I can only think of a few times in my life when my anxiety reached the heights it reached before my Vasectomy surgery—the birth of my sons and my wedding day. Time seemed to slow down to half speed.

Getting this elective procedure was something I did for my family—check out all my reasons why. Since it was something I chose to do, it built my anxiety up more.

Here’s the story and some of my thoughts about my procedure and my Vasectomy Recovery.

The Three-Turn Garage and the Labyrinth

After grabbing a disappointing lunch—I should have found a place that sells meatballs, I arrived at the hospital early. Since my anxiety had climbed so high, I missed the parking garage on the first pass. While I had spent time in the area by the hospital before, I had never been there. So, while the garage didn’t spring up on me, the fact that two cars and a giant truck blocked the entrance made me panic and keep going.

But after turning around and finding the way in, I made my way up to the parking garage. However, I couldn’t find a parking spot anywhere. I took a wrong turn in the garage, thinking it would send me to the next floor. Instead, it spit me out to the exit with no way to turn around. I had to leave the garage and do another lap.

None of this helped my anxiety.

Luckily, my wife and best friend were checking in on me. My friend had the operation done last year, so he knew a little about what I was in for. Luckily, he helped break the tension with some jokes, and I started feeling calmer.

As I exited the car, I had to find my way through the labyrinth of a hospital. Luckily, I followed another gentleman from the garage to the elevators to get to my floor.

I checked in and waited. A few people were in the waiting room, but I didn’t want to chat with anyone, so I found a place to sit alone. One lady tried to talk with everyone. My nerves kept my mouth from moving much, so I wasn’t much of a conversationalist.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, I finally got called back. They took me to a room to get my vitals and left me there for a while. I felt alone and like I had to go to the bathroom. I wasn’t sure if I could leave or not. I didn’t want someone to come to the room while I was gone and think I left.

But I also thought about leaving.

This surgery would change my life, even though it wasn’t a life-saving procedure. It felt heavy to have that on my mind. But I didn’t run. We are done with kids. I’m not sure that I could survive another one.

Looking Up at the Ceiling

I risked running to the bathroom, and on my return, another nurse came to take me to the operating room. She showed me the room and told me to go to the bathroom to change. I needed to undress from the waist down and put on a gown.

With that done, I lay on a table, looking up at the ceiling. I felt very exposed—although I know women have to get in a similarly vulnerable position yearly, so I’m lucky. The nurse prepped me for the surgery, asked what radio station I wanted, and eventually, the doctor arrived.

I hardly felt anything as they moved through the procedure. The first needle with a numbing agent was the only thing that I felt. However, it felt weird with people standing over this private area and just chit-chatting about their schedule and day. After about thirty minutes, I was done.

As the doctor finished, he told me about the recovery steps: take pain relievers when I got home and stay off my feet. He advised me to do thirty minutes on and thirty minutes off with an ice pack. Then he left.

The nurse finished the cleanup and told me more about the recovery. Only she told me to use an ice pack for fifteen minutes on and off. Finally, she handed me a recovery bag filled with an ice pack, gauze, and instructions.

Then she walked me out and said goodbye. I walked back to the car and got ready to go.

Driving Home

I drove myself home. I never would have imagined that would be possible, but it was. The drive went easily for the most part. While driving, the numbing agent started to fade. I got a low pain in my stomach as if I had gotten kicked in the balls.

Just as the feeling kicked in, I got stopped by a train. Sitting there, I broke out the ice pack and tried to avoid pain. The ice pack helped, but the rest of the drive home was uneventful.

I made it home to my family. My wife had even bought me a couple of things to celebrate the moment.

The Pain

Of course, my sons wanted to play with me. I tried to do what I could, mostly sitting on the floor with an ice pack down my pants. The pain and swelling got worse.

The pain mainly felt mild. I never felt a sharp pain or had to scream or anything. It was nothing compared to childbirth. The swelling started, and I felt uncomfortable.

A weird feeling struck me as I sat on the floor trying to help my oldest play with magnet building blocks. It almost felt like regret. I watched my son build, and I felt so proud of him. I thought about how special he and his brother were and that there would be no more kids because of what I had done today. Of course, that’s why I got the surgery, but I felt the emotional pain that came with it.

As the night went on and I still had to tend to my dadly duties like bath and bedtime, the pain worsened. I managed it once the kids were asleep with more ice and medicine. Then I sat on the couch and fell asleep to crappy TV.

Final Thoughts on My Vasectomy Recovery

I don’t regret getting the surgery. I believe it is the right move for me and my family. But parts of it surprised me.

I couldn’t believe I didn’t feel more during the operation. I never would have thought I could drive myself home. I also didn’t expect to feel emotional swelling either.

Also, ball hammock underwear has helped with my vasectomy recovery, as well as ice packs (which I leave on for as long as I want), and pain meds. I highly recommend getting a pair if you get the procedure done.

The recovery isn’t over. Everything won’t take effect for six to eight weeks, and I’ll have to get checked again to ensure everything went as planned. But so far, I think I’m good.

Keep up with me as I recover on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Also, ensure you have signed up for the mailing list never to miss a new post.

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