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Pain after Inguinal Hernia Operation

Hello, I hope you can help me.In March 2007 I had an Inguinal Hernia repair operation on both sides after I had experienced bad groin pain for about six weeks. About three weeks after the surgery, I developed testicular pain in both left and right testicle with the left one swelling up dramatically. After going for a scan it was observed that I had a hydrocele on my left side. Six weeks after My original operation, I was hospitalised after I developed severe pain on the right side of my groin. The pain quickly spread to my scrotum and testes. Fearing that I had testicular torsion the urology team performed a procedure where they attached the testicles to my scrotum. They also repaired the hydrocele. They found no evidence of torsion. This was the first of my flare ups. These flare ups have continued to the present day (September 8th 2007) on an intermittent basis but almost always starting on right groin and radiating downwards. For several months it was believed I had epididymitis but despite numerous antibiotics being given, there was no change in my condition. I have had a CT scan which came up clear. Recently I have been prescribed Lyrica 75 gram. This is apparently the strongest painkiller that can be given and it has had no effect. No other painkiller has worked during a flare up. My pain management doctor has said I may need an operation if the situation persists. Have you ever come across a similar situation? I am a 26 year old male otherwise in quite good health. My problem has interfered greatly with the quality of life I have now. Thanks for your help
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Avatar universal
Its only 6 hours not 12. After 12hrs your testicles are more less dead and have to be removed.
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Avatar universal
So here is another follow up......

I went in and had an Ultrasound done. Was painful, very painful. The result came back saying I have one hydrocele on right side and on the problem side it appears to be Epididymis.

They are guessing this was caused from trauma during operation.

I have just started a new batch of antibiotics and will let you all know how I go!!
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Avatar universal
I had my second hernia op 30 days ago. My surgeon told me everything went well, and then off he went!!

I went back to him a week later as I was in agony. My left testicle felt swollen, from the top, down the outside and bottom. He said, it's all good.

30 days later, 1 course of antibiotics and my left testicle kills me. The other symptoms are burning sensation through scrotum. I also get funny pains over into hips.

I have tried wearing tight jock support, briefs and boxers. Today is first day with boxers and first day with such bad burning sensation.

Any ideas or answers??? This is out of control and I didn't have one problem with my right side hernia op.

Starting to stress me out!!! Someone, anyone??
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Avatar universal
I have recently went through a hernia op 2 weeks post op my 2 year nephew came running at me I went to my hunkers and lifted him to my knee I heard a snap the next day the pain has got worse and is no in my testicals have a ripped the mesh?
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Avatar universal
Hello Sir,

Last  year november 2015 i had  this surgery its been 9 weeks everything goes fine i ride my bike i do my regular activites   except jim workout bt dunno why, sometimes  i get pain on my right testise. Doc suggested me to take a pain killer tablet . its fine after i take the tablet.
one thing bothers me alot even after having surgery why is tat we get pain in our testis.

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Avatar universal
I also suffer from injuries and 2 months ago underwent 5 abdominal hernia repairs at one time which caused more nerve pain.  I recently tried a procedure to burn the nerves causing my pain.  This actually works.  The area feels numb but I would rather feel numb then the extreme burning pulling tingling pain as before.  This procedure has to be done every year but it is worth it.  I hope you feel better.
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Avatar universal
I am a 43 year old female. I had a strangulated inguinal hernia mesh repair in the UK back in 2001. I had an Ethicon Prolene Mesh by Johnson and Johnson. I have always had issues with the area but the past two years since 2013 I kept getting these debilitating groin pains both sides where it rendered me totally useless and unable to walk. Also, terrible stomach and groin infections. I would be on antibiotics for 3 months at a time trying to clear the infection and the pain would always end up in that area of the mesh. So I finally see this surgeon in Sarasota called Dr. Yunis very good surgeon does mesh removal and all the procedures no other doctor will touch. So he removes the mesh and does a triple nurectomy and a sholdice repair. The first 3 weeks I stayed in bed with ice. Then week four I started walking as the weight was just piling on me from being in bed and not moving. So I walk a mile daily and I am very slow from a car accident prior to this so not like I was doing anything that would damage me or rip me. So anyway, I waited to have sex after 4 weeks so it wouldn't of been that. I was seeing improvement every week up until I hit week 8/9 then all of a sudden it starts pulling, burning feeling sharp hurts like a ***** while I am walking have to hold myself and take an oxycodone for pain. I went back to see him today  6/6/15 and he said cough gave me an exam and said good news you don't have a hernia he said he was not concerned but it still hurts. He said that I will always have a degree of pain because I had it for so long and that the pain is sent from the nerons into my brain.. He suggested holistic therapies and yoga and such. So I guess this is going to hurt forever more and probably have flare ups according to other posts. Nightmare. I suffer chronic pain 24/7 from my car accident injuries so this is just one more thing to deal with. I wish we didn't have to suffer pain. Good luck everyone.
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Avatar universal
I had laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair surgery about 8 weeks ago.  Felt good for two weeks and then testicle pain on both sides after convincing my wife into a rendezvous. So it's been about 6 week of pain.  The pain is less at night time and builds through the morning.  Also it alternates between the right and left although both are always sore to touch or move. Also seem to hang low and unhealthy. I've seen three different urologists and received three diagnoses - 1) leave it alone and wait as long as it takes, 2) epididymitis 3) no idea what the problem is.  I just started a round of Doxycycline and will report back if it helped.

Anyone go through something like this?

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10589445 tn?1411613911
On September 15th, 2014 I had a hernia removed from my scrotum. It was fatty tissue, about 1.25 lbs of fatty tissue. Doc said it was the largest he's ever removed. I have a polyethylene mesh. Still, almost 4 months later I'm still in pain. Not everyday though. There are days where the pain is at the incision site and days where the pain is in the scrotum. Tylenol, Advil, or anything over the counter helps with the pain. Only the hydrocodone that my doc prescribed helps with the pain. I had a CT Scan done but the doc said nothing seems wrong that could be causing the pain. But the pain is there. Sometimes so bad it causes me to throw up and knocks me to my knees. I'm trying to walk everyday as the doc said but the pain hits me later in the day. Bad thing is, my job requires me to walk between 4 to 6 miles in a 12 hour period. So I'm trying to match that so I can back to work. But if I walk more than 3 miles I'm in extreme pain later in the day.

So now I go to the urologist that originally referred me to the hernia surgeon and he knows exactly what it is and he was right!!! The nerve would every now and then get pinched in the polyethylene mesh. I'm going in for an ultrasound and he says it's an easy fix.
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Avatar universal
Did you ever get relief? I just had surgery 2 weeks ago and have same burning knifing pain but its below incision in groin radiating upwards. I may walk with no pain and it may hit me and the knifing pain almost drops me. It feels like an infection.
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Avatar universal
My partner has the same problem with hip pain, how long was it before yours was sorted
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Avatar universal
I had inguinal hernia repair 6 weeks ago by a Chinese doctor at KP in North Calif. I believe he was a good surgeon. I'm 65 and in excellent health. I had open surgery with a mesh. I took 3 pain pills after surgery and then just tolerated the pain. I don't like what the pain pill were doing to my head.

I started walking the day after surgery. I went to Hawaii two weeks after the surgery and went surfing for about an hour at 6 weeks. All through the recovery phase, I have had sharp pain. The pain has very slowly subsided.  Before I went surfing I was feeling almost pain free. After surfing, I begin getting a sharp pain in my upper thigh and around the area of the incision. I probably over did it by with going out surfing, but I don't believe I compromised the repair.

I'm doing some stretching and that seems to help. I believe one has keep active. The abdomen is a very sensitive area and I believe surgeons give a rosier picture of recovery than is reality. I think the key is keep active, and if you start feeling sharp pain, take it easy for a while. One criticism of the medical system is physical therapy is not usually provided after this operation. It would be helpful to have a list of exercises and timelines for recovery.
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Avatar universal
Remember most who post in forums like this have problems which is why they are posting, that's not a criticism people. I believe those with problems often do have them as a result of poor surgery techniques and I really hope they get a good resolution.

Many who have no issues don't post their stories which makes the overall view very negative. Hernia repair is one of the most common operations performed. As with all things there are some bad results and undoubtedly some bad surgeons too. It's a shame the medical profession isn't better at auditing itself instead of everyone covering everyone else's backside. This is my recounting of my positive result...

At 52 a small hernia I had had for over 20 years got larger and started to hurt intermittently. I was referred to a surgeon who suggested he operate. I had a left side open inguinal repair done with mesh. I'm tall and slim (good genes), not fit but otherwise healthy.

Operated on on Wednesday 29th August 2012, went home Thursday, needed no pain relief from the Sunday and had only been on paracetamol until then. Was driving again the next Wednesday. Started going to the gym (which I hadn't been before surgery) in October - first leg curl was a wake up to go easy but otherwise no problems.

Had numbness below the cut and into the scrotum and top of my leg initially. After a few weeks or perhaps a couple of months all was normal except just below the cut for about 2 inches. Orgasm sensation was reduced to perhaps half.

In the last few weeks (mid April 2013) sensation has returned below the cut and, lucky for me, so has full orgasm sensation. Until then I would get an occasional twinge from the cut and below. Since then have had no pain of any kind.

I found this forum when looking up some of the post operative effects: mild pain as nerves reattached, blue then black scrotum, some minor painless scrotal swelling.

My operation was done in Australia by a surgeon of Chinese origin.

At least a decade a go my Dad had a bilateral laparoscopic repair done and remembers no issues with his either.
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Avatar universal
Hi - I am a 53 year old female in fairly good health. Over the years I have had 7 abdominal surgeries - with no complications. I had to have surgery 4 weeks ago for the inguinal hernia on the right side - Of course they had to do an incision because of all the past surgeries. I had a 5 inch incision... The incision has healed great and not much pain..but my problem is this constant burning pain in the groin area and right leg pain. It actually feels like razor burns with 3rd degree burns on top of it. The doctor tells me it just takes time to heal...and that I need to stop the strong pain killers and switch to advil. Guess it is easy for him to say - he isn't in constant pain. My husband asked him did he use the mesh and he stated no. Just can't understand this much pain. I have had 2 c sections and hysterectomy and never experienced this type of pain.
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Avatar universal
had left inguinal hernia repair and its been 5 weeks today since surgery and I dont know if ill be like this forever but I have left testicle pain that comes and goes and what feels like bad gas or bloating. I have a pain from the 2 cuts in my groin to the left groin and left testicle. This has really affected my livelihood as im only 23 I work out and play sports a lot. If this continues for life suicide will be my only option out of this. Obviously theres a problem we all have and theres nothing nobody can do or find wrong. This was my biggest fear about the hernia surgery as I did research online weeks b4 my surgery and found countless amounts of ppl complaining about testicle pain that never goes away after surgery. My surgeon told me this testicle pain may never go away and to jus take Tylenol or ibuprofen, easy 4 a woman to say lol anyways i dont know if i should even bother going to the dr since it seems no dr can find whats wrong with every1 whos had hernia surgery. i cant afford it really either. So if some1 has an answer about this left testicle pain im listening. I read gas can pinch the left tests but its not from a legit source and i haven't found nothing about it anywhere.
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Avatar universal
Just had surgery 2 weeks ago almost from today. It was for a left inguinal hernia and suffered very little pain. The only pain i really suffered was from the food i was fed in hospital (private) I thought its ok I get to eat plenty of vegies, potatoes, beans, bran, fruit , milk, yoghurt and so on...........no no no it was not good at all as I was seriously constipated for the first 3 days and as im use to haveing a bowl movement 1-2 times a day on a regular basis not being able to go for 3 days after surgery was making me feel quite painful and bloated. I eventually took something to help me go as well as walking around the hospital.

I found out by eating all those foods that it produces loads of air in my stomach and constantly made me feel uncomfortable and painful. As soon as I stoped eating all that food my body felt very little pain and was able to go to the toliet normally again.(i realise certain foods react differntly to each and every indivdual but i do know that these foods create air within your stomach and there are ways to reduce it)

1- after a meal drink a glass of water
2-go for a light 15 min walk
3- avoid foods like beans, dairy, potatoes, ect...ect...
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gas-and-gas-pains/DG00014

I can feel the changes within my body but they dont seem to worry me so much....at least for now ~ I have not done much exericse
Keep in mind im quite a healthy 24 year old male

I had the best surgeon in the state so I was very glad. He told me to leave my bandages on for a week and not to bath. I took them out just a few days ago and I must say its annoying as hell the feeling as it sticks out slightly and feels like when u wear something and the tag keeps rubbing up against ur body and u cant stop fidgiting to get it to stop.

If anyone reads this and is from Canberra then I would highly recomand Dr. David Rangiah. One of the patients I was sharing a room with had his wife come in and she worked as a nurse in the same hospital. She told me that he was the best around :) as did my referring doc :D
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Avatar universal
I am a 37 yr old active male in great physical shape.  I had bilateral laproscopic surgery for direct inguinal hernias on 12/31/12.  I wish I had found this forum earlier, because the comments would have relieved many of my concerns during the first week of recovery.  My worst days were day 3 and 4 post-op b/ c of the urge to have a BM, and the severe pain involved w/  albeit multiple successful bowel movements.  I had consulted my sister who had recently gone through a C-Section birth and recommended to me Miralax which worked great.  I also combined it with Dulcolax Stool Softener (not to be confused with Dulcolax Stimulant Laxative).  I am in the medical profession and returned to work in one week. In retrospect, I may have returned a few days too soon, in spite of approval from my surgeon.  I DO believe that I picked an excellent surgeon, who was recommended by my primary care physician.  I am now almost 3 weeks post-op.  I have worked 2 full weeks and have gone to the gym twice for lighter workouts.  My left side feels normal, but I am experiencing pain/aches on the right hernia site and my right testicle is definitely sore.  This is normal according to my surgeon, but I am grateful to the comments that I have read on this site, and I feel reief that others are also experiencing the same thing.  I hope to be completely discomfort-free soon, but the surgeon did advise me that I would only be 80% for about 3 months.
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Avatar universal
I have terrible pain in my left testicle and this is 2 weeks after a double hernia lap surgery.  The swelling and the bruising has gone but the pain is doing me in.  During the surgery the CO2 escaped to my chest cavity causing my right lung to collapse and inflating me like a balloon.  They woke me 5 hours after I went in and I then spent the day and night and following day in Critical Care assured in the knowledge that it was my anotomy that was to blame.  All this aside my testicle really really hurts and reading this thread is not making me feel any better.  I want this to be sorted ASAP!
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Avatar universal
I do not mean to frighten anyone by any means. Nor do I wish to downplay my experience from a Sports Hernia Repair operation I had about 3 years ago. My injury started one night having a magical moment with my wife. Immediately after I... finished I felt something was wrong with my right testicle. It was a slow burn and no pronounced wow I just blanked my blank. It was just a weird feeling of... something was wrong.
The next few days the pain got worse and I went to emergency. They gave me pain meds and sent me on my miserable way. The pain kept getting worse with it feeling like with every heart beat my right testicle was getting slapped with a steel ruler with about the same speed one would serve a ping pong ball. Not really soft and not hard as hell, but you can imagine what it would feel like if someone slapped your right testicle with a steel ruler with force.
By the next weekend I was in agony and went to the closest city's General hospital emergency dept. That turned into perhaps the worst 5 days in my life. After one ER Doc did the Inguinal Ring test the pain got worse. When I say worse I mean I was screaming, hyperventilating, and almost levitating off the table with pain! He told me to be ready for emergency Hernia surgery. The surgeon, Dr. Tadrous a pompous arrogant surgeon, had other plans though. Because nothing showed on imaging there was no way he was going to operate. The next five days I was observed and asked the same questions over and over.
Rule # 1 - If you are admitted for observation use a marker and draw on your skin where it hurts and on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst pain you can imagine write that number down. After 48 hours of observation I was asked by a dozen doctors "where does it hurt" "how did it start" "On a scale of 1-10..." you get the picture. One night at about 4 in the morning a doctor came over and started asking me those questions again. I was so fn frustrated I tried to grab her pen so that I could initiate Rule # 1. SHe freaked out thinking I was trying assault her.
Rule # 2 - never try to grab a pen from a doctor at 4 in the morning.
No one could figure it out. Before I was sent up to the cancer ward the head of surgery followed by a dozen interns showed up to look at me. He asked everyone if they had examined my feet. I was thinking what the hell does the feet have to do with me screaming with testicular pain? He pulled my socks off and immediately started looking between my toes. I was confused for about 15 seconds then realized he thought I was a drug user and because no one had taken my socks off he figured he hit gold and was about to see "track marks" what ever that looks like.
RULE # 3 - Without imaging results that show a tear most people you encounter in the medical field will think you are a drug user, be prepared and do not despair. Which leads me to
Rule # 4 - You are entitled to live free of pain if the meds are available and work!
After 5 days I was discharged. The pain subsided enough that I wasn't screaming and they wanted me the hell out of there. After 4 CT Scans 1 of them high contrast, ultrasounds up the yin yang and nothing to show for it they were not happy with being stumped. They ruled out anything that was going to kill me ie cancer and were happy to see the door hit my *** on the way out.
I spent the next several months on the internet trying to figure out what I had and stumbled on Sports Hernia. I explored the possibility of this being the problem but in Ontario, where I live, the medical field does not recognize a Sports Hernia as something real and after several specialist visits I learned that no one was going to operate until I found my saviour, Dr. Mark Aubrey in Ottawa. He is a Sports Med Doc and realizes that a Sports Hernia does exist and he referred me to Dr. Rae Brown in Montreal.
I saw Dr. Brown, a very nice older man with fingers the size of sausages. He clinically diagnosed me with Sports Hernia. He looked at me over his glasses after the examination and said "I'm not God, but that's what you have" referring to Sports Hernia. After all that I had been through I was nearly in tears. Well, not really but after I found out the operation was not covered by OHIP Insurance and was going to cost me $4000 I was in tears. I couldn't afford it. After a few more attempts to get it done in Ontario under OHIP I resigned myself to the fact that I had to borrow the money from my mom for the operation. It was getting unbearable dealing with Emergency staff not believing me I had a Sports Hernia and wondering why I hadn't had the surgery if thats what it was. Enter... the money factor. They are rich I am not.
Rule # 5 - Save Money. If your insurance doesn't recognize a Sports Hernia it is going to cost about $4000 in Montreal and I have heard up to $10,000 in the USA.
I eventually had the surgery in a private clinic in Montreal. Wow Terry Cloth Robes, nice slippers and a private room for recovery. The Doc came in and told me I had 3 tears and an entrapped Ilioinguinal Nerve. It was the worst he had seem ever and he has done hundreds of the operation.

I will continue with my story tomorrow. I have to go just now.
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Avatar universal
I'm 63 now. I had a left inguinal hernia repair in my 20s, with no recurrence, and no lasting pain or problems.

Six months ago, my right side tore, and I had an open inguinal and umbilical hernia repair four weeks ago. I was sore for a couple of days, then felt pretty good. Incisions closed, hardly any pain. I have been walking a lot, and not lifting much. Just in the last few days I have increasing pain, still not bad, at the top of my scrotum and in the muscle just above my left testicle. I already had an enlarged prostate, but now it takes longer to urinate, and it's a bit painful.

None of this is the kind of pain others here have described. My testicle "dangles", it's not swollen or tender. I just have minor pain around the inguinal canal and in the abdominal muscles, getting a little worse each day, but still not bad enough to even need an aspirin.

I'll pay close attention and get to the doc if it gets worse. Any symptoms to watch for?

Fred
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Avatar universal
I am a fit and healthy just turned 65.  I exercise walk every day and have a good diet and WAS active.  I had my open double hernia done about early June 2012 only because I was told by my GP that I should have it done as they can strangulate???? Bear in mind I had no discomfort or pain other than went overdoing the lifting.  I was informed by the surgeon to have both done at the same time, I now question this.  He told me I would walk a bit bent over for a few days and to increase activity etc etc.  The op went OK I was not told otherwise, was in overnight and released the next day, I was numb from just above both knees to my upper abdomen.  I took it easy for a few days and just walked around the house and then increased to my usual walks.  A week later had the bandages removed and then had a follow up some 4 weeks after and I told the Surgeon there was some fairly heavy discomfort, he said that was normal and it would all go away.  Since then 3 months later my life has totally changed.  Any touching in the groin area including clothes rubbing on there or even thinking about it is is NO NO.  Including sexual activity which I am scared to even try.  Went back last week and told him I was suffering, had pain all of my waking hours, pinching, pulling, numbness from the base of my penis extending both sides for about 3 inches, he examined me for the normal cough thing and said there was nothing wrong, I told him I can lift things like 20 Kgs if I have to no problems its not that its the constant lingering pain, cant walk sit stand, **** ****, sex, nothing.  Told me to give it another 7 weeks and come back if it still persists.  Wow in this day and age you get this from a surgeon, but from reading this post it sounds like the norm.  I know there is something wrong, what I do not know, I should not have this jabbing electric shock through my body up my spine to my head making me light headed or mildly dizzy, I can walk of and do not loose balance but wow what a pain.  Funny thing is I sleep ok until I have to turn over but it is not as bad as when some weight gets on it like standing. Anyway that's my story doctors do not inform you of the worst, give at least an educated guess bearing in mind your fitness and general health, no just go for the knife.  My hernia was not necessary I would not be like this if I did not have it done and the stupid thing is I DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE IT DONE.  I live in hop it will subside, I spoke to the wife of a man who had the same surgeon do his some 4 weeks after and he is fine, no pain nothing was good after about a month, now would not know he had it done, why I ask, dont know I say.  Might get another opinion if all is not good in the next 6 weeks on continual  pain, then maybe think about a lawyer.  Good luck to all.
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Avatar universal
I had open inguinal surgery on the RIGHT side of my groin in 1997 using mesh and since then my life has been hell and i have been fobbed off with the old IBS diagnosis. I suffer from an empty hollow hungry sick feeling in the mornings and random nausea, vomiting, fever,sweating,bowel cramps,burning sensations,numb feelings,sometimes my scrotum contracts and shrinks so tight it can be painful,constipation,shooting pains,swelling,trapped wind,heartburn and just a general horrible feeling that never goes away even on good days, iv tried changing my diet, sleep, work exercise and iv got nowhere, sometimes i dont realise how much its affecting me until i have a good/bad day and im tired of excuses, if the internet and you people wasnt here the doctors who examined me would have me believe that hernia operations are completely safe,routine and have a 99.9%success rate. lies.
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Avatar universal
I had hernia surgery @2003 and also noticed problems ejaculating which contributed to my marriage ending. The testicular pain on the right side comes and goes but wearing whitey tighties helps, especially at bedtime. I know this will probably sound like new age nonsense, but I researched non medical treatment for a gallbladder polyup I have(no money yet for surgery) and found a dietary supplement called Indian Herb MC X which can be taken internally with food and directly applied to growths in order to shrink them. I've only started using it for a few weeks and have began using the drops on areas of my right testical. I've noticed a tingling sensation coming from the inside of the testical and for the first time since before my hernia surgery I got an erection after kissing my lady friend. It could all be in my mind but there seems to be a difference. I also suffer from migraines and notice that when the headache is behind the right eye the right testicle is more sensitive and painful.  The herbal drops seem to stir things up and I don't apply them before work as it increases sensitivity. I use it at night when I'm on the recliner and it provides some relief. I've only used a quarter of the bottle so far and wonder what the long term effect will be. Call me crazy but something is going on down there that didn't before.  
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Avatar universal
I am in the same position as you! It's nice to know it's not only me or that I'm imagining or going crazy or have a low tolerance for pain!!! I have given birth to six children (twins) and delivered every which way and cannot compare any of those births with what I deal with painwise on a daily basis. I is just a year now since my surgery and per my doctor can hurt for up to a year so have my fingers (and toes) crossed that it will ease up. Do not wan to live the rest of my life in pain or on pain medication!
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