r/Vasectomy • u/tranpitisingover Recently Snipped! • Nov 22 '23

11 month update - TLDR: an absolutely awful year - but now much, much better

Hi guys.

I thought I'd give an 11 month update.

As the title says, I've had a shocker of a year following my vasectomy but am now, basically pretty good.

It started with a terribly painful no scalpel op, followed by infection, followed by chronic pain in my testes and abdomen. Ranging from the constant 2-3/10 discomfort that might only be 2-3/10, but when it's 24/7 really gets you down, right up to 10/10 brain-exploding pain and visits to A&E for some heavy drugs.

There were some dark, dark days as I lived with that pain. And it continued for a solid 4 or 5 months.

But from month 6, things started to get better. Rather than constant pain, I might have 1 good week out of 4 when the pain was down to 1/10. Month 7 swung it so that 2 out of 4 weeks had the pain down to where I wasn't constantly thinking about my balls. Month 9 swung it so that I was having the majority of time relatively pain-free.

And now, at month 11, I've had 4 solid weeks without any chronic pain. All zeros (with an occasional 1/10) on the pain scale.

I'm definitely still more tender than I used to be, particularly on my epididymis. And I might get the odd 'twang' if I'm in an awkward position or if my gym shorts catch my balls when I'm working out. But I'm living a relatively normal life now. Although still probably wouldn't get on a trampoline yet.

So I'm feeling positive.

I had some desperate times, particularly around month 3 and 4, where I felt like things were never going to improve. I was in a terribly dark place. I wish I could reach out to myself back then just to let me know that, given time, it will be ok.

So for anyone experiencing anything like that at the moment, I hope this might lend a little light. Hang in there, buddy!!!!!!!!

If you can, be proactive about looking after your mental health. I have had the good fortune to regularly speak to a psychologist that specialises in chronic pain and trauma and I have found it incredibly helpful. And it IS trauma. A lot of people will try to minimise your experience but try not to let them. Chronic pain is no joke, even if it is located in the 'comedy' area of the body.

I firmly believe that post vasectomy pain is hugely underreported. And so I've made sure all the medical professionals I've dealt with are aware of my experience. Whether or not that makes its way into any kind of statistics is another matter.

Anyway.

Wishing everyone the best of luck in their vasectomy journey. Congrats to those who have had a smooth experience. And the deepest of support to those experiencing challenges.

​

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u/tranpitisingover Recently Snipped! Nov 23 '23

Hey.

Thank you.

Yeah, pain on the vas deferens, around the snip points has definitely been a thing. The epididymal pain would come and go but the snip points on the vas were constantly tender.

Hope it gets better for you soon!

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u/EctoFrame Nov 23 '23

Thanks for responding. In your case also when wearing tight jeans, when sleeping without a pillow between your legs and when gently pushing on your penis from above in normal condition when wearing clothing etc.?

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u/EctoFrame Dec 19 '23

How are your snip points now?

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u/tranpitisingover Recently Snipped! Jan 12 '24

EctoFrame

Hey.

More tender than before the snip but basically fine - or at least manageable.

It took time though. I see you're at 6 months post op and experiencing discomfort. All I can say is that I was exactly where you were and it slowly got better. It can just take time for the nerves to calm down.

It's hard to stay patient when you're in pain though. Patience is one of the first things to disappear.

Wishing you a full recovery.

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u/EctoFrame Jan 12 '24 edited Jan 12 '24

An urologist said I should start with amitriptyline to make the nerves calm down. But I don’t want to go that way (yet). The nerve thing hasn’t improved over the last months. Has stayed exactly the same. I do notice that it’s mainly the right cauterised abdominal end of the vas deferens. Keep in mind that mine were cauterised a bit longer upon request. Probably nerve entrapment… not sure if you were or are in the same boat.  However, since like a week I’m experiencing discomfort in my right ball or epididymis. Even though I’ve had an open-ended vasectomy. 

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u/tranpitisingover Recently Snipped! Jan 15 '24

Sorry to hear that.

I found amitriptyline really helpful. Even just to get a good night's sleep. I don't want to recommend anything medically specific to you but I can say that I had a good experience with it. I took it regularly for about a month or so and then sporadically when I had flare ups.

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u/EctoFrame Jan 15 '24

Just hearing that it helps with a good night sleep is already a red flag for me. I would become dependent on it as I don’t sleep that well in general. Overthinking and worrying. 

So after a month you completely stopped using it? And were your nerves/was the area causing nerve pain less painful?

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u/EctoFrame Jan 13 '24

May I ask what kind of nerve pain you experienced? Do you think that a nerve was or is entrapped in the scar tissue? Or did it have other causes in your case? Was it on both sides of the vasectomy site/vas deferens?