The Pain of Vasectomy vs. The Pain of Reversal
May 10, 2010 by David Wilson · 1 Comment
One of the questions I get about my procedure is, “Doctor, how much will it hurt?” .
Well, actually, it won’t hurt much at all. The physical pain is usually nothing more than a few pricks of the needle for the local anesthetic and some mild discomfort after the surgery.
I do administer mild sedation pills, but those are really just to help you through the discomfort of holding still for a couple of hours while I do the procedure.
In fact, there is a 95% chance you’ll actually fall asleep during the procedure!
Bottom line is that the physical pain is no where near as great as the emotional pain that most couples feel about not being able to conceive after a “pre-mature” vasectomy.
I know. Because I experienced that emotional pain after I had my vasectomy. In contrast to my patients, who often doze during the procedure, many couples stay up nights worrying…wishing they had not gone through with the vasectomy. Wishing they had waited. Wishing for an affordable way to make that pain go away.
Now that is real pain.
But it’s pain I can help alleviate. And there’s nothing more satisfying as a doctor – not only to be able to heal someone physically, but to also help bring joy and emotional health.
Dr. Wilson did my husband’s reversal on 04/28/10. Within about a day or 2 he was nearly pain free; a total opposite compared to the 2 weeks he spent in pain after the original vasectomy.
He dozed off a few times during the reversal and was mostly groggy afterwards, but not in too much pain. The swelling and bruising wasn’t at all what I was expecting; it was much less!!
So, for those of you who think that being knocked out is the way to go, I can tell you this; he didn’t feel a thing during the procedure and I truly believe that because he was “awake” he was able to relax more.