The best way about a vasectomy is to NOT have one. Anyone who thinks that they have got away without problems just can not say anything as PVPS can come on at any time until we die I know a friend who is in his mid-seventies and has more pain than in the whole of his life.
View 4 RepliesAnother PVP sufferer. Had my snip done in October 12, local GP practice but got a GP who was acquiring the 'skills' to take over the practice once the main GP retired.
Well, he made a mess, first half fine, second half painful. Bust a blood vessel to, so that was stitched up to the VAS.
Rested after, ended up with two large haematomas one each side and a wound that didn't heal for 4 weeks and needed antibiotics.
That all eventually cleared but was still in considerable pain, especially the 'messed up side'. Off to GP, then referred to Urology. Scheduled for an epididymectomy soon now.
Won't do both sides due to risks of losing a ball, so it's one at a time, and if it works, as it only has a 50% success, they will do the other.
Pain isn't great, I won't take meds for it, other than ibuprofen etc, but that doesn't do much. Offered the usual gabapentin etc which I've refused.
As others have said, I queried what would happen if I got PVP and how would we manage it. The GP at the time said 'your Urologist would sort that' - erm I don't have one. No mention of how common the pain is 5-10%.
Only when I saw the Consultants in Urology did they say how common it was. It's a very difficult 'condition' to treat is all they have said.
Current choices. Wait - I've done that, now surgical removal of my epididymis, possible the less sore one two. High failure rate. If it doesn't work, then denervation may be a choice - that will leave your nether regions numb.
Friggin fabulous. Simple procedure that you don't really fancy, but 'pressure' dictates. Totally ruined our sex life. I get bad pain after, and it takes days and days to subside. Also the site of the burst blood vessel is extremely uncomfortable (between ball and penis) so the consultant will do some 'clearing out up there two.
Seriously hissed off by it - WHY DON'T THEY TELL PATIENTS ?
I've complained officially, general sorry and denial of PVP. Complained direct to the GP that did the Op - he now has the local contract. I've asked him to ensure he makes patients aware of the consequences.
Oh and it's pot luck if you get it. doesn't matter if you are fit or not. It's really affected me and my sport as a cyclist (ouch) and I can't stand being battered about down there - so stuff like go-karts, fair rides that are bumpy are a no no.
The epididymectomy is going to be nasty, as that's quite a recovery process. I asked about having both done, but they said if it went wrong I would lose both balls. Best do one at a time, then I'd have one at least they said. I said, I'd be happy if you took them both off !
Never again. Feel like I've freely mutilated myself - could have done a better job with two bricks.
Not told about post vasectomy pain by Dr ,Which affects approx 5% of patients with some like myself pain does not go away , Treatments have poor success rate .A good Dr will clearly tell you this and you can then make your own mind up but Many don't as most men are put off when they find this out ! Do your research first before the Quick Snip leaves you with long term pain that can be very difficult if not impossible to get rid off .
View 3 RepliesI had a Vasectomy back in 2010 and had a Vasectomy Reversal in 2012. My pain was extreme from 2010-2012 and relieved about 50% after the Reversal. I have extreme pain on my left testicle after any kind of sexual activity and random pain throughout the day some days unbearable. In the past I had radiating pain on my left leg and buttox but that was prior to the reversal. Its just on my left side, not my right.
I take antibiotics once in awhile from my doctor, but it doesn't seem to help. I have pain in my upper epididymis as well as pain in my testicle. Feels like it's being squeezed. I honestly feel like this Vasectomy has stolen my life from me.
I had a vasectomy in July 2009. In December as planned I commenced sending in the monthly sperm samples. I have now done 8 samples in total. The first was clear, as was the sixth. But all the others show "Few(1) - 1 sperm only seen in every High Powered Field". So as I have not had two consecutive clear samples, the hospital won't give me the all-clear yet. They say that what is happening is very rare after almost a year, but they also say they do not feel the operation failed.
I am very disappointed as almost a year on I am in no better place in terms of being able to have unprotected sex than I was before the operation. I would appreciate some independent advice on why this has happened.
I just was wondering who has suffered the same and it's actually got better!? I suffer no pain ok maybe a slight ache if my testicle is squeezed/squashed but it's very hard to touch, I'm 10 days in post op and it's pretty much been ok had swelling that's gone down, I'm just concerned about the hardness of my testicle and the cause!? I'm seeing my GP in the morning and gonna book an ultrasound to check over my jewels.
View 6 RepliesHi I am looking for help I have just had my second vasectomy done just 2 weeks ago due to a failed vasectomy the first time. I have 2 large lumps 1 at the incision site and 1 and the opposite end of the incision and they are both causing me a lot of pain which runs down my leg I have seen my doctor but has told me to give it a couple of months but I didn't get any pain like this the first time. Can a second vasectomy increase any chances of side effects or chronic pain.
View 1 Replieshad a vasectomy march 13 2015. returned to work the following monday after 2 days of rest. after 10 days i went back due to pain in my right testicle and the fact that is was sitting way to high. dr said everything looked ok and not to worry. 2 weeks later i went back again due to the same issues. once again, he said everything looked fine but that he wanted to see me back in 2 months to see if i am still having the same problems. as i sit her typing, i still have pain in my right ball, and a pain in my lower abdomen on the right side, and my right ball still sits too high. i have about 6 weeks before i go back to the dr. anybody else have this problem?
View 6 RepliesI had a no-scalpel vasectomy just over a month ago. After the first week, I noticed the cut ends of my vas (the part inside my scrotum that goes up into my body) were staying stiff, swollen and painful; the left side more than the right. After another week, I made a "nurse's visit" to the doctor because he was too busy for an appointment. He came in, gave my testicles a quick grab and declared the swelling and stiffening a normal inflammatory response.
It's now been two more weeks and the condition has not improved significantly. Physical activity (like yard work) and certain clothing increase the irritation and makes the inflammation worse.
Am I just a slow healer and this will eventually go away? Or have I settled into a known permanent side effect?
I have lived with pain in my testicles ever since I made the biggest mistake of my life by having a vasectomy. This operation just has to be the most stupid thing I`ve ever done.
It was told it was ¬nothing much` but have been in pain for over sixteen years and it only gets worse. The long term risks have not been well enough explained and is much more common than was told to me.
The best advise I could give anyone thinking about the snip is DON`T
My husband had a vasectomy 2 weeks ago. 4 days after the operation he had severe pain and his testicles swelled up to double the size they normally are. We went back to the doctor and he said that he had a rare infection - put him on antibiotics and pain meds.
The antibiotics are now finished and although the swelling has gone down, his left testicle is rock hard and hasn't dropped. It is still painful sometimes and the pain runs up to and around to his lower back. We've been phoning the Urologist every day but he's either in theater or his is busy and doesn't return our calls.
Could it be possible that something went wrong? What can be done to fix the problem? And is it safe to resume normal sexual intercourse I'm afraid something bad will happen!
I just had a complicated vasectomy. I had an undescended testicle when I was 12 that had a lot of scar tissue around it. The urologist that I saw said no problem but it would be done in the hospital because he had a hard time feeling the vas tube on the repaired testicle. He said it would take 10 minutes and it ended up taking a hour. He told me I would be sore for a long time, and he was right. It has been 2 weeks and I have begun to get morning erections. There is a string/tube that seems to be stretching around the base of my penis. It is painful when stretched. It seems to lead to the incision by the repaired testicle. Do you think the urethra tube that goes into my penis got sutured into the incision area? I urinate fine. Also, one vas tubes were described as pink-tan rubbery tissue and the one from the repaired one was described as white rubbery tissue. Do I need to be watchful of testicular cancer?
View 2 RepliesI only know 4 people that have had the snip and two of us have had big problems. I had the snip two months ago and am only just beginning to get over it. I immediately had an infection which caused my bollocks to swell like a melon- this burst the stitches and i got a secondary infection in the wound which no amount of antibiotics would get rid of so the doc had to put Silver nitrate on it to burn it shut. This let to a kidney infection and the pain is only just beginning to subside. I was seriously worried that i would never return to normal life but there is now light at the end of the tunnel for me. Some of the other poor bastards whose stories i've read make me so sad. Men are not informed of the potential pain or risks. If i had known how much it would damage me i would never have had it done - what's so bad about condoms anyway?
View 18 RepliesI had a vasectomy just over a year ago, my wife was 3 weeks off 45 and I was few weeks off 49. My wife made it clear she did not like condoms. I wanted to do the" right thing" when after i had a problems with a low estrogen new coil. I spoke to my doctor over the phone. My Dr told me that the NHS method would be as good as any method.
I am sorry that I had the vasectomy, the operation took 50 mins under local and yes at one point there was extreme electro pain - i understand the that the local had worn off as he did an internal cut
Since then I have suffered pain, one ball is still much larger than the other and I regularly get uncomfortable pains in my cruch. I can only go to sleep on my side with a pillow and even then there is a side pain. After orgaasm ( if you can call it that) I get pain afterwards emanating from deep inside the balls that nothing make right and I no longer get that warm feeling throughout the groin
I no longer look forward to sex -and over the past year it has dropped from 2 times to week to less than once a month.I am put off sex and it only have sex when it will distress my wife not to have sex. Orgasm almost always ends in pain that radiates out from the scrotum and testicles a little post of sex
Around 15 years ago I had a vasectomy, which the next day hemorrhaged, requiring a second operation.
All was quiet down below until 9 years later from nowhere I had a nasty case of left side epidemiologist. 4 courses of antibiotics finally cleared that up, but left swollen epidermis and chronic pain. 18 months later the right side also became infected (you will know by the level of swelling).
Also at the same time I found that I had a mild bleeding disorder (hence the initial hemorrhaging), which meant I was banned from all NSAID's (Ibuprofen, naproxen etc)
After that period I had the all-to familiar chronic pain, for which I took increasing strength coedene and even tried acupuncture which did help a little.
All the same depressing story as other posts, except that 18 months ago I feel had a major breakthrough in life which I would like to share....
I knew that the main cause of the pain is inflammation, and given that I can't take NSAID's I researched what I could achieve by changing my diet.
The result has been fantastic, the pain is still there in the background but I don't have to notice it, and my swelling has gone down a lot. I have a very active sex life and still don't sink back into the abyss of pain.
If you are interested the following foods I would recommend in order of effectiveness.
1. High strength fish oil (buy the best you can afford)
2. Turmeric
3. Shiitake mushrooms
4. Broccoli
5. Green tea
6. Avocado
If I have a flare up every day I take a full dose of the fish oil, eat 60 grams of shiitake mushrooms (cooked with 1 tsp of turmeric). Also I will eat a whole broccoli a day & drink copious amounts of green tea. If is really bad I also include the avocado.
I'm 34 and my wife is 36, we have 2 Children who are very healthy, my wife fell ill after our first child (10 years ago) our 2nd child was through emergency c-section nearly 4 years ago now, from my own point of view I'd love just one more child however my Wife at 36 definitely does not and I respect her wishes completely.
On top of this my wife has come off the birth control pill as it's messing with her hormones/sex drive plus it may have future health risks if she keeps on taking it.
We would like to resume a more normal sex life and eliminate the risks, I don't like having to use condoms (like having a bath with your socks on) it's just not the same.
We felt the best option would be that I have a Vasectomy, that way we can have no more children, no birth control pills involved and hopefully we can get back to 'normal'
I've recently had my consultation appointment and I'm booked in for the snip in early June.
My expectations were pain & discomfort to start with but that will soon go after a couple of weeks, after reading some post's on here I'm now in a panic, worried I’ll get horrible infections, Erectile dysfunction and other complications it may cause years down the line.
Some people are saying it's the worst thing they've ever done.
I'm totally aware that these type of things don’t come without risk but it appears this is more risky than I first feared, the doctor explained its 1/1000 thing.
I am sorry to say that my experience has been fowl, the operation took 50 mins on the NHS and I think the whole experience was a shock. Before the operation I had a virtually perfect sick record. However, I was too uncomfortable to get back to work for the best part of two weeks. Not the 2 weeks web sites suggest. It's now more than 14 months since I had the surgery and I always feel full and tight in the tesicles. I have libido but too much lingering aching pain after sex puts me off . It is a dreadful hot cold pain aching pain that carries on for a day or two after orgasm and difficult to describe. My sex life down from twice a week to less than once a month. For me it took away the joy of sex. and life
That warm feeling spreading from the groin on coming has gone. I find it very depressing because there seems to be no going back as more intervention appears not to cure these painful problems once started
Maybe I have just been very unlucky but I suspect that I am one a substantial minority
The trouble with medicine and outcomes is that vasectomy looks good on paper. I suspect there are a lot of men privately suffering varying degrees of pain.
I had a vasectomy 11 days ago. I rested, stayed off my feet mostly for a few days, used ice packs, all the ordered behaviors. My incision still hasn't healed well despite wearing compression shorts for 9 days. On about day 8 I started applying antibacterial cream and breathable sterile pad taped down over the incision to prevent infection (and was also on antibiotics for a sinus infection). There was no sign of infection, no visible sign of hematoma. But the incision remains a bit raw, like a split lip that seeps. The dissolvable stitches mostly came out within 6-9 days.
However, my right teste or epididymis is extremely sore still (I felt better from day 4-8 except when sitting a lot), swollen and riding high. When I sit upright for awhile at work, I also get an acute pain in my right inguinal area about 6" in from the hip bone. It feels like a nerve issue. It twinges and throbs when I stand and today is even making walking painful.
Any thoughts? Acute epididymitis? Sperm granuloma? Nerve damage? Normal recovery? I had a single-incision closed vas with excision, clips and cauterization.
I agree with the copious comments on the web -- the urologists need to do a FAR better job with the honest assessment of recovery. I was under the impression that this would all be largely resolved within 3-4 days. Instead, the past 3 days just keep getting worse with no clear self-diagnosis. I'm calling my urologist again tomorrow and insisting on a checkup....
So I had my vasectomy 6 weeks ago and I still am unable to ride my bicycle (which is killing me!!!). I seem to be progressing and feeling better when I'll decide to go for a short spin and a couple of days later my testicles are super sore and I have pain in my lower abdomen. I've done this twice now. Both times I go back to square one in regards to pain. My question is how long I can expect to be off my bike? What is a typical recovery time (I know there is no such thing but is what I am experiencing more common than I have been lead to believe)? I kick myself each day for deciding to do this to myself...Any tips, thoughts, comments, questions are appreciated. I just want to hear from someone other than my urologist.
View 2 RepliesI am 20 hours post-op and I'm not having any pain. Once the pain medicine I got from the hospital wore off. I'm almost 100% free of discomfort (I would rate what I have as 1 out of 10 when walking, no pain sleeping or sitting).
So is this cause for concern? I'm ready to call my doctor but all the post op papers I got from him were concerning having pain, not being pain free.
I am stitched and very well taped up. No problems around the wound and it is tender if I touch it but nothing like I experienced when I got the vasectomy originally (I wasn't stitched or taped up for that one, just a small band aid as the incision was very small).
Is this ok? I thought I'd at least feel the slight burning sensation of normal healing but I feel nothing but a slight tightness around my scrotum and that could be just the bandage.
Or am I speaking too soon and will it hurt later?
I'm 30 years old. I had a vasectomy done 1 year ago. Since I had the vasectomy operation I'm having an significant chronic pain on a daily basis. Testicular ache and a sharp burning pain radiating up to my abdomen. it's a very unpleasant feeling constantly. I'm so afraid that I have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. I take painkillers every day, which I don't like. Other then that I do not have any underlying diseases or medical histories.
I wish to get a vasectomy reversal with the goal of relieving my “post vasectomy pain” so I can live a normal life again. (I don't care if I become fertile again or not, I just want to get rid of the pain).
I heard that a vasectomy reversal relieves the build-up of back pressure that may cause pain in the testicles.
But for other patients, the pain is not due to back pressure, but rather to chronic inflammation at the vasectomy site. If the urologist cut out the inflammation site and reverse the vasectomy, the pain will usually be eliminated.
The pain may result from microscopic amounts of sperm leaking out of the vas deferens into the surrounding tissue. This leakage can cause inflammation.
What if I have an inflammation ?.
Will the urologist be aware of this and remove the inflammation before he performs the vasectomy reversal operation ?