I had my procedure done 2 weeks and 3 days ago and I am still in pain somewhat! I am happy to say my swelling has gone down alot but this NO PAIN theory is a bunch of c**p!My 2 stitches have all but desolved but it seems that my cut whats to pull away and open up to where it worries me sometimes.Then in the mornings it looks closed again until I take a shower. What I can say about all this is I believe I am in for a long recovery with still alot of soreness and I am keeping an eye on my cut to make sure no infection is accuring. Healing is very very slow! The worst is that my wife wants sex now and I cant!!
I had mine done on the 3rd of July and it is day 7 of recovery and I am feeling a throbbing sensation on left side that is like my 1 yr old daughter just banging me in the nuts. to be honest the left side has been more problematic ever since day one. I also have to say that the procedure was not completely terrible but when when he went to the right for some reason the local he used, Marcain i belleive, was not working i felt that !@@# syringe hit my vas at least 4 times i can say this much i will never forget this experience..... funny thing is the other side is the side that i feel the most pain in. I think that given all this i would do it again if had to ...i think everyone needs to keep in mind there is human to human variability and some may sail through it and others not. I definately recomend not doing ONE SINGLE THING other than sitting on your Butt the entire time!!! And would recommend it to friends but with a true warning about my experince and others that had success :-D %-) 8-|
I had mine done almost 5 years ago. I still suffer from chronic pain.
About a year after I had it done, the pain was still so severe on the right side, that after several months of weekly (painful - you should have seen the needle!) injections which were supposed to eventually "kill" the nerve going into the right side of my scrotum, I had to have my right testicle removed.
The pain is still present on the right side, albeit not nearly as severe.
I still have some moderate discomfort on the left side as well, but nowhere near what I experienced on the right. I just tough it out - not fun...
I've talked 3 or 4 of my friends out of having the procedure while trying to still make light of my post operative status.
I cannot recommend enough that a vasectomy is NOT "no big deal"... Things CAN AND DO go wrong.
My friends now call me Uno. I tell them not to make fun of me, because after all, I am half nuts...
About a year after I had it done, the pain was still so severe on the right side, that after several months of weekly (painful - you should have seen the needle!) injections which were supposed to eventually "kill" the nerve going into the right side of my scrotum, I had to have my right testicle removed.
The pain is still present on the right side, albeit not nearly as severe.
I still have some moderate discomfort on the left side as well, but nowhere near what I experienced on the right. I just tough it out - not fun...
I've talked 3 or 4 of my friends out of having the procedure while trying to still make light of my post operative status.
I cannot recommend enough that a vasectomy is NOT "no big deal"... Things CAN AND DO go wrong.
My friends now call me Uno. I tell them not to make fun of me, because after all, I am half nuts...
Just had mine on 8/23 (Thursday) and I'm really blue down there now (Tuesday). The procedure wasn't bad, but I tend towards panic attacks and had one after he finished the right nut. So my left nut is REALLY blue, and I'm wondering if its because he rushed because I started moaning and moving around, or what. One fellow said to get some good sedatives...I was on diazapam(sic), but it didn't do the trick to keep me calm. Get the sedatives!
I did ice for 2 days, no tight pants or anything but Advil afterwards. I had NO bleeding, and the site looks great. I'll watch to make sure the bruising goes down...you guys have given me hope that I'll get out of this intact. I'm still quite sore down there....worse than the first day or even the second. I don't know who these guys are who can jog on the third day, or even think about sex before that.
Yet, compared to some of the stories out here I think I've got it easy. (I would have never done it if I read this stuff first!!! :$ ). Of course on the internet you more likely going to read the negative stuff....but thanks to everyone for posting their misery ;-)
I feel good about this. Now sex can be just recreational with my wife...no nagging fears of a 4th child. My three are great, and thats enough at 41.
Thanks everyone!
I did ice for 2 days, no tight pants or anything but Advil afterwards. I had NO bleeding, and the site looks great. I'll watch to make sure the bruising goes down...you guys have given me hope that I'll get out of this intact. I'm still quite sore down there....worse than the first day or even the second. I don't know who these guys are who can jog on the third day, or even think about sex before that.
Yet, compared to some of the stories out here I think I've got it easy. (I would have never done it if I read this stuff first!!! :$ ). Of course on the internet you more likely going to read the negative stuff....but thanks to everyone for posting their misery ;-)
I feel good about this. Now sex can be just recreational with my wife...no nagging fears of a 4th child. My three are great, and thats enough at 41.
Thanks everyone!
It's now Sunday after my Friday morning procedure. Luckily the kids went to the in-laws and my wife and I went to a spa. She got the massages and such, while I figured I was going to lie in bed all day- might as well do it in a hotel room where the bed is in the living room.
First day was tough. I had this idea that we'd go to the hotel the night of the first day. Wrong. I sat in bed ALL day- only getting up to pee. The first time, I almost fainted on my way back. Lay on the bed and got the cold sweats. It passed and I figured I should eat some lunch, since it was 1:30 and i had left the house that morning at 8:30. Ate and felt much better. Also took a percocet as the local anesthesia was starting to wear off. It felt like I'd had a swift kick in the nuts, but occasionally I had a sharp pain on the right side.
Stayed in bed all day and night, and finally allowed myself to roll over to sleep on my stomach.... for awhile as that started to hurt, too. Took some tylenol before bed, to head off most of that pain, however.
Second day, bought a jock strap that fit tightly and felt MUCH better as my doctor seemed to have tied up my vas tubes to the inside of my scrotum and when my balls sagged, it would pull on the incision. Was much better to be nice and tight. Jock strap is highly recommended!!!
Today is the third say, and since I'd heard that most people feel like c**p the first day and then by the second day feel fine, they end up over-doing it, like one of the posters said... well, I was careful. Didn't lift anything and only walked around. Today, the third day, I have some dime-sized bruising above the incision, for some reason. But the dull ache is mostly gone. Haven't had any sharp pains for awhile. And i haven't had any bleeding on that right side since I bought the jock strap.
Will take it easy for the next week.....
First day was tough. I had this idea that we'd go to the hotel the night of the first day. Wrong. I sat in bed ALL day- only getting up to pee. The first time, I almost fainted on my way back. Lay on the bed and got the cold sweats. It passed and I figured I should eat some lunch, since it was 1:30 and i had left the house that morning at 8:30. Ate and felt much better. Also took a percocet as the local anesthesia was starting to wear off. It felt like I'd had a swift kick in the nuts, but occasionally I had a sharp pain on the right side.
Stayed in bed all day and night, and finally allowed myself to roll over to sleep on my stomach.... for awhile as that started to hurt, too. Took some tylenol before bed, to head off most of that pain, however.
Second day, bought a jock strap that fit tightly and felt MUCH better as my doctor seemed to have tied up my vas tubes to the inside of my scrotum and when my balls sagged, it would pull on the incision. Was much better to be nice and tight. Jock strap is highly recommended!!!
Today is the third say, and since I'd heard that most people feel like c**p the first day and then by the second day feel fine, they end up over-doing it, like one of the posters said... well, I was careful. Didn't lift anything and only walked around. Today, the third day, I have some dime-sized bruising above the incision, for some reason. But the dull ache is mostly gone. Haven't had any sharp pains for awhile. And i haven't had any bleeding on that right side since I bought the jock strap.
Will take it easy for the next week.....
I had the vasectomy done a week ago today.
The first four days I was really sore, and then the pain changed on day five to a sore lower abdomen type pain. If I sit still, it doesn't hurt at all, but if I sit for a while and then stand up I have to get up slowly.
Today, on day 7, I feel the best I've felt since the procedure, and I am moving around normally, but I have to be careful still. Most of the tender area is at the top of each testicle, and I still have to stand up with care as the lower abdomen is still tender. It feels like I worked out doing leg lifts on a Roman Chair. I have a good amount of bruising / discoloration - on the top of each testicle, and also on the lower penis shaft itself it is blueish - purple - blackened a bit. The Doc said this is quite common and not to worry.
My Doc used a "scalpel-less" procedure where he made a single puncture in the scrotum in the front middle, and then he pulled each Vas Deferens out. He removed a section from each, and then put Titanium clamps on each. He did not prescribe any antibiotics. He did prescribe Vicodin for pain, and I tried it but didn't like it at all. It made me want to vomit.
The procedure itself is not bad - it took 10-15 minutes once the Doc came in the room. The worst parts were getting the needle inserted into each testicle to numb each up, but it only stings and burns for a few seconds. Just breathe and the pain goes away quickly. The other not so fun part was the fact that they had taped my penis to my belly to keep it out of the way - and the post-procedure removal of the tape was not pleasant on the delicate penis skin.
The best advice I can give is to make sure you have 5-7 days off of work, and if your job required bending over and lifting, give it at least 10 days to 2 weeks. Also - get 4 bags of frozen peas. Keep two in the freezer at all times, and two on your testicles / penis for 20-30 minutes of every hour for the first 3 days. I use the peas while watching TV, driving in the car, etc. Keep them iced up - it prevents swelling and eases the pain, plus, I find it hurts the most when your testes are warm and hanging low - so the peas cause your scrotum to tighten up (ball retraction, LOL) which is more comfortable.
Also buy a jockstrap or two and wear it for 2-3 days after the procedure.
Hope that helps! I'm figuring (hoping) I'll be good to go in another 4-5 days - so in my case - probably two weeks to feel recovered again.
Oh - another thing - I "tried out the equipment" :-D with the wife on the morning of day 4 (was feeling pretty good that day) but then I hurt bad after that and hurt worse the following day than I had before, so you *might* want to abstain for at least a week. o.O
Update: 11 days after the procedure, most of the pain has subsided - especially the lower abdomen pulling I felt when standing up too quickly. Also - most of the testicular swelling has gone down and there are only a couple of bruises left - very small ones. The single stitch is still there in the scrotum - I hope it falls off soon, but it doesn't bother me at all. I tried out the equipment again and it works great!
The first four days I was really sore, and then the pain changed on day five to a sore lower abdomen type pain. If I sit still, it doesn't hurt at all, but if I sit for a while and then stand up I have to get up slowly.
Today, on day 7, I feel the best I've felt since the procedure, and I am moving around normally, but I have to be careful still. Most of the tender area is at the top of each testicle, and I still have to stand up with care as the lower abdomen is still tender. It feels like I worked out doing leg lifts on a Roman Chair. I have a good amount of bruising / discoloration - on the top of each testicle, and also on the lower penis shaft itself it is blueish - purple - blackened a bit. The Doc said this is quite common and not to worry.
My Doc used a "scalpel-less" procedure where he made a single puncture in the scrotum in the front middle, and then he pulled each Vas Deferens out. He removed a section from each, and then put Titanium clamps on each. He did not prescribe any antibiotics. He did prescribe Vicodin for pain, and I tried it but didn't like it at all. It made me want to vomit.
The procedure itself is not bad - it took 10-15 minutes once the Doc came in the room. The worst parts were getting the needle inserted into each testicle to numb each up, but it only stings and burns for a few seconds. Just breathe and the pain goes away quickly. The other not so fun part was the fact that they had taped my penis to my belly to keep it out of the way - and the post-procedure removal of the tape was not pleasant on the delicate penis skin.
The best advice I can give is to make sure you have 5-7 days off of work, and if your job required bending over and lifting, give it at least 10 days to 2 weeks. Also - get 4 bags of frozen peas. Keep two in the freezer at all times, and two on your testicles / penis for 20-30 minutes of every hour for the first 3 days. I use the peas while watching TV, driving in the car, etc. Keep them iced up - it prevents swelling and eases the pain, plus, I find it hurts the most when your testes are warm and hanging low - so the peas cause your scrotum to tighten up (ball retraction, LOL) which is more comfortable.
Also buy a jockstrap or two and wear it for 2-3 days after the procedure.
Hope that helps! I'm figuring (hoping) I'll be good to go in another 4-5 days - so in my case - probably two weeks to feel recovered again.
Oh - another thing - I "tried out the equipment" :-D with the wife on the morning of day 4 (was feeling pretty good that day) but then I hurt bad after that and hurt worse the following day than I had before, so you *might* want to abstain for at least a week. o.O
Update: 11 days after the procedure, most of the pain has subsided - especially the lower abdomen pulling I felt when standing up too quickly. Also - most of the testicular swelling has gone down and there are only a couple of bruises left - very small ones. The single stitch is still there in the scrotum - I hope it falls off soon, but it doesn't bother me at all. I tried out the equipment again and it works great!
I'm a 38 year old healthy male and I have just had a vasectomy.
I generally have a high pain threshhold not having injections when having fillings at the dentist and I felt the 2 local anesthetics which lasted several seconds.
There is a cramping sensation which feels a bit like a minor hernia in the stomach and a headache in the testicle area like when you eat a ice cream fast for a lengthy period of time. It has been 8 days and I still feel awkward however my 6 year old son stepping on my left testicle was not beneficial.
Every person is likely to have a different experience, however be warned it was not a walk in the park!
I tried going to work on the 4th day after the op and it was a silly option which I delayed up until today. Not everyone sails through this simple procedure. I have an infected left vas and currently have 2 weeks of antibiotics treatment. So don't expect miracles however you may be lucky. I currently feel like my right testicle is a free agent and will most likely seek professional opinion on this? I hope this blurb helps others, Merry Xmas...
I generally have a high pain threshhold not having injections when having fillings at the dentist and I felt the 2 local anesthetics which lasted several seconds.
There is a cramping sensation which feels a bit like a minor hernia in the stomach and a headache in the testicle area like when you eat a ice cream fast for a lengthy period of time. It has been 8 days and I still feel awkward however my 6 year old son stepping on my left testicle was not beneficial.
Every person is likely to have a different experience, however be warned it was not a walk in the park!
I tried going to work on the 4th day after the op and it was a silly option which I delayed up until today. Not everyone sails through this simple procedure. I have an infected left vas and currently have 2 weeks of antibiotics treatment. So don't expect miracles however you may be lucky. I currently feel like my right testicle is a free agent and will most likely seek professional opinion on this? I hope this blurb helps others, Merry Xmas...
I guess I'm a bit of a freak... this is my second vasectomy! The first one did not work unfortunatly... 12 months later my sperm count actually started to increase!!! Thank goodness i took the test, child no5 was never an option for us (hell, no4 was a suprise!)
Last time i developed a haematoma on the left side that actually formed in the end of the vas. The first 2 days were'nt too bad but by day 3 i was in agony and there was no doctor available till monday (2 days later). When i fronted the doctor on Monday he took one look, winced, and perscribed some antibiotics. I can say that within 6 hours the anitbiotics made things much better!
Anyway, the theory from the resulting haematoma is that the body grew a small vein to heal itself and sperm were travelling along that making my vasectomy ineffective.
The Doc was quite suprised, after 20 years of vasecotmies i was the first he had had this problem with. Apparently i'm statistically one in a thousand.
SO 2 days ago i went back for the op again, and sure enough on my left side he could see that the body had headled itself and grown a very small strand to rejoin the two tubes. This time the procedure hurt a bit more as he had to cut through scar tissue, but it was bearable... just. I winced quite hard at one point... the part where he was double checking i was'nt some freak with 3 tubes - very rare but does happen apparently.
This time i had some bleeding on the right side and bruising on the left side. Not feeling 2 bad though 2 days afterwards. Doing little things like helping the wife with the kids but nothing 2 major at this stage. The bag of frozen peas has been particularly helpfull.
This time i hope to God it works cos i am definetly done with this procedure. All those idiots that tell you there's nothing to it are just trying to proved their manhood... rest assured you will need to do very little for a couple of days to stay comfortable! OVerdoing it is the most common way to get complications.
If you go ahead with the op good luck to you... i sincerely hope once is enough for you!!! However it wasnt for me!!!
Simon
Queensland, Australia
Last time i developed a haematoma on the left side that actually formed in the end of the vas. The first 2 days were'nt too bad but by day 3 i was in agony and there was no doctor available till monday (2 days later). When i fronted the doctor on Monday he took one look, winced, and perscribed some antibiotics. I can say that within 6 hours the anitbiotics made things much better!
Anyway, the theory from the resulting haematoma is that the body grew a small vein to heal itself and sperm were travelling along that making my vasectomy ineffective.
The Doc was quite suprised, after 20 years of vasecotmies i was the first he had had this problem with. Apparently i'm statistically one in a thousand.
SO 2 days ago i went back for the op again, and sure enough on my left side he could see that the body had headled itself and grown a very small strand to rejoin the two tubes. This time the procedure hurt a bit more as he had to cut through scar tissue, but it was bearable... just. I winced quite hard at one point... the part where he was double checking i was'nt some freak with 3 tubes - very rare but does happen apparently.
This time i had some bleeding on the right side and bruising on the left side. Not feeling 2 bad though 2 days afterwards. Doing little things like helping the wife with the kids but nothing 2 major at this stage. The bag of frozen peas has been particularly helpfull.
This time i hope to God it works cos i am definetly done with this procedure. All those idiots that tell you there's nothing to it are just trying to proved their manhood... rest assured you will need to do very little for a couple of days to stay comfortable! OVerdoing it is the most common way to get complications.
If you go ahead with the op good luck to you... i sincerely hope once is enough for you!!! However it wasnt for me!!!
Simon
Queensland, Australia
I had the operation done two months ago. I'm 38, healthy. The worst of the procedure was the anaesthetic. That was painful for a few seconds for each side. After the anaesthetic wore off, I felt like I had alligator clips on my scrotum for at least 2 weeks after the procedure. I also had the dull ache for maybe 3-4 weeks after the procedure. I didn't have any complications or infections. I also felt like my testicles were heavier at times. It's not a cakewalk, but I only missed one day of work, the day after the procedure. Do I regret having the procedure? Absolutely not. I never expected it to be painless.
dec-14-07 was mine now it is jan 22 08 it was painful when he had to find the vas tube and put the clamp on it .then the shot .after that was some pulling and such .the op did'ent hurt but like i am i could not not sit still after getting home ,and it did feel like i was kicked in the nuts .took a few vicodin and setled down a few days .then started hurting again .but it wasent unbearible.but i did go back to the do .and he told me to soakin very hot water .2 days of that and i was all good .stil hurts wheni wash them but not bad . went pretty good overall.....
Today is Monday, Jan 28, and I had the procedure done last Friday. I have a "mild" amount of discomfort today, but certainly not anything that would prevent me from working. I have to be a little careful sitting down, and standing up, but that's about it. There is still a little swelling around where the stitches are, maybe the size of a marble, but that's about it. I took a few vicodin on Friday, 1 on Sat. and 1 on Sunday. There wasn't a massive amount of pain, just "discomfort".....like I had been "grazed". I recommend it to any man who is 100% sure they are done having kids. Can't wait to put it use!
I had mine done last Friday and today is Tuesday. I am getting a bit of pain most when I go to stand up and I have a ache feeling mostly in my left testicle. I am hoping this goes away.
I have very little to no swelling except for where the stitches are.
My procedure was much more painful than I was expecting but as long as I can make it through this week or so and get back to normal, it will be worth it.
I have very little to no swelling except for where the stitches are.
My procedure was much more painful than I was expecting but as long as I can make it through this week or so and get back to normal, it will be worth it.
I had mine done on Feb/14/08. Ya a very nice little Valentine for my wife. I now sit here on day 08 and am still very uncomfortable. The procedure is what's expected. But I think that a normal recovery time of a week is inaccurate. I am not in any real pain but I have to say...WOW. It still is not over. Feels like I have a softball between my legs. Still swollen and sore. (and I take public transit...ouch!!!!). I did what they said to do in post-op but.....Anyways someone posted ahead of me a couple of posts and I think he has the right idea. GET A JOCK STRAP! I am getting one tomorrow. For those that had no probs with this operation, consider yourself lucky. In the end it is still better than to ask your wife to go through major surgery.
All the best my friends.
All the best my friends.
Wow, I am happy that I did not find this board until AFTER I had my vasectomy last week.
I am 39 and have been toying with the idea of cutting the VAS for several years. Finally decided to take the plunge on Friday, March 21st. Decided to have it done for the first round of the NCAA's. Procedure was smooth. Except for the short 2 second pain on each of my testicles (doctor used the freeze spray, no needles), there was no additional pain. I was in and out of the clinic within 1 hour, and home in time to watch the first tipp-off. I then put my feet up, grabbed several ice bags (I had two different bags of pees spring a leak so I opted for double bagged Ice) and preceded to watch tourney hoops for 3 days straight.
I medicated with percocet the first two days and occasional tylenol after that. I am on day 4 post VAS cut and I am feeling pretty good.
Unlike some of the above posts, I had a few bloody drips on my briefs the first two evenings but no gushing (there were no stitches put in my sack). I have continued to use the ice bags when sitting and put a pillow between my legs to sleep to keep my legs from crushing my tender boys.
My only advice is to heed the post procedure suggestions as closely as possible. The more time on the couch with the ice the better. I will continue to take it easy and with any luck I will be swinging golf clubs again this weekend.
Final word is to do your research before you set out to do this thing. I talked to several of my friends, some had better experiences than others, and made the decision to go with a clinic that they had been too and had no issues.
I am 39 and have been toying with the idea of cutting the VAS for several years. Finally decided to take the plunge on Friday, March 21st. Decided to have it done for the first round of the NCAA's. Procedure was smooth. Except for the short 2 second pain on each of my testicles (doctor used the freeze spray, no needles), there was no additional pain. I was in and out of the clinic within 1 hour, and home in time to watch the first tipp-off. I then put my feet up, grabbed several ice bags (I had two different bags of pees spring a leak so I opted for double bagged Ice) and preceded to watch tourney hoops for 3 days straight.
I medicated with percocet the first two days and occasional tylenol after that. I am on day 4 post VAS cut and I am feeling pretty good.
Unlike some of the above posts, I had a few bloody drips on my briefs the first two evenings but no gushing (there were no stitches put in my sack). I have continued to use the ice bags when sitting and put a pillow between my legs to sleep to keep my legs from crushing my tender boys.
My only advice is to heed the post procedure suggestions as closely as possible. The more time on the couch with the ice the better. I will continue to take it easy and with any luck I will be swinging golf clubs again this weekend.
Final word is to do your research before you set out to do this thing. I talked to several of my friends, some had better experiences than others, and made the decision to go with a clinic that they had been too and had no issues.
It is now 4 days since my vasectomy, unlike most of you I have very little pain, I do have some swelling and bruising, but not a lot. The main thing I have noticed is the difference in ejaculate, it is noticable, and slightly worrying... less, and thicker... I am probably the exception to the rule as I am now completely pain free...