Bruce’s experience: Nervous Canadian’s story

I was glad to find the vasectomy-information.com website when I was preparing for my vasectomy. I especially appreciated the personal stories and thought I would add my own.

I’m a 36 year old Canadian, married with two kids. I don’t want any more children and my wife half-agreed with me. We also discussed how we would be able to enjoy sex more if we didn’t have to use condoms. It was that second part that made me more interested in a vasectomy than the first part.

I wasn’t at all worried about having a vasectomy. I scheduled it for late December, to coincide with my school break. My wife would ask me “are you scared” and I’d just shrug and say “no, I’m not even thinking about it.” Well, the week before the scheduled date I started to get cold feet. I began thinking of all the reasons I shouldn’t do it:

1. It will hurt
2. I might get an infection and long-term complications (I’m a diabetic)
3. It will ruin the holidays
4. It will hurt, dammit!

I almost talked myself out of it. But I decided that the risks were not that great. I got a lot of comfort from reading the stories on this website, and from talking to my brother who had a vasectomy several years ago.

On the day of the vasectomy, I arrived at the hospital’s Day Medical Unit at 8:00 am to fill out paperwork. Then, a nurse took me into the back and had me change into a hospital gown. I waited about half an hour in a waiting room, with a couple of other guys in hospital gowns. Then, someone called my name and it sent chills up my spine. THIS WAS IT.

I followed a male nurse into a large operating room and climbed onto the table. He shaved about half of my scrotum with quick, brisk strokes like he was scraping ice off a windshield. Then he laid a large tarp over me with a rectangular opening positioned over my groin. My doctor arrived and it was time to start.

I was completely terrified! I was breathing hard and digging my hands into my face, readying myself for the sledgehammer blow of pain to my testicles. The doctor began kneading the left side of my scrotum, pulling the vas tube up to the surface of the sac. Oh, god, I was not prepared…

“I’m going to freeze the skin first,” said the doctor, “you’ll feel a sharp pinch” and there was indeed a sharp prick that was mildly painful. “Now I’m going to freeze the vas tube” and I felt another sharper prick, and uncomfortable pressure in my sac as some fluid was injected into the vas tube. And that was it. The next five minutes were uncomfortable, and my body was tense the whole time. But the sledgehammer blow of pain did not come.

“That’s it for the left side. Now I’m going to do the right” said the good doctor, and once again my body tensed, and I clutched at my face waiting for the excruciating pain. Once again, though, there was one sharp prick followed by another sharper prick and uncomfortable pressure in my sac. Then, another five minutes of painless cutting and sewing. “That’s it for the second side, and you’ve only got two sides,” said the doctor, and the vasectomy was over.

I spent the next day resting in bed, applying bags of frozen peas to my balls. There was no swelling at all, so I stopped using the peas and just kept resting the second day, although I did walk around more. On the third day, I ran an errand downtown, rested most of the day but still did do a fair amount of walking and standing. On the fourth day, I noticed some bruising that wasn’t there before, so I think I may have started walking around a little too early. Other than than, no complications. My balls feel a little sore right now, like they do if you cum too many times in one night. But that’s it.

So, that’s my story. I almost talked myself out of having it done, was a nervous wreck on the hospital table, and was functioning normally soon afterward. The worst part was the dread and worry I put myself through. I think to say it was “painful” is an overstatement. It was mostly uncomfortable.

Submitted by Bruce