Well, it’s been a week. I thought it would be a good idea to do a vasectomy 1 week later check-in. I wanted to touch base about what happened in the days that followed the operation and my experience recovering. If nothing else, I want to inform those who are thinking about undergoing this procedure what vasectomy recovery is like.
Before you go on, I want to caution you. While I keep it mostly family friend here, if you are a family friend or, god forbid, a former student, I get REAL personal here. Read with caution.
The Pain and Swelling
As I chronicled just after my procedure, I didn’t feel much during the operation. Once I returned home, the swelling and pain started. As far as pain goes, I’d give it a four to five out of ten. I could still do things around the house but didn’t want to.
The pain continued for a few days, but it fluctuated. Some hours, I felt mostly fine, but others put me on the couch. Still, it didn’t compare to anything my wife went through with childbirth.
I managed the pain with ice packs and over-the-counter pain medicine. I alternated Aspirin and Ibuprofen every three to four hours to help manage the pain. I also sat on ice packs or stuffed them in my shorts for twenty to thirty minutes.
The doctors say to take it easy for a day or two after the operation. I dreamed of being able to lay around and get taken care of for a few days, but that didn’t happen. My wife went to work, my oldest went to school the day after, and my mother-in-law came to watch the baby so I could rest. Things went sideways a little.
My youngest decided he didn’t want to go down for his nap. My mother-in-law tried to put him to sleep for thirty minutes, and he still just cried in her arms. Eventually, I couldn’t help but step in. I picked him up and rocked him to sleep when I shouldn’t be lifting a muscle. But dad’s got to dad, right?
He slept for thirty minutes before he woke up screaming and tugging at his ear. I leapt into action and rocked him back to sleep. But the fact that he tugged at his ear gave me cause for concern. He had done that several times, and it worried me that he might have an ear infection.
So, after he went back to sleep and I returned to the couch for a movie, I called the doctor to make an appointment to bring him in. He had been mildly sick for a few weeks, had stopped taking his bottle, and had been terrible at getting to sleep. He needed meds.
But I also needed to heal. So I laid back and watched a movie until it was time to get the older child from school. I left my comfortable couch and drove to get him. Luckily, he’s learned to get in his car seat, so I didn’t have to lift him.
As soon as we got home, it was almost time for the younger one’s next nap. Again, my mother-in-law tried to get him to sleep, but he wouldn’t let her. I had to rock him again. Meanwhile, the older one played on his tablet.
It took so long for the baby to go to sleep that he only got to sleep for thirty-five minutes. I woke him up and got everyone—both boys and my mother-in-law—ready to go to the doctor. I was supposed to be resting and not lifting anything, so I needed to take my mother-in-law to lift the car seat and the infant. My oldest couldn’t stay home alone, so he had to accompany me.
Letting my mother-in-law carry the car seat felt weird when I could have typically done it all. She wasn’t even familiar with how to get the seat into and out of the base in the car. Her primary language is Spanish, and while she can speak English, I don’t think she would know everything to tell the doctor. So, I took the baby to the room while she took the older boy to the playroom. Then, I had to entertain the baby until the doctor came. Once the appointment concluded, I had to get everyone back.
It was a very restless day.
I felt bad. Things felt swollen and tender when we returned home, and then we had to do dinner and my oldest’s bedtime routine.
I had ordered a pair of underwear with a ball hammock. I thought it would be suitable for the recovery. I threw those on, and I had almost immediate relief.
The Weekend
The pain and swelling continued into the weekend for me. Mostly because I hadn’t had a chance to recuperate, I woke up feeling okay; I kept my usual morning routine, although I would take an ice pack with me. By the time breakfast rolled around and the kids got up, the pain returned.
I tried to rest as much as possible, but it isn’t easy with kids that need you. I think all the getting up and sitting down to help or play with the kids made things worse.
One of the oddest parts has been going to the bathroom. No one mentioned how different it might feel, and I think the swelling worsened things.
Everything on that end felt weird. I felt constipated sometimes and like I had diarrhea other times. I felt like I had to pee more often, but also that my insides were uncomfortable when I peed. Things have normalized as the swelling receded, so I’m sure that’s why it happened.
My scrotum turned purple with bruising, which I was warned would happen, but it’s not something you want to see. All the tubes inside, which had been snipped, felt huge from the swelling. Only ice, rest, and Aspirin helped.
The worst pain came from the act of standing up or sitting. I also noticed that the underwear I ordered seemed to cause more pain. I returned to my standard underwear and felt much better most of the time.
Day four brought the most pain, and it lasted almost all day. Luckily, we took the morning off and watched TV most of the morning.
On day five, I woke up and felt the best I had. Most of the pain had vanished. Although, it would come back if I did too much. That has lasted until today, day seven. However, I spent most of the day feeling fine.
Most of the pain has been on the left side. During the operation, a medical student did that side. I’m not sure if I’m just more sensitive on that side or if something else happened, but that side hurts a lot. I feel more swelling there as well.
But I’m on the mend. I can notice an improvement. The color is returning to normal as well.
The Odd Feeling of Regret
While I knew that it would be tough to rest, and I knew I would have pain in the recovery phase, I wasn’t prepared for the random flash of guilt and regret that would blast up.
More than once, I’ve felt that I did the wrong thing. My decision will keep me from ever having kids again, but that’s the entire reason I had the operation. It’s an odd feeling and one that anyone thinking about having the operation should be prepared for. Of course, it might not happen to you; I’ve been shocked by it.
The pain has been around, but it hasn’t been that bad. It hasn’t made me regret the decision, but this feeling that flares up occasionally has made me question what I’ve done. It has made me think about my limited time to create a baby.
But as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t think I have it in me to raise another kid. I’m also scared about the risks another pregnancy might bring to my family.
Still Recovering From My Vasectomy 1 Week Later
It’s been a week, and I’m still recovering. If I could lay around for a few days post-op, I think I would have healed better. That wasn’t an option for me with everything I had to deal with. I thought the entire recovery would be much quicker like I’d be better by the end of the weekend, but that hasn’t happened.
I’ll heal eventually, though. Also, if you didn’t know, even though you get the operation, you’re still fertile for about two months. So make sure you understand that before you go into anything.
If you’ve made it this far, I thank you. If you know someone who might need to learn what I’ve been through after having my vasectomy, please share this with them.
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