vasectomy - how did you feel afterwards? - Page 3

[greendaddy]

Originally Posted by kerikadi

That's 3 months! I am NOT waiting 3 months to have sex!
I don't mean unprotected sex. I mean just sex, we would use a condom until we knew it was safe. Not to mention I am exclusively nursing a 7 week old. So how soon after did the DH's feel like having sex?

Keri

"Feel like having sex" and "capable of having sex" may be to very different things!

For myself, I recall hopping (albeit gingerly) back into the saddle within a few days. Just remember to be gentle!

[Mama Dragon]

DH is having serious problem with his V. We moved a week after the procedure and he was "ok"...some pain but not too bad...it's steadily getting worse (2.5 months later), so bad he can't stand up for long and of course now we have no health insurance : Nor will any sliding scale docs or anyone look at it w/o cash up front. I'd rather go through another awful pregnancy and back-labor-homebirth then what he's dealing with

[Rockies5]

I'm glad I saw this...

Despite what we read researching and speaking with other couples we had a very complicated Vasectomy. (I will try to have dh get on later and share his experiences)

His surgery took 2.5hrs, unlike the 20-30minutes we were told. He was in sever pain for more then 6 weeks, and basically on bed rest for 3. He had bleeding (a hematoma), and a secondary infection (requiring 2 weeks of strong antibiotics, the infection has spread into his abdomen) despite following dr's orders. For a YEAR after the surgery he's suffered from unexpected "kicked in the balls" pains, and now (we're 2 years out) he "only" has pain during erections (a few moments before it fades). He says the pain is at least a 5 but up to an 8 depending on how excited his is.

Isn't that worth not having to use birth control??

We researched drs and chose a clinc that specialized in the no scapel method, which is suposed to reduce pain and recovery time.

Vasectomy is covered by our insurance but weird pain and therapy to recover from it is not!

Now, I will tell you that he has always benn a big fat baby when it comes to pain and typically goes to bed when he gets the sniffles....but this kind of recovery is rediculous.

Everyone thinks it won't happen to them. Think twice and then get personal recomendations from other patients who have used your particular surgeon.

Despite all of it HE still says it was worth not having to worry about birth control Um, we don't have sex like we used to so I don't really understand his point. I'm still charting and it just isn't frequent enough to matter so I don't even think of the vasectomy as birth control.

WE're now looking at shelling out up to 10,000 for a reversal which is supposed to help his pain...but there are no guarantees about.

I think the old adage "If it an't broke, don't fix it" might work well here. Sure, BC is a PITA, but a vasectomy can be a pain in worse places and I woudn't do it again. Nine sick children would have been easier to care for then my dh durring his recovery.

OH the ONE good thing is that he quit smoking. He had a 2pack a day habit, and didn't even notice the withdrawl because of how much pain he was already in.

[Authentic_Mother]

deleted due to being stalked online.

[Rockies5]

yes

and no

Sperm only makes up about 1% of the ejaculate.

[peacenlove]

My dh had his vasectomy a few weeks ago.(NSV)

He was sitting on ice for a few days and back to feeling fine within a week. I was in the room with him when it was done, it was 20 minutes, he was not asked to shave, he didn't bruise and the one stitch dissolved.

After the procedure my husband was given ibuprofen (the equivalent of extra strength 400 mg), for the pain but most importantly as an anti inflammatory, and a jock that he was required to wear for the first week afterwards.

For us it has been a good experience. He is feeling 100% now and everything is functioning perfectly He was also advised to wait for unprotected sex until after the six week check up.

I think he is an amazing man for taking it on himself to do this for our family, we discussed this for a year before he did it and for us this was the right choice.

[2 in August]

My dh had it done in Dec. It only took 30 min. His dr does 100's of them every year. Thursday is vas day for him.

He sat on peas and laid low for a few days. He took a few of the pain meds. It was a little worse when he went back to work, since he's on his feet moving around a lot. So he'd pop the pain pills at work and more when he got home and use the ice/peas too.

After about a week he was much better. He doc does 3mo and 4mo checks and both came back ok.

[pixiesmommy]

I have to chime in and say please do some research. My mom, who is a CNA in an assisted living/elderly care unit, and my MIL (not in the medical field) have both mentioned in the last month that they have heard of new research linking vasectomies with Alzheimer's Disease.
I would check it out before making the final... er.... snip.:

'Manda

[mamaloveseee]

The only thing my DH complained about was the hair growing back after he shaved everything. It said it itched really bad. My DH complains a lot when he is sick, but he handled this really well. It didn't seem to bother him. He iced himself and was up and about the next day, but not doing anything strenuous. All is well and he had his Feb. 2006

[SammyJr]

Originally Posted by pixiesmommy

I have to chime in and say please do some research. My mom, who is a CNA in an assisted living/elderly care unit, and my MIL (not in the medical field) have both mentioned in the last month that they have heard of new research linking vasectomies with Alzheimer's Disease.
I would check it out before making the final... er.... snip.:

'Manda

One study noted a correlation between Alzheimer's and vasectomies. It is important to remember that correlation and causation are not the same things.

Considering that vascetomy is one of the most common procedures for men over 35 years old and Alzheimers strikes people starting in their late 40s (IIRC), it should be no surprise that lots of men with Alzheimer's have had vasectomies!

At this point, I'm not worried. I tend to think that this issue was more media sensationalism than actual medical concern. And yes, I do plan to get the vas done before year end.

[Papai]

I have issues with this procedure. The thought of it just makes me nervous.

What does the body do with all the sperm that now have no way of getting out?

[SammyJr]

Originally Posted by Papai

I have issues with this procedure. The thought of it just makes me nervous.

What does the body do with all the sperm that now have no way of getting out?

From what I understand, they simply break down. Kind of like if a guy were to go an extended period of time without any sort of ejaculation.

[Papai]

Originally Posted by SammyJr

From what I understand, they simply break down. Kind of like if a guy were to go an extended period of time without any sort of ejaculation.

Is that possible?

It's been ages but when I didn't masturbate I would have "wet dreams" so it found its way out somehow.

[SammyJr]

Originally Posted by Papai

Is that possible?

It's been ages but when I didn't masturbate I would have "wet dreams" so it found its way out somehow.

Some guys don't have wet dreams at all.

[kerikadi]

I wanted to report back because honestly I think people are more likely to post when there is a problem and not so much when things go well.

It was 2 weeks on Friday and everything is just fine.
DH was sore the first weekend and then every day got better.
We had sex the first time a week after - me on top was better for him.
He started running about a week and a half after.
No pain at all and the bruising is gone.

I do wonder though, the only complaint he has is that now he can feel his vasies tubes poking him on the inside. We both thought this was pretty weird. Each of us invisioned the tubes being plyable like cooked spagetti but he says they feel more like straws and it is uncomfortable when they poke him. Has anybody else had this?

[ndakkitten]

Well, my DH just had his done almost 3 weeks ago, and its been a nightmare! He had the NSV (no-scapel) done and I really hope it will be worth all the pain.

His doc said the first side was really easy, but the second side was really difficult. I guess DH is more muscular in that area than most men he's done the procedure to and he had a really hard time finding the vans on the second side.

Anyways, right after the procedure, I went to get the van out of the parking lot and by the time I got to the door to get him, his shorts were soaked with blood. So off to the ER he went (his doc had gone home by this time, past office hours). ER doc said it must have just been some blood that had pooled while he was sitting that just flowed out after he walked a certain distance. So they sent him home with the same orders he had from his doc - elevate the testicles, use the frozen peas, a jock strap, and take his narcotics as necessary.

Ok, so DH is bedridden for the next two days and popping pain pills as often as allowed. That evening, he spikes a temp so he calls his doc. Doc is out of town so the on-call doc says he can come in if he wants. Temp goes down, so we stay home. Next day, the swelling hasn't gone down and the fever returns. So off to the ER we go since it was the weekend. ER doc orders an ultrasound and diagnoses epididymitis. So IV antibiotics, naproxen for the inflammation, oral antibiotics to take at home, and orders to be off work for at least another week. So a few days later, he has a checkup with the doc who performed the vasectomy. Doc apologizes profusely, saying he only has one complication like this a year (oh yea, that makes us feel better). He also says it might be because DH got this done younger that most men (he's 26, but we have 3 kids and definitely don't want anymore). Since DH is younger, he has a higher sperm count and that might be contributing to the swelling. But overall, doc doesn't know why DH is having all these complications, including still bleeding from the incisions. So he also gives him another week off of work.....Thank god for sick time, or we'd have been screwed since we live mostly off his income.

So ok, a few more days pass after the checkup and DH is STILL bleeding. It has been 2 weeks since the procedure. Calls up his doc and he says "Oh yeah, that's cause the naproxen is thinning your blood. You can stop taking it now and wait a few days for it to get out of your system." So he's been off it for about 4 days now and the bleeding has stopped for the most part. He still bleeds slightly after he takes a shower. But yesterday was his first day back to work. So far so good, but we'll see what we find out once its time for his sperm count.

[ndakkitten]

Originally Posted by Papai

I have issues with this procedure. The thought of it just makes me nervous.

What does the body do with all the sperm that now have no way of getting out?

It is usually reabsorbed by the body, but there is also the risk of some of it leaking out of the tubes and causing what is known as a "sperm granuloma" Most times these aren't a problem, but other times they need to be treated or removed. Sometimes the sperm isn't absorbed fast enough and can cause pressure and pain due to the buildup.

I read that more doctors are opting for the "open-ended" procedure rather than closing off both ends of the vas, because this seems to eliminate this problem.

[PreggieUBA2C]

My dh and I are considering this as well. Our concern is about the sperm being absorbed into the body and the subsequent autoimmune response. Some men develop a very strong autoimmune response to their own sperm, which their blood stream recognises as foreign bodies and fights them. This suppresses normal immune function, tying up the immune system so that they become ill in other, seemingly unrelated ways. He didscussed this with the doctor he works with and while the dr initially said it isn't true, had to concede that it is when he read a respected researcher/doctor's work relating this information.

We need to do SOMETHING because my body is broken, tubal ligation would make it worse, and I absolutely cannot be pg again at least for a very long time. I also can't use ANY of the artificial bc methods. A vas seems like the only option, but I'm concerned that dh will be like me in that the only available option turns out not to be one at all. For me, I could just stop using the method and I was fine (and NFP resulted in 6 of my 7 pgs- I ovulate twice/month too, which means that some of those pgs were a result of dh saying, ummm... ANOTHER week? I can't WAIT that long!), but a vas isn't something he can just stop, yk?

I'm curious to read more responses.

[Rockies5]

Originally Posted by kerikadi

I wanted to report back because honestly I think people are more likely to post when there is a problem and not so much when things go well.

No, I used to answer postitively on ever iscussion about Vas until I knew the extent of his injuries.

[Rockies5]

Preggie, thats was our situation too and I figured that of course we wouldn't have any problems. A vas is reversible but it's a more complicated and risky surgery (we know two men that went septic from the reversal and one was in intensive care for a LONG time, risked his life) and I just think I would either abstain most of the month or use a barrier. I wanted an IUD and we thought the complications were too much for us...but at least that can be removed and things go back to normal fairly quickly. Just wanted to wish you luck and hope you are cautious.

any dr will tell you that complications rarely happen