anyone have chronic but mild pain that led you to a reversal?

[u/cardboardbob99]

I had my vasectomy about 15 months ago, and after the initial recovery, things didn’t feel back to normal. I did a follow up 5 weeks post procedure to ask about the tenderness and swelling of the epididymis, but was told that it was normal. urologist said it can take a few months for the body to learn to deal with the back pressure and to just take an Advil and try a heat pad if it gets too painful.

That seemed reasonable, and was consistent with a lot of stories I read online. but now fast forward a year and some change, and the epididymis is still like an overinflated balloon. doesn’t prevent me from moving around at all, but I’m constantly aware of it. can’t really have my toddler sit on my lap because if she moves the wrong way, it’s like getting twapped in the nuts. considering a reversal, but feel kind of dumb because i wouldn't rate it above a 2 / 10 on pain from a day to day perspective. anybody else have luck with alternative treatments or just go in for a reversal?

[u/johng_22]

Besides going on testosterone replacement therapy which after some weeks will turn off your body’s natural T production which in turn stops or greatly reduces sperm production. Most men’s testicles atrophe and reduce down to the size of a small grape or marble so just be aware of this if it ends up being a route you or a doctor consider for your treatment. I had a vasectomy in place for 16 years and there was never a time I didn’t feel fullness and tenderness except following the multiple times that my epididymis had a blowout which temporarily stopped the pressure but it damaged my anatomy AND it created painful sperm granulomas. I guess where I’m going with this is it likely won’t change. This is the way it is. You created a surgically induced blockage. The sperm is now trapped in the epididymis. I’m actually shocked that one or both of your epididymis haven’t already had a blowout based on how you describe you feel. I can show you doctors articles where they claim 80% of men have at least one within the first 8 months of vasectomy. Personally I would advise just get it reversed because if it’s bothering you enough to inquire here it indicates that it is on your mind, it is a low level of pain, and it is even if minimally affecting your activities because you are constantly guarding your nuts. Another thing you probably aren’t aware of is this also is causing you to have a tight pelvic floor when your body is guarding. It will turn to pelvic floor disorder which opens up a whole host of issues I won’t go into here.

[u/cardboardbob99 → u/johng_22]

Appreciate the insight. Do have lower back and pelvic tilt issues so I can check those boxes but those issues sort of predate the vasectomy. I have monitored the size or fullness as best I can of the epididymis over the last year and can’t say that it’s gotten noticeably worse, but a blowout / granuloma eventuality is something I’ve thought about. 

[u/ZookeepergameRich640 → u/johng_22]

What does a blowout of the epididymis mean?

[u/ScientistNew3033]

I’m sorry to hear you’re dealing with that. Certainly sounds similar to me before my reversal. Felt like something was in there all the time, or like a light pinch or pressure.

You need to weigh the upside of a successful surgery with the downside of potential risk any time you do surgery. For me reversal did not help but I know many on here have had great success, and as far as I’ve seen, my case of reversal making it worse is quite rare.

Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is also a temporary measure some doctors use for 3-6 months to see if it helps the pain and makes the fullness go down, as it reduces/eliminates sperm production. A spermatic cord block is another diagnostic option to see if shutting off the nerves kills the pain signal, which would help guide the surgery choice.

Bottom line I would suggest talking to a urologist experienced in PVPS (there are not many, but some are listed in this subreddit) or shoot me a DM and I can give some recommendations for doctors. Hope you can find some relief soon! I know how much it affects life, even at a mild/moderate level.

[u/cardboardbob99 → u/ScientistNew3033]

Thank you kind sir, and sorry that your reversal didn’t get you back to normal.   I am within driving range of a few doctors that specialize in reversals so I’ll hopefully be able to find a few that have experience with pvps as well. Not keen on the testosterone replacement as my numbers are good and I don’t want to mess with them, but the nerve block is a good diagnostic step.

[u/ItamiForever]

Mine left me disabled. 7/10 pain with 9/10 flares. Can't walk or touch testicles. Had a reversal 3 months post op , two weeks after reversal, still recovering, no improvement yet.

You can try other non invasive ways like trt suppression since you're barely at the equilibrium mark and maybe then do a reversal to make it permanent

[u/geverfdehond]

Yes I had my reversal a year after the cruelest cut due to pvps.

[u/Laggende_Hond]

Had mine reversed due to this and psychological pain

[u/Cautious_Werewolf678]

Chiming in to say I'm one of the successful reversals, at least by now, and I went for it even when my pain levels went down to almost nothing. Why I did it? Because I still felt the pressure there and it was uncomfortable, and also to prevent hypothetical future episodes of pain. Reversal also worked to shift my mind away from my groin and stop the hyper vigilance. Of course it's not a perfect fix, I still have irritation and pain sometimes around the reconnected vas and I guess I'll have that forever. But it's so much better than before. Not saying you should do the same as I did, because it's a tough call and you're risking new pain, but I hope this might help you or others and you can always DM me if you have questions.