Open ended vasectomy and foreskin restoration
I'm 23, childfree, unmarried and doing foreskin restoration. I had a vasectomy performed in May 2008 by a urologist and paid about $850 cash. Insurance didn't cover it, plus so that they would never know, I inflated my age and number of children. I knew at age 21 that vasectomy was for me, I spent two years mentally preparing to have it done. I now feel more confident about myself and my future. I consider it an investment in my future and will ensure I continue to live a happy childfree life. I don't have to worry about being oops'd nor having 1/3 of my pre-tax earnings taken from my paycheck for 18 years of child support.
I used your site for research and am supplying pictures to benefit anyone considering vasectomy. Had a 1 hour consultation then had the procedure two weeks after that. I had an mid-line incision no-scalpel vasectomy. Although a scalpel was actually used, the technique of No Scalpel and its tools were also used. I had an open-ended vasectomy where the testicular ends were left alone, and the prostatic ends were sealed using electro-cautery in addition to sutured with no segment of the vas removed. From the studies I've read this will reduce the risk of post vasectomy pain syndrome (PVP) which was my main concern. The procedure took 15 min and had almost no pain - a dental filling is worse. I felt a heavy sensation in my left testicle during the surgery and as you can see from the pictures there must have been some slight internal bleeding.
Notes on the pictures:- The left testicle appears to hang a lot lower in the photographs. However, it is normal for one testicle to hang slightly lower than the other. It has always been that way for me, although maybe it just looks like the difference is a lot and not normal. The left testicle may be hanging lower because of the stitches of the midline incision-I am still waiting for those stitches to be absorbed. I may also have some contributing factors though such as hydrocele (some fluid filled cysts on or around the testicle) that make it appear larger or heavier in addition to varicocele veins in the left testicle that add more weight or volume. The urologist did an exam on me and did not say anything about the latter two things though. It can be seen in the photo taken on day 11 that things are pretty much back to normal.
After the procedure, I took it easy for the first two days and by the 4th day felt well enough to resume some sexual activity. I also wore a jock strap for 5 days after the procedure. Its been 7 days since the procedure and I don't notice any pain but will wait another week before resuming exercise. The doctor said to submit a specimen at 6 and 10 weeks but from the research I've read it's better to wait until 12 weeks to ensure no early re-canalization and then again at 16 weeks.
I have also spent 1 year doing non-surgical foreskin restoration using t-tape. You can see from the pictures it really does work, it just takes time and patience- I still have many more years left until I'm "done". I started foreskin restoration because I had painful tight erections due to too much skin removed from the circumcision forced on me at birth. The circumcision scar is also painful to touch. In addition you can see how the raphe at the tip of my "foreskin" is not centered, it is very twisted compared to the shaft and scrotum. It's twisted because in infants the penis is still growing and developing and the circumcision harmed that development. That also may be a contributing factor to how my left testicle is lower than the right.
There are only two things I would have considered doing differently. First, facial interposition may help reduce the risk of recanalization in the open ended procedure. Second, bi-lateral no scalpel incision may heal better than the single midline scalpel incision that I had done. Just two things to think about.
Marcus