Dennis’ experience: My vasectomy story

Hi from Ontario, Canada. I got home from the hospital about a half-hour ago, after a stop at the local drugstore for antibiotics and Tylenol #3’s. I’m experiencing some discomfort but nothing particularly extreme, I’d describe it as a low-grade ‘achiness’.

Well, we’d discussed this idea of a vasectomy, my wife and I, and decided as we both were very clear on not wanting children, I requested a referral to a urologist from my family doctor. This took a month or so. Upon being phoned by the urologist’s receptionist I went to the office to learn I had two options. One, I could wait till late January for a ‘consultation’, OR I could schedule the procedure itself for early December. I opted for the latter, having already consulted with my wife and doing loads of research on the internet.

The day arrived and we took the bus to the hospital. After registering at the front desk we were told to go up to the ‘day surgery’ floor, which we did, and after a brief wait, were ushered into a room, where I was told to change into a hospital gown and robe, complete with little booties! Some more waiting, and then a nurse pushed the gurney down the hall and up the elevator to the surgical floor itself, despite my telling her I could save her the trouble and walk. Some more waiting, next to two other gurney’s, one with a guy on it waiting for four wisdom teeth to be extracted and one with a woman on it, and finally I was trundled down the hall to an OR.

Now, up until this point, I’d been pretty nonchalant about the whole thing, mostly because the extensive research I’d done led me to believe it was a pretty straightforward procedure. However, upon seeing the masked and gowned nurses preparing for the event by unwrapping little packages of what seemed like enough medical doodads to perform surgery on a whole hockey team, I became rather apprehensive.

There were two nurses, a woman and a man, who hooked me up to a blood pressure thing and put one of those things on my index finger that monitors blood oxygen and told me I appeared very relaxed, as my levels were all very ‘normal’ for someone anticipating surgery. This was reassuring. After a few minutes of waiting, the doctor arrived and then the fun began!

My genital area has shaved a tad (though the doctor applauded the job I’d done myself previously) and was scrubbed with some anti-bacterial stuff. Then they covered my lower body with what seemed like enough surgical drapes to construct a hang glider and without much ado, they began. “You’ll feel a bit of pressure”…

The good doctor then proceeded to poke and prod at my testicles and it didn’t hurt one bit and I’ll add that he talked me through the entire thing, at each step he’d tell me what he was doing, which helped tremendously. The nurses instructed me to breathe slowly and deeply, in through the nose, out through the mouth which I did easily, being familiar with a similar technique through ‘relaxation exercises’. Next came the part I’d been dreading, the NEEDLE. “You’ll feel a pinprick and some burning”, he told me. A pinprick yes, no burning whatsoever, I’ve felt far more pain being injected at the dentist. Then he began the procedure, on the left side first. Though he warned me a few times to expect some ‘tugging’ or ‘soreness’, I felt hardly a thing, only a bit of pressure. When he began stitching it up I could more hear him doing it than feel it, but it did feel similar to the sensation I feel if my pubic hair is pulled. No pain at all. Then came the second stage.

This time, the needle made me gasp, but it was over in an instant. I’m guessing my body had been wary of him doing the same thing again, and the vas had retreated ways inside for when he was looking for it I felt a sharp tugging sort of pain, but it didn’t last. I felt this sort of pain twice more, and then he stitched it up and it was over! It took, in total, about 25 minutes.

I’ve just taken the first of the antibiotics and will take a couple of Tylenol #3’s in an hour (they gave me one at the hospital after the surgery). I’m experiencing no pain whatsoever, but there is a bit of soreness, but NOT in my testicles, its more located on either side of my groin area, and I’m guessing it’s residual pain from when he was tugging on the vas.

After we’d left the hospital, we went to the local mall in a taxi to pick up the prescriptions, and then walked through the mall to await another taxi. I could have walked home from the mall, but didn’t want to risk it, as I could tell the walking was starting to cause some discomfort. The doctor told me to use an ice pack for swelling and pain, but I’ve not felt the need to yet, but probably will anyway, just to be on the safe side. That is my tale. Right now, I’m eating some nachos with cheese, happy to be home and feeling good that I made the decision to have it done. My wife’s health is such that a pregnancy could be dangerous and it’s nice to know that, even though we’d always used multiple forms of ‘protection’ (pill, foam, & condoms), that now we won’t have to worry about a ‘surprise’.

Submitted by Dennis