Disappointment

The last 24 hours have been very disappointing. Since my last post, the ache on my right side has become more intense. It even was keeping me awake last night. I just couldn't get comfortable. Nothing like the sharp knifing pain, but rather just that ever present, almost tingling sensation radiating into my right lower abdomen, right about where my belt would be. Meanwhile, my left side was bothersome as well. It felt like the old spermatocele was pushing on stuff again on the left, causing that racking sensation.

Could this be a result of my recent sexual activity with my wife? Could it be present because I'm no longer taking rapaflo? I think it's more related to the rapaflo and that is why I'm so disappointed. I was really hoping my improvement with the rapaflo was just coincidental. After all, I had noticed the swelling in my scrotum continue to decrease in the last couple of weeks. I actually looked normal down there. Not perfectly normal, just more normal.

Today, my right side is all bumpy again and I can make out definite landmarks, like the epididymous, scar tissue from the reversal, etc. I'm going to give it another several days though, before I become 100% convinced I need to go back on the rapaflo. We'll see how today goes, but I think it's going to be like yesterday. Which means, I won't feel like doing anything active for fear of hurting myself. However, I will try to go for a light walk around the neighborhood and then do some stretching afterwards.

The vasectomy side effects really plays games with your head. You feel good one minute, then like crap the next. You're afraid to do anything out of fear. Even sex with your wife can become a mind game, because you might hurt yourself or she may be thinking she might hurt you. That's a less than ideal way to share your love together, always worrying that somebody might get hurt.

I've said it a lot, but I'll say it again. Please don't have a vasectomy. It just isn't natural and chances are if you do have problems from it, they won't be minor. They will be life-changing and in MANY cases, completely debilitating.

The Vasectomy Pain is Back - Sort of

Yesterday was a busy day around the house. I was feeling great though, and I didn't have any pain at all. I painted, I installed a new ceiling light, I drove a few errands in the car, I actually felt normal. That is probably the best day I've had since my vasectomy reversal surgery back in December.

Today I woke up feeling okay. "Wow", I thought. All that work yesterday and I'm waking up feeling just as good. However, I did stretch out pretty hard this morning in bed before I got up. I stretched my legs and arms like I haven't done in quite a while. Then I felt a slight sensation in my groin. Nothing that was painful or even that noticeable, to be honest with you. Just something that reminded me that I probably shouldn't be stretching that aggressively because something bad might happen.

I got dressed, drove us all to church, sat down and then "Wham". A pain came out of nowhere on my left groin side. Then "wham" again and a couple more times. Then we drove home (my wife drove this time) and I made a sandwich. Then my right side started hurting. I was having nerve pain again. In fact, as I type this, the nerve pain is hitting me on the right side.

I took the Rapaflo last night, just like I have the last several nights. But now, the pain is back. However, I think the pain on my left is still related to that pesky spermatocele. Today just happens to be only 54 degrees. When it's cold outside, my scrotum pulls up to my body and pushes that spermatocele into stuff that shouldn't be getting pressed upon. What about the right sided nerve pain? I think that is simply from me over doing it yesterday.

So today, I'm taking it easy. I'm going to help my son with his biography of John Wycliffe for school. Make sure he's ready for his spelling and history test at school tomorrow, and then I'm turning in early. We have almost everything done at our house. Just some packing away stuff for storage, add a touch up of paint here and there, etc. The big projects seem to be done. I have a couple of neighborhood kids taking care of the landscaping, mowing, edging, etc., so hopefully, I can continue to heal up in my pelvic area.

Oh, and not that this has anything to do with vasectomy side effects, but I was asked to teach next week's Sunday School for the 7-10 years olds. That's the first time our church has asked me to do anything like that. I hope I don't let them or the children down. It's quite an honor that I take seriously. Well, that's about it. Until next time, don't get a vasectomy.

Stretching Seems to Help a Lot

I've done some neighborhood walking, nothing too brisk. I've also done some stretching and those two things seem to help with the testicular pain. That doesn't mean that sitting and driving won't make the pain come back, because it almost always does. But I will keep walking and stretching in hopes of keeping the pain at bay.

I also ejaculated last night and surprisingly, the little annoying ache I had on my right side went away. It seems that my body is overly sensitive in the scrotum and little changes make big differences in my pain levels. I've also noticed the further out from my vasectomy, the less swelling I have on my right side. I have a little "knot" when my reversal was, but the swelling around that knot has almost all but disappeared. I think this is good news. Especially given how my right side has not been hurting as much, as a general rule, as it did in my first two months post-op.

My left side still gets that racking sensation but again, I think it's due to the spermatocele I have on that left side. I've also noticed that my computer chair isn't very comfortable. Not a lot of cushion, so I may have to fix that.

Well, I'll be curious about how today goes. Hopefully, I can have a run of several good days in a row, Lord willing.

Vasectomy Pain and Driving

I'm back from my trip to TN. That's basically 13 hours in the car. Thank goodness for my wife. She was a real trooper. She drove about 6 hours each driving day, which allowed me to pick up the remaining 2-3 hours of driving. I had to take ibuprofen/tylenol each day because the pain was pretty intense, albeit, brief.

The fact that I was able to utilize the cruise control really helped a lot. I just had to make sure I had plenty of space between my thighs to keep my scrotum from getting pinched or squished. However, sitting for that long, regardless of how I do it, does take its toll on my body. It seems like sitting on my nerves for that long makes them not very happy.

Now that I'm home and had a night's sleep, my left spermatocele is really causing some pain. Nothing I need medicine for, but when it hurts, I feel like I'm getting racked. My right side hasn't had any nerve pain to speak of in the last few days, which kind of surprises me.  Also, my wife and I haven't been together for a while which I was told is a bad thing. The uro docs like to make things stay patent (open). Some of the guys tell me I should take things into my own hands (sort of speak), but the last time my wife and I were together, the next day, my left side felt painful. I wonder if that spermatocele gets bigger with each ejaculation?

I keep taking hot baths in an effort to kill off some of that sperm. I'm not sure if that's working though. It's weird, but my left side has never bothered me, until last fall. Now post reversal, the left side seems to be the side that hurts most often. I think it's related to the spermatocele. It seems to push on things that shouldn't get pushed on, like it's just in the way.

I'm not sure how to get rid of those, because I've read they either go away on their own, or you can have them surgically removed. However, that doesn't mean they won't come right back. Meanwhile, the surgery could cause more nerve damage, which is not what I want.

So today, after a long trip being stuck in the car, my left side hurts, but not my right. I'm not having any nerve pain to speak of, so that is an improvement. I'm going to try stretching again and gentle walking around the neighborhood. I really need to get my heart exercised.

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.

Journal Entry

So much for the 80 degree weather. Back in the low 50's and I think I've discovered a pattern. It seems like when it's cold, my testicles move up into my body and that creates a "racking" sensation on my left side. You see, since my vasectomy reversal in December of 2010, I've had this little puffy thing on top of my left testicle. Some have described it as a spermatocele. If it is a spermatocele, then it may go away on its own, or it may not. Crazy isn't it?

Anyway, this used to be soft and squishy. When my urologist would examine me, he could squeeze it without hurting it. Of course, then it would ache for the next two days. Well, now it isn't nearly as squishy. It's kind of becoming hardened and when it moves up inside of me (on colder days) I notice the pain. I'm also having some referred pain behind my left kidney that moves from my left hip. That's new.

My right side kind of aches a little bit and then it doesn't. It is being very fickle today. I did a lot of yard work yesterday, so maybe it's just reacting to the increased activity.

I also have a lot of questions about epididymitis and why mine manifested the way it did. I've asked the group one of my questions. Hopefully, I'll get some feedback from them. I guess that's it for today. I wonder what crazy new pain or sensation I'll have to write about tomorrow.