Hydrocele

When my son was about 2 years old his Daycarer noticed that one of his testicles was larger than the other.  It turned out to be a Hydrocele.  I had never heard of this and barely noticed that one was larger (i thought maybe that's how they were suppose to be).  A doctor confirmed it and we saw a paediatrician who booked him in for an operation.

A Hydrocele is when testicle fills with fluid.  When a male fetus is forming the testicles decend through the inguinal canal from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum, this opening usually closes but in some cases remains open.   A sac accompanies each teste with fluid around it, the sac closes and the fluid is absorbed.

About 1 in 10 males have a Hydrocele at birth and with most it disappears without treatment (as in my second child) within the first few years of life.

The operation was a relatively simple  procedure that required day surgery.  Although with a two year old this was pretty stressfull, being he had no food before the operation and didn't get operated on untill 3pm!  If i had to go through this again with such a young child, i would definitely find out as to what time the operation would occur and try and get the procedure for the morning if possible.

They used a keyhole procedure to close the hole and drained the fluid from the scrotum with a needle.  The scar was very small and now nearly invisible.  There were no stitches to be removed as they were all internal and the cut was just covered with a piece of surgical tape which was easily removed.  The only requirement for after the op. was he had to be able to pee before leaving hospital and no jumping around for a few days afterward. 

Easier said than done, of course,  he was back to bouncing off the walls in no time!!

Julie