Hi Everyone! First off, thank you all so much for your posts. I've been checking on this subreddit since I started planning and the posts have been super helpful in my vasectomy journey. Now, it's my turn to chime in 😄 .

I've broken this up into 3 sections - Planning, Procedure, and Recovery. I'm still 3 days post op, so I'll continue to come back and update if i hit any notable hiccups.

PLANNING

I live in Southern New Hampshire. After Googling, using AI, and reviewing this subreddit, I narrowed down my search to 3 potential surgeons:

1. Concord Urology - Dr. Ramiro Madden-Fuentes

• Concord Urology was booking MONTHS out. (Into September) Required 3 appts - a consultation, the surgery, and the semen test.
• Traditional Vasectomy
• About 30-40 minute drive from home

2. Planned Parenthood of Manchester

• The Manchester location only did mid-week procedures. I would have to drive to Keene, NH to get a Friday appt. which is over an hour away.
• I did the virtual consultation, and asked about the surgeon's experience. "She's been doing it less than a year, but does alot of them."
• No Scalpel Method.

3. Northeast Vasectomy and Family Planning - A dedicated clinic

• 40-60 minute drive to Brookline, Massachusetts. (On a good day. You still have to deal with the shitshow of Boston traffic)
• Dr. Sarah Miller has incredible reviews on Google. And she responds to them and clearly has a fun personality.
• No Scalpel Method.
• Game Changer - Book Online. Same day consultation & Surgery
• A vasectomy specialist - Does multiple per days. She's even opening a New York Location

THE WINNER: Northeast Vasectomy and Family Planning

I was able to book my procedure with Northeast Vasectomy / Dr. Sarah Miller online, and within 3 weeks. It was sort of odd, booking such a procedure without speaking to anyone. However, her website is pretty transparent and has a solid FAQ. Also, after a few Google Searches/AI queries, it was clear that Dr. Miller knew her shit. It's always good when you can build trust with a business without meeting them.

To calm my mind, I even called the clinic to confirm. Her front desk assistant was super helpful and answered all of my questions. (She even called during an off day when the clinic is closed which was a surprise. Maybe they're still in office even if Google Show's that they're closed?)

It also helps knowing that Dr. Miller could probably do a vasectomy with her eyes closed. (Though, I definitely wouldn't challenge her on this lol.)

THE PROCEDURE

I got lucky, and was able to book a vasectomy on July 3rd. LONG WEEKEND. LFG!!!

I drove 45 minutes from New Hampshire to Massachusetts. The clinic was in Brookline, which is within the Boston metro area.

The clinic was NOT what I expected. It was very small, but cozy. The front desk employee (Her name was Rea, or Raya?) was incredibly kind. After waiting for a few minutes, Dr. Miller came out and sat next to my wife, and I.

She was super cool and laid back. She gave a quick rundown of the procedure, post op recovery instructions, and then asked us if we were sure we wanted to move forward. We said yes.

Shortly after, I was led to a small, cozy room. I pulled my pants down, and sat on the patient table/chair.

Dr. Miller came in, and asked me if i wanted music. I said yes. She then asked if i wanted "Calm, or hype up music." I went with "hype up" and asked her to put on a band called Origami Angel. (Trust me bros, check them out)

Dr. Miller injected the anesthesia/numbing needle, which was uncomfortable, but not horrible. Just a couple small pinches. And in no time, she got started.

"This procedure usually takes me 3, maybe 3 and a half songs to complete."

Before the end of song 1, I felt lightheaded, and sick. Maybe I should've chosen calm music instead lol.

She laid my chair back so I was laying completely flat. She gave me a ball to squeeze, and her assistant gave me a mountain dew.

Dr. "Do you want me to continue?"

Me: "YES."

Dr. "Let me know if you need a break."

Me: "I'll let you know if i need a break after you're done with the first side."

Dr. "I already did the first side. I'm almost done with the second side."

*Me on the verge of passing out* "WOAH THAT WAS QUICK!"

Within a minute or two of that interaction, the doctor was done. She was quick, helpful, caring, and honestly, kind of a badass. (I think she was right - the procedure was done before the start of the 4th song)

I got my pants on with the help of my wife, got my stuff together, and left the office. Hello recovery!

RECOVERY

Proactive planning is SUPER important. You should plan for recovery days before the procedure. I bought a few things off of Amazon, moved my mini fridge to the living room, and set up a "recovery station" so I could limit myself from getting off the couch.

Things I bought beforehand:

1. Test-Eeze and Undeez from Amazon. (Jock straps with ice pouches)
2. A bag of frozen peas
3. Snack sized ziplock bags for the peas.
4. Colace - Stool softener
5. Ibuprofen, and Acetaminophen

Things to kill boredom:

1. PS4 (Yeah I haven't jumped to PS5. Been PC gaming.)
   1. I played MLB The Show 21 - Road to the show.
2. Macbook - I had a few Claude projects to work on
3. Game Devices - R36s and Anbernic RG557
   1. Both are loaded with old school games to keep me busy. (Hello Nintendo 64 games!)
   2. Check out r/R36S to learn more about these devices. They're cheap, and awesome.
4. Netflix, Amazon Prime, obviously.
   1. The only issue was FINDING a movie to watch...

Recovery Timeline

Day 1 - Day of procedure

• Pain Level: 3/10
• The first thing I did when I got home was waddle over to the couch. I was on the couch for 90% of the day, getting up only to use the bathroom. (#1)
• OTC Meds: 1,000 mg of Tylenol 3 times throughout the day. (The final dose had a sleepaid in it which helped me pass tf out and sleep like a baby); Colace to make #2 easier. Plot twist - No #2 on day 1.
• I had no swelling or bruising.
  • Just light aching pain. It almost felt like my boxer briefs/jock strap were too tight. It felt like the elastic edges of my jockstrap were pushing on my balls, but when I checked, that wasn't the case. So I'd say this pain was the normal "Throbbing, aching pain" that people talk about.
• I iced 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off from the moment I arrived home, to the moment I went to bed.
• When it was time for bed, I went up the stairs sideways. I slept on my back.

Day 2 - Slightly more pain. Hello constipation!

• Pain Level: 3/10, maybe 4/10 at times
• I woke up in the morning, and felt absolutely NO pain. But after checking with my AI friend Gemini, I quickly knew my pain would likely come back. So I slowly got up out of bed, and made my way downstairs. After making coffee/food, I sat back on the recliner, and noticed the pain was coming back.
• OTC Meds: 1,000mg of Tylenol 3 times throughout the day. I started cycling in 400mg of ibuprofen. I also took more Colace so I wouldn't have to strain when it was finally time for #2.
• Throughout the day, I felt the "kicked in the balls" throbbing pain, and a few sharp tweaks as I was moving around the house. (Opening the sliding door to let the dog out, getting a plate out of dishwasher, and CLOSING THE RECLINER WITH MY LEGS. DON'T DO THIS.)
• One thing that I wasn't really prepared for, was constipation. I had been taking colace since day 1, and despite my stomach feeling ready, I just couldn't poop. I did not want to strain, so I only sat on the toilet for a few miutes before giving up.
• Minor bruising, but no swelling.
  • At this point, I've modified my icing schedule. (20 min on, 40 min off) Swelling has been managed up to this point.
  • I've started noticing small bruising on the left and right side of my sack. No big deal.
• At bed time, I went upstairs sideways again. I slept on my side which was awesome. I put a big pillow between my legs.

Day 3 - Woke up feeling great, again! (I'm writing this as of Day 3)

• Pain Level: 1/10
• I woke up with NO pain. Again, I knew I'd feel it immediately when I stood up, but to my surprise, I didn't!
• I went downstairs, let the dog out, made my coffee, and sat down to start typing this post. The minor aching has returned, but it's alot better than day 1 & 2.
• OTC Meds: I started my day with 1,000 mg of Tylenol to be safe.
• No Swelling. A little more bruising.
• #2 was a success. Hell yeah, brother!
  • My body was ready. I didn't push too hard, and was able to complete #2 with no pain.
• I feel like I'm on the right track, and recovering well.
• Today, I plan on walking around a little more. I'll continue icing as needed if I feel pain. I'll still be on the couch for maybe 70% of the day.

I still haven't cleaned the pipes, but I obviously plan on waiting at least 7 days. I'm not trying to be a hero.

TLDR

• Procedure was surprisingly painless.
• Limited pain from days 1-3. SUPER manageable.
• You may be constipated. Don't push. Don't strain.
• Prepare your area/home base well before the procedure.
• Avoid getting up at all costs.
• Be proud! A vasectomy is still a procedure. (On a sensitive part of your body) If you go through with it, or have gone through it, you're a badass.

I'll update this post over the next few days of recovery if I come up with any notable recovery roadblocks/issues/observations.

Good luck to all who are considering a vasectomy! I know I'm only 3 days in, but I hope this helps ease your mind.

And shoutout to my reddit homies who have already gone through it and are recovering or are fully recovered.

Edit: Formatting.