It's Official, We Need Surgery!

During each of our check-ups since the boys were born, the doc has only been able to find 5 of 6 testicles among our trio of young men. We were told over and over to not worry because nothing is done until a year old because everything could fall into place.

With our first birthday quickly approaching, we had our visit to the Pediatric Urologist. The physical exam did not reveal the missing "pesky testie" and the decision was made to go in and take a look around.... yep, surgery!

The doctor said there are three possible scenarios, each of which require surgery. The scenarios are as follows:

1) No testicle was ever formed. This scenario is rare and probably not the case here. If this is the case, this can only be confirmed by taking a look around inside.

2) The testicle started to form but then stopped developing. This is the most likely scenario. If this is the case, they need to go inside and remove all of the remnants so these remaining cells do not become cancerous.

3) The testicle is hiding out in the belly and then need to assist it down to where it belongs. This is the case about 20-30% of the time.

If it is scenario 1 or 2, the will need to do some work on the one remaining testicle to help protect it from future damage. Because the doc can not determine which scenario has caused our missing testicle issue, we are unclear as to what will actually occur during the surgery. They will make the decisions as they progress.

During the surgery, they will enter through the belly button and look around. Based on what they find and what they need to do, he may come out with anywhere from one to three incisions. The surgery is an outpatient surgery that will be done in Jacksonville. He should be up and around the next day.

As I knew this was a possibility over the past 10 months, I was not surprised to hear that this was the course of action that was needed. I am currently prepared for this surgery but when the day comes and they come to take my tiny baby back for surgery.... they may need to bring me one of those "special" jackets and escort me to the padded room!

I am trying to look at the positives here. He will have no idea what is about to happen and will recover quickly. This is a planned surgery and not an emergency. He has a "back-up" that is all he really needs to be a healthy man.

I also asked the doctor if this has anything to do with the fact that he was frozen as an embryo, a triplet or born a month early. He said no to all of these things. There is identified cause for this but it is not any of the reasons I listed.

We do not know the exact date of the surgery. We should hear from the doctor's office soon to schedule the surgery. The doctor said they are usually scheduled a couple months out. So, we have a little time before our day arrives.

Take care,