Previous post about Scheduling and the Surgery: https://reddit.com/r/daddit/s/y2puq6EgC4
The Recovery (R):
R+0. Not knowing how I would feel after the procedure my dad was kind enough to volunteer to drive me home. I could have driven myself home (maybe not if I had a manual) but it was nice not to have to focus on the road. On the way home we stopped and got lunch. Sitting in the chair at the resturant didn’t bother me at all and I shoved an ice pack from the hospital in my lap under the cloth napkin.
R+1.5 hours. When I got home I was feeling a little uncomfortable so I took Tylenol extra strength, sat on the couch, and started icing about 20 min on 30 min off the rest of the day. I took some work calls and shot out some emails until the day was over and then dove into binge watching some TV. Pain level was pretty consistent at about 1-2/10 and discomfort slowly rose to about 3/10. Tylenol Extra strength every 4-5 hours and ice kept everything manageable. When I would use the restroom I would change out the bloody gauze for a fresh pad with ointment the hospital gave me on it. The worst part of day 1 recovery was getting up/down from the toilet.
R+1 day. The next day was basically the same as the first from a pain/discomfort and recovery standpoint. I was on the couch all day just watching TV, slow rolling Tylenol and rotating though ice packs.my balls had swollen up to about double the size, almost impressively large actually so the ice on the day was key. I had some friends that didn’t take recovery very seriously and suffered the consequences so I was diligent about R&R. As it was Saturday and the kids (4y, 2.5y, 7m) weren’t at daycare most of my effort was keeping the kids from stomping on bits as dada recovered. Finished season 6 of Billions and read all of Reddit. Pain 1/10, discomfort 2/10.
R+2 days. Again pretty much the same as the previous 2 days with some progress. The bleeding had stopped so I no longer needed gauze. I had phased off Tylenol overnight and I was icing 20 on 40-60 off for the first half of the day. Getting up/down from the toilet was no longer uncomfortable but deep squats and bending over to pick stuff up off the ground was. I still avoided picking up anything more than about 10 pounds, including children just to stay safe. I was able to attending a friends backyard BBQ and walk around (slowly), go up and down stairs, sit, stand, etc, and enjoy myself. Pain 1/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+3 days. It was Monday and I was feeling fine so I went to the office. I wore shorts as the inseam on my pants sat a bit too high and was rubbing a bit. At this point I didn’t need Tylenol or Ice packs at all but was just slow. At some point durning the day, either sitting in the car commuting or sitting in my office chair the incision opened a bit and I got a few drops of blood in my boxers, not a big deal and no pain, just extra laundry. Still no picking up kids or waking the dog. But generally moving around and taking care of myself was fine. Pain 1/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+4 days. Pretty much the same as Monday. I was able to wear pants without too much of an issue. The rest of the day things slowly progresses. Pain 0/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+5 days. On Wednesday is where I really started to feel progress. I was able to pick up my kids, grab things off the floor, help the wife, etc. still no walking the dog or working out. I was aware and cautious of my testicles and what was happening around them. That night I was feeling good and the kids went down so I gave the new set up a try. Masturbation was a very normal experience. The amount, color, consistency, and force of everything was typical for me. Afterwards my balls did ache for a few hours but not to the point of needing Tylenol or Ice. Pain 0/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+6 days. Thursday morning while getting my son dressed I got sack tapped accidentally, so there was some regression on this day. Had some slight bruising on the base of my shaft above the incision point (not sure if it was from masturbation the night before of the accidental strike). Back on Tylenol during the day and ice after work. Pain 2/10, discomfort 3/10.
R +7 days. By Friday, exactly one week out I was really feeling the progress. I went to work, could carry the kids around, walk the dog, and help out around the house without much caution. That night after the kids were asleep my wife and I got to cuddling that progressed. I wasn’t quite up for sex and the slapping motion on my balls was slightly painful. We pleasured each other and she went down on me to finish me off. I only know because I asked but her report is that everything performed, and tasted exactly the same as before. This is the scientific research we’re all really interested in, so I’m glad I can report out or the rest of you. As before, my balls were achy afterwards but, totally worth it. Pain 0/10, discomfort 1/10
P+8 days. This is the day I would say I’m fully recovered. I was able to swim with the kids, walk the dog, get in a light workout, etc. The incision point is still healing but my balls don’t ache or require special consideration when I’m doing anything. My wife and I were able to have full on sex with both of us participating without pain or discomfort (no jackhammering action but normal pound town activities). Pain 0/10, discomfort 0/10.
P+9+ days. I imagine things will just continue to normalize from here. The incision point will continue to heal and I’ll work towards getting those 30-40 shots off before testing to ensure I’m shooting blanks.
Final Thought (TLDR):
The process to get scheduled took much longer than I thought it would (6 months). The surgery was much less painful than it had been hyped up to be (3/10). The recovery was the most inconvenient but important part of the process and I’m glad I took it slow. I was asked by a friend who is considering getting a vasectomy right now if I would do it again. After I had a second to sit down and think about it my response was this; if Vasectomies were temporary and I had to do this every single year as our form of birth control for the family, I without hesitation would do it.
The Recovery (R):
R+0. Not knowing how I would feel after the procedure my dad was kind enough to volunteer to drive me home. I could have driven myself home (maybe not if I had a manual) but it was nice not to have to focus on the road. On the way home we stopped and got lunch. Sitting in the chair at the resturant didn’t bother me at all and I shoved an ice pack from the hospital in my lap under the cloth napkin.
R+1.5 hours. When I got home I was feeling a little uncomfortable so I took Tylenol extra strength, sat on the couch, and started icing about 20 min on 30 min off the rest of the day. I took some work calls and shot out some emails until the day was over and then dove into binge watching some TV. Pain level was pretty consistent at about 1-2/10 and discomfort slowly rose to about 3/10. Tylenol Extra strength every 4-5 hours and ice kept everything manageable. When I would use the restroom I would change out the bloody gauze for a fresh pad with ointment the hospital gave me on it. The worst part of day 1 recovery was getting up/down from the toilet.
R+1 day. The next day was basically the same as the first from a pain/discomfort and recovery standpoint. I was on the couch all day just watching TV, slow rolling Tylenol and rotating though ice packs.my balls had swollen up to about double the size, almost impressively large actually so the ice on the day was key. I had some friends that didn’t take recovery very seriously and suffered the consequences so I was diligent about R&R. As it was Saturday and the kids (4y, 2.5y, 7m) weren’t at daycare most of my effort was keeping the kids from stomping on bits as dada recovered. Finished season 6 of Billions and read all of Reddit. Pain 1/10, discomfort 2/10.
R+2 days. Again pretty much the same as the previous 2 days with some progress. The bleeding had stopped so I no longer needed gauze. I had phased off Tylenol overnight and I was icing 20 on 40-60 off for the first half of the day. Getting up/down from the toilet was no longer uncomfortable but deep squats and bending over to pick stuff up off the ground was. I still avoided picking up anything more than about 10 pounds, including children just to stay safe. I was able to attending a friends backyard BBQ and walk around (slowly), go up and down stairs, sit, stand, etc, and enjoy myself. Pain 1/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+3 days. It was Monday and I was feeling fine so I went to the office. I wore shorts as the inseam on my pants sat a bit too high and was rubbing a bit. At this point I didn’t need Tylenol or Ice packs at all but was just slow. At some point durning the day, either sitting in the car commuting or sitting in my office chair the incision opened a bit and I got a few drops of blood in my boxers, not a big deal and no pain, just extra laundry. Still no picking up kids or waking the dog. But generally moving around and taking care of myself was fine. Pain 1/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+4 days. Pretty much the same as Monday. I was able to wear pants without too much of an issue. The rest of the day things slowly progresses. Pain 0/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+5 days. On Wednesday is where I really started to feel progress. I was able to pick up my kids, grab things off the floor, help the wife, etc. still no walking the dog or working out. I was aware and cautious of my testicles and what was happening around them. That night I was feeling good and the kids went down so I gave the new set up a try. Masturbation was a very normal experience. The amount, color, consistency, and force of everything was typical for me. Afterwards my balls did ache for a few hours but not to the point of needing Tylenol or Ice. Pain 0/10, discomfort 1/10.
R+6 days. Thursday morning while getting my son dressed I got sack tapped accidentally, so there was some regression on this day. Had some slight bruising on the base of my shaft above the incision point (not sure if it was from masturbation the night before of the accidental strike). Back on Tylenol during the day and ice after work. Pain 2/10, discomfort 3/10.
R +7 days. By Friday, exactly one week out I was really feeling the progress. I went to work, could carry the kids around, walk the dog, and help out around the house without much caution. That night after the kids were asleep my wife and I got to cuddling that progressed. I wasn’t quite up for sex and the slapping motion on my balls was slightly painful. We pleasured each other and she went down on me to finish me off. I only know because I asked but her report is that everything performed, and tasted exactly the same as before. This is the scientific research we’re all really interested in, so I’m glad I can report out or the rest of you. As before, my balls were achy afterwards but, totally worth it. Pain 0/10, discomfort 1/10
P+8 days. This is the day I would say I’m fully recovered. I was able to swim with the kids, walk the dog, get in a light workout, etc. The incision point is still healing but my balls don’t ache or require special consideration when I’m doing anything. My wife and I were able to have full on sex with both of us participating without pain or discomfort (no jackhammering action but normal pound town activities). Pain 0/10, discomfort 0/10.
P+9+ days. I imagine things will just continue to normalize from here. The incision point will continue to heal and I’ll work towards getting those 30-40 shots off before testing to ensure I’m shooting blanks.
Final Thought (TLDR):
The process to get scheduled took much longer than I thought it would (6 months). The surgery was much less painful than it had been hyped up to be (3/10). The recovery was the most inconvenient but important part of the process and I’m glad I took it slow. I was asked by a friend who is considering getting a vasectomy right now if I would do it again. After I had a second to sit down and think about it my response was this; if Vasectomies were temporary and I had to do this every single year as our form of birth control for the family, I without hesitation would do it.