It’s been 20 years since mine, so I’ve forgotten much. They gave me a Valium in the waiting room; I was flipping through a magazine, happy as a clam, while my wife was beside me with white knuckles. I remember pointing out an interesting picture of English hedge mazes, and got a reaction like “HOW CAN YOU BE CALM AT A TIME LIKE THIS!”
Actual procedure was uneventful. I had a stabbing stomach pain when the painkillers wore off; bad enough to call the doctor at his home. He said…“meh”. It went away. I don’t recall needing icepacks at all.
SOP was to take 1 valium an hour before the procedure, to mellow me out for it. I did (and how weird to go get a prescription for a bottle with only one pill in it…), and it really did nothing for me. A couple of beers would’ve been better.
The local anaesthetic was good for one side, less good for the other. He even gave me a “booster” shot, but that failed to take hold, so I had some cautery pain. Ditto the weirdness of the tugging (it really does feel like your guts are being yanked around).
Later, much pain. I did go into work the next day, but I spent most of the week sitting with various cold items in my crotch (cold beverages, etc., while I was at the office or on the bus, commuting to and from work).
No pain while urinating. Some pain during the first ejaculation (about 10 days later…there was definitely no desire for it before then), but no weird blood/goo like they warn you about.
I highly recommend it. But some caveats:
I don’t know about all this talk of “baggy pants”. In my experience, tighter was better. My biggest mistake was not wearing a jock strap from minute one. The literature said “scrotal support”, and they mean it. Jockey shorts don’t count.
I still occasionally have pain prior to ejaculation–most often, if the session has been going on for a long time. It’s an unpleasant side-effect that nobody really talks about.
But overall, the peace of mind trumps any other discomfort easily.
I’m 18 years old, and want to be sterile. I know doctors usually don’t sterilize females until they’re 26 or so because “you don’t know what you want yet”, but how about with males? Would they do it on me? How much would it cost? Is it covered under health insurance?
I hope you responded with “No, doc, I think it’s you who’s about to feel a little prick.”
My beloved Bluesman had an experience like that. He was moving furniture the next day with nary a twinge.
I also agree that if only one half of a couple is going to be sterilized, it should be the man. The surgery is an order of magnitude easier than a tubal ligation.
I strongly doubt that any reputable doctor would agree to do it, for much the same reasons. In theory, the procedure is reversible, but in practice it’s a much trickier (and more expensive) proposition (think of the difference between cutting a piece of spaghetti and trying to stitch it back together).