So I cruised through the summer and almost, I said, "almost" forgot I even had PVPS. I would get a few reminders from time to time, but this was by far my best 3 months since my reversal. With that being said, I did what any other normal guy would do when they're feeling better, I became more active. I returned to the gym 2-3 weeks ago and started slow and easy. The treadmill and recumbent stationary bike were the two pieces of equipment I used for cardio. That was it, just these two. No weights, no long endurance routines, just simple low intensity cardio.
I spent all of about 5 minutes on the bike for a warm up and then crawled my way to a 35 minute treadmill workout at a very slow mph. It felt good to get up and move again. I really felt reinvigorated. The next day, I did notice a little inguinal ache on my right side, but didn't think much about it. Then I noticed the ache didn't go away, but continued into the next day.No big deal I thought. Probably just a random thing.
Two days later, back to the gym for a repeat of the previous workout. I had the same ache the next two days. Then I took 3-4 days off because of work and a busy life before returning to the gym. During that 3-4 days, I began to feel good again - no pain! This time I ramped up the warm up and the mph on the treadmill. The next day, I was in even more discomfort and pain which lasted a full two days. Well, I guess you can see where I'm going with this.
It appears that when I do my rather pedestrian cardio workout at the gym, my PVPS gets aggravated. This really surprises me because I've heard other guys say that working out helps them. Increases blood supply and all that.
I suppose I have a choice to make. Do I keep working out in spite of the pain or just try to push through; maybe incorporate some light stretching to see if that helps. I believe I'll opt for that last option. Part of the challenge with PVPS is loosing the feeling of normalcy and riding the roller-coaster of pain and frustration. Veering away from activities you normally love to do because the pain is too much or the threat of pain is too daunting.
My mindset is going to need a shift as I try to move forward. I believe I'll tell myself the pain I'm experiencing is just 'normal' muscle pain that everyone gets after they work out, you know, from the build up on lactic acid. For all I know, that could be exactly what is happening in my inguinal region. So with this potential excuse to return to the sidelines banished from my thinking, I will return to the treadmill and suffer through the normal consequences of a workout, pain.
Showing posts with label PVPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PVPS. Show all posts
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Denervation for PVPS
There has been a lot of chatter about denervation to help with the PVPS symptoms of pain lately. I will be looking for some articles about this surgery and posting a summary here in the next few days.
In a nutshell, denervation is a surgery that cuts away all or part of the nerves found in the spermatic cord that innervate your scrotum and penis. The thought is this, the pain will cease if the message cannot be sent to the brain.
Sounds reasonable, but there are always downsides, as I've spoken before. This procedure isn't always effective, there are other side-effects, etc.
Stay tuned and I'll hopefully be able to find something good to report here shortly.
In a nutshell, denervation is a surgery that cuts away all or part of the nerves found in the spermatic cord that innervate your scrotum and penis. The thought is this, the pain will cease if the message cannot be sent to the brain.
Sounds reasonable, but there are always downsides, as I've spoken before. This procedure isn't always effective, there are other side-effects, etc.
Stay tuned and I'll hopefully be able to find something good to report here shortly.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Vasectomy Reversal for Vasectomy Pain
Every once in a while, I will be posting some scientific literature that deals with vasectomy, reversals and/or PVPS. Like I've said before and pointed out in my book, there are just a scattering of articles on this subject, so when I come across one, I will do my best to share it here.
Today's article comes from the prestigious Journal of Urology, Feb. 2012 and is titled Vasectomy reversal provides long-term pain relief for men with the post-vasectomy pain syndrome - by Horovitz, et al out of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
The authors start out by making this statement, "The post vasectomy pain syndrome is a rare but serious and debilitating complication of vasectomy." I think it's important to note that this statement of fact comes from an expert in the field of urology from Mount Sinai Hospital and not some anonymous sufferer, posting his experiences on the internet blogosphere.
Dr. Horovitz states very clearly that vasectomy reversal is a surgical choice for men with PVPS after the medical management of the syndrome has failed. The authors recognize, however, the limitations of this claim in the scientific literature, which is the reason for their article. They want to add to the knowledge-base by providing their findings to the urology scientific community.
The article goes on to describe the results of 149 vasectomy reversals performed in a ten year span. Of these 149 surgeries, 23 were done for PVPS. Sadly, only 56% (14) of these men completed a questionnaire to better understand their symptoms and course. This may give us a little bit more insight as to why it is so difficult to get a handle on this syndrome. Men just simply do not want to discuss it.
Here is what the researchers found. Testicular pain occurred on average 19 (+/- 42.5) months after vasectomy and the average age was about 43 years of age. The men suffered pain for about 50 (+/- 34.9) months before having vasectomy reversal. After the reversal procedure, pain improvement was described in 93% of the men, while 50% were completely pain free. There was a 15% recurrence of pain to baseline (2 of the men), however, 79% claimed a durable positive response to the vasectomy reversal.
The results of this study tell us two things. One, PVPS is recognized by the urology establishment as a syndrome associated with vasectomy. Two, reversal is a legitimate, albeit, poorly studied course of action for those suffering from PVPS.
I developed this nerve pain after my reversal. So it is not the slam dunk it may at first seem to appear. More study is obviously warranted. And you know, I'm sure I could undergo some type of "clean-up" surgery to help relieve my pains. But the risk/reward justification isn't quite yet there for me.
As far as my symptoms and pain go, I had a good night last night and this morning all is quiet on the southern front, sort of speak. The ibuprofen I took a couple of nights ago, seems to have helped with whatever racking/nerve pain I was experiencing.
Today's article comes from the prestigious Journal of Urology, Feb. 2012 and is titled Vasectomy reversal provides long-term pain relief for men with the post-vasectomy pain syndrome - by Horovitz, et al out of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
The authors start out by making this statement, "The post vasectomy pain syndrome is a rare but serious and debilitating complication of vasectomy." I think it's important to note that this statement of fact comes from an expert in the field of urology from Mount Sinai Hospital and not some anonymous sufferer, posting his experiences on the internet blogosphere.
Dr. Horovitz states very clearly that vasectomy reversal is a surgical choice for men with PVPS after the medical management of the syndrome has failed. The authors recognize, however, the limitations of this claim in the scientific literature, which is the reason for their article. They want to add to the knowledge-base by providing their findings to the urology scientific community.
The article goes on to describe the results of 149 vasectomy reversals performed in a ten year span. Of these 149 surgeries, 23 were done for PVPS. Sadly, only 56% (14) of these men completed a questionnaire to better understand their symptoms and course. This may give us a little bit more insight as to why it is so difficult to get a handle on this syndrome. Men just simply do not want to discuss it.
Here is what the researchers found. Testicular pain occurred on average 19 (+/- 42.5) months after vasectomy and the average age was about 43 years of age. The men suffered pain for about 50 (+/- 34.9) months before having vasectomy reversal. After the reversal procedure, pain improvement was described in 93% of the men, while 50% were completely pain free. There was a 15% recurrence of pain to baseline (2 of the men), however, 79% claimed a durable positive response to the vasectomy reversal.
The results of this study tell us two things. One, PVPS is recognized by the urology establishment as a syndrome associated with vasectomy. Two, reversal is a legitimate, albeit, poorly studied course of action for those suffering from PVPS.
I developed this nerve pain after my reversal. So it is not the slam dunk it may at first seem to appear. More study is obviously warranted. And you know, I'm sure I could undergo some type of "clean-up" surgery to help relieve my pains. But the risk/reward justification isn't quite yet there for me.
As far as my symptoms and pain go, I had a good night last night and this morning all is quiet on the southern front, sort of speak. The ibuprofen I took a couple of nights ago, seems to have helped with whatever racking/nerve pain I was experiencing.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Here Comes Thanksgiving
I guess it's that time of year when people express their thanksgivings publicly, or at least around the dinner table before the Cowboys and Lions play football. I have a lot to be thankful for and if you're a stranger to this blog, you may be surprised to hear that I am thankful for PVPS. You may ask why?
Before I get to that, do not misunderstand me, I am not necessarily thankful that I have a painful syndrome/disease or whatever it might be called. Rather, I am thankful for how the Lord has used this experience to help me grow closer to him. I would gladly change places with the old me, the one before PVPS. However, I would not be as mature in my faith.
You see, faith is important to me. Trusting the Lord to get me through stuff, is what I've learned the most. To find that I am totally dependent upon the Lord above, is an idea that was unfathomable prior to PVPS. Now I see that I must 'die' to myself everyday and live for Christ. This means realizing I need him for everything in my life. Just like when you're a kid and you need your parents for everything.
So if you have pain and life kind of sucks right now, then just remember, God can still use it for his glory. Who knows, you just may get something out of it too.
I've been feeling pretty good today. No real pain, except a little right inguinal pain while I sit here at the computer and wistfully play a stupid internet video game while dinner is cooking.
Before I get to that, do not misunderstand me, I am not necessarily thankful that I have a painful syndrome/disease or whatever it might be called. Rather, I am thankful for how the Lord has used this experience to help me grow closer to him. I would gladly change places with the old me, the one before PVPS. However, I would not be as mature in my faith.
You see, faith is important to me. Trusting the Lord to get me through stuff, is what I've learned the most. To find that I am totally dependent upon the Lord above, is an idea that was unfathomable prior to PVPS. Now I see that I must 'die' to myself everyday and live for Christ. This means realizing I need him for everything in my life. Just like when you're a kid and you need your parents for everything.
So if you have pain and life kind of sucks right now, then just remember, God can still use it for his glory. Who knows, you just may get something out of it too.
I've been feeling pretty good today. No real pain, except a little right inguinal pain while I sit here at the computer and wistfully play a stupid internet video game while dinner is cooking.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Sleeping a Bit Better
Well, I guess you could say I'm sleeping better. I still wake up, but not because of pain or having to go potty - to quote my son when he was 3 years old. Now I'm just waking up and going back to sleep. I've made a point not to eat or drink anything after 8:30 pm. Maybe that is helping.
Regarding the inguinal pain, I didn't have any yesterday or last night. I am really hoping that activity will take care of all those little aches and pains - over the long term, that is. In the meantime, I'm just trying to be careful about how I cross my legs, sit, bend over, etc.
Sadly, it's those everyday "little things" that can cause the most pain. Cross your legs without carefully surveying the room in your drawers first and "ouch!" you can really hurt yourself. Same way with bending over, at least for me.
Other guys with PVPS probably don't have the pains manifest in the same way. For me it always seems to come down to a space issue. If I have room, then no worries. If it gets kind of cramped, then watch out.
Sitting continues to be a source of frustration for me as well. Even though I have this great cushion, which helps TREMENDOUSLY, I still get pains here and there from just sitting. They aren't nearly as bad as they used to be before the cushion. They're more annoying, than anything else.
So I guess you can add the adjective "annoying" to the endless list of ways to describe how PVPS affects your life.
Regarding the inguinal pain, I didn't have any yesterday or last night. I am really hoping that activity will take care of all those little aches and pains - over the long term, that is. In the meantime, I'm just trying to be careful about how I cross my legs, sit, bend over, etc.
Sadly, it's those everyday "little things" that can cause the most pain. Cross your legs without carefully surveying the room in your drawers first and "ouch!" you can really hurt yourself. Same way with bending over, at least for me.
Other guys with PVPS probably don't have the pains manifest in the same way. For me it always seems to come down to a space issue. If I have room, then no worries. If it gets kind of cramped, then watch out.
Sitting continues to be a source of frustration for me as well. Even though I have this great cushion, which helps TREMENDOUSLY, I still get pains here and there from just sitting. They aren't nearly as bad as they used to be before the cushion. They're more annoying, than anything else.
So I guess you can add the adjective "annoying" to the endless list of ways to describe how PVPS affects your life.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Still Taking Long Hot Soaks
It's over 100 degrees here in north Texas. You'd think a good hot soak would be the last thing on my mind. But, since I've been having the soaks, my daily pain seems to have subsided. However, I'm not sure how long the affect will last. Today, for instance, my left testicle is starting to get that "racking" sensation. Nothing horrible, just that dull sensation that so many of us with PVPS get.
Also, it is interesting to note that I've had what feels like a paper cut sensation on my scrotum in various places. This was accompanied by that little prickly pain. Both sensations disappeared after my soak though.
I can't tell you why I have pain and why I don't have pain. It remains a mystery. I do hope to find an expert in the pacific NW who can give me some advice though. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I think I may pop an ibuprofen for that left sided pain. I have to do a lot of driving around town today, so I know I'll be hurting later.
Just another day in the life of someone with PVPS. Let me tell you, it kinda s-u-c-k-s. Maybe this is something I'll talk to my friend from church about tomorrow. He's a great guy, I'm sure he'll have some insight in how to handle the ups/downs associated with chronic pain.
Also, it is interesting to note that I've had what feels like a paper cut sensation on my scrotum in various places. This was accompanied by that little prickly pain. Both sensations disappeared after my soak though.
I can't tell you why I have pain and why I don't have pain. It remains a mystery. I do hope to find an expert in the pacific NW who can give me some advice though. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, I think I may pop an ibuprofen for that left sided pain. I have to do a lot of driving around town today, so I know I'll be hurting later.
Just another day in the life of someone with PVPS. Let me tell you, it kinda s-u-c-k-s. Maybe this is something I'll talk to my friend from church about tomorrow. He's a great guy, I'm sure he'll have some insight in how to handle the ups/downs associated with chronic pain.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Strength in Numbers
A gentlemen from my church came over yesterday to talk to me about chronic pain. He has had chronic, debilitating back pain since 1998. The conversation was very insightful and enlightening. It was nice to talk to someone who knows what I'm kind of going through, mentally.
He's coming over again next Wednesday just to talk. I can't tell you what a nice feeling it is to know he'll be coming over. Even though I post on a PVPS forum and have gained valuable info and support from them, it was so wonderful to speak to someone one on one. Even though his pain was different from mine. Suddenly, I don't feel like I'm on an island anymore.
As far as the pain goes, I've been with my wife twice this last week. I had a touch of nerve pain on the right, but it went away when I readjusted the boys. It seems like when the cremaster muscle moves my right testicle up, I get the nerve pain. Perhaps, there is scar tissue that pushes up on a nerve that causes the pain. I'm not for sure.
We're moving to Washington state soon. There are a couple docs up there that specialize in PVPS. I think I'll see one of them, maybe both and get their input. Maybe I just need to have some scar tissue removed? Maybe it will get better with time. Who knows.
He's coming over again next Wednesday just to talk. I can't tell you what a nice feeling it is to know he'll be coming over. Even though I post on a PVPS forum and have gained valuable info and support from them, it was so wonderful to speak to someone one on one. Even though his pain was different from mine. Suddenly, I don't feel like I'm on an island anymore.
As far as the pain goes, I've been with my wife twice this last week. I had a touch of nerve pain on the right, but it went away when I readjusted the boys. It seems like when the cremaster muscle moves my right testicle up, I get the nerve pain. Perhaps, there is scar tissue that pushes up on a nerve that causes the pain. I'm not for sure.
We're moving to Washington state soon. There are a couple docs up there that specialize in PVPS. I think I'll see one of them, maybe both and get their input. Maybe I just need to have some scar tissue removed? Maybe it will get better with time. Who knows.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Ugh!! I Hate Vasectomy Pain Syndrome
It is so irritating. Today, I dug a hole to find a leak in my underground sprinkler system. I found it. I squatted down to reach inside my hole to look at the PVC pipe and Tah Duh! Nerve pain strikes! The pain is on the right side at my inguinal area. I had to take a tylenol and curtail my activities.
I'm so frustrated. On top of that, it's 100 degrees here in north Texas. I really do hate living in this town during the summer. But to have this PVPS on top of that. The only thing that gets me through this is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't imagine having to deal with this without leaning on him.
One of the guys in the support group says that a counselor is very helpful because of the emotional and mental strain placed on the men who suffer from PVPS. I couldn't agree more, because I talk to Jesus about this at least every couple of days. He hears my frustrations and then gives me peace. I can't explain the peace, but it's there nevertheless.
Right now I just want to scream out and I'm feeling extremely regretful over having the vasectomy. But I'm sure God will talk me down off the ledge before I go to bed tonight. Where would I be without Him. I really hate to think about it.
I'm so frustrated. On top of that, it's 100 degrees here in north Texas. I really do hate living in this town during the summer. But to have this PVPS on top of that. The only thing that gets me through this is my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't imagine having to deal with this without leaning on him.
One of the guys in the support group says that a counselor is very helpful because of the emotional and mental strain placed on the men who suffer from PVPS. I couldn't agree more, because I talk to Jesus about this at least every couple of days. He hears my frustrations and then gives me peace. I can't explain the peace, but it's there nevertheless.
Right now I just want to scream out and I'm feeling extremely regretful over having the vasectomy. But I'm sure God will talk me down off the ledge before I go to bed tonight. Where would I be without Him. I really hate to think about it.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Mountains or Valleys
In church today, the pastor spoke about how God not only meets us on the mountaintops, but also in the valleys. What he meant was when things are going great, we're quick to say He helped us get there, but when they go bad, we tend to think we're by ourselves and why would God want to be there with us.
I tend to take a contrarian viewpoint. When things are tough, that's when I see how much more I need Him. However, I tend to wonder aloud why He would want to help me. Little ol' me. I'm not any better than any other man. I certainly have my faults. I do bad things and think bad thoughts, just like everyone else. But there I am, asking for God to be merciful and not turn away from me.
I believe this PVPS has cemented my belief that God meets me in my sorrow. He reveals Himself when I am full of despair, which PVPS will give you in spades. Why do we suffer, why do we have pain? These are questions I ask all the time. But, if I hadn't had the pain, then I wouldn't have this blog. Maybe someone is being helped by this blog. Like I've said before, I don't always like the way God works in my life, however, I am still glad He works in it.
Today is a lot like yesterday, although my groin has been on the verge of a full blown nerve pain breakout. I can kind of tell when I'm about to have the knifing pain. I've been close 3 times this morning, but it hasn't come. It's kind of like feeling the earthquake and then just waiting for the tsunami. You know it's coming, you just don't know when or how hard.
Anyway, I remain hopeful that my body is on the mend. I know it can turn on a dime, as I've read and heard from other members on the forum, recently especially. But I can't let myself give into the despair again. I have to be hopeful for the best. Even if "the best" doesn't hit my expectation, it's what I've decided to do anyway. I don't think that is setting me up for disappointment, although, I have had a lot of that during this process. Rather, the hope helps me keep my sanity and spirits lifted. It helps me focus on the good times when I don't have pain, rather than the bad times when I do.
I know it's not make much sense right now, but internally, it's black and white. Maybe I'll be able to articulate it effectively here some day. In the meantime, my expression these days is "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". If you have a good day, rejoice and be glad in it.
I tend to take a contrarian viewpoint. When things are tough, that's when I see how much more I need Him. However, I tend to wonder aloud why He would want to help me. Little ol' me. I'm not any better than any other man. I certainly have my faults. I do bad things and think bad thoughts, just like everyone else. But there I am, asking for God to be merciful and not turn away from me.
I believe this PVPS has cemented my belief that God meets me in my sorrow. He reveals Himself when I am full of despair, which PVPS will give you in spades. Why do we suffer, why do we have pain? These are questions I ask all the time. But, if I hadn't had the pain, then I wouldn't have this blog. Maybe someone is being helped by this blog. Like I've said before, I don't always like the way God works in my life, however, I am still glad He works in it.
Today is a lot like yesterday, although my groin has been on the verge of a full blown nerve pain breakout. I can kind of tell when I'm about to have the knifing pain. I've been close 3 times this morning, but it hasn't come. It's kind of like feeling the earthquake and then just waiting for the tsunami. You know it's coming, you just don't know when or how hard.
Anyway, I remain hopeful that my body is on the mend. I know it can turn on a dime, as I've read and heard from other members on the forum, recently especially. But I can't let myself give into the despair again. I have to be hopeful for the best. Even if "the best" doesn't hit my expectation, it's what I've decided to do anyway. I don't think that is setting me up for disappointment, although, I have had a lot of that during this process. Rather, the hope helps me keep my sanity and spirits lifted. It helps me focus on the good times when I don't have pain, rather than the bad times when I do.
I know it's not make much sense right now, but internally, it's black and white. Maybe I'll be able to articulate it effectively here some day. In the meantime, my expression these days is "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". If you have a good day, rejoice and be glad in it.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
You Can't Predict Post Vasectomy Pain
I'm posting kind of late. It's 11:00 pm my time. My wife and I just finished many projects around the house, while someone at our church is watching our kids. Amazing how much you can get done when you don't have to chase around a couple of kiddos. But, I do miss them, novertheless.
It just dawned on me that I've been going pretty steady since about 8:00 am this morning and haven't even winced with a pain or sensation. I did have a weird nerve sensation in my "johnson", but I'm not convinced that was related to PVPS, although, I'm not sure why I would think that. It seems like everything is related to PVPS. But outside of that, I've felt pretty normal. So I go from major disappointment when I posted yesterday to feeling okay today.
You just never know with this thing. Maybe tomorrow will be a bad day, or a good day, or an inbetween day. You just can't predict. But, I'll take the good days when I can get them.
It just dawned on me that I've been going pretty steady since about 8:00 am this morning and haven't even winced with a pain or sensation. I did have a weird nerve sensation in my "johnson", but I'm not convinced that was related to PVPS, although, I'm not sure why I would think that. It seems like everything is related to PVPS. But outside of that, I've felt pretty normal. So I go from major disappointment when I posted yesterday to feeling okay today.
You just never know with this thing. Maybe tomorrow will be a bad day, or a good day, or an inbetween day. You just can't predict. But, I'll take the good days when I can get them.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
I Hate PVPS
Last night two things happened. First, I took a little nap (laying on my left side w/ pillow between knees). When I woke up I noticed a new twinge on the left side of my scrotum. It wasn't overly painful, just uncomfortable. The twinge came in waves. I looked down there and my left teste is markedly crescent shaped. Almost like a banana. That little puffy thing (where my epididymous should be) is now a lot harder. Still not sure if that is a spermatocele or something else. The doctor says it's just a natural change in my anatomy from the reversal. Some how, I don't think that's true. Okay, so then the twinge continued to get a little more prominent as the night wore on. Now this morning, it is still there. It feels like someone has a grip on my left nut and then lets go. And then it repeats again and again. I'm hoping it's some sort of nerve pain, rather than a bout of epididymitis coming on. I was on the computer a lot yesterday working on my websites, so maybe that's the reason I'm feeling it. But really, who knows?
Okay, the second thing that happened is I found our insurance appeal with Aetna was denied. They say the plan doesn't cover reversals for infertility. Well duh, I didn't have this for infertility. The crazy thing about it is, that everytime I speak with one of their customer service representatives, they all can't figure out why the claim was denied. They completely understand that I had it for medically necessary reasons, rather than infertility. In fact, the surgeon coded the surgery as orchitis and epididymitis, not infertilty. But, apparently, I'll have to do another appeal, this time through my wife's employer.
The hospital bill is $40,000 and the surgeon's bill is $4,500. The weird thing is the insurance paid the anesthesiologist. So, we're going to do the workplace appeal and hope for the best. There's simply no way we can pay a $46,000 medical bill. Maybe I"ll buy a lottery ticket.
But as I've said before, I'd gladly go into debt if it meant I didn't have PVPS/epididymitis anymore. My wife isn't too sure about that though :-)
Well, here's hoping the Lord will be merciful with me and take the pain away. Jesus is the only one who can help me. It seems like the older I get, the more I realize how much I need Him, everyday. If it weren't for my Lord and Savior, I doubt seriously I would be in as good a frame of mind. That doesn't mean I've got this figured out, it just means that I rely on Him to get through the day. I learned a long time ago, that when I relied on myself, bad things usually resulted. It was like, I couldn't get out of my own way. It's kind of hard to explain, but Jesus helps me with this PVPS thing and everything else, for that matter. Not sure why I'm putting this all in here, but I am supposed to journal about what I'm feeling and thinking. So I guess I'm thinking I need Jesus' help.
Okay, the second thing that happened is I found our insurance appeal with Aetna was denied. They say the plan doesn't cover reversals for infertility. Well duh, I didn't have this for infertility. The crazy thing about it is, that everytime I speak with one of their customer service representatives, they all can't figure out why the claim was denied. They completely understand that I had it for medically necessary reasons, rather than infertility. In fact, the surgeon coded the surgery as orchitis and epididymitis, not infertilty. But, apparently, I'll have to do another appeal, this time through my wife's employer.
The hospital bill is $40,000 and the surgeon's bill is $4,500. The weird thing is the insurance paid the anesthesiologist. So, we're going to do the workplace appeal and hope for the best. There's simply no way we can pay a $46,000 medical bill. Maybe I"ll buy a lottery ticket.
But as I've said before, I'd gladly go into debt if it meant I didn't have PVPS/epididymitis anymore. My wife isn't too sure about that though :-)
Well, here's hoping the Lord will be merciful with me and take the pain away. Jesus is the only one who can help me. It seems like the older I get, the more I realize how much I need Him, everyday. If it weren't for my Lord and Savior, I doubt seriously I would be in as good a frame of mind. That doesn't mean I've got this figured out, it just means that I rely on Him to get through the day. I learned a long time ago, that when I relied on myself, bad things usually resulted. It was like, I couldn't get out of my own way. It's kind of hard to explain, but Jesus helps me with this PVPS thing and everything else, for that matter. Not sure why I'm putting this all in here, but I am supposed to journal about what I'm feeling and thinking. So I guess I'm thinking I need Jesus' help.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Bad Pain Day Today
Well, I guess camping and hiking was too much for my groin nerves. Lots of pain today, from right out of the gate. I woke up and had to go to the bathroom. While I was doing my business, I had this nerve pain shoot to the end of my penis. Then 1 hour later, I had to go pee again. Same result. This repeated itself 2 more times.
I had always heard about people have nerve pain in their penis, but I was hopeful that I wouldn't experience it. Lucky me I guess. With each passing day, I develop a growing hatred for this syndrome. That is saying something because I already went into this thing hating it pretty badly.
I don't understand the nerve pain thing at all. I never experienced it after my vasectomy. It's a new thing for me since my reversal. Prior to my reversal, I JUST had epididymitis every 6 months. Now I've got this constant companion of nerve pain. I get a day off from it every now and then, but for the most part, it's like a bad habit I can't shake.
Today I had pain while going #1. I've heard people having nerve pain while making love to their spouse, which totally ruined the experience for both husband and wife. I pray that doesn't happen to me. However, it has only been a couple of months since my reversal and everyone says to be patient. I can't tell you how difficult that is for me. I want this to be in my rear view mirror so badly. My wife does too.
For me and others who suffer from PVPS, the following definition applies:
Regret equals vasectomy.
I had always heard about people have nerve pain in their penis, but I was hopeful that I wouldn't experience it. Lucky me I guess. With each passing day, I develop a growing hatred for this syndrome. That is saying something because I already went into this thing hating it pretty badly.
I don't understand the nerve pain thing at all. I never experienced it after my vasectomy. It's a new thing for me since my reversal. Prior to my reversal, I JUST had epididymitis every 6 months. Now I've got this constant companion of nerve pain. I get a day off from it every now and then, but for the most part, it's like a bad habit I can't shake.
Today I had pain while going #1. I've heard people having nerve pain while making love to their spouse, which totally ruined the experience for both husband and wife. I pray that doesn't happen to me. However, it has only been a couple of months since my reversal and everyone says to be patient. I can't tell you how difficult that is for me. I want this to be in my rear view mirror so badly. My wife does too.
For me and others who suffer from PVPS, the following definition applies:
Regret equals vasectomy.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Vasectomy Side Effects and Vasectomy Reversal Surgery
Yesterday brought with it a return of the nerve pain on my right side. I had a good night sleep and this morning I feel only a slight little twinge on the right side. We have some landscaping to do tomorrow and I have a lot of errands to run today (that means lots of car time), so we'll see how I'm doing on Monday.
Someone asked me the question if I was happy that I had the vasectomy reversal surgery. I told them I wasn't sure yet. The new pains are just as worrisome as the pre-surgery symptoms of swelling and pain. My activity levels are still dictated by pain. But I feel better mentally. They say your testosterone levels drop off with vasectomy surgery. My level two years ago was 441, which might be on the low side for someone who is 41 years old.
So perhaps my levels are higher than before my surgery and that is causing my energy to perk up a little bit. I won't know for sure unless I get it tested. Still not sure I'm going to do that yet.
Just remember, before you have that vasectomy, there is a chance you can have horrible nerve pain which can manifest as the following: continuously, when you ejaculate, intermittently, every once in a while and the pain can be anywhere from a dull ache to such intensity, you want to cry all the time. I've heard stories of people who have suffered all the above.
Or you could have epididymitis like I did. That means your epididymous swells and you feel like you have a third testicle. The pain radiates into your stomach region and makes it very uncomfortable. This swelling can be intermittent or continuous. Mine was intermittent and then turned continuous after 5.5 years. It also was one sided and then became bilateral after 5 years.
So, have a vasectomy if you are willing to take the risk. I would say that if you've had a previous pelvic surgery (hernia repair, appendix removal, etc.) or if you have had lower back pain, you definitely don't want to have the vasectomy. Lots of guys in my support group have had these, however, lots haven't. So there may not be a correlation, but nobody knows. That's the problem, it isn't studied in the urology community, despite it being such a devastating syndrome.
Imagine, your pain ranking an 8-9 on a 1-10 pain scale. Imagine, the pain being continuous and you requiring a pain management doctor to help you get through your life. Your activity becomes nothing, your testosterone sinks to low levels, your sex life becomes almost non-existent. And you did all this in the name of birth control. Trust me, if I had to do it over again, I'd never had the vasectomy in the first place. And neither would thousands of men who suffer various degrees of post vasectomy pain syndrome.
Please, don't have it done. I know, thousands of men have it done and nothing happens to them. But if it does happen, your life will be turned upside down and your regret will last a lifetime.
Someone asked me the question if I was happy that I had the vasectomy reversal surgery. I told them I wasn't sure yet. The new pains are just as worrisome as the pre-surgery symptoms of swelling and pain. My activity levels are still dictated by pain. But I feel better mentally. They say your testosterone levels drop off with vasectomy surgery. My level two years ago was 441, which might be on the low side for someone who is 41 years old.
So perhaps my levels are higher than before my surgery and that is causing my energy to perk up a little bit. I won't know for sure unless I get it tested. Still not sure I'm going to do that yet.
Just remember, before you have that vasectomy, there is a chance you can have horrible nerve pain which can manifest as the following: continuously, when you ejaculate, intermittently, every once in a while and the pain can be anywhere from a dull ache to such intensity, you want to cry all the time. I've heard stories of people who have suffered all the above.
Or you could have epididymitis like I did. That means your epididymous swells and you feel like you have a third testicle. The pain radiates into your stomach region and makes it very uncomfortable. This swelling can be intermittent or continuous. Mine was intermittent and then turned continuous after 5.5 years. It also was one sided and then became bilateral after 5 years.
So, have a vasectomy if you are willing to take the risk. I would say that if you've had a previous pelvic surgery (hernia repair, appendix removal, etc.) or if you have had lower back pain, you definitely don't want to have the vasectomy. Lots of guys in my support group have had these, however, lots haven't. So there may not be a correlation, but nobody knows. That's the problem, it isn't studied in the urology community, despite it being such a devastating syndrome.
Imagine, your pain ranking an 8-9 on a 1-10 pain scale. Imagine, the pain being continuous and you requiring a pain management doctor to help you get through your life. Your activity becomes nothing, your testosterone sinks to low levels, your sex life becomes almost non-existent. And you did all this in the name of birth control. Trust me, if I had to do it over again, I'd never had the vasectomy in the first place. And neither would thousands of men who suffer various degrees of post vasectomy pain syndrome.
Please, don't have it done. I know, thousands of men have it done and nothing happens to them. But if it does happen, your life will be turned upside down and your regret will last a lifetime.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Journal Entry
I had a good night's sleep. Woke up with no pain to speak of. I haven't done a lot of sitting today, which usually exacerbates the pain sensations. Interestingly though, when I pushed on my right inguinal area as I was leaning against a counter, I had an extremely distasteful nerve pain shoot through me. It lasted about 5 seconds.
I'm constantly amazed how this PVPS pain expresses itself from day to day, moment by moment. I have had something like 10 distinct pain sensations in my pelvic/scrotal region in the last 3 days. Each one with its own unique brand of discomfort.
Anybody who thinks vasectomies or vasectomy reversals are benign procedures ought to think again.
If I told you that you had a 1 in 10 chance of developing debilitating pain that was almost impossible to manage, as a result of having a vasectomy; would you have it done? I think the answer might be different from person to person. Some might feel lucky while others might think they're due for something bad.
The problem is, very few urologists discuss this possible side effect related to vasectomies with their patients. The other problem is, many urologists perform vasectomies, however, they don't specialize in men's health. For example, the doc who did my vasectomy, specializes in women's bladder issues. Now he does everything else a urologists does, but his specialty and passion was not related to men's health.
Somethings to think about before you decide to have a vasectomy.
I'm constantly amazed how this PVPS pain expresses itself from day to day, moment by moment. I have had something like 10 distinct pain sensations in my pelvic/scrotal region in the last 3 days. Each one with its own unique brand of discomfort.
Anybody who thinks vasectomies or vasectomy reversals are benign procedures ought to think again.
If I told you that you had a 1 in 10 chance of developing debilitating pain that was almost impossible to manage, as a result of having a vasectomy; would you have it done? I think the answer might be different from person to person. Some might feel lucky while others might think they're due for something bad.
The problem is, very few urologists discuss this possible side effect related to vasectomies with their patients. The other problem is, many urologists perform vasectomies, however, they don't specialize in men's health. For example, the doc who did my vasectomy, specializes in women's bladder issues. Now he does everything else a urologists does, but his specialty and passion was not related to men's health.
Somethings to think about before you decide to have a vasectomy.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Journal Entry
Well, yesterday I thought the epididymitis was going to return to my left side. I took a hot bath, which is what you're supposed to do when you feel the congestion coming on, but I didn't get a lot of relief. However, I didn't experience any swelling, which is the hallmark of epididymitis. So I went to bed and hoped for the best in the morning.
I woke up this morning and felt okay until I returned home from taking the kids to school. My left side started hurting again. I cried out to God hoping he'd hear me. I've been doing that a lot lately. He says to keep asking Him for help, so I keep doing that. I've had some interesting conversations with him lately. I hope He knows I'm not mad at him, but rather, I just want His help and mercy.
Well, I took another hot bath and then had a long nap. I woke up and felt okay. A little twing here and there, but otherwise, so far so good. I haven't had any pain, except now the right side has a little twing.
That's the crazy thing about PVPS. It keeps you guessing. I was told that after my reversal it may take up to a year to start feeling about 98% right. It's hard to keep from getting inpatient though. I just pray that everything will go well.
I really feel like I've done what I was supposed to do, by getting the reversal. But, instead of it being the magic bullet, we always hope it will be, it turns out to be another test of sorts.
By His grace and mercy I hope to get through this. There is really no other option for me at this point.
I woke up this morning and felt okay until I returned home from taking the kids to school. My left side started hurting again. I cried out to God hoping he'd hear me. I've been doing that a lot lately. He says to keep asking Him for help, so I keep doing that. I've had some interesting conversations with him lately. I hope He knows I'm not mad at him, but rather, I just want His help and mercy.
Well, I took another hot bath and then had a long nap. I woke up and felt okay. A little twing here and there, but otherwise, so far so good. I haven't had any pain, except now the right side has a little twing.
That's the crazy thing about PVPS. It keeps you guessing. I was told that after my reversal it may take up to a year to start feeling about 98% right. It's hard to keep from getting inpatient though. I just pray that everything will go well.
I really feel like I've done what I was supposed to do, by getting the reversal. But, instead of it being the magic bullet, we always hope it will be, it turns out to be another test of sorts.
By His grace and mercy I hope to get through this. There is really no other option for me at this point.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Vasectomy Side Effects First Blog
Welcome to my first blog about vasectomy side effects. I know, you thought there weren't any side effects, right? You thought a vasectomy is no big deal; everyone else in the office has had one; your wife might even be pressuring you to get one. Well, there is a little dirty secret that nobody talks about when it comes to vasectomies.
The secret is called Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome or PVPS for short. It usually takes on two forms.
1. Varying degrees of nerve pain - from debilitating to inconvenient.
2. Epididymitis (epi-did-i-my-tus). I know, that's a mouth full.
I will start by telling you my story. I had a vasectomy 5.5 years ago. Six months later, I had swelling in my scrotum which was not very comfortable. After a scrotal ultrasound - yep, I didn't know they could do that either - I was diagnosed with epididymitis. No big deal my uro doc told me, just take some antibiotics and a steroid dose pack and I should be ship shape in no time. Then every 6 months, this pattern would repeat.
It turns out, somewhere between 7-15% of all men who have a vasectomy end up with some sort of pain syndrome. That's 1 out of every 10 guys that have a vasectomy. Lucky me I guess.
Okay, now I've had a reversal to see if that will fix my problem. Now since the reversal, I have a nerve pain that feels like a dull ache on the right side of my scrotum. I also have a flash of pain that hits me out of the blue in various places between my belly button and groin. I would rate it a 7 on a 1-10 pain scale where 10 is the most intolerant pain you could imagine.
So basically, there is no simple fix to this problem. Once you have it, you have it. Sometimes the surgical treatments work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they make it worse. Sometimes leaving it alone and treating it conservatively it the right thing and sometimes it's the wrong thing.
This is a very insidious syndrome because it is so poorly understood. Most urologists who perform vasectomies never experience patients with this problem.
Because vasectomies are such a big business, very little information gets out about this syndrome, but believe me, it's very real. I joined a support group a couple of weeks ago and now I am trying to do my part to get the word out, about what many of us suffer from. Post vasectomy pain syndrome can be just as debilitating as any other disease you can think of. It may not cause death, but I'm certain many men would have preferred it.
Please visit the forum's link if you want to get real information about this painful phenomena. I will invite others to post their stories here as well as provide information about this dreaded problem.
The secret is called Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome or PVPS for short. It usually takes on two forms.
1. Varying degrees of nerve pain - from debilitating to inconvenient.
2. Epididymitis (epi-did-i-my-tus). I know, that's a mouth full.
I will start by telling you my story. I had a vasectomy 5.5 years ago. Six months later, I had swelling in my scrotum which was not very comfortable. After a scrotal ultrasound - yep, I didn't know they could do that either - I was diagnosed with epididymitis. No big deal my uro doc told me, just take some antibiotics and a steroid dose pack and I should be ship shape in no time. Then every 6 months, this pattern would repeat.
It turns out, somewhere between 7-15% of all men who have a vasectomy end up with some sort of pain syndrome. That's 1 out of every 10 guys that have a vasectomy. Lucky me I guess.
Okay, now I've had a reversal to see if that will fix my problem. Now since the reversal, I have a nerve pain that feels like a dull ache on the right side of my scrotum. I also have a flash of pain that hits me out of the blue in various places between my belly button and groin. I would rate it a 7 on a 1-10 pain scale where 10 is the most intolerant pain you could imagine.
So basically, there is no simple fix to this problem. Once you have it, you have it. Sometimes the surgical treatments work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they make it worse. Sometimes leaving it alone and treating it conservatively it the right thing and sometimes it's the wrong thing.
This is a very insidious syndrome because it is so poorly understood. Most urologists who perform vasectomies never experience patients with this problem.
Because vasectomies are such a big business, very little information gets out about this syndrome, but believe me, it's very real. I joined a support group a couple of weeks ago and now I am trying to do my part to get the word out, about what many of us suffer from. Post vasectomy pain syndrome can be just as debilitating as any other disease you can think of. It may not cause death, but I'm certain many men would have preferred it.
Please visit the forum's link if you want to get real information about this painful phenomena. I will invite others to post their stories here as well as provide information about this dreaded problem.
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