For folks who have undergone urethroplasty with a perineal approach, or are about to, do not be surprised if you still have some niggling pain in the scrotum for many many months. It’s been 8 months since my surgery and I still have it. From what I’ve seen on forums and what one of my surgeons said, there could be pain there for up to a year.
However, my main surgeon, and most other doctors (primarily urologists) all say there should be no reason for it. There is no swelling, and no trouble that can be seen in an ultrasound or that can be detected from a (very) thorough digital exam. So the cause is uncertain. It appears that a lot of nerves get disturbed, mashed, cut, burned, etc. during a urethroplasty, and even after the other tissue is all healed up, nerves can act very strangely and can take much longer to get back to normal.
I eventually found a forum where several guys report having had pain as long as 11 months or so. Even though that sounded like an unreasonably long time, it made me feel better to know that it was both somewhat normal, and would eventually go away. It shifted my expectations, which is a good thing. Here is a link to that forum:
https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Urology/Recently-had-a-Urethroplasty-done/show/1680722
The good news is that this pain is not really very bad – just a bit annoying – and is certainly not debilitating after the first few months. And according to the guys who have been through this years ago, it does go away. So it is not uncommon, and there likely isn’t anything really wrong other than nerves acting up. But you should check with your doctor FOR SURE if you do have this pain several months after surgery, just in case it isn’t the same harmless-but-still-there pain I mention.
Wow. Something to look forward to. NOT. I just had my voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) and I have the same type of scrotal pain you mention. I am finding the point you mentioned about using a jock strap/tighty whities seems to help.
Also, my wife suggesting to “butter my balls” so to speak with Vitamin E lotion helps a lot too.
I just came upon your great site and look forward to posting “my story”.
Thanks for the comment Marc! And good luck on your journey. Let me tell you what I wish I could go back in time and tell myself after my VCUG – “Get off the donut pillow as soon as possible! I don’t know if you are using one of these, but for months I used of these pillows because it was the only way to get relief from the scrotal pain. The problem was that I was giving myself a huge hemorrhoid problem that I was not aware of. Every time I tried ti sit without the donut pillow, I’d feel like I had a bunch of swelling up my butt – and assumed it was swelling from the surgery. But it was NOT. Months later, I asked the folks at Urology about it and they recommended getting Preparation H and start “getting it way up there,” and then stop using the donut pillow. In only 2 days, that “swelling” feeling was gone. Sheesh! The scrotal pain gradually (very gradually in a lot of cases) eases. Right now, 11 months after my surgery, the pain is almost gone. I’d say it’s about 5 or 10% still there. But it’s just a very minor annoyance. In fact, that’s all it ever was – an annoyance. When things got really annoying, I’d do what you said and rub some cortaid on it – something with some a bit of topical pain reliever in a cream.
Anyway, thanks again for posting!
Ken
Hi Ken, I’ve had a very similar (identical?) procedure to yourself and I’ve got a question that I’ve asked on the forms I’d like to see if you could help me with…
Incase you don’t find it otherwise!
I’ll do my best. What’s your question?
Ken
Hi Ken I sent you an with some queries but haven’t received a response ? Do you review the contact us emails ? If not will post queries here
I usually see and answer comments here. But sometimes these comments get stuck in the spam filter. But now that this comment is approved, that shouldn’t happen again.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi
i’ve posted before and i’m know about 4 months after my buccal graft Urethroplasty, which is actually a second Urethroplasty after a failed one in 2000. Flow’s still great, externally all healed, and I’m back to normal life and work. But I do still have some nagging little pains. I work at a desk job and as the day goes on, in spite of taking regular breaks, walking around, I get pain in my perineum – not very intense, just a throbbing and mild burning, sometimes quite deep, sometimes more around the skin surface. I worry it’s the urethra itself, but sometimes the pain seems quite widespread – like a pins and needles. I never wake up with pain, it usually comes on throughout the day. I was wondering if anyone else was still having similar discomfort, a few months in? It’s pretty major surgery and it’s probably no surprise, and the nerves and muscles have to heal; surgeons probably don’t dwell on this as they’re just delighted they’ve fixed the plumbing!!
Thanks for the update, Simon. Based on what my doctor told me, the pins and needles pain is just nerve endings complaining. A lot of nerves get very disturbed during this surgery, which is why some folks have some pain lasting a year or more. I don’t get it much anymore, but every now and then there is a little reminder that the nerves are still a bit ticked off:-P. The deep pain and throbbing might be something worth asking your doctor about. I’m not saying I know anything about it at all. I just didn’t experience that particular kind of pain I don’t think. So I can’t advise one way or another. Hopefully all will get less “hurty” with the passage of some more time.
Cheers!
Ken
Hi Ken
just had some feedback from my urologist who said the mild pain I described will be around for at least another 2 or 3 months and is fairly normal. It’s a long haul! But it is getting better all the time. Thanks again for a terrific website which has been a real help to me. I wish something like this had been around in the late 90s when i first had my symptoms.
All the best from sunny England!
Simon
Simon – so glad to hear it! Thanks for posting you update. That’s very good news. And thanks for your kind words:).
Good luck moving forward!
Ken
HI Ken,
Just came across your web site, as, even though I have not yet had to wear
a catheter, I wanted to know a bit more about it in case I ever should have to.
Just wanted to say I thought it was a very generous gesture of you
to start the web site and to try to answer others’ question so completely and
empathetically (if that’s a word).
Hope you’re continuing well.
Best,
Tay
Thank Tay! That’s really kind of you to say. I appreciate it:).
Cheers!
Ken
You bet! Thanks for your reply.
Ken,
Thanks so much for taking the time to provide real-world information on a topic that is difficult to digest when it comes from medical people. As you’ve noted, they seem to only be concerned with fixing the plumbing and much less so with the long and short term effects the fix has on our daily lives.
In my case both arches in my pelvis were broken in a nasty car crash in ’79 and are “folded” in. In ’07 I had brachytherapy for prostate cancer. The therapy fixed the cancer but left me with 3/16 metal wire bits in my prostate that do migrate. Fast-forward to 2015 and the side effect of sitting, for years, on the soft tissues with metal wire bits in them was a UTI and resultant blockage. I put off the decreased urine flow as a symptom of old age. Boy was I wrong!
I’ve had to learn simple things, such as how to keep my exobladder (LOL) from creeping down my leg, finding straps, that don’t cut into my leg, bags with valves that stay closed and the most comfortable dressing materials to dress the insertion site for the stupidpubic catheter. All stuff the good doctors don’t seem to know anything about.
BTW I also went through the “lets force a larger catheter in” with no anesthesia, even though a small catheter wouldn’t go in. Lots of fun at the hands of people who obviously didn’t recognize what they are dealing with and had no idea, initially, what caused UTI the resultant blockage. I eventually “helped” them figure it out.
Luis
Hi Ken,
First I’d like to join in with the number of men who have thanked you for this website. This procedure is scary, but having a first hand take on it has been extremely informational and helpful. I do have a question, and I’ll try to keep it as non-personal as possible as it is a sensitive subject I’m sure. How long after your surgery were you able to have sex, and were there any complications or problems in the act?
Thanks again for your wisdom and insight and willingness to share. I have my surgery in a week and a half, so I’m starting to get pretty nervous!
You’re welcome Shawn. So glad it could help – though I should point out that there HAVE been some women too:). Anyway, sex was not recommended in the first 4-6 weeks after surgery. So we followed that advice and it seems to have worked out just fine. there were no complications or problems.
I feel pretty confident (as the numbers support it) that everything will go well and you’ll be back to normal peeing in no time. We’re here if you have any questions before then and especially after then. Best of luck!
Cheers,
Ken
its been 3 weeks since my urethroplasty, in my case pain hasent been an issue but swolen scrotum and some badly irritated tissue inside, edema and hematoma, i have my vug test next tuesday but the swelling has me. concerned, i cant wear regular pants have to wear old hospital pants i had, anybody else have this happen?
Hi Mike. I definitely felt that. I was really concerned and went in to get a CT scan to make sure everything was OK. It was. there is just so much trauma down there and it takes a long time to heal. But if you are concerned, I urge you to go in and have an exam. You must be satisfied. A month or two after my surgery, it turned out I had an inguinal hernia, which involves the possibility of intestines going into your scrotum. So that’s something else to have your doctor check for.
I hope that helps.
Im now on Week 7. Still having terrible scrotum pain after work. I have a supervisor job that requires about 2 miles walking and 4 hrs sitting at desk. I take a pillow to sit on its just that after 8 hours, oh my goodness the dull ache is so awful that just touching the area sends off feelings of pain! Seems like with everything Ive read; its just the process of getting better. People say I walk funny but its the best I can do for now to get around. I use a jock strap daily at work and it seems to help give support. Is there any suggestion on relief from the scrotum pain such as any kind of ointment to rub in the area without causing any issues? Thanks again for creating this site!
Hi Roger. Yup, that sounds very familiar :-P. Since most of the tissue has healed by this point, my doc said the pain is being caused by nerves trying to get back to normal. If it’s what it sounds like, the pain is primarily on the surface and hopefully not a deep ache of the testicles. That being the case, I (and some others here) have found relief by topical ointment on the scrotum. Sometimes, these pain relieving creams can slow healing if there a need for that. But in this case it is usually just nerves in the skin, so dulling that isn’t going to stop any healing. At least that is how it was explained to me. Remember I’m NOT a doctor or nurse! That being said, I think you’d be safe trying to put a pain-relieving cream (Neosporin + pain relief, or something maybe stronger like burn gel) onto the scrotum. I also found that at the end of the day, just for a few hours in the evening, it felt a lot better to remove the jock strap, put on normal “tighty-whities” and sit in a recliner to take some of the pressure off the area. I hope that helps!
10 weeks post BMG bulbar urethroplasty the flow still strong
But i have still pain in shaft of my penis and irritation
Testicuar pain and tender little
Some discomfort on urethra itself
I do not know if this feeling normal any one did urethroplasty can update me how feeling after 10 weeks
Still i dont get erection at all before operation zero problem in erection