Ed’s experience: My vasectomy diary

Hi, everybody! I’ve been lurking for a few weeks now, and thought it was about time for me to share my experiences so far. I have put them in a “diary” format for clarity. I typed as I went, and didn’t pay much attention to grammar.

In the text below, I mention taking ibuprofen (Advil) to minimize swelling. In the vasectomy pamphlet the doctor gave me, it says to take acetaminophen (Tylenol) instead. It specifically said NOT to take ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen. Guess the blood-thinning risk could lead to more scrotal bleeding/bruising if you tale ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen.

I had a close-ended procedure with titanium clips. A single midline incision is about 1/2 cm long. I’m convinced that anti-inflammatories and ice played a big factor in the healing process the first few days. When it comes to the well-being of the twins, I’m very conservative!

I recommend placing a heated gel pad over your crotch to help keep things loose. After reading some stories about pain from the doctor’s tugging, I wanted every advantage I could think of. (Forgot to ask for valium, though.)

I’ve only told two people about my procedure so far. It would have been difficult dodging their questions about why I’ve stopped riding for a month. My initial explanation that “The boys were bruised” only brought more questions. After the real explanation was out, sympathy is in abundance! As things progress, I should be able to provide periodic progress reports.

Fri, November 12th, 2004

• Discussed the results of my physical with my primary care physician.
• Afterward, discussed having a vasectomy.
• Obtained a referral to a urologist.

Tue, November 16th, 2004

• Consulted with the urologist about my reasons for unwanted fertility.
• Scheduled for a vasectomy on the 19th.

Wed, November 17th, 2004

• Rescheduled the vasectomy for December 3rd – Wanted to horseback ride through December.

Thu, December 2nd, 2004

• Bought some frozen peas for an ice pack.

Fri, December 3rd, 2004: The day of the vasectomy

• 8:00 – Took the day off from work.
• 9:00 – Shaved scrotum and surrounding side areas. Applied isopropyl alcohol to freshly shaved scrotum – Burned a bit.
• 9:15 – Microwaved a gel heating pad. This is to help keep my scrotal skin loose. During the initial exam, the doc mentioned that my right testicle rode higher and he might not be able to get to its vas deferens through a midline incision. The 15-minute heat pack did the trick. Both sides were riding low for the procedure.
• 9:20 – Drove to doctor’s office. Left the supporter in my jacket pocket. Kept the heating pad on my crotch for the entire 15-minute drive. The heating pad worked well. Scrotum skin feels very relaxed.
• 10:00 – Vasectomy time…
• 10:10 – A little nervous about the needle sticks and PVP. The nurse showed me into the procedure room. Urinated and stripped to only socks and my T-shirt. Lay down on the table and placed drape over the groin area.
• 10:15 – The nurse placed a sterile drape and swabbed my scrotum with a 1:750 (hyrdro…?) prep scrub. Can’t remember the name of the stuff.
• 10:20 – Doctor gloved up and had a nurse help him pull ~3cc of 2% lidocaine.
• 10:25 – Nurse left and the doctor told me to not jump when he stuck me. I jumped anyway. Needle felt like getting stuck in the gums at the dentist. The doctor told me to try to relax and let my testicles drop. Easier said than done. Breathed in and out and finally, the lidocaine kicked in – nuts were numb.
• 10:30 – A midline incision was made. The doctor started working on the left side first. Felt some light tugging up high on the left. The left side finished in ~5-10 minutes. The right side was pretty much the same w/o the tugging sensation.
• 10:50 – Procedure complete. No pain.
• 10:55 – The doctor gave me three 250 mg Levofloxacin antibiotic tablets. Gave me two semen sample cups for 8 & 12 weeks post-op sperm presence. The doctor instructed me not to ejaculate for two weeks. No horseback riding for 1 month. The doctor gave me a prescription for 20 hydrocodone (Vicodin) tablets.
• 11:00 – Began to leave the parking lot. Slight dull pain on the left side where I felt the tugging. Took 800 mg of ibuprofen. Scrotum burned at the incision site for ~10 minutes.
• 11:15 – Got Vicodin prescription filled went home. Don’t think I’ll need it though.
• 11:30 – Took one 250 mg Levofloxacin antibiotic tablet. (First one.)
• 12:00 – Ate 2 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and went to read in bed.
• 3:00 – Put on jockstrap and thermals. ScotchGuarded horse blanket for the rainy weekend.
• 4:00 – Went to the barn to feed the horses. Drank one beer.
• 6:00 – Got back home. No pain. The scrotum is slightly swollen.
• 7:00 – No pain. A minor dull ache when testicles are lightly squeezed. Testis/vas deferens are particularly sensitive where the titanium clamps are.
• 8:00 – Continued reading in bed. No pain.
• 9:00 – Iced scrotum for 30 minutes. Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling. My scrotum is very cold, small, shriveled, and hard. They’ve never been this cold in my life!
• 9:30 – Put away frozen peas and fell asleep.

Sat, December 4th, 2004

• 10:00 – Was aware of frequent erections last night and this morning. Took one 250 mg Levofloxacin antibiotic tablet. (Second one.) Went to the barn to feed horses. Stayed 4 hours and drank 1 beer.
• 6:00 – Had top sirloin steak for dinner and watched movies. Drank one beer.
• 12:00 – Noticed two defined dark purple bruises. One on either side of scrotum ~0.5cm wide and ~1 cm long. Bruises are at 10:00 & 2:00 position. Looks sort of like the black marks football players put under their eyes, except sloped down like frowning sad eyebrows. No pain. A minor dull ache when testicles are lightly squeezed. Testis/vas deferens are still particularly sensitive to rubbing/probing where the titanium clamps are. Some peripheral, diffuse bruising under the base of the penis.
• 12:25 – Iced scrotum for 30 minutes. Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.
• 1:30 – Iced scrotum for 30 minutes. So far the ice packs have been the only real discomfort. My scrotum is so cold and shriveled so tight that it’s driven my testicles very high up for warmth. I don’t like to eat peas. I think I’ll keep them frozen for use as an ice pack though!
• 3:00 – Went to sleep.

Sun, December 5th, 2004

• 9:30 – Erections appear to be back to the normal frequency at night. Bruises look about the same. No pain. A minor dull ache when testicles are lightly squeezed.
• 10:15 – Took one 250 mg Levofloxacin antibiotic tablet. (Last one.)
• 11:30 – Took my 48 hours post-op shower.
• 11:45 – The scrotum incision looks good. No oozing, just a small scab. Applied isopropyl alcohol to scrotum – No real burning, just a sensation of heat.
• 1:45 – Iced scrotum for 30 minutes. Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.
• 2:30 – Went to the barn to feed the horse.
• 8:30 – No pain. Bruising on the left side is now more diffuse. Scrotal skin looks very dry, sort of chapped looking. Testis/vas deferens are still particularly sensitive to rubbing/probing where the titanium clamps are.
• 9:00 – Iced scrotum for 30 minutes.Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.
• 9:30 – Put away frozen peas and went to sleep.

Mon, December 6th, 2004

A.M.

• No pain. Bruising on the left side is now more diffuse.
• Scrotal skin still looks very dry and chapped.
• Aware of the suture line now.
• Slightly itchy; probably normal healing.

P.M.

• More aware of the suture line.
• Noticed a slight swelling directly beneath the sutures, like a skinny stalk. It feels like there is a 1/2 cm gap between the sutures and this 1 cm “stalk”.
• The stalk follows the sutures when I move the scrotal skin around.
• Testis/vas deferens are still particularly sensitive where the titanium clamps are when rubbed/probed.
• Iced scrotum for 30 minutes.
• Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.
• Put away frozen peas and went to sleep.

Tue, December 7th, 2004

A.M.

• No pain, just aware of the suture line.
• Testis/vas deferens are still sensitive to rubbing/probing where the titanium clamps are.
• Bruising on the left side is now more diffuse.
• Bruising on the right side is now diffusing.
• Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.

P.M.

• Scrotum just below the penis is purple as the bruising diffuses.
• The rest of the scrotum is various shades of purple to pink.
• Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling and went to bed. (No ice tonight.)

Wed, December 8th, 2004

A.M.

• No pain, the single 1 cm outside suture came out.
• Will skip showering this morning to let it heal a bit.
• Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.
• Bruising is slightly more diffuse.

P.M.

• Wasn’t aware of the suture line much at all today. It appears that the stubby knot end of the suture was getting caught on my briefs.
• There is still some swelling around the suture line, and the small “stalk” is still there beneath the scab. Wonder if it will go away…
• The edges of the scrotal scab are starting to separate from the skin.
• The scrotum is no longer chapped looking, the skin is still very dry. Most likely due to the harsh prep scrub used.
• It’s hard to tell, but the bruising looks more diffuse than this A.M. Will check again tomorrow morning.
• Testis/vas deferens are still somewhat sensitive to rubbing/probing where the titanium clamps are.
• I have decided to stop icing my scrotum.
• Scrotal size is pretty much back to normal, although very colorful.
• Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling and went to bed.

Thu, December 9th, 2004

A.M.

• No pain. The suture line is still tender if I squeeze it.
• The scab is very small; some of it washed off during the morning shower.
• Scrotal bruises on sides and underneath the penis have almost coalesced into one.
• Testis/vas deferens are still somewhat sensitive to rubbing/probing where the titanium clamps are.
• Took 400 mg of ibuprofen to minimize swelling.

P.M.

• No real change. More scab came off.

Fri, December 10th, 2004

A.M.

• One week post-op. No pain.
• Scab came off completely after showering while drying off.
• Scrotal skin is red where scab came off.
• All that’s left are two red dots where the suture pierced the skin.

P.M.

• Testis/vas deferens are still somewhat sensitive to rubbing/probing where the titanium clamps are.
• Scrotal bruising has to go to red with purple splotches.
• Should be mostly gone in another week or so.
• Starting next Friday the 17th, I have to start ejaculating about every other day to clear the pipes. The goal is to ejaculate at least 20 times by January 28th, 2005. That’s 42 days to get busy. If I ejaculate every other day that => 21 ejaculations. Shouldn’t be too much of a hardship.

Sat, December 11th, 2004

• Day 8 post-op. No pain.
• Bruising looks about the same, dark red with purple blotches.
• Redness, where the scab was, is mostly gone. The skin there still feels thickened.

Sun, December 12th, 2004

A.M.

• Day 9 post-op. No pain.
• I am now able to lay on my stomach without any sensation of anything wrong.
• No longer aware of midline incision.

P.M.

• Bruising is much less than yesterday.
• Testis/vas deferens are no longer very sensitive to rubbing or probing.
• Titanium clips are still easily located by probing.

Mon, December 13th, 2004

A.M.

• Day 10 post-op. No pain.
• Bruising is almost completely gone. Just a few lighter blotches now.

P.M.

• The right side has very slight vas deferens sensitivity about 1 inch above the scrotum.
• The midline suture line is almost imperceptible. Still feels slightly thickened.
• The scar will probably take ~1 month to shrink down.
• I am very pleased with how quickly and painlessly I have healed.
• Hopefully, this trend will be permanent. Kudos to my urologist!

Tue, December 14th, 2004

A.M.

• Day 11 post-op. No pain.
• Bruising is almost completely gone. Now just a few medium speckles.

P.M.

• Bruising now looks like a light razor burn.
• Titanium clips are still easily located by probing.

Wed, December 15th, 2004

A.M.

• Day 12 post-op. No pain.
• Bruising is almost imperceptible. Just a few very tiny spots.

P.M.

• Bruising is gone.
• The right side still has very slight vas deferens sensitivity about 1 inch above the scrotum.
• Titanium clips are still easily located by probing.
• The clips have felt the same size since the beginning. Probably how they’ll always feel.

Thu, December 16th, 2004

A.M.

• Day 13 post-op. No pain.
• Tomorrow I am supposed to begin my pipe clearing program.
• The midline scrotal scar is lighter than the surrounding scrotal skin.
• It’s not very noticeable.
• The scar is still slightly dry and has a bit of flaking as its surface skin finishes healing.

P.M.

• The goal is at least 20 ejaculations by Friday, Jan. 28, 2005.
• The right side still has very slight vas deferens sensitivity about 1 inch above the scrotum.

Fri, December 17th, 2004

• Day 14 post-op. No pain.
• The first ejaculation is scheduled for today. Time to get busy.
• Two successive ejaculations 5 minutes apart without a hitch.
• There was absolutely no pain or discomfort at all. The first one was a 2-minute job.
• So far I cannot detect any change in semen consistency, volume, or smell (UGH!).
• Back to normal, it seems.

Sat, December 18th, 2004

• Day 15 post-op. No pain.
• Third ejaculation. Sensations are exactly as before the vasectomy.
• Probing left and right side vas deferens has just a very slight heightened sensitivity.
• This sensitivity is virtually the same on both sides around the titanium clips.
• I must emphasize that I really have to probe in order to elicit this sensitivity.
• If I had done the same amount of poking and prodding before the vas, I could elicit pretty much the same sensitivity if I pressed too hard.

Sun, December 19th, 2004

• Day 16 post-op. No pain. The hair growing back is starting to itch. I really have to search now to see the midline scar.

March 23, 2005 Update

Got the second test results today. No sperm present. That makes it official; I’m now shooting blanks.

This website and the forums have been helpful. The info and first-hand experiences allowed me to make an informed decision about the risks involved. Fortunately, I had almost no PVP. Of course, I followed the advice of the doctor along with the wisdom gleaned from here. The ice, jockstrap, and ibuprofen are your friends!

Thanks a bunch people! I’ll lurk here periodically and chip in if I have anything worthwile to contribute.

Submitted by Ed