A_patient (imported) wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2010 2:49 am
Some years ago, with our family complete, we discussed contraception and agreed that I would have a vasectomy. That in itself was a laugh! I also had a varicocele (varicose veins in my scrotum) which made surgery by the usual method much more difficult. The usual method was under local anaesthetic in the outpatient's department of the maternity unit on a Saturday morning. An injection of local anaesthetic would be made into the scrotum, then the surgeon would go 'fishing' for the vas deferens on each side and hook it out to tie, cut and cauterise the end of the tubes to seal them off.
With the varicocele, the surgeon could see that this would be very difficult as there would be far too many tubes to hook, pull out and then decide whether it was the right one, so agreed to do this under general anaesthetic. However, as a gynaecologist, he only had admission rights on his gynaecology ward. So that was where I was admitted! I rang the ward bell and was escorted to a side room off the main ward and told not to leave there unless escorted by a nurse. My toileting needs would be taken care of in the room. I was taken to theatre, the deed done and returned to the side room. i was lying there, still drowsy from the anaesthetic when a woman patient from the ward came in to see her friend who had been there, but moved out to make room for me. She opened the door, ignoring the warning signs put up by the nurses, saw me and screamed, "It's a man!" and ran off down the ward, still screaming. The nurses and I had a good laugh about this: they weren't sympathetic to her because of the big "Do not enter!" sign on the door.
Later, I had severe pain in my left testis as it should have stopped producing sperm, but had not done this. Therefore the epididimus on the top of that testis was swollen and painful. The only solution to this is to have it out.
This is done under general anaesthetic and so I awoke slightly lighter than I had been when I went to theatre. The problem was that I an on anticoagulants and the surgeon omitted to use a wound drain. Hence the space occupied by my former testis now filled with blood and hardened. This, too, is pulling painfully and will have to be removed by the same way as the first operation. This time, a vacuum wound drain will be used!
with very little discomfort. Worst problem is a little edema in my penis, which is primarily from the local anesthetic. Swelling is absolutely minimal, and I should be flying home Sunday morning.
:dong: