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Abyss
Oct 29, 2011
I don’t actually know. All the doctors listed are MDs and have been practicing medicine for a significant amount of years. It doesn’t say any of them are urologists, though. Most are former family doctors that performed the procedure. Seems like this clinic is an easy way for them to make money while performing an easy surgery. My inclination would be to get a referral from your PCP for a urologist that they would recommend or research on your own to find a doctor you want to be seen by and get authorization for them (if needed).

A family doctor with vasectomy experience isn’t the same as a urologist with vasectomy experience, but the gap might be so small that it’s not worth the wait. I’d ask your PCP what they think (if you trust their opinion).

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Cretin90
Apr 10, 2006

Abyss posted:

I don’t actually know. All the doctors listed are MDs and have been practicing medicine for a significant amount of years. It doesn’t say any of them are urologists, though. Most are former family doctors that performed the procedure. Seems like this clinic is an easy way for them to make money while performing an easy surgery. My inclination would be to get a referral from your PCP for a urologist that they would recommend or research on your own to find a doctor you want to be seen by and get authorization for them (if needed).

A family doctor with vasectomy experience isn’t the same as a urologist with vasectomy experience, but the gap might be so small that it’s not worth the wait. I’d ask your PCP what they think (if you trust their opinion).

I’m guessing it’s fine. I’m not going to bother asking my “PCP” because my PCP is a rotating door of random residents at my local large healthcare place, but I’ll ask my wife’s PCP.

Zugzwang
Jan 2, 2005

You have a kind of sick desperation in your laugh.


Ramrod XTreme
Thanks for sharing your experiences itt, y'all. I had my consult today with an experienced doc and am scheduled to get snipped next month. Wifezwang and I have a 3-year-old and a baby and that's both all we've ever wanted and all our increasingly not-young bodies can handle.

I made the doc laugh a bit when he was describing some of the typical post-procedure discomfort. "Have you ever been hit in the balls? It can sometimes feel a little like that in your abdomen for a day or two." "Dude I have a toddler; I get hit in the balls all the time. Can I wear a cup after this??"

mom and dad fight a lot
Sep 21, 2006

If you count them all, this sentence has exactly seventy-two characters.
I don't think enough dads talk about the "constantly hits you in the balls" phase of early childhood

Athaboros
Mar 11, 2007

Hundreds and Thousands!



Getting mine done tomorrow. Not gonna lie, I'm wicked nervous about it, but my wife has issues that would make an accidental pregnancy very deadly, and I don't want to risk anything happening to her.

I'm going to a doctor that apparently does the most vasectomies on the west coast (I'm in southern California), and it's no-needle no-scalpel, only local anesthetic, so I know rationally that the likelihood of any prolonged complications is low. But man, I wish I could quiet my brain about it.

It's reassuring to see that the problems you all experienced went away with time; I'm hoping my recovery will be quick as well.

Nocheez
Sep 5, 2000
Nap Ghost
I probably had one of the worst experiences in this thread, and I still would do it all over again.

You got this!

mom and dad fight a lot
Sep 21, 2006

If you count them all, this sentence has exactly seventy-two characters.
I didn't have any notable hardship with mine, but it was definitely worth it for the carefree ejaculations.

I'm getting my life together to start dating again, so I'm sure that's going to be a wild time.

Vinny the Shark
Oct 11, 2005
I had mine done nearly 3 months ago. My recovery was never really painful, just somewhat annoying for the first few days. After about a week I felt well enough to resume exercising, and after about 2 weeks I felt about 90% better. After about a month I felt completely normal again, and at this point aside from a small scar on my ballsack and a couple of (not at all painful) little lumps I can feel where the tubes got tied it's like I never even had it done. My balls are no more sensitive than they were before and I can sit down, lift weights, run, ride a bike and do everything I could do before the surgery without any issues. Ejaculating feels no different than it did before, in fact it feels a bit better knowing that I don't have to worry about any swimmers getting loose and making my life hell.

The surgery went fine, but the administration at my doctor's office hasn't been good. The lab they sent my first semen sample to lost the specimen somehow and then they had me find my own lab to get my sample tested at. They also charged me for a urine analysis which I never had done so I'm waiting on them to get that straightened out with my insurance company. That really doesn't have anything to do with the surgery or the recovery, but I figured I would mention it anyway.

If you want this done, go for it. Peace of mind is a beautiful thing.

Serjeant Buzfuz
Dec 4, 2009

Get the snip!
Get the snip!

Mine was fun they offered me nitrous and that relaxed the gently caress out of me.

Athaboros
Mar 11, 2007

Hundreds and Thousands!



Thanks for the reassurance, everyone. I had it done about 2 hours ago and now I'm just chilling on the couch. The doctor said everything went fine, and all I'm feeling right now is a bit of tenderness. So far so good!

Doom Rooster
Sep 3, 2008

Pillbug
Quite nervous. I’m scheduled for mid January. Part of the paperwork included a release and agreement that I would have someone else drive me home because of the Valium.

But… When the person called me to finalize a date, she told me that they don’t do the Valium anymore. Just a local anesthetic. I, uhhh… want the Valium.

I called two other offices here in Denver and they also said just the local. Is this just how it is now? Are other places going to be willing to offer it?

Thesaurus
Oct 3, 2004


Doom Rooster posted:

Quite nervous. I’m scheduled for mid January. Part of the paperwork included a release and agreement that I would have someone else drive me home because of the Valium.

But… When the person called me to finalize a date, she told me that they don’t do the Valium anymore. Just a local anesthetic. I, uhhh… want the Valium.

I called two other offices here in Denver and they also said just the local. Is this just how it is now? Are other places going to be willing to offer it?

Fwiw I got mine done in the Denver area a good while ago, and it was just local anesthetics. No issues. I don't recall them even giving me any other options.


Having now also gone through a vasectomy reversal, the original snip is laughably easy.

I know that everyone is on this thread because they only want the snip to be permanent, but I'm happy to chat about the reversal process, if anyone is curious. I couldn't find much first hand information about it online, in comparison.

ilkhan
Oct 7, 2004

Life before death.
Strength before weakness.
Journey before destination.

Thesaurus posted:

Fwiw I got mine done in the Denver area a good while ago, and it was just local anesthetics. No issues. I don't recall them even giving me any other options.


Having now also gone through a vasectomy reversal, the original snip is laughably easy.

I know that everyone is on this thread because they only want the snip to be permanent, but I'm happy to chat about the reversal process, if anyone is curious. I couldn't find much first hand information about it online, in comparison.
Go ahead. I only know one guy who's had a reversal, and he's had two kids since then.

Thesaurus
Oct 3, 2004


ilkhan posted:

Go ahead. I only know one guy who's had a reversal, and he's had two kids since then.

In case anyone is curious, this post turned out longer than anticipated:

Why have a reversal? I already had one kid, and at the time we were sure we didn't want more. (Funny story: the first kid was conceived while my wife had an IUD in place, which is like a 0.4% chance :shepface:) Well, about 8 years passed, and our lives had changed in various significant ways, and we changed our minds. We wanted a second kid. It was a gradual, intentional decision, following a lot of discussion. I don't regret getting the original snip, as that was easy and worked well for us for a long time. We figured it was worth the money and effort to try to get it reversed, and if it didn't work, then oh well.

In general, it does feel like a massive self-own: going through lots of unnecessary expense and surgical procedures in your balls to undo something you already voluntarily did to yourself. However, I tried to embrace the mindset that people are always in flux and fortunately not all decisions have to be permanent.

I think I'm in the minority of reversal patients, as I was still with the same partner and am in my 30s. I get the impression that the vast majority of reversals are for men in second marriages, who are often also older and trying to start a second family.

The hardest part was probably deciding what doctor to use. Not many doctors do it, compared to vasectomies. It requires specialized training for urologists. I spent quite a while comparing doctors and getting quotes. Ideally you can find a urologist who completed an additional fellowship to specialize in reversals. Lots of experience is also good. Because it's specialized and not covered by insurance, it's apparently not uncommon for men to travel to specific surgical centers. I managed to find a doctor locally, with whom I am very happy.

It's a lot more expensive, and not covered by insurance. Prices vary a lot, from like $4k to $20k. I can't remember what my grand total was, but it was probably in the range of $7k or $8k. This includes consultation, pre op appointments, the surgery, anesthesia, labs, and post op evaluations. You have to scrutinize what's included in each quote. Fortunately I didn't have to travel.

The success rates vary a lot, depending on your personal circumstances, the doctor's skill, and dumb luck. The largest factor is apparently your age and the length of time since you've had the original vasectomy. I was fortunate that I am youngish and hadn't had it for many years. But even with age and time, I'm told that there's still a good chance that it will work. And sometimes it doesn't work even when you have everything else going or you, so no guarantees. My chances were also rated fairly high by my doctor since I had already successfully had a baby with the same partner, which helped control for other factors.

The operation itself was straightforward. It's basically the doctor painstakingly and microscopically stitching together your vas deferens. That part takes several hours. You have to get full anesthesia, which was a little scary since I hadn't done it before. So I went to sleep, woke up, and my wife drove me home

Recovery is kinda lovely. It's not like getting snipped and being back in action right away. They have to make a larger incision on your scrotum that gets stitched up. I haven't had other surgeries, but I'm guessing the healing process is similar. Having your balls all hosed up (initially very swollen, painful, and bruised) for weeks and weeks takes a lot of adjustment and care. You have to change out bandages, and I kept a constant cycle of cold packs on my balls for weeks. I think I was provided some prescription pain killers but didn't use most of them, (in favor of ibuprofen and tylenol), as i needed to keep my wits about me to work and care for my kid. The details are hard to remember now, but you also have to wait weeks before you can safely ejaculate, to allow the vas deferens to heal. That wasn't an issue for a while, because I couldn't imagine trying to do anything sexual. In general, it was kind of a rough healing process, but it did gradually get better.

My wife helpfully reminded me of the many horrors of pregnancy and childbirth, which she had already gone through and was now prepared to go through again, so I felt like I had some skin in the game and tried not to whine.

It worked! We managed to get pregnant again in less than six months, which is about as fast as you can hope for. I now have a 2 year old and 10 year old and am happy with the decision. Maybe not how I would have planned it in retrospect, but such is life. I don't plan to have any more kids, but I'm not rushing back for a second snip...

I fully support anyone getting a vasectomy who wants one. As I said, I don't regret my initial decision. I had made up my mind for various good reasons at the time. We can't be 100% sure of how our lives and thinking might evolve over time, and fortunately the reversal provided me some wiggle room.

Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Dec 5, 2024

Anne Whateley
Feb 11, 2007
:unsmith: i like nice words
I was wondering why they don’t just use a needle to take out some sperm and do AI/IUI rather than hooking up all the plumbing again permanently. It turns out that sperm can’t swim when it’s in the balls, so it would have to be IVF, which is a much bigger deal. :science:

Carwash Cunt
Aug 20, 2007

Something I just remembered about mine was they showed me a side show of info while waiting. One of slides was NO GOLF!.

Anyone who thinks about taking a big golf swing after that surgery is a real sicko.

DasNeonLicht
Dec 25, 2005

"...and the light is on and burning brightly for the masses."
Fallen Rib
targeting golfers makes sense — another group of folks who like to practice their followthrough and get it in the hole for sport

Another Bill
Sep 27, 2018

I stumbled ass-backwards into a comfortable, easy life for reasons beyond my comprehension and now I think I'm better than you for it.
Woof my buddy's wife just got naturally pregnant at 45 and wants to keep it. It's a less than 1% chance. Get those snips boys!!

Farmer Crack-Ass
Jan 2, 2001

this is me posting irl
I remember during my vasectomy consult with the urologist, when he asked if I knew what I was asking for, I volunteered that "yeah I understand, I shouldn't expect it to be reversible" and he came back with "well, there's actually pretty good odds on being able to reverse it, but yeah, best not to count on it."


Doom Rooster posted:

Quite nervous. I’m scheduled for mid January. Part of the paperwork included a release and agreement that I would have someone else drive me home because of the Valium.

But… When the person called me to finalize a date, she told me that they don’t do the Valium anymore. Just a local anesthetic. I, uhhh… want the Valium.

I called two other offices here in Denver and they also said just the local. Is this just how it is now? Are other places going to be willing to offer it?

I can't comment on the Denver area, but in the Portland OR metro area I was offered/prescribed a Valium pill.

Zugzwang
Jan 2, 2005

You have a kind of sick desperation in your laugh.


Ramrod XTreme
Got my snip yesterday afternoon. The doc doing it is a full professor of medicine whose main research interest is vasectomies, and he was recommended by an acquaintance who's also an MD, so I felt pretty good about it going in.

The doc had a resident with him who also did some of the procedure. Some minor pinching and pulling discomfort was the worst of it.

Afterwards, I was pretty lethargic (I guess from the 20 mg of valium?) so I slept a lot for the rest of the day. Pain has not been more than like 0.5/10. Toddlerzwang was even good about not hitting me in the balls for once!

And today, nothing to complain about so far. I ordered two jock straps that I may or may not need for support. Stuff feels mildly uncomfortable sometimes, like it might if a testicle got stuck in my underwear, but that's it. I didn't need to ice at all.

Overall cost: $72. That's two $35 co-pays plus the two 10-mg Valium pills.

Here's to getting back to lifting next week and never having to worry about pregnancy again by early March :buddy:

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Dicty Bojangles
Apr 14, 2001

Living in a state where women’s healthcare is rapidly becoming non-existent makes me all the more glad I got fixed. My wife and I are now old enough that any pregnancy comes with complications in one way or another.

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