The Dos and Don’ts of Preparing for a Vasectomy | Minneapolis & St. Paul

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So you’ve finally made the decision to go for that vasectomy procedure—congrats! Knowing what’s best for your body and future is the first step, and now it’s time to make sure you’re well-versed in preparing for the surgery. The outcome and success of your vasectomy can depend on how well you prepare yourself pre-surgery, so we’ve compiled a list of essential pre-operation dos and don’ts.
 

DO

Do let your doctor know if you’ve undergone previous scrotal surgery.

Do inform your doctor about any other medications you may be taking.

Do follow a diet that’s high in antioxidants (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, green tea).

Do eat a normal breakfast/lunch on the day of your procedure to avoid becoming lightheaded later on.

Do fully shower and clean the area around the scrotum on the day of your procedure.

Do shave your genital area if your doctor instructs you to.

Do arrange for a friend or family member to help drive you home after the surgery. Driving yourself may put pressure on the surgical area.
 

DON’T

Don’t take any aspirin, anticoagulants, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, Aleve or Advil starting two weeks before your procedure. These medications can thin your blood and cause bleeding afterward.

Don’t drink alcohol starting 2-3 days before your surgery.

Don’t shave the scrotum the day before your surgery, as any nicks and cuts will not be fully healed by the next day.

Don’t apply any lotions, colognes or deodorants prior to surgery.

Don’t wear any jewelry or piercings to the surgery.

Don’t bring a jockstrap or athletic supporter to wear post-surgery. Our office will provide you one.

Don’t forget to sign a consent form before surgery. This is to protect both you and your doctor to ensure that you’re aware of what the operation entails and its potential risks.
 
For more on how to prepare for your vasectomy, check out our earlier post on how to prepare for an Easy Vasectomy®.

 

Getting Back Into Exercise & Fitness After a Vasectomy | Minneapolis & St Paul

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Great news—so you underwent a vasectomy, and everything went smoothly. Now, it’s time to talk recovery process, downtime, and the timeline for easing back into your usual activities. For many patients, a regular routine involves some form of fitness and exercise, be it lifting weights at the gym, running, a pick-up basketball game, or biking.

But returning to your regularly scheduled programming takes anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and rushing into strenuous activities too soon can cause extreme pain/discomfort in the surgical area. The key is to regain your fitness routine while being extremely mindful of anything that may cause infection in or reopen the surgical wound. Below is an overall guideline for regaining fitness levels after undergoing a vasectomy:

Immediately After Surgery

As soon as you complete a vasectomy procedure, you should not engage in any form of physical activity for 48 hours. This includes any form of exercise, sports, sexual activity, prolonged periods of standing, or even walking. Try to stay off your feet as much as possible, and follow care instructions provided by your doctor. Just turn on Netflix, ice the surgical area if you prefer, and rest. That’s it.

First Week After Surgery

In the 3-7 days following surgery, you can gradually increase your amount of physical activity ONLY if necessary. Rigorous exercise and sports should still be avoided, and do not lift objects (and babies!) heavier than 20 pounds.

If you feel fine after approximately four days and aren’t experiencing any discomfort/pain, walking or light exercises are allowed. Avoid anything more intense like weight-lifting, running, or biking, as this can cause significant build-up in pressure in the treated area. Furthermore, biking puts pressure on the penis and could hinder the healing process.

Two Weeks After Surgery

After two weeks of downtime, most men are able to resume their usual workouts (except extreme heavy lifting…more on that below). Non-contact sports such as golfing, bowling, tennis, and biking are allowed, but again, be extra aware of any pain or swelling. Stop activities immediately if aching occurs.

3+ Weeks After Surgery

While three or more weeks sounds like an excruciatingly long period of downtime, it’s best to err on the side of caution. Contact sports such as football, boxing, wrestling, hockey, basketball, martial arts, etc should not be resumed for at least three weeks after surgery.

**ATTENTION, WEIGHT LIFTERS: Wait at least four weeks before attempting heavy weights in low-repetition sets. Stick to lighter weights for now, as intense spurts of heavy lifting can significantly build up pressure in the surgical area and lead to massive internal bleeding in the scrotum. Not fun.

Ultimately, follow your doctor’s guidance on what is appropriate for your post-surgery timeline. Keep a close eye on signs of pain, swelling, and discomfort and judge your fitness abilities accordingly. In the event of any unpleasant side effects due to exercise, contact your physician immediately.

Comparative Analysis of Anticipated Pain Versus Experienced Pain in Patients Undergoing Office Vasectomy.

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Advances in vasectomy technique have minimized patient discomfort; however fear of pain remains a primary concern. The Urologist Dr. Furr at the University of Oklahoma just published the clinical research article on the pain related to vasectomy in Canadian J Urol. (2017 Apr;24(2):8744-8748), the research was to determine how the anticipation of pain associated with vasectomy compares with patient’s actual intraoperative experienced pain levels.

A cohort of 172 patients undergoing clinic vasectomy was analyzed, and the result indicated that the actual pain experienced by a patient is significantly lower than their anticipation of vasectomy pain. This clinic research data will aid clinicians in appropriately counseling patients and minimizing pre-procedural anxiety.

Modern no-scalpel vasectomy is a minimally invasive office procedure that performed near painlessly under local anesthesia. Fear of pain is still the number one reason for men in Minnesota to resist getting a vasectomy because they don’t want to have surgery near their genital organs. A good consultation before vasectomy the helps to relieve anxiety.

Conventional needle anesthesia in vasectomy involves the use of a 27 gauge needle for local anesthesia. Dr. Shu applies local anesthesia with a special spray applicator without the use of needles. A spray applicator (MadaJet®) delivers a stream of anesthetic so fine that it penetrates the skin and diffuses to a depth of about 3/16 of an inch, enough to surround and anesthetize each vas tube in turn as it is lifted into position beneath the skin, attaining a close to 100% efficacy rate with no need for supplemental anesthetic.

Dr. Shu uses the modern no-scalpel technique, exposing each vas in turn through a tiny opening in the front scrotal wall without using scalpel, the trauma in the scrotum is so minimal that significantly reduces the pain during the procedure and post-operative period.

The patients always states right after their vasectomy, “it is amazing”, “Wow, much better than I thought”, “I worried for nothing”, “It is truly a easy vasectomy”, “easy vasectomy which is understated”, “it is almost painless”.

MadaJet_2

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