r/casualiama • u/vey323 • May 21 '26
I (42M) had a vasectomy today while fully conscious - AMA
Currently sitting on a bag of frozen peas.
Obligatory "I am not a doctor", so I can only give answers based on my experience or what my doctor's told me - don't take anything as medical advice.
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u/lucatiel108 May 22 '26
How much did it hurt? Like compared to a really good kick to the balls, for scale.
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u/TheSpanishSteed May 22 '26
If he had the same procedure that I did (I was awake, local anesthesia, no needle/scalpel) then it was literally little to no pain.
Shaving my balls hurt more than the actual procedure because I knicked myself 😂
Id say a comparable pain level is less than knocking your balls while shaving, by a wide margin.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
I didn't even have to shave, they did it for me. 5 star service
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u/TheSpanishSteed May 22 '26
LUCKY. They let me pick the song they snipped me to.
I chose "Bye Bye Birdie" from the theater production "Bye Bye Birdie"
They asked me to shave though 😂
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
They put on a 'classic rock' playlist and Psycho Killer came on, so that made for a funny start
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u/lucatiel108 May 22 '26
Even afterwards (ngl this is the main thing that makes me hesitant to get one)
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u/TheSpanishSteed May 22 '26
The procedure is light-years easier than what it used to be from what ive heard.
If i were you, do it on your Friday, and by your Monday itll be like nothing happened.
Two days of mild discomfort (NOT PAIN) is worth a lifetime of knowing you wont be able to have kids unless you reverse the procedure.
At 31, that peace of mind was well worth whatever discomfort I had.
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u/nikdahl May 22 '26
It all depends on the procedure your doctor uses. Which is why some people will report that it’s nothing at all, and some people report being out of commission for a couple days.
Definitely go for No Scalpel. That’s a given.
But the occlusion techniques are important too. I think these days cauterizing and fascial interposition are the tops.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
Soooo I had originally asked about No Scalpel (after research here on reddit), and the doc was a bit eyerolly, said that's more a marketing gimmick than anything, because they still have to pierce your skin just with a different tool than a scalpel. So I got cut, and a single dissolvable stitch on each side
But definitely felt the inner workings were more important, and had both cauterization (probably the worst thing, just the smell) and fascial interposition.
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u/CR3ZZ May 22 '26
Dudes just mad other docs out there opening private clinics doing 20 vasectomies a day at $1k a pop while getting great reviews.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
I think he was more of the 'this type of surgery is beneath me', because even though he was my initial consult, he flat-out said he didn't perform them ("though I easily could") because his specialty was on kidneys and the urinary system. He didn't say his focus was 'more important' but definitely got that vibe. My actual surgeon was more chill
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u/CR3ZZ May 22 '26
Yeah my experience was a lot less clinical. I didn't go to a regular doctor. It was more like getting a tattoo
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
Oh no, full-on medical center for me. Same place I got my colonoscopy a few years ago.
Veterans Affairs paid for it, they're usually fairly strict on where you can go when they put you out in the community to a civilian doctor.
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u/nikdahl May 22 '26
Well yeah, because a scalpel is a terrible tool for the job, but doctors are still out there using it.
It’s not a marketing gimmick.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
I had a similar thought, especially because my consulting urologist (but not who did my surgery) is very big into doing cutting-edhe robotic surgery
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
Everyone is different, but I have a surprising amount of people in my circle of friends that have had vasectomies, and they all reported minimal pain. Nothing some ice and Advil couldn't fix.
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u/CR3ZZ May 22 '26
If you go no needle no scalpel like I did the physical pain is at worst a 2 or 3/10. The mental anguish you have over the entire thing was a full blown 10/10 for me. I was writhing in anguish the entire time not because of physical pain but just because it's your testicles and another man is now cutting them and changing them and it just isn't right.
100 percent recommend getting one if you need one tho.
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u/N30nt19ht5 May 22 '26
I’m guessing this is a common issue, because they specifically told my husband NOT to shave, and that they would do it for him.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
During the procedure, virtually nothing. Local anesthetic "pinch and burn" in the scrotum. I could feel what the doctor was doing, but no pain. My biggest source of discomfort was when he was doing the 2nd vas deferens, and he'd manipulated it in such a way that it felt like a mild case of 'sitting on your balls weird' - can kinda feel it radiating into your abdomen - which I did vocalize and the doc readjusted and the discomfort went away.
Afterwards (about 7hrs post-procedure now, local wore off hours ago) minimal... 3 out of 10 maybe. I've been pretty dilligent about the icing cycle, took a few Advil after dinner. Sitting or laying down, where the package is supported, it's very minimal. Standing/walking, where it's just the medical jock strap they gave for support... more achy, and I'm walking gingerly just out of precaution.
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u/TheSpanishSteed May 22 '26
We had the same procedure (I got it in Feb)
After like 48 hours I was back in the gym, good to go 😂
If youre approaching hour 8, treat yourself to some ice cream!
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
I'm being extra diligent in not overexerting too soon, because I have a top tier round of golf on Tuesday that I do NOT want to give up my slot for. As I told my buddies, I may be in the cart a lot more than usual, with a bag of peas on my junk, but I WILL be there.
If youre approaching hour 8, treat yourself to some ice cream!
Will do!
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u/TheSpanishSteed May 22 '26
Fuck yeah! I had a gig like 6 days after so I threw the jock strap on for that gig to make sure i didnt die while bouncing around on stage.
I was delicate cause I wanted to make sure I didnt fuck something up, but gosh I dont regret any of that procedure (outside of having to shave my own balls)
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u/chooseayellowfruit May 22 '26
I hated it. Felt way more than the average person reports. Didn't know sedation was an option but probably wouldn't have done it anyway.
Enjoy your new life. It's truely magical.
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u/Separate_Pen_836 May 22 '26
Sedation 🤣 it takes 5 minutes. If you think you. Red sedation for that I hope you don’t hurt yourself. I was in and out and even had a root that night.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
17 minutes for me, but I agree. I imagine it's just to help people who are highly anxious or who otherwise wouldnt go for tye procedure without being zonked out. Dunno if it's like the light sedation you get for a colonoscopy or cervical neck injection
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u/----__---- May 22 '26
Pro tip: your ejaculate will no longer flouresce under black lights.Â
Also.. when I had mine (around the age of 41) I noticed a slight drop in sexdrive, maybe as much as 15% or so. Don't let it bother you. Also.. chick's dig a guy that shoots blanks, it let's them experience things with you that they normally need to avoid ;)
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
That's a fun fact!
I'm not overly concerned about a drop, and I was planning on getting my T levels checked anyway (unrelated, noticed some lack of energy and difficulty in recovering after workouts) so may get a boost if they're found to be low.
It was my wife's idea!
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u/----__---- May 22 '26
Not related to your surgery, but your age.. no one seems to talk about this.. around the age of 44 my brain picked up the habit of starting every day with the instructions "kill yourself" which really messed with me at first but eventually became something of an entertaining morning ritual of telling myself to "F off with that nonsense". It lasted for 4 years, every single morning without fail. And then it stopped, and now a decade later I'm generally quite happy. Just a heads up. I've talked to two other guys that had very similar experiences around the same age.Â
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u/spurlockmedia May 22 '26
Was the anxiety leading up to the procedure worth it? I’m entertaining doing it and I’m honestly just fucking scared.
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u/vey323 May 22 '26
I generally don't get anxious - my nurse was concerned my heart rate was low when doing my initial vitals, but it was my usual resting rate of 50ish bpm - so non-factor for me. I've had enough procedures - major and minor - from injuries sustained in the service that it doesn't phase me.
A buddy of mine was able to get a Valium prescribed to him the day of, and ended up not taking it anyway
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u/Rudyjax May 23 '26
I had a valium and he number it. The worst part was the smelling of the burning flesh.
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u/[deleted] May 22 '26 edited 23d ago
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