Uni'ing after a vasectomy

General
1

I just wanted to let all my ‘fellow’ riders know that riding right after a
vasectomy is no problem, but you have to take precautions.

  1. Lower the seat a tad. That puts less pressure on the scrotal area.
  2. Push the seat forward while riding so that your buttocks take most of
    the pressure off that scrotal area.
  3. Alternate between seat-forward riding and stand-up riding (where your
    butt is hardly on the seat). The latter is tiring, but it really minimizes
    seat pressure.
  4. Avoid big curbs, both up and down (for the same reason). Small curbs
    (like 3") are ok, but for going up small curbs I’d suggest hopping rather
    than riding.
  5. Tightie whities, but that’s recommended by your urologist anyway.
  6. Try idling and then a short ride initially. If the pain isn’t worse
    than regular walking, you’re probably fine. Check up on yourself after ten
    minutes.
  7. I’d suggest a small wheel (20") rather than a larger size in case there
    is a sudden need to dismount. Smaller wheels have the disadvantage of
    forcing more revolutions and feeling bumps more, however, so it’s a bit of
    a toss-up. The jury is out on this one.
  8. You defintely want a soft seat. Foam is fine (tho a tough foam, like in
    the KH seat, may not be ideal). Viscount, Torker, and new (hard) Schwinn
    seats are right out.

Following these morsels of advice will help keep the stitches from undoing.

Best of luck!

David Stone
NYUC

2

Since David brought it up, I’ll add a bit more.

When I got mine done, I asked my doctor about cycling. I don’t remember if I confused him by mentioning unicycles or just asked for the general recommendation on biking. I assume a unicycle “churns” your crotch more than a bike, but the different angle thing could work in either direction. He told me a recommended number of weeks, which I mostly adhered to. I didn’t want to mess around.

That said, David’s advice sounds pretty safe. As with anything, be aware that we are not all built the same, and vasectomy procedures are not all the same either. Some reconnect the vas for aesthetic reasons(?), while others leave it “hanging.” This could affect recovery times and the types of activities you should do.

So as with anything else medical, proceed with caution, listen to your body, and if things don’t feel right, back off and take it easy.

And don’t blame us if stuff goes wrong; we’re not doctors!

3

Since we are talking about that area, I have a related question.

Has anyone ridden with a hernia? Did you have it repaired? If so how long before you rode again?

4

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

“bugman” <bugman@noemail.message.poster.at.unicyclist.com> writes:
>
>Since we are talking about that area, I have a related question.
>
>Has anyone ridden with a hernia? Did you have it repaired? If so how
>long before you rode again?

A hernia is a serious problem at times. If you rupture it (which is
possible, depending on the type of hernia and the type of riding), you
could end up in the OR (if you’re lucky). I had one repaired in high
school. I can’t recall how long before I rode again, and anyway the
operation is much easier nowadays and has almost no hospitalization. Get
it taken care off. I bet you’ll be riding inside a week.

David

5

Re: Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

I should have had surgery during the winter, but I didn’t. It is now summer, busiest time for work and play, and unless it gets worse I will wait until November. I aggravated it by riding so much last weekend on the Wolfman Duathlon. It is starting to feel a little less aggravated, but I know I need to do it this year. I will just ride moderately until November. If it gets worse I may be forced to get it done. THis will actually be my second. I had the first repaired 8-9 years ago.

6

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

David Stone wrote:
> “bugman” <bugman@noemail.message.poster.at.unicyclist.com> writes:
>
>>Since we are talking about that area, I have a related question.
>>
>>Has anyone ridden with a hernia? Did you have it repaired? If so how
>>long before you rode again?
>
>
> A hernia is a serious problem at times. If you rupture it (which is
> possible, depending on the type of hernia and the type of riding), you
> could end up in the OR (if you’re lucky). I had one repaired in high
> school. I can’t recall how long before I rode again, and anyway the
> operation is much easier nowadays and has almost no hospitalization. Get
> it taken care off. I bet you’ll be riding inside a week.
>
> David
>
>

I don’t want to rain on the parade, if you can call it that, but riding
in a week might not be the best idea when coming off surgery to repair a
hernia. Depending on the kind of hernia, the doctor will usually
recommend 3-5 weeks before you resume a modified schedule of exercise.

I recently had surgery to repair a double hernia, and am also just
starting out on the uni. There’s no way I was going to straddle
anything, much less ride, until almost a month afterward. I’m usually
one to start back into a sport a little too soon rather than later, and
this just wasn’t one of those times.

Kurt

7

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

“David Stone” <dstone@packer.edu> wrote in message news:

You might post this to alt.support.vasectomy. There is also an
associated website (www.vasectomy-information.com that might put it
up).

trifold


<mailman.1081522134.30951.rsu@unicycling.org>…
> I just wanted to let all my ‘fellow’ riders know that riding right after a
> vasectomy is no problem, but you have to take precautions.
>
> 1. Lower the seat a tad. That puts less pressure on the scrotal area.
> 2. Push the seat forward while riding so that your buttocks take most of
> the pressure off that scrotal area.
> 3. Alternate between seat-forward riding and stand-up riding (where your
> butt is hardly on the seat). The latter is tiring, but it really minimizes
> seat pressure.
> 4. Avoid big curbs, both up and down (for the same reason). Small curbs
> (like 3") are ok, but for going up small curbs I’d suggest hopping rather
> than riding.
> 5. Tightie whities, but that’s recommended by your urologist anyway.
> 6. Try idling and then a short ride initially. If the pain isn’t worse
> than regular walking, you’re probably fine. Check up on yourself after ten
> minutes.
> 7. I’d suggest a small wheel (20") rather than a larger size in case there
> is a sudden need to dismount. Smaller wheels have the disadvantage of
> forcing more revolutions and feeling bumps more, however, so it’s a bit of
> a toss-up. The jury is out on this one.
> 8. You defintely want a soft seat. Foam is fine (tho a tough foam, like in
> the KH seat, may not be ideal). Viscount, Torker, and new (hard) Schwinn
> seats are right out.
>
> Following these morsels of advice will help keep the stitches from undoing.
>
> Best of luck!
>
> David Stone
> NYUC
8

I can’t believe that no one has made any jokes about this topic. As males, we are probably too sensisitve about it to joke. :wink:

My question is, how can you tell if you have a hernia? Is there anything in unicycling that could cause or aggravate one? I’m just curious because without health insurance, I’d like to avoid one if at all possible.

9

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

johnfoss wrote:
> So as with anything else medical, proceed with caution, listen to your
> body, and if things don’t feel right, back off and take it easy.

A unicycling thread was started recently on uk.rec.cycling by someone
who has bought a unicycle as part of his mid-life crisis and wanted
advice on learning to ride. Someone else posted that he had taken his
new unicycle to the park to try out and had been told by his wife that
riding a unicycle “in your condition” was just stupid. Turned out that
his condition was one of trying to recover after a vasectomy.

He agreed later that it was indeed stupid, having found himself in some
pain after trying to ride a yike :frowning:

Anyway, I copied David’s post into that thread. Turns out this chap is
still sneaking into the garage to try and ride his unicycle. And he’s
making progress. Methinks he’s hooked.

–
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
Why I like OE6 - http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/misc/oe6.html
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine

10

Thanks for sharing guys.
I didn’t know much about the procedure and results, but I feel more educated now that I took the time to read the web site you posted. One question that was NOT in the FAQ . . . . if you still ejaculate 3-5% sperm, is it still possible to get a lady pregnant?!

11

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

ChangingLINKS.com wondered:
> One question that was NOT in the FAQ . . . . if you still ejaculate
3-5%
> sperm, is it still possible to get a lady pregnant?!

That’s a worrying thought.

This is starting to get rather OT now, but anyway, when I was doing GCSE
biology, I was told that the average ejaculate contained about 200
million sperm. By the time I got to degree level, that had dropped to
100 million. Dunno what happened during those few years to reduce the
average sperm count so much, but anyway 3% of 100 million would mean 3
million sperm in the average ejaculate. And it only takes one …

The probability of pregnancy would be greatly reduced, though.

The FAQ mentioned includes a link to
url:http://www.vasectomy-information.com/moreinfo/failure.htm , which
shows a 0.04% annual failure rate for vasectomies, or 4
pregnancies/10,000 women/year.

–
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/
Why I like OE6 - http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/misc/oe6.html
“He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine

12

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

In article <c574e3$ikh$1@newsg2.svr.pol.co.uk>,
Danny Colyer <danny@speedy5.freeserve.giggle> wrote:
)
)The FAQ mentioned includes a link to
)url:http://www.vasectomy-information.com/moreinfo/failure.htm , which
)shows a 0.04% annual failure rate for vasectomies, or 4
)pregnancies/10,000 women/year.

But those stats probably don’t accurately track in what percentage of
those cases the, ah, sperm donor was someone other than the
vasectomized man.
-Tom

13

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

paco wrote:
> I can’t believe that no one has made any jokes about this topic. As
> males, we are probably too sensisitve about it to joke. :wink:
>
> My question is, how can you tell if you have a hernia? Is there
> anything in unicycling that could cause or aggravate one? I’m just
> curious because without health insurance, I’d like to avoid one if at
> all possible.
>
>
> –
> paco - Co-Founder of the PacoGild Movement
>
> I’m having trouble thinking cognitively.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> paco’s Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3715
> View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/31675
>

You should take some time to visit one of the medical sites with a good
set of pictures/illustrations. (Not right before dinner, though.)

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/sti150835.asp?navbar=aa46631

Inguinal hernias typically start with a small bulge that grows over time
as the muscle continues to weaken. If you aren’t experiencing
discomfort, a doctor would likely tell you that the choice of having it
taken care of is up to you. Most patients wait until they start to feel
some discomfort before having surgery, and some will try to have the
procedure done during a time when they are normally inactive.

The only problem with having a doctor check you for a hernia, then
electing to wait to have the procedure for when you have insurance, is
that your insurance company may deny the claim as falling under a
pre-existing status. In the end, you might end up paying anyway, even
though you have coverage.

You need to be especially careful when selecting your health coverage if
you do not currently have coverage now. Make sure you ask about
elimination/waiting periods that will preclude coverage for something
the company thinks is pre-existing.

Good luck.
Kurt

14

After I got my reverse prince albert (a piercing through the head of the penis and out the uretha) I wasn’t able to unicycle for a few weeks. After that, it was painful for the first few minutes or so, but I quickly got used to it.

15

That reverse Prince Albert sounds more painful than my vasectomy.

Sounds like Foss gave good advice, too, about how we all have different bodies and even different vasectomies and that it’s best to listen to your body. Mine said to take a nap when I got home; most of the day I was plagued by a mild throbbing like from wearing too-tight tighty-whities.

Sorry if I misled anyone about to have a hernia op. I guess it was wishful thinking that you could ride a week post-op. When I had my hernia repaired, it was the most painful experience of my life. Obviously I was fine during the op (under general ana), but after I woke up, the hardest thing I ever did was putting on my pants. Then there were some even more painful moments to come, all involving those cut-thru abdominal muscles. I just don’t remember how long till I could resume normal activity, tho I do recall having to see the dr again, so it must have been several weeks.

16

I can’t believe how many people have responded to this thread… I really didn’t expect an answer to my inquiry.

Kurt… Thanks for the input. That is pretty much what I expected. I already had the right side done, and I was back to work on the Monday following a Thursday morning surgery. Barely. I remeber being told not to lift more than 5 lbs for a period of time.

Paco
I have been told that many hernias are related to a genetic weakness in the groin area. Nobody else in my family has had one that I know of. I now have had two. I got the first after leg pressing 600+ pounds. Don’t ask me why… I was young and macho. I had a weight belt on and most of the abdominal pressure relief was in the groin area. At first I thought I just pulled something. Later that week I felt something bulging through the muscle wall in the groin area. I am now experiencing the same thing on the other side only worse. I am not sure if it has anything to do with riding a Uni, but it is irritated by riding and causes more discomfort.

Also, get some sort of insurance. HMO’s can be less than $100 a month for a guy in his 20’s and catastrophic coverage can be even less with a high deductable. It is there to protect you from an illness or injury that could cost $1,000’s to $100,000 dollars and more. It can potentially ruin you for years financially. And for what, $50-$100 a month. Nothing can be more painful than being underinsured on uninsured. It is an expence that can’t be appreciated until you need it.

My daughter just had 2 stitches, and that was $500. What would it cost for a week in the hospital? Hernia surgery is aound $10,000 for a couple of hours.

17

Flip- I would have stitched her up for nothing :stuck_out_tongue: Can understand that the hernia op would cost $10,000 though.

With regards to hernias- a hernia is basically when a body organ passes through a body orifice which it is not supposed to. In the abdomen- the commonest are probably inguinal hernias- when your bowel slips through a weakness in your inguinal canal. The main problem with a hernia (aside from being an annoying bulge) is that it can get strangulated- the bowel loses it’s blood supply and dies. This will require emergency surgery.

Anything that increases intra-abdominal pressure- straining on the toilet, coughing, and uh…unicycling (:smiley: ) is likely to push more loops of bowel down the weak area.

My only advice- stay off the unicycle after the surgery until it is well and truly healed- you don’t want to pop open what the surgeons has painstakingly repaired.

18

I’m with you there. I should have stitched her up myself. But my wife wouldn’t have anything to do with that.:smiley: I’m no Doctor, but I palyede on on TV. Actually I was a Medic in the Army. I haven’t done anything in over 10 years though.

As for doing anything to put pressure on that area, it is amazing how much feedback your body will give you. After my first operation I sneezed that evening. I thought for sure I was headed back to the ER. Not looking forward to that again. I will remember to eat lot’s of prunes after surgery though.:smiley: Helps with one of the most painful aspects after surgery. I can only hope either technique has improved, or my surgeon is a little more gentle when putting me back together.

19

Re: Uni’ing after a vasectomy

David Stone wrote:

>“bugman” <bugman@noemail.message.poster.at.unicyclist.com> writes:
> =20
>
>>Since we are talking about that area, I have a related question.
>>
>>Has anyone ridden with a hernia? Did you have it repaired? If so how
>>long before you rode again?
>> =20
>>
>
>A hernia is a serious problem at times. If you rupture it (which is
>possible, depending on the type of hernia and the type of riding), you
>could end up in the OR (if you’re lucky). I had one repaired in high
>school. I can’t recall how long before I rode again, and anyway the
>operation is much easier nowadays and has almost no hospitalization. Get
>it taken care off. I bet you’ll be riding inside a week.
>
> =20
>

I have had hernia for the last couple of years and have been “too busy”=20
to have an operatoin,
and I don’t really like operations. I have been riding my Coker, even up=20
fairly steep hills,
and it seems to have no ill effects as I believe you use different=20
muscles. It is far more in danger
of coming out by coughing or sneezing hard if you don’t squeeze you hand=20
on it that by
riding.

Just my two cents.

>David
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________=

>rec.sport.unicycling mailing list - www.unicycling.org/mailman/listinfo/=
rsu
>
>
> =20
>

–=20
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Regards, Jack Halpern
President, The CJK Dictionary Institute, Inc.=20
http://www.cjk.org Phone: +81-48-473-3508=20
{End}
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JACK HALPERN
Unicon XII Convention Chairman
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org
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Mit vareme yidishe grusn,

Jack (Yankl) Halpern
Direktor funem Yapanishn Yidish-Klub

Kanji Dictionary Publishing Society
Blitspost: yankl@kanji.org
WWW: http://www.kanji.org
Mayn yidish vebzaytl: http://www.kanji.org/jack/yidhome.htm

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=E4=BE=86=20

UNICON XII CONVENTION CHAIRMAN
Jack Halpern
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org
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20

unicycling after guiche, ampallang, apadravya, …

I did try to cycle after these procedures :

  1. Guiche piercing (that’s behind your scrotum, between your legs). Don’t even think about it when it is not properly healed !

  2. Apadravya stretch : just wait untill the initial swelling goes away (2-4 days in my case)

  3. Ampallang stretch : idem. Was even easier for me then number 2.

  4. Small surgery on skin of calf : no problem, but I applied these huge shin/calf protectors I once bought to be safe and cool.