VasectomyPain.Org

This story was sent to me by a participant in the Vasectomy Pain support group:

I had my vasectomy over 2 ½ years ago. It was a mutual decision
between my wife and I. I consulted a urologist who performed the
procedure. He told me everything will look and feel the same, the
vasectomy would feel like a tugging sensation, and that I would be
sore for a few days. He was wrong on all three counts!

For me personally, the vasectomy procedure was absolutely the most
painful moments of my life. I literally felt like I was being
ripped apart. The doctor did use lidocaine, and even reapplied it,
but the pain was really bad in my lower abdomen. In all honesty,
the only word I can use to describe the feeling is torture!
The first several weeks I was absolutely miserable. I felt like I
had been in a horrible accident. The bruising went away rather
quickly, but the pain never did. I saw the same doctor a few times over the next several months. He assured me that it would get better over time, but it never did.
One time he administered a nerve block - that was the second most
painful moment of my life.

I saw several other urologists who didn't help much. I finally saw
a doctor who recommended a vasectomy reversal. I had that done 1 ½
years after the vasectomy. Unfortunately, that didn't do the
trick. The pain was still there. A year later, the same doctor
performed another procedure which was basically removal of the
blood vessels and nerve endings along the spermatic cord. This
turned out to be yet another failure.

I think my problem is what some experts consider post-vasectomy pain
due to "rough surgery". I never had any of the classic post-
vasectomy pain systems such as painful ejaculations, etc. Rather, I
have a real sensitive spot where it feels like I have nerve damage
or a neuroma or something. Touching that spot sends a jolt of pain
right through me. A classic 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. It is
hard to tell what exactly it is, and apparently even harder to treat.

I really don't know what to do now. Another surgery? Remove the
testicle? Just deal with it? Who would have thought I would be
dealing with this pain and frustration after a "simple" vasectomy?
Despite everything I have dealt with so far, all of the urologists I
have seen indicated that I was NOT the victim of medical
malpractice. So how did this happen then? Was it just rotten
luck? Although medical students are tought the slogan "Primum non
nocere" (first do no harm), patients should live by the
adage "Caveat emptor" (buyer beware).

It is interesting to note that if a man has an uneventful vasectomy and does not develop any chronic pain symptoms or symptoms that affect sexual function, then he is generally pro-vasectomy. If, however, the man develops post-vasectomy pain that is significant or affects sexual function, he is generally anti-vasectomy. In fact, the two groups are polar opposites. The former frequently feel no regret, and the latter frequently feel that vasectomy was the worst decision they ever made. The difference between the two groups is luck. There is no way to predict who will end up in either group. It's like playing roulette with the "house" space being post-vasectomy pain.

Do you feel lucky?

The difference between being happy with your vasectomy and ending up with chronic pain is luck... There are no known risk factors for PVP.