flow in that region and help the situation.

Slowly the swelling went down and my testicles and spermatic cord felt solid inside the scrotum. The right one went down first, and then the left caught up slowly.

Today is January 16, 2009, and my left testicle is almond shaped and slightly spongy on the outside, but still solid feeling. My right testicle feels solid and is half the size it was pre surgery.

I get erections without too much effort, but it is very difficult to get to climax. I feel as if mentally I want sex, but the drive is not as great as it was pre surgery. I am only able to climax maybe once a week, whereas before I was able to climax 3 or more times a week at least.

I am waiting until the 90 day mark (February 21st 2009) to see if my testicles will produce any sperm and testosterone. My urologist is not optimistic, but I am because I am hoping for the best.

I read studies all over the internet and even looked at urology texts to see how safe varicocelectomies are, and they seemed very safe and had good results. But, I never read about this complication, and I don%u2019t know exactly what happened.

If you have heard of anyone with a similar complication or have advice please post your responses.