"It's not in my head - this pain is real!"

Pain after vasectomy is a rare and devastating side effect from a vasectomy. Almost without exception, every single vasectomy pain patient whom I talk with tells me how their doctors repeatedly told them that their pain was "not real", was really "psychosomatic" or was from an emotional need for attention or a "drug-seeking behavior." In essence, they were being told that their pain was not really there and that in fact they were crazy as there were no physical causes of pain after vasectomy. There are many post-vasectomy pain patients that are even told that Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome (PVPS) doesn't exist, and so go far as to tell the patient that they have never heard of such a syndrome. Yet this syndrome of severe or chronic pain after vasectomy is well known and clearly described in the medical literature, and has been so for many years. The problem is that the doctor you are seeing may not be aware or educated on this rare complication of vasectomy. When I counsel patients about vasectomy, I am always certain to explain in my review of potential complications that PVPS does exist. I explain further to this patient considering a vasectomy than when this pain after vasectomy occurs, it can be severe, unrelenting and life-destroying.

The good news is that your life is not ruined, you can have resolution of the pain and be back to the normal way you were before the vasectomy. First and foremost you need to understand that this constellation of pain and symptoms can be tricky to treat. The biggest hurdle is to find a urologist that understands the syndrome and the pros and cons of each of the various options available to you, as explained in another article.

It is essential that you and your wife know, deep down in your heart, that no matter how bad the pain has been, no matter what you have been told, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that this pain can and will go away, and that you can once again be the man you were before. You can be the husband and father, enjoy sex without severe pain and get back to work. Once again you can enjoy sports and hobbies such as bike riding, mountain biking, horseback riding, basketball, baseball, football, soccer, squash and running. Bottom line, you can enjoy life the way you did instead of being crippled by the unrelenting, severe pain of Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome.