Surgery
You normally go into hospital on the morning of your operation. Sometimes you may go in the night before. There are things you need to do before you go to the theatre for your operation.
If you have any questions about your operation the nurses can arrange for a member of the surgical team to come and talk to you.
You'll sign a consent form for the operation if you didn't do it at the pre assessment clinic.
Your nurse will check your blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate. They will go through a series of questions on a checklist to make sure you are ready for surgery. They ask you to:
tell them when you last had something to eat and drink
change into a hospital gown
put on a pair of surgical stockings
take off any jewellery (except for a wedding ring)
remove contact lenses if you have them
put on 2 hospital identification bands usually on each wrist
If you have false teeth you can usually keep them in until you get to the anaesthetic room.
For some types of surgery, you need to shave the skin over the operation area. Or your nurse can shave it for you. They might do this when you’re under anaesthetic in the operating room.
Your nurse might give you a tablet or an injection to help you relax. This will be an hour or so before you go to the operating theatre. This makes your mouth feel dry. But you can rinse your mouth with water to keep it moist.
Your nurse and a porter take you to theatre on a trolley if you’ve had this medicine. You can walk down to the theatre if you haven't had any.
You have an anaesthetic so that you can’t feel anything during the operation. You have this in the anaesthetic room or the operating theatre.
All the doctors and nurses wear theatre gowns, hats and masks. This reduces your chance of getting an infection.
Your anaesthetist may put in a cannula, if you haven’t got one already. You’ll have fluids and medicines you need through the cannula including the general anaesthetic. This sends you into a deep sleep. When you wake up, the operation will be over.
The anaesthetist might also give you a spinal anaesthetic. This is a local anaesthetic that is injected into a small tube in the space around your spine (in your lower back). This makes you numb from the waist down it helps with pain control after your operation
After the operation, you usually wake up in the recovery room. Or you might wake up the high dependency unit. This depends on the type of surgery you have.
Last reviewed: 03 Jan 2025
Next review due: 03 Jan 2028
The main operation is surgery to remove your testicle (orchidectomy). Your doctor might also recommend removing your lymph nodes at the back of your tummy (abdomen).
Before your operation, you have tests to check your fitness and you meet members of your treatment team.
Your recovery depends on the type of operation you have and your general health.
There is a risk of problems or complications after any operation. Many problems are minor but some can be life threatening. Treating them as soon as possible is important.
You usually have surgery. You might have chemotherapy or radiotherapy. This depends on the stage and type of your testicular cancer.
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