This is your warning to pass on this post if you’re not interested in a medical procedure. You may consider this to be graphic… you may not…. But this is your chance to pass if this is will cause you discomfort.
J actually discussed getting the procedure done last year but with him being a new employee, he didn’t want to ask for light duty or take a day in his first 90 days on the job. With a year under his belt, he felt that now would be a good time. Let’s make the clear distinction he was NOT looking forward to this or even wanting to get this done. He did this for our family and really more specifically, me. He agrees I should not spend my adult life on prescription birth control or have a tubal ligation that is more involved and quite frankly riskier. The date was set for Friday, September 18th @ 3:30. The only date available, which meant that he would be working the very next day. Understandably, J was nervous and not looking forward to this procedure. Then when you hear “painless with no medication needed” you really start to question it. However, the Dr. understands nerves and prescribed valium to be taken an hour prior to the apt. J, took it a step further, by taking 2 valium and a shot of fire ball. 🙂 Aside from taking the medicine the only other pre-op requirement is shaving *close shave* the area, showering and picking up the prescriptions.
I planned to drive him to the appointment and expected to wait in the lobby, so I was equipped with my air pods and a coloring book. By the time we arrive he is starting to feel more relaxed but definitely “feeling hot and hard to breathe”. He is called back, and within 5 mins the nurse asks if I would like to join him in his room. It’s a small room with the typical medical table for exams, a rolling shelf with tools and a bathroom connected for the patient to use.
We sit there, masked up and wait for the Dr. By this time J is starting to feel heavy, like he’s had a couple of drinks. So when the Dr enters the room he is relaxed enough for the procedure but still nervous. There isn’t a pre-op appointment or any conversation prior to this date so this is our first time meeting the Dr. He tries to do a little small talk, make sure this is something J wants to do and that he understands the before, during and after of the procedure. The Dr. then tells him he can lay back on the table- fully clothed-including shoes. I’m allowed to stand next to his head, very much like J did for me while I was in labor. 🙂
The Dr. presses play on his Shins Pandora station and requests J to pull his shorts and underwear down to his knees. Enough time has passed and J is feeling very heavy so I help him get ready. Since the star of the show are the testes, specifically the vas deferens, the penis needs to step aside. This is done by placing a rubber band (very loosely) at the base, the band was attached to medical clamp, it was then placed in the direction of the navel, to keep it to the side. A medical blanket was placed over the abdomen and legs. Leaving only a circle cut out so the Dr has a very focused area and the patient is not feeling completely exposed. I mean he was already feeling exposed… he’s never had to show his business to a stranger and never had to have it touched/operated on. He shows J the medical device that is used to numb the area. It’s does not have any type of needle and emits a liquid that will numb the area. He presses the button so we can see and hear it. He advises the device has pressure that will feel like a rubber band snapping the area. That will be the most discomfort felt during the procedure.
It starts with a cleaning of the area with alcohol and iodine. Next, locating the vas deferens, which is done by feeling the area. Then freezing the area, even with a warning and count down it caused J to wince from the discomfort and perhaps the sound. I was on face patrol and rubbed his hair as this was going on, so I missed the actual incision. I happen to look over and see the vas deferens, outside of the skin. My initial thought was it looked like that white tendon in a chicken breast. The Dr. described it as almost a half cooked noodle. Regardless, it was totally visible and I was little surprised to actually see blood. We’re not talking gushing or anything but it made me realize he’s not getting some kind of laser procedure and that broken skin and internal dissolvable stitches are going to be painful. The Dr. checked in on his discomfort and needed to freeze the area again, since J could feel pinching. He felt relaxed, uncomfortable and unaware of what the Dr. was doing, aside from the fact that a Dr. was in his man business. J didn’t notice smell when the Dr. used a thermal cautery instrument. It was finished off with a gauze and medical tape along with recovery instructions.
The whole procedure took less than 30 mins from the time the Dr. walked in the door until he got off the medical table. We were on our way with our after instructions, an ice pack and a snack for the road. He was feeling pretty tired but did not mention pain at this point. He ended up taking a nap and waking up in pain around 8 pm. He picked up his medicine prior to the appointment which included 800mg ibuprofen, Tylenol with Codeine and the Valium. The Dr. suggested he wait a couple of days before taking the ibuprofen as it can act as blood thinner and he did not want J to end up with a hematoma or other complications. I brought him the the Tylenol and some water. J was in pain and I don’t think he was over reacting. I believe that any type of incision, even a small one, in a very sensitive area is going to be painful. He ended up waking in the night with pain. He took more meds and laid on the couch for a bit. From an outside perspective, I think he’s in pain like I was after an episiotomy. I mean, he was given the exact scripts I was given after delivering the kids. So I think the whole “Painless” is a nice word but not the reality of the situation. I’m grateful that he went through with the procedure and I feel that any man who has this type of procedure should be acknowledged.
A vasectomy is considered elective, it was covered by our insurance but we still had an out of pocket expense. We paid 100.00 deposit when he booked the appointment and paid 485.00 when we arrived yesterday. Here is the site for the Dr. that completed the procedure. He actually has a video of the procedure if you’re really curious. https://gentleproceduresdallas.com
I think that pretty much covers this life event. I made sure that J is comfortable with me sharing this information publicly. He did check-in and share on his social media but this is a public page and contains his personal medical information.