CAUTION: Though this entry does not violate the Gamespot Terms of Service in any way - I checked thoroughly - it does contain mature subject matter, including descriptions of surgery, and awkward references to the delicate male region affectionately referred to by some as the wedding tackle. Any member or moderator taking issue with this entry is encouraged to contact me by private message with their concerns, though I hope many people will learn a bit more about what to expect from my own experience (maybe you will even laugh a bit at my misery along the way).
The safest and most effective form of contraception is surgical sterilization because when you think about it, abstinence is not really an option for any sane person. When my wife had a near-fatal eclamptic seizure before delivering our triplets, we knew we were done having kids. The discussion was not, "What should we do," it was "When should we - meaning yours truly - go under the knife?" The female equivalent of a vasectomy, tubal ligation, is a more expensive, invasive, and risky surgery. A vasectomy, by contrast, is relatively safe, has a short recovery period, a high success rate, and is an outpatient procedure. The burden fell to the author to go under the knife.
Multiple Vasectomies
You may not be aware, but there are two types of vasectomies: traditional and non-scalpel. It escapes me why anyone would get excited over the former when even the title of the latter is so much sexier. "Non-scalpel" sold me on the procedure, and really, this is all about sex after all. Oh, and preventing more triplets and seizures and stuff.
A traditional vasectomy involves a vertical, bifurcating cut that allows the surgeon to splay the region, while a non-scalpel involves only a small hole poked in the area. The result is the same, a section of the vas deferens is removed to prevent sperm from reaching their destination, but the non-scalpel procedure requires a more practiced hand. It is more difficult to find a urologist that practices the non-scalpel version of a vasectomy, but otherwise everything about it is superior: shorter recovery time, less scarring, equal success rate, and a shorter procedure (no jokes about that last bit). Eventually everyone will be performing the non-scalpel version, one would think.
Doctor Selection
Dr. Boz has a PhD, so she screened for competent Urologists in the Boston area. Granted, it is a relatively easy task to find qualified medical care in the Boston area, but she narrowed it down to two doctors, one male and one female.
Dr. Boz asked, "Which one?"
"The woman," I immediately replied.
"What? Why? She has less experience, and she's much younger."
"She's a woman." It was more comfortable, at least for this individual, to have a woman poking and prodding in my nether region than a man. She was more than qualified, and in retrospect it was the right decision for me, though the result probably would have been the same with either urologist.
The Consult
There is a pre-screening interview where the patient must justify their decision to the urologist. "So, why are you interested in a vasectomy?" the doctor asked.
"My wife just delivered healthy triplets following an eclamptic seizure that might have killed both her and the children, or worse, killed her and left me with the kids!" We laughed, there was no follow-up question of whether or not I was sure. I reflected on the fact that the woman that would be sterilizing me was actually pretty good looking, which of course made me suspicious. A hot urologist whose specialty is vasectomies, among other things? Something about that just seemed a bit odd.
The nurse and urologist conduct a basic examination followed by a closer inspection of my equipment. "You have a Stage 3 testicular vericule, no question." With one quick look at my privates she diagnosed a minor issue that had been causing random, sharp pains in my testicles for about fifteen years. "It's like varicose veins, where the blood can get backed up into the vein. Most of the time you'll notice nothing, but sometimes it can cause sharp pains, particularly if you have been on your feet all day or straining yourself."
I was floored to hear a diagnosis of something so quickly that had plagued me for so long. In the end, though, the recovery time for treating the vericule was too long for someone with newborn triplets, particularly since it is not a life-threatening condition and - for the most part - unnoticable the majority of the time. Still, nice of her to point it out.
"When we do this, can you make it a little bigger, too?"
"Sorry, no." It was clear it had not been the first time she had heard the joke. Maybe I would think of a better joke later concerning her silver pin, which was in the shape of a sperm. Right, and maybe she had never heard a joke about that one, either.
The Surgery
It is a well-known fact that any 15 minute surgery still takes all morning. I checked in at 7:00AM sharp, stripped off and put on the requisite gowns and handed over my personal effects. I imagine it is similar to the procedure for checking into prison. By the time I had finished waiting to be called for pre-op, taken into pre-op, changed, and waiting to be wheeled in, it was 9:00AM. I then waited on a gurney outside the doors of the operating room, where the fun stuff happens.
Dozens of people shuffled along the hallway, walking by me on their way to scrub or consult. My verdict: Surgeons smile a lot. I would too if I was cutting rather than being cut.
They inserted an IV tube while I was in the hallway, then recommended that I was placed under sedation during the procedure. "I was under the impression it would be a local anesthetic," I asked.
"We would prefer to put you under." It was not what had been discussed at the consultation.
"I would like to speak with the doctor." When she arrived and we spoke, she endorsed the recommendation. It would be easier, she said, to put me under. I would be as relaxed as possible, making it easier to operate on that particular region. The type of anesthesia being used would be "light," I was assured, and so I agreed.
The mixture was added to the IV, I was wheeled into the OR (operating room, in case you lack for a television), and then everything faded to black. The rest of the day is a bit fuzzy, but I recall riding home with my wife in the minivan, who decided it would be fun to hit every single pothole and bump on the road. "You did that intentionally!" was shouted more than once.
The Recovery
The hospital put my dangly bits into a jock strap-like device filled with gauze. While I was told there might be quite a bit of bleeding, I was still shocked at how much blood there was soaked into the gauze by the next day. It is impossible to describe in any more detail without becoming offensive, but suffice to say, the gauze needed to be replaced in a day, the jock strap by day two.
Anyone that tells you a vasectomy is relatively painless or that you will be back on your feet the next day is a liar. I moved quite gingerly for the entire four day weekend I had scheduled to recover, and was still a bit tender the next two or three days returned to work. I sent my wife to pick out some briefs for support, having only boxers in my couture. Be assured that support - and ice - make all the difference in the world even with pain medicine.
Mobility the first two days was essentially zero. My World of Warcraft character gained more than a couple levels over those days due to the time I spent at my desk, unmoving. Imagine for a moment someone kicked you in the crotch, the initial pain subsides, and for the next two minutes there is a thick, aching throb. Now you know what the four days following a vasectomy feel like.
I took a shower on day two, and it was not a fun experience. Without support, the ache grows into a steady throb. Get in, clean off, touch gently, and get out to put support and ice back on the region. The shower on day four was without problem, though I still needed to use a bit of tenderness cleaning the affected area.
Use Protection
The post-vasectomy instructions read that I must refrain from intercourse for at least seven days. Afterwards, it would take upwards of 15 to 20 ejaculations to "clear the pipes," and therefore it was strongly recommended to use barrier protection or other traditional contraceptives for the following three months. At six and twelve weeks I would be, er, tested for sperm count. Thereafter I would have a final consultation with the (hot) urologist.
The week following surgery there was a constant dull ache, as I had been forewarned. On day seven, however, it felt like something was going to burst. If the reader gets nothing else out of this entry, my advice is to "take care of business" on day seven. Doing so was like a massive shot of morphine. The full feeling and constant ache vanished instantaneously, and I felt like doing jumping jacks. Then again I always feel like doing jumping jacks after happy special special time, but this was different. This was a sudden release of persistent pain from the past week. The over-inflated balloon had been released, and not without a cry of joy.
Return to Normality
Since day seven life has returned to relative normalcy. Dr. Boz and I are counting down the number of pipe cleanings to hit twenty, though with the triplets the countdown is going more slowly than we might like. Otherwise, however, it took about two weeks for the bruising in the region to fade, and for any and all pain to completely go away. There is no scarring of any kind due to the tiny hole made by the non-scalpel methodology, though the hair is still growing back where they shaved it off to make it easier to operate.
It will be a few more weeks before the first sperm count and a few months before the final consultation, but we are hopeful that a competent Urologist and careful attention to pre- and post-surgery instructions will ensure that I will not have to go back under the knife to finish the job.
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