Recovering from surgery
When you wake from surgery, you will have a scrotal support jock strap on. This will be covering the two separate scrotal incisions. As the incisions are quite small, there usually isn’t much pain that it is not well controlled by painkillers you can take by mouth. The majority of men have pain that is similar to or less than when you underwent the initial vasectomy. When you are ready and Mr NIkesh Thiruchelvam has reviewed you after surgery, you will be discharged home.
As you will have a general anaesthetic, you cannot drive home yourself and you need to make sure someone is with you overnight.
The stitches are dissolvable and will fall away after a few weeks. You can have a shower on the day after surgery. You should avoid sitting in a hot bath for some months, as this can adversely alter sperm function. After surgery, you may get some bruising and swelling in the scrotum but this usually resolves in the first week following your operation.
As the stitches used to reconnect your cut vas tubes are very fine, it is important to undertake light duties only and not to undertake any rigorous physical activity for 2-3 weeks. It is important that you plan the date of surgery such that commencing light duties ties in with your work plans. Rest and healing are of utmost importance. You should also refrain from sexual activity for 3 weeks.
Most patients experience minor discomfort after surgery that can usually be managed with paracetamol. Ocassionally ibuprofen or codeine is needed. It is possible that a lot of internal bleeding occurs that makes the scrotum swollen and bruised. Rarely, further surgery is needed to remove the blood clot that has formed in the scrotum. It is also rare to get infection in the surgical wounds but if they become red or discharge fluid, you may need antibiotics.
It can take an average of one year for your partner to become pregnant, although it is not unusual for this to occur within a few months.
