I figured he was just trying to avoid lawsuits. I’m sure I could have found a doc who didn’t require spousal consent but the doctor I used had already felt me up before and I didn’t want to cheat on him.
Whoops, missed this before. For the same reason some people lie about being on hormonal birth control or those horror stories about women poking holes in condoms; they do not see eye to eye on the issue of children and this is “easier” than telling the other person how they really feel.
“Gosh, honey, I just don’t know why we’re not conceiving!”
I know a girl who had four kids “on birth control”. I’m not even sure if that’s statistically possible for someone who claims to be taking it as prescribed.
I was going to add in there that there are probably dozens of reasons (besides being a complete d-bag, like my BIL, I mean) why a man can’t/won’t have a vasectomy. My ex had a crippling fear of needles, too, to the point that he refused to get a suspicious mole biopsied until I started showing him gross pictures of skin cancer on the internet. He threw up in the parking lot at the clinic, passed out before the procedure even started, and then had to lie down pretty much the rest of the day. It was a tumor, they said, but some type that is always benign so I got to hear “See?! I didn’t have to do that!” forever. :rolleyes:
I don’t get it, but it’s real. I hope you guys can come to some kind of reasonable conclusion.
Make sure you have some one to wait on you hand and foot. My wife is out of the country so I’ve had to take care of myself since the surgery. I had no idea my junk moved around so much until every little tiny movement caused me to black-out for a second from the pain.
Disclaimer: The doctor gave me a prescription for vicodin but I’m afraid to end up like rush limbaugh so I don’t take them unless I just can’t take the pain anymore.
Peas? Throw a tray of ice cubes in a ziploc and take it like a man! (Veteran of a testicular biopsy.)
a jock is good support
Whatever dude. It takes a real man to cry like a little girl when the doctor sticks a needle in your testicle.
Take the painkillers - it’s easier to keep pain down than knock it down once it’s bad. You’ll take them for a day or so, then not take them anymore once the pain gets manageable.
Just a needle? They opened me up and took 2 pieces out. It was outpatient, so he got his nurse’s assistant to help him. I thought it was pretty damn funny that her hands were shaking like that (she wasn’t holding the knife.) I was thinking, “Don’t be afraid baby, it don’t bite.”
I had mine under general anesthesia. The doc backed out halfway through attempt #1 (under local), using the words “vericocele”(sp?) and “terrible pain.”
If I get one, how much time should I plan on taking off of work?
How much did it cost? Did you insurance take care of it?
I had the procedure on Friday and was basically useless through Monday. The man-berries are still swollen so walking, getting in and out of my chair hurts a bit. I could stay home but I got bored just laying around watching TV.
My insurance company (UHC) quoted me between $700-$950 out of pocket. Our plan year begins in July so I haven’t met my deductible. I only paid the $40 specialist co-pay at the time of the procedure but I’m sure there’s $800 bill on the way. I’m using FSA funds to pay it when it does come.
You might not have to take any time off. I had mine done on a Friday afternoon (OK, so I took that afternoon off) and I was back at work on Monday morning. I just took things easy over the weekend, wore those ball-hugger bikini briefs instead of my usual boxers, no heavy lifting or anything. For a few hours after the procedure, I kept a bag of frozen peas between my legs, off and on. I think I took one Vicodin, maybe a couple Advil on Saturday and Sunday. As I mentioned upthread, I was back in the saddle on Tuesday or Wednesday.
He made a small incision, reached in with tweezers and pulled the vas out through the incision, snipped out a small section, cauterized the ends, and placed a small clip over each end. Second verse same as the first. The entire procedure was less than 30 minutes from first shot of anesthesia to when I walked out of the room. I sat in the waiting room for a while because the local made me a little dizzy, but the procedure itself wasn’t a big deal.
I don’t remember what it cost beyond my co-pay; insurance covered it.
I looked into getting one a couple of years ago but have up until now been too much of a wuss to go through with it.
I’ve known a few people who got theirs on Friday morning and were back at work on Monday. These people all had office jobs so it might be more time for someone doing strenuous labor.
As I recall, the cost would have been $2000 but it was totally covered by insurance. Obviously there is a huge variation in insurance coverages so that’s something you’d have to check on your own.
Mine cost $50- the elective surgery deductible.
The only way to know for sure is to call the insurance company. Every health plan is different (“riders.”) Two people in the same company might have two different plans.
Regarding how much time off from work, it depends as well. Most doctors are willing to give you a note for whatever days you feel you need, but many people don’t get paid sick days.
[QUOTE=lindsaybluth;12752325OP, glad you got it done. I’ll get my tubes tied (and he’ll get a vasectomy) when we’re done having kids. Controlling your own fertility destiny is a wonderful, wonderful feeling.[/QUOTE]
I knew I was through producing children (I have one) when my son was 4. I had my tubes tied. Easy peasy. Had it done on a Thursday, went back to work on Monday.
Suburban Plankton wasn’t 100% sure, but I was, so I was the one to be “fixed”. A few years later he decided he wasn’t going to have more children (should I die or we divorce) and had his vasectomy.
It is indeed a wonderful feeling to know you are in charge of your reproduction and you don’t have to rely on anyone else.
Jockstrap and vicodin, got it. Although I for one will be using the vicodin frequently enough, I think. Because I’m kind of a wuss for pain, ball pain in paticular. And while hydrocodone can be a little too much fun for a legal drug, I’m pretty sure I can keep from making a habit of it.
One more question tho. Did you talk to your doctor about it, then have the procedure done on another date? Or did you talk to the doctor, convince him/her that it’s what you want and have the snip snip right there on the same day?
I’ve done my homework, and I’m set on doing this thing. But as I’m sure ya’ll know from experience I’m still rather nervous, and I’d like to try to know as much as I can beforehand.
I had to have a pre-meeting with a doctor. After that I was to schedule the appointment. He told me that I had to shave before the procedure.
(My pre-meeting was like four years ago, not that I’m a wuss or anything.)
Real men shave their balls with fire.
I had to have a pre-meeting with a doctor first, too. I was at the clinic for something else - don’t remember what it was, maybe picking up a prescription? I had called earlier to find out what was necessary for this, and they said I had to talk to the doc. Trouble was, my doctor (a guy) wasn’t in that day, so I ended up talking to a woman doctor who was long and lean and had better muscle definition than most of the guys I’d played high school football with. I had the initial impression that she probably was thinking, “WUSS! Just crack a beer bottle on the bar, and do it yourself like a REAL man!”
Turns out she was very nice about it, and we more or less did the “consultation” in about 5 minutes. She asked if I realized that this was considered a permanent change, whether we had kids already or not, etc. She told me that the process CAN be reversed, but that it’s not covered by my policy, and the out-of-pocket cost for that was into 5 figures, I think. The vasectomy itself was covered by insurance. I think I paid $5 or $10 for the copay, is all.
The prepwork wasn’t much at all. Shave myself, come in wearing loose clothes - boxers were much preferred over tighty whities that day. Be prepared for a couple of days of down time. It was all done on an outpatient basis, and I walked my self (slowly) out to the car, stopped for an ice cream cone at the place around the corner, and drove myself home.
You should know that there are some cases where there can be significant pain afterwards. Talk to your doctor about this. You should also know that in some cases, the ends of the vas deferens have found each other, and grown back together. I know of 2 guys who told me that they got snipped, and their wives later were pregnant. Both pregnancies were several years after the procedure, so it wasn’t a case of not waiting for the lines to be flushed clean. I knew both women, and they didn’t strike me as the kind of people who would cheat on their husbands, either. So ask your doctor about the “snip a section out, cauterize and cap both ends” process.
El Nene, don’t do this on a whim. But if you’re truly ready for it, it’s worth it. Best of luck to you and your about-to-be-isolated-from-the-world twins.