Vasectomy tips?

[ktgrok]

DH is getting the snip on Monday. They prescribed one valium he can take before hand if he wishes. If he takes it he needs someone to drive him. He doesn't know that he wants to take it, but I'm thinking he needs someone to drive him home either way, right? Like, just from stress/pain?

I'm sort of treating this as no big deal, as I've seen neuters and this is less than that, but I probably SHOULD at least ask and know what to expect, lol. Frozen peas for ice pack? Supportive undies - he uses boxer briefs normally and they said that's fine. Anything else I should know?

[AbcdeDooDah]

Frozen peas are a must.

Don't let him do anything strenuous for a few days. My dh felt fine so he did some physical labor stuff. Ended up in a lot of pain. He also got a rare side effect. Not sure if it's related but I would advise him to take it easy.

Edited May 13, 2021 by AbcdeDooDah

[Jaybee]

They tell you this, but make sure you use bc until you have the (six weeks? not sure) all clear. That seems obvious, but people do sometimes  ignore this advice, and then there is another member of the family who appears so many months later.

ETA: And I always think it is wise after someone has been under anesthesia that someone else drive to and from, even if it is for a minor something.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Jaybee

[cintinative]

3 minutes ago, Jaybee said:

They tell you this, but make sure you use bc until you have the (six weeks? not sure) all clear.

My husband had to provide ahem, something, that they tested to confirm that other somethings were not present. It might have been six weeks after? I don't remember.

Ditto on the frozen peas recommendation. 

[HeartString]

For us it was a bigger deal than I anticipated.  I figured a weekend laid up with peas then some soreness for a week.  It was about a 5 days of peas with way more swelling and bruising than I anticipated, even though he did just lay around like he was suppose to. Like, a lot of swelling and serious bruising.   The doctor said it was all normal and everyone survived. It was on par with an patient surgery.  

If he’s going in to have it done on Monday I would plan for the week out of work.  You might not need it but apparently not everyone is back at it 48 hours after.  

[ktgrok]

8 minutes ago, HeartString said:

 

If he’s going in to have it done on Monday I would plan for the week out of work.  You might not need it but apparently not everyone is back at it 48 hours after.  

He thinks he will be back at work (from home) the next day. Day after at the latest. We shall see...

[fairfarmhand]

17 minutes ago, AbcdeDooDah said:

Frozen peas are a must.

Don't let him do anything strenuous for a few days. My dh felt fine so he did some physical labor stuff. Ended up in a lot of pain. He also got a rare side effect. Not sure if it's related but I would advise him to take it easy.

Mine did this too.  A calf was born. He thought he was fine to wrestle and tag it.  He was not.

[HeartString]

6 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

He thinks he will be back at work (from home) the next day. Day after at the latest. We shall see...

He might be able to work from home, if he’s able to concentrate.  

[Lanny]

I agree more than 100% with Jaybee that he should NOT drive himself home. It has been many years (around 2004 or 2005?) since I had the Vasectomy.  I have memories of the OB-GYN of my wife suggesting that we buy an anesthetic ointment.  He'd had it by the same Urologist before me.  What he didn't tell us, and possibly this is intuitively obvious,  was that I was supposed to apply the ointment some time before the surgery, so it would help. I am not sure how much time before. So, when the Urologist came into the room where he was going to operate on me, I handed him the brand new tube of ointment and he explained that it needed to be put on earlier. He didn't use the tube.  "Lidocaina Clorhidrato 2%"

And then he began cutting.  Probably not fun to have surgeons cutting anywhere on one's body. That was quite uncomfortable at times.

I believe we then went to have Lunch and then came home and I rested.

I don't remember how long it was after that he said I could ride my bicycle.   Several months?

@OP much good luck to your DH!  IMO it is much better for the man to have the surgery and not the woman. Much less invasive and much less dangerous.  Your DH will not be asleep during the procedure.  

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, Lanny said:

 

@OP much good luck to your DH!  IMO it is much better for the man to have the surgery and not the woman. Much less invasive and much less dangerous.  Your DH will not be asleep during the procedure.  

Yes, I'm glad he's willing. But then again he'd better be - I gave birth to three of his kids without drugs, and one was over 10lbs! Plus the IUD that took THREE visits to put in, only finally getting it done with a cervical block, then another cervical block and a scope inserted in my uterus to find the thing when it was time to take it out. And now I'm on hormonal birth control  that is perhaps causing my high blood pressure, so I need to get off of it. So yeah...his turn, lol. 

Plus, it's more effective than the surgery options for women. Which was a selling point for him. 

[Shoeless]

He needs to rest afterward and take it easy for several days. My ex felt fine afterward, ignored the advice to rest, and the boys swelled up the size of oranges as a result. 🍊🍊

[ktgrok]

4 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

He needs to rest afterward and take it easy for several days. My ex felt fine afterward, ignored the advice to rest, and the boys swelled up the size of oranges as a result. 🍊🍊

I worked in veterinary hospitals and saw that happen when dogs were not kept quiet after a neuter. I've warned him!

[Lanny]

Follow-on: Several responses mentioned Peas.  We live in Colombia, where most fruits and vegetables are incredibly cheap, compared to most of the world, because they are grown here.  I don't remember anything about Peas. Possibly they don't do that here? I am afraid to ask what they do with the Peas...   ???

A late friend, many years ago, drove himself home after a Colonoscopy. They put you asleep very quickly and you don't remember anything.  I don't think it is wise, to drive, after having surgery or an exam like a Colonoscopy.

BTW, the same Urologist, many years ago, did a procedure on my wife. He cured an issue that her OB-GYNs had never been able to cure.  He also did a Circumcision on DSS, when he was about 13 or 14, which is not a pleasant age to do that.  It was the decision of DSS to get Circumcised. 

[RootAnn]

@LannyThe peas are a easy-to-mold-to-certain-areas cold pack.

And now that I've posted, my kid who stalks my posts will wonder why I posted on this thread. Lol.

[Lanny]

10 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

Yes, I'm glad he's willing. But then again he'd better be - I gave birth to three of his kids without drugs, and one was over 10lbs! Plus the IUD that took THREE visits to put in, only finally getting it done with a cervical block, then another cervical block and a scope inserted in my uterus to find the thing when it was time to take it out. And now I'm on hormonal birth control  that is perhaps causing my high blood pressure, so I need to get off of it. So yeah...his turn, lol. 

Plus, it's more effective than the surgery options for women. Which was a selling point for him. 

I didn't know a Vasectomy  is more effective, but the surgery on a woman is a very  big deal.  I didn't want my wife to have that done. And, I am deeply grateful that the women have the babies, and not the men...

[WildflowerMom]

Dh had no problems.  In fact, he was ready for 'TeA' that night and I said no.flipping.way.   Tylenol, frozen peas sounds like a good plan.  I did drive dh and I would advise that.  Take the Valium, too.  

[Lanny]

1 minute ago, RootAnn said:

@LannyThe peas are a easy-to-mold-to-certain-areas cold pack.

And now that I've posted, my kid who stalks my posts will wonder why I posted on this thread. Lol.

Thank you!   Possibly I used Ice Packs or something. It has been so many years. I would need to ask my DW. She remembers everything.

[Emba]

Ice packs and an athletic support (jock strap? I think). It would probably be good to go with so you Can drive him home. It would be nice even if it is not absolutely necessary.

[ktgrok]

Ok, DS21 took off work that afternoon (appt is at 4:30) to watch the kids so I can drive DH. He told his boss (he works in a veterinary clinic) that he needed the afternoon off because his stepfather was being neutered 🙂

[Carrie12345]

No additional advice, but I sat in in my minivan with our 5 kids, including a newborn, while dh got his, lol. 

[ktgrok]

3 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

No additional advice, but I sat in in my minivan with our 5 kids, including a newborn, while dh got his, lol. 

LOL...that tickles me more than it should. 

When they asked why he wanted it the answer was, "we have four kids and we are mid forties and TIRED". 

edited to add: I'd be happy to have more than 4 kids...but I'd want to put the extra back in that 10 year gap between number 1 and number 2. Not add them now. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by ktgrok

[livetoread]

We went in thinking no big deal, but I was planning on driving him home anyway. Good thing because he was very lightheaded afterwards and almost passed out in the elevator. He said it was incredibly painful, like someone kicking him in the balls. Doc kept apologizing but wasn't surgeon's fault who came highly recommended by several friends who sailed through it. Don't tell your hubby that since it's not true for most guys, but yeah, not always an easy thing.

[Xahm]

Amy advice I would give seriously has already been given, but the thought went through my head that if you could time the operation with the second dose of Covid Vaccine, it might work really well. I just wanted to sleep after that shot and wouldn't have cared much what was happening to my body.

[Faith-manor]

Do not skip the tests to make sure swimmers are not swimming. Dh's brother did this, and they had a fourth child because of that.

Really, just uhm.... wrap it up until no seeds in the banana are detected. 😂

[ktgrok]

10 minutes ago, Xahm said:

Amy advice I would give seriously has already been given, but the thought went through my head that if you could time the operation with the second dose of Covid Vaccine, it might work really well. I just wanted to sleep after that shot and wouldn't have cared much what was happening to my body.

He's already fully vaccinated 🙂 But nice idea 🙂

6 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Do not skip the tests to make sure swimmers are not swimming. Dh's brother did this, and they had a fourth child because of that.

Really, just uhm.... wrap it up until no seeds in the banana are detected. 😂

Oh, we know. I'll continue our current birth control until then. 

Speaking of seeds, he bought this shirt - he's hoping it will be here before his appointment so he can wear it there. https://amzn.to/3hCCDMD

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, Emba said:

Ice packs and an athletic support (jock strap? I think). It would probably be good to go with so you Can drive him home. It would be nice even if it is not absolutely necessary.

Yes, more support than boxer briefs!

He might have a fair amount of bruising. That was a surprise. 

It was definitely a bigger deal than expected.

[HS Mom in NC]

My husband has his snip 23 years ago.  Urologist insisted someone drive him. Don't let him help move furniture 48 hours after.  He was more comfortable than he expected to be and moved furniture, then was much more sore than after the snip.

[Ausmumof3]

Definitely need a driver and ditto on the not overdoing things unfortunately. 
 

Also and this may not be true for everyone but be prepared for a bit of emotional impact on you.  I wasn’t really ready to be done with babies and it hit me way harder than expected.

[fraidycat]

I have no tips that haven't already been shared, but just wanted to wish you and him the best. And sending easy recovery vibes.

[Momto6inIN]

Lots of what I would say has already been covered - frozen peas, jock strap, drive him home, keep quiet for a couple days, bruising and swelling for several days. Just a couple things to add:

My DH is very medical procedures averse. As in, he sometimes gets woozy when people just talk about their dental and medical procedures. He almost passed out when I got an epidural not even looking at the needle but just listening to the Dr say things like, "ok you're going to feel a prick now" 😂 Anyway, he was GREEN when he came out because I don't think he realized he would be awake the whole time and listening to them and feeling the pulling and whatnot. If your DH doesn't know that or is squeamish, a heads up might be nice 😊

They needed to shave DH, and he was not prepared for that. The itching was the worst part of recovery.

Continuing to wear the jock strap for a week helped a lot.

We didn't go back for the check. DH was adamantly opposed to performing the mechanism required to obtain a sample 😉 and we live 35 miles from the dr's office and didn't know how to make the logistics of getting it there in the given time frame would work anyway. So we figured if on the rare chance it didn't work we'd find out soon enough and that would mean that God reeeeeally wanted us to have one more kid LOL

[Beth S]

Youtubers Cullen and Katie documented Cullen's recent V (2 mths ago).
Apparently there are special men's undies that help the recovery (like a hammock).
We use frozen peas for all kinds of injuries. Much better than an ice pack.
ETA:  They refer to a home test for the swimmers (in the future) to test effectiveness.

 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Beth S

[Lecka]

My husband expected “no big deal.”  He needed to sit in a chair with frozen stuff for two entire days.  The third day he was much better but mostly sitting.  The fourth day he was fine.  That is my memory at least.  
 

He was fine to sit and be on the computer but not to really move around the first two days.

 

Where he went he was not allowed to drive himself home.  

[Lecka]

My husband had a physically demanding job at the time and my memory is he went back to work on the 4th day and was fine, but on the 2nd day he was thinking “how am I going to go back to work in two days?”  
 

That is what I remember, at least.  It has been over ten years now, of blissful lack of concern about bc.  

[Tap]

Make sure you husband is ok to go in afterward and give a sample to verify the surgery was effective. It never occurred to me to to ask xh, it seemed kind of obvious.  But he refused to give the sample, so even tho he had the procedure, I had to stay on BCP, until I had endometrial ablation done which wiped out my chance to carry a pregnancy. It was stupid that he never told me, he wasn't planning to give a sample. ever. 

I absolutely resented the fact that he refused to do it. We had kids when we were young and he got snipped at 27. Several friends asked him about his experience when they were thinking about having thier own done. He would always say how great it was to not have to worry.......  😕   Yep....because I stayed on BCP!!!! He was like that tho. 

 

Ice, rest. That is my advice just like everyone else.

If he can avoid having kids climbing on him that would be great too. Misplaced knees can be brutal! He may want to spend more time laying down than sitting up, especially if the kids like to be all over him when he is sitting still. (I mean that in a sweet daddy/kid having fun way). 

 

 

[ktgrok]

On 5/14/2021 at 11:52 PM, Tap said:

 

If he can avoid having kids climbing on him that would be great too. Misplaced knees can be brutal! He may want to spend more time laying down than sitting up, especially if the kids like to be all over him when he is sitting still. (I mean that in a sweet daddy/kid having fun way). 

 

 

Yeah, i had a conversation with the kids about him needing to rest, being sore, and no "daddy robot" game for a while (which is something they saw on the show Bluey and leads to chaos and often injuries). In fact, I had "the talk" with DS 8 first...figured as good a time as any, lol. The 4 yr old just knows daddy is having a procedure, he's fine, but will be sore. 

I may reccomend he keep a pillow in his lap just in case. 

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by ktgrok

[ktgrok]

OH My....I took his script to be filled, for the valium. I told him don't worry, it will be ready before we have to leave for appointment. He is supposed to take it an hour before the appointment, to make things easier on him. 

Y'all...this conversation happened:

DH: Oh, I don't think I'll want to take it  on the way there."

Me: Well, when WERE you planning to take it? 

DH: After the appointment..about an hour after....I think it said the local would wear off around then, so I'd take it then. 

Me: huh?????  NO! You take it before, to make you less likely to kick the doctor when he injects you with lidocaine! It's to help you relax during the procedure!!!! They will give you a script for pain meds afterward. That's not what this is for. 

DH: shrugs. 

Y'all....this is why men who are married live longer. He went to the appointment. He has it all in writing. He was going to take the medication prescribed to relax him during the procedure an hour AFTER the procedure!!!!

This is what I deal with. (don't get me started on him not knowing the difference between ibuprofen, tylenol, and aspirin)

 

[Faith-manor]

22 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

OH My....I took his script to be filled, for the valium. I told him don't worry, it will be ready before we have to leave for appointment. He is supposed to take it an hour before the appointment, to make things easier on him. 

Y'all...this conversation happened:

DH: Oh, I don't think I'll want to take it  on the way there."

Me: Well, when WERE you planning to take it? 

DH: After the appointment..about an hour after....I think it said the local would wear off around then, so I'd take it then. 

Me: huh?????  NO! You take it before, to make you less likely to kick the doctor when he injects you with lidocaine! It's to help you relax during the procedure!!!! They will give you a script for pain meds afterward. That's not what this is for. 

DH: shrugs. 

Y'all....this is why men who are married live longer. He went to the appointment. He has it all in writing. He was going to take the medication prescribed to relax him during the procedure an hour AFTER the procedure!!!!

This is what I deal with. (don't get me started on him not knowing the difference between ibuprofen, tylenol, and aspirin)

 

I agree. I still can't figure out how Org and Thor ended up in charge of the planet based purely on parts that dangle when I am sure men would have been extinct immediately were it not for women telling them "Don't bring that rabid hyena into the cave are you nuts!" 😁😂

[sassenach]

On 5/13/2021 at 3:13 PM, HeartString said:

For us it was a bigger deal than I anticipated.  I figured a weekend laid up with peas then some soreness for a week.  It was about a 5 days of peas with way more swelling and bruising than I anticipated, even though he did just lay around like he was suppose to. Like, a lot of swelling and serious bruising.   The doctor said it was all normal and everyone survived. It was on par with an patient surgery.  

If he’s going in to have it done on Monday I would plan for the week out of work.  You might not need it but apparently not everyone is back at it 48 hours after.  

Ditto. It was actually quite traumatic for dh.

[sassenach]

On 5/13/2021 at 4:12 PM, Carrie12345 said:

No additional advice, but I sat in in my minivan with our 5 kids, including a newborn, while dh got his, lol. 

LOL, SAME!! Except it was 4 kids, including a newborn. Also, it was New Years eve because he kept putting it off but we had hit out of pocket max with the birth so I forced the issue.

[Lanny]

13 minutes ago, sassenach said:

Ditto. It was actually quite traumatic for dh.

Different people have different thresholds about fear and how to handle that and some people allow it to progress to terror, which is extremely dangerous. And one person may have minor discomfort and another may have extreme pain. This thread is about a Vasectomy, but this can apply equally to a Colonoscopy or some kind of "minor" surgery.  In 2007, our Urologist said that I needed to have a Biopsy on my Prostate. Not something I would look forward to.  As with 2 or 3 other doctors we had at that time (we were in what I think is called a PPO in the USA) we had extreme trust in the Urologist and whatever he would have suggested, we probably would have done. 

The morning we (my DW and me) went to the place in the hospital where the office of the Urologist is located, there were a number of other men (several at least) in addition to me, that he was going to do a Biopsy on that morning.  I remember one man. He was there with his wife, as I was there with my wife.  He was terrified. They were going to put him to sleep and then he was going to be checked into a room in the hospital to recover. I felt so sad for him, that he had allowed his fear of the Biopsy procedure to escalate into being put to sleep and then being checked into a hospital room to recover.   It certainly was not something that I would like to repeat, but afterwards I think my wife and I went for Lunch and possibly did a little shopping before we came home. (Fortunately the results in my case were Negative)

 

[Lanny]

Just now, Lanny said:

Different people have different thresholds about fear (fear is normal and is OK) and how to handle that and some people allow it to progress to terror, which is extremely dangerous. And one person may have minor discomfort and another may have extreme pain. This thread is about a Vasectomy, but this can apply equally to a Colonoscopy or some kind of "minor" surgery.  In 2007, our Urologist said that I needed to have a Biopsy on my Prostate. Not something I would look forward to.  As with 2 or 3 other doctors we had at that time (we were in what I think is called a PPO in the USA) we had extreme trust in the Urologist and whatever he would have suggested, we probably would have done. 

The morning we (my DW and me) went to the place in the hospital where the office of the Urologist is located, there were a number of other men (several at least) in addition to me, that he was going to do a Biopsy on that morning.  I remember one man. He was there with his wife, as I was there with my wife.  He was terrified. They were going to put him to sleep and then he was going to be checked into a room in the hospital to recover. I felt so sad for him, that he had allowed his fear of the Biopsy procedure to escalate into being put to sleep and then being checked into a hospital room to recover.   It certainly was not something that I would like to repeat, but afterwards I think my wife and I went for Lunch and possibly did a little shopping before we came home. (Fortunately the results in my case were Negative)

 

 

[ktgrok]

Thanks, he was actually cleared for relations after 3 days, but wasn't ready that soon, lol. 

He is doing great, had very little to no swelling or bruising, and his only pain now and then is when the skin pulls/pinches a bit where the one stitch was.

Thankfully, he did this on a monday - his work week he often sits at his desk from 9am to 11pm if I don't make him get up and move around. Seriously, he can have less than 1,000 steps a day on a work day. So staying still was not a problem, lol. I brought him ice packs regularly, he used them 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off pretty much all day the first few days. Used the pain meds the first 2 days, then just at night the third day and that was it. By the weekend he was moving around more, as is typical on a weekend for him, but by then was allowed to. So it worked out well. Only real "care" that was different than a normal work week was me bringing him food, coffee, etc so he didn't have to get up, and switching out ice packs. 

Oh, and I suggested he try wearing his running shorts, the kind that have a soft underwear type lining figuring if they were good for support while running thy would be good support for this. He tried and said that was definitely more comfortable, plus the thin material made it easier to use the ice packs. 

He has a lab script to check for swimmers at 6 weeks and 8 weeks. They say use other birth control until two negative tests. And to um....clear the pipes as often as possible until then, lol.