Yep, DIY. Been over 10 years now. I do it every 3 months or so.

I bought a bunch of 19ga needles (reminds me, I need to get more!), and a latex tube that fits over them. Or course, make sure you and your equipment are clean. Sit down, make sure the important bits are in your hand and out of the way, and stick the needle in. Gravity and capillary action take care of the rest. 10 minutes, tops.

Someday I may get ambitious and add the appropriate acid solution when I get done (sclerotherapy) to permanently take care of the problem... or just go to Mexico and have a doc do it.

Yep, did the procedure a second time yesterday, at home recovering now. Doc must have been more thorough as I have a drain this time and a lot of discharge post surgery. I was able to finish Ironman Couer' D'Alene this summer with a lemon sized right testicle thanks to Fizik and their stubby saddles. Hopeful to start 2024 build in about a month as I’m signed up to race starting May 24'.

For anyone else dealing with this wishing you good luck and will post when I’m training again!

Cheers,


Tom

By "procedure", do you mean surgery?

Yes sir, procedure being hydrocelectomy surgery.

So here I am 3.5 weeks after surgery and no training. Next week marks the 4 week recovery point and I do plan to start training lightly. A few points about this second hydrocelectomy........

1. This time the surgery was 3x more intesive!
2. My scrotum was the size of a softball and needed a drain tube for a week. Was softball size at least 1.5 weeks! Try wearing pants with that! I also went through a TON of 4x4 gauze this time.
3. I was bruised up to my naval.
4. I havent slept good since the surgery due to discomfort and not being able to lay on my side. My speep scor on Garmin is usually in the upper 80s or 90s, but has been in the 30s alsmost a month.
5. 3.5 weeks later im still pretty swollen, but much much better, still using cold packs.


I think this time the doc cut all 7 layers of skin off the testicle and went up into my abdomen to block where the visceral fluid was communicating into the hydrocele. I was told as last time there is a chance it could come back. Would I do it again...you bet if it got as large as it did this last time. The total surgery bill was just under 14k, my part after insurance was about 2600. I am ready to train again and get my life back in order. I miss the endorphins and feeling that "high" after a good training session whic is half the reason i got into Ironman in the first place.

Tom

^^ I've heard way too many stories like this. I know the US loves surgery, but in most of the world they use a non-surgical procedure that is much less invasive, and even has a better success rate. Or so I've read.