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A Fergus Vasectomy
8/20/2010,
Dave
ABSTRACT:
SYMPTOMS:
TREATMENTS/MEDICATIONS:
tried everything
OUTCOME/CURRENT CONDITION:
Awaiting three-peat unilateral vasovasostomy
Hi
You have some very interesting stories on this website. Some have helped me. Some are so close to my own experience I think. "Hmm I don't need to write one". But I do need to write one. Maybe it will help someone who thinks they are the only one that this has happened to. I felt that way for a long time so here you go, my story, Not a pleasant experience. Brace yourself. Not what was supposed to happen that's for sure.
I hope you are reading this before your decision to get a vasectomy because the damage done is VERY hard to undo. Those who are reading because you are in pain and trying to figure out why. Read the whole story. It may help you to form a plan of action.
Yes, I said the damage done is very hard to undo. No jokes, Straight up, the truth is vasectomy damages your reproductive system. Your thinking --So what?? I don't want any more kids anyway.-- Well I felt that way. Maybe I should clarify one point before I continue. No one told me anything about side effects or damage. I was under the impression that this was a simple 10 minute thing that will be all done and healed in 7 days. All my friends and both my doctors said the same thing. I was surprised to say the least when the post op pain didn’t go away but rather increased.
I went back to the doctor and asked "why" and all I got was "this is very rare", "here's some pills" or "there must be something wrong with you" (My first experience with scare tactics).... My family doctor asked me if I was sexually abused as a child. I felt like I had been hit in the forehead, and the nuts, with a baseball bat. "Of course not,,, What the f##k has that got to do with pain down..." was about all I could get out and the next thing I know I'm out of the office and handed off to some urologist and I'm waiting three months to see him. I'm driving home wondering why isn't anyone helping me?? It's difficult waiting three months when you are new to the pain. Every step hurts. getting in and out of the car is a slow process. Anything that requires concentration is difficult because the pain keeps popping up, like waves splashing against the rocks, stealing your focus away.
Well I'm not new to the pain anymore. After 11 years I have learned to live with it and that required some changes to my life. I now know how much I can push myself and not suffer too badly. The pain is actually very predictable and thanks to the reversal much less than it once was.
Back to 1998, I think I had about 60 doctors appointments in the first year. Some of the things we tried were very helpful. Anger management is the one that helped the most. Regional nerve blocks came in second because they were effective but usually only lasted 5-6 hours. I had three nerve blocks with no long term benefit so they stopped. I ate pills of every colour and wore interesting underwear. Cheers to VIOXX, it was a good painkiller put they took it off the market shortly after I discovered it. I sat in hot water and I sat in cold water. I had a few scrotal ultrasounds. Then came the day when I was sitting with the urologist and I had one thing to say. I want to have this vasectomy reversed. Put me back the way I was before. OK he replied. I was told I would have to pay for it so I pulled the cheque book from my pocket, clicked the pen and said "how much"? 2000 dollars was the answer. I added up all the time off for doctors appointments, copay for drugs and gas for driving and I thought I had probably already spent more than that.
Since this was a pay and go operation I was in within four weeks. I recall the morning I checked into the hospital the lady asked me if I had brought a certified cheque. I told her that I had made full payment to the surgeon. She seemed annoyed. I later found out that 500.00 of the money was to go to the hospital, 500 to the anesth and 1000 for the surgeon.
The operation went well and as I rested at home for two weeks I thought about the two thousand dollars. I was pissed that I had to pay for something that was necessary for pain management. I wrote a little note to OHIP and fired it into the mailbox. Here’s a copy.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 July 1999
Dr. XXXXXXX
O.H.I.P. Special Claims Dept.
Hamilton, Ontario
Dear Dr. XXXXXXXX
I am writing to appeal OHIP’s policy against the Vasovasostomy procedure. It is my understanding that to reverse a vasectomy for the purpose of regaining fertility is the basis for your policy. I however chose the reversal as a means to eliminate a chronic pain that I have been suffering from since the day of my vasectomy. I personally felt that my choices were reduced by your policies. After exhausting all the conservative measures at my doctors disposal I was left with three choices. Number one, do nothing and hope the pain fades. Number two, epididyectomy and or orchiectomy. Number three, Vasovasostomy. Since feeling no pain before my vasectomy is my most favourite memory I chose vasovasostomy and borrowed two thousand dollars from my credit line.
I am now wondering why I had to pay for an operation that was required for pain and was decided upon with the consensus of my doctor. Even the nurses at the hospital were amazed that I should have to pay for this. This situation has compelled me to write you demanding a refund and a speedy closure of this matter.
Regards:
Dave XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As I was healing I noticed the spermatic cords on both sides of my scrotum were quite swollen. The right side had a big round lump in it and the left side did not. I went back to see the surgeon about the round spot and he gave it a quick check and said this was nothing to worry about. Well two months went by and I had the same pain as before PLUS a new pain that was higher on the left side only and no reply from my letter to OHIP.
I still had a round lump in my right vas. I thought it was similar to the lumps I had after the vasectomy that were called granulomas. I wondered if the sperm was leaking out of the reconnection on the right side.
Almost exactly three months after the reversal the pain in my left testicle disappeared. I was overjoyed. The left testicle was always the complainer when I compared the two of them. The right testicle still felt the same. I was also diagnosed with an inguinal hernia on the left side. I made an appointment to see a different surgeon about the hernia because my new best buddy the urologist would not do hernia repairs. Now we are getting into May 2000 and I have had my hernia repaired at St Joes in Guelph. I'm taking three weeks to recover and a Letter comes from OHIP. They say they will pay for the reversal because it was required for chronic pain. OHIP ordered the doctors to refund the money they charged me. Needless to say now I'm 1/2 done and feeling much better. I did a semen analysis and showed 125million/ml at 80% motile. Dr urologist is pleased but I had never done a semen analysis before in my life so I don't know what is normal. Dr Urologist says that’s a good count. I'm still uncertain about the right side because it still hurts. A few more months of follow-up visits and I'm after a redo on the right side only. I eventually had that done but it was a long wait. I didn't have to pay for that because OHIP had already set the precedent. Dr urologist told me he had opened the Vas near the first repair and tried to pass a probe through the lumen. He told me the area was blocked by scar tissue so he cut out the defect and performed another reconnection.
I knew it was blocked. I could feel it.
By September/ October of 2001 I was only rating my pain at 5% of what it was. I felt great. I didn't do a semen analysis. I was sick of all the doctors and showing my dinger to so many nice nurses. I was glad to be done and looked forward to this last bit of pain fading away.
That didn't happen. The right side simply, and slowly, went back to the same pains as I have had before. I waited it out since this healing process didn't involve a big round lump. I hoped for the pain to fade away again. Now I want to go back and talk to Dr Urologist but his secretary tells me I have been off for more than 1 year and I have to have a referral from my family doctor to get an appointment. Would you believe that took ANOTHER THREE MONTHS..... OHIP sucks (oops, did I write that?)(sorry OHIP)
Now Dr Urologist is talking about how much Vas length has been lost and that his only course of action would be to remove the epididymus. The use of scare tactics is starting to bore me so I opt for plan "B". I get the "wait and see" diagnosis. I did another semen analysis and showed 188mil/ml with 40% motile. I wondered if my right side had been open for a short time then scarred over again. I wished I had done one of these analysis's before the vasectomy.
So I'm waiting and waiting and years are going by. I'm totally accustomed to the pain and it has become my new normal. On low pain days I actually feel odd. By the time 8 and a half years, since the original vasectomy, has passed I'm noticing my pains are increasing. I go back to my family doctor, three month to see Dr Urologist and its all bad news. Dr urologist is a wonderful guy, and I love him like a father, but his only course of action would be to remove the epididymus. He warned me of a chance of losing the testicle too because of an interruption in blood flow. Of course I was there to ask for a three-peat re-do. So being crushed by this news I went to the Internet. I sent an email to Dr Goldstein in New York City and asked him if he would see me. No problem was his answer and I was there less than three weeks later. (It's amazing how fast the medical system works when you are paying your bills with cash)
For those who don't know him, Dr Goldstein specializes in male infertility. He does pioneering work in vasectomy reversals and has a patency rate greater than 99.5%. He is, in my opinion, one of the best doctors in North America to get a second opinion from. I was very impressed with him. He is a good listener and an incredibly knowledgeable doctor. Every question was answered. He knew all about the side effects and outcomes involved with vasectomy reversal and he knew all about post vasectomy pain syndrome. He has done reversals for guys who, like me, where requesting because of pain. I felt out of place looking at all the baby pictures around his office but those are his credentials since most of his patients are trying to get pregnant. Dr Goldstein told me a three-peat reversal would be no problem. I left with a quote for reversal surgery and a prescription for an anti-sperm antibody assay. I didn’t care about the anti-sperm thing because that was only a factor in trying to get pregnant. I was alarmed by the quote since I had paid 2000 (Canadian) dollars about nine years ago for a bilateral reversal and this guy wanted 35000 (American) dollars for a unilateral reversal. Does that mean I would have to pay 70000 for a bilateral? I think the incredible cost was due to the fact that I was NOT an American citizen/tax payer. Anyway, I took the information back to my Urologist follow-up and plunked it down on the table. Dr Urologist understood that I wanted to be reconnected but admitted that he did not have the skill to do it. I told him I wanted OHIP to pay for Dr Goldstein to do it and requested that he and I submit the quote to OHIP. He said he would do that and I left him copies of all the info and my signed consent. A couple of months passed before I called to ask what was happening. No news the secretary said. I diarised my computer to remind myself to call them. After 6 months of nothing I thought something must be wrong. I called OHIP myself to inquire. The response was immediate. A nice lady called me back and asked for details. Two days later she called again with answers. At first she thought I had already had the operation in the USA and was requesting a refund (after the fact). I told her that I was requesting prior approval for 35,000. I had already paid my own way to meet Dr Goldstein and I would pay it again if OHIP would just cover the operation. She told me that the letter from Dr Urologist was received and had been filed but no-one bothered to reply. Prior approval must be submitted on a special form. I obtained the right form and delivered it to Dr Urologists office with a cover letter explaining how things had wound up in the trash can. I received a registered letter a couple of months later. It explained that, since OHIP would pay for the operation in Ontario and there were surgeons in Ontario who did this equivalent procedure, my claim was denied.
Dr Urologist called me at the same time to schedule an appointment. They got the same letter. I told Dr Urologist to find me this uber-surgeon. Dr Urologist told me it should only take a couple of months to make some arrangements. Credit must be given to Dr Urologist because he found a surgeon and communicated with him about my case and got me an appointment within a few weeks. That’s a lot of work on his behalf and I'm sure he couldn't book a minute of it against my OHIP number. No surprise to me the appointment was six months away. I went to see this new doctor on a Friday afternoon. He was 2 hours away in London, Ont. This doctor was also the head of the urology department at his hospital and a professor of Urology at Western University Medical School. Definitely worth the wait. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to meet a new Doctor and not be met with disbelief and a shiny bottle of pills to kick off our relationship. This guy knew all about post vasectomy pain and had done numerous reversals for other men just like me. He gave me a check over and agreed to perform the surgery. I accepted.
Now six weeks has passed since I met with him and I'm expecting to hear back from his office about OHIP granting the payment. That should fly because they have done it twice already and implied they would pay in the denial letter. Then I will be booking the surgery date and also some time off. My fingers are crossed that this unbelievable ordeal may be over soon. It has been more than 11 years since I had my Vasectomy. So far I calculate my financial losses for this "free", quick, snip-snip procedure at more than 15,000 dollars. Remember the first two thousand is not included in that. The toll on my wife and kids has been great. Anger management helped me turn my roadrage/depressed moods away from them but never helped me to explain to my kids why they could not jump up on my lap.
I wish I had never done it.
Dave
Dr Urologist, name changed to protect his identity
Dr Marc Goldstein, his real name. I wish I could afford to go there.
Dr Uber-surgeon, name changed. I hope he’s good.
P>S>
Some literature claims that there are "No significant long term complications". To that Statement I just shake my head. How can such nonsense be published? I have found so many references on the Internet for chronic pain after vasectomy that the medical community should be held as negligent for not mentioning it. Alas I would have felt a little less angry about being left with pain if I were told it was a risk. How to deal with the situation, if it happens to you, is the main problem.
My first contact with Vasectomy was in my twenties when two friends at work got a vasectomy on the same day, by the same doctor, and I heard the funny story about how John had to go to the local hospital to pick up a sterile kit because the doctor didn't have enough kits in his office to perform all the vasectomies that were booked that day. So When Randy came out of the office and saw John sitting there with his little kit on his knees it made Randy's day and everyone heard about that around the shop. Randy’s story also included a personal recommendation to this doctor. "He's the best" Randy said. I decided to go to this doctor when it was my time.
Unfortunately I never went to see this doctor because by the time I was looking for a vasectomy ten years had passed and I now lived 350 kms away. I was lucky enough to have a family doctor so I went to see him to find out who does vasectomy in Fergus.
I was 36 years old, married and had two kids. The youngest was 3 months old. I didn't realise it but I was a perfect candidate for the snip. My family doctor says "why do you want a vasectomy?" I said "I used to have two theories about raising kids. Now I have two kids and no theories".... My wife had just delivered our second child and it was her second C-section so I wanted to spare her from another surgery. My wife and I were not interested in having anymore children. With a firstborn girl and a second born boy we felt like we were lucky and that was enough. My doctor said I should consider this permanent. I didn’t want any more children, that was permanent. Permanent pain? ding ding... stop the bus I'm getting off.
2010 August 20th
I got a call from the Uber-surgeon's secretary. OHIP has agreed to fund the operation. One more hurdle is down... Tentative date for surgery is October 14th to 28th
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