Preface:
I underwent a vasovasostomy about two weeks ago; this is more commonly called a reverse vasectomy. Yes, more descendants are the plan. The reason I was snipped in the first place is muddier.
About twenty years ago, I had suffered a major back injury; a hyper-extended spine, that lead to a complex succession of surgeries. In fact, there were 5 operations in total. The last one was made to repair damage that had been created by a surgical blunder. The mistake was that they had left a serrated bone splinter inside my spinal column. This shard began to machete its way through the sciatic nerve. Of course, this left me with nerve damage that cannot be recovered.
The healing process was extremely long, and one laden with many obstacles from insurance companies to the medical professionals themselves. I spent a year mostly confined to bed, than another year getting around via wheelchair, then three years walking with a cane.
It was in the bed to wheelchair period that they sort of insisted that it would be in my interests not to have any more children. Why? Because they considered that I would not be able to recover enough mobility to meet tasks of parenting, and also probably not work again. I was pensioned out of the work force as well; put to pasture as the medical world deemed I would not sufficiently recover.
I spent the three years with a cane learning to walk again, since I cannot feel most of my right leg or foot. The only thing that worked was one session of acupuncture that relieved 90% of the pain I was suffering from. It was from that day on that I worked extremely hard to regain my ability to lead a normal life, and remain active.
Now I am almost normal, and do not even think people notice the lack of functions performed by my right leg. I play sports; baseball, kick boxing, weight training, jogging. I do not stop myself from doing anything a normal person would do; lifting, working on the house, working. I am somewhat impressed with myself, and find it remarkable about how far I have come since being designated a lump.
I had long been a sufferer of chronic pain and had lived with it for so long that it was a part of life. However, six months ago, as stress built up, a divorce, being giving a job that had once had support and being offered none at a very busy time, no time for working out, I had crumbled and allowed the pain to take over. I snapped out at people and acted irrationally.
I found out that the catalyst for much of the increase in pain was that I had a stress fracture in my hip (something I am awaiting to have replaced). It had already healed, so I had worked on it for months without knowing. Once you have a steady barrage of pain, it is very easy to accept more without noticing.
My doctor offered to get me to try a new pain medication, which I was reluctant to do, since all others I had ever tried did not work, and turned my mind to mush [I know, it's hard to tell the difference]. This one, however, did work. I began to see positive effects, like sleeping through the night, playing baseball and not feeling like a bus hit me the next day, and numerous other benefits.
There were bad side effects as well. Fevers, irritable behaviour and passing out. I also suffer from hypotension, which is low blood pressure, and I normally sit at 80 over 50. The medication lowers that, and when I am not thinking it can dip and make me pass out. It took me a while to realize the signs and avoid this side effect. The drug is also used for men who have premature ejaculation, which is not conducive to the ultimate goal in having a reverse vasectomy.
The medication and side effects are now under control.
Act 1:
The vasovasostomy went off without a hitch. I did have an urge to call off the procedure just before cutting time. The surgeon appeared an only then told me that I would not be able to have intercourse, or ejaculate, for 30 days. The reasons for stopping the event are clear, but the lure of having children was greater.
