On The Other Side

 

That’s what the women on this forum I belong to say when their husbands have been through the reversal. I’m pretty wiped out tonight so rather than type everything out again I’m just going to copy/paste what I wrote for them earlier: (And "DH" is "dear husband"…yeah it’s stupid but that’s what they use and so I phase in and out of their vernacular.)

Hello, Everyone!

We just got back to the hotel and I found everyone’s personal experience stories so helpful that I wanted to be sure that we add ours here.

We flew into Austin airport yesterday around 2pm and picked up our rental from Advantage. They were the cheapest and while they’re certainly a no frills company they get the job done. We’re staying at LaQuinta in New Braunfels which is about 40 minutes from Austin airport and only 2 miles away from Dr. Roeder’s office.

Last night was pretty miserable for both of us. Neither of us could sleep. I had trouble staying asleep and Zac had trouble getting there. This morning was pretty nerve wracking, too. We ate breakfast in silence (unusual for us) and only chitchatted on the way to the office. I thought the office was a little awkward to find. I might have been panicking if I hadn’t read so much here on the forum. Because of you ladies that wrote out stories I knew just where to go. (When you turn on the road it looks like it dead ends at a closed gate, take a left into a complex of offices and look on the sign for Dr. Leavrett’s office. It’s 202B.)

We got there too early so we sat and waited for Tammy to get there and open up (around 6:45am). Then we sat in the lobby while she got things opened and ready. After about 10 minutes she took us to the little office area and gave Zac 2 tylenol and an antibiotic. I noticed that other people said their husbands were offered something for nerves but Zac never was until much later when he mentioned something to Dr. Roeder.

After we were done in there we waited for Dr. Roeder to get there. Dean showed DH to the bathroom and checked his shave job really quickly while we were waiting. Btw – The office is fairly nice. It wasn’t really what I was expecting but I felt comfortable there. Dr. Roeder came in a few minutes after 7.

He took us to us office and went over some things: a run down of what all was going to happen, some post op information and made srue we didn’t have any questions. He was very patient just as others had said he was. He put my gown on me as well as my face mask. Then Zac was asked to go change into his gown. Once he was situated on the table they had me come around to his head while they got him set up.

The beginning of the surgery really sucked…I have to be honest. Zac was in quite a bit of pain. All he had to do was speak up and Dr. Roeder would add more numbing medicine. Part of the issue was what some others had experienced. He couldn’t find the other end of the tube so he had to dig around to get it. All the sudden twinges of pain had Zac so tense that his legs were quivery. Zac apologized for it and Dr. Roeder asked him if he would like something for his nerves. Then Tammy gave him a shot of Versaid which seemed to make things a lot easier. He said that things were better after that. That even when it hurt he didn’t feel so upset about it.

So….tell your DH to not hesitate to ask for something for nerves if nothing is offered to him.

I watched a lot of the surgery but you don’t have to. There is a sheet pulled up to block the view and they set it up so you can stand up and look over it or you can sit and be by your DH. I petted on mine the whole time. He said it really helped keep him calm.

Right before they repaired the tube they used a slide to get a sample to look under the scope. No one asked me if I wanted to see and they didn’t say out loud what it was that they saw. I was so freaked out at that point. I thought he wasn’t telling me because he didn’t find anything. Finally when they went to switch sides Zac asked if he’d found anything on the first side. Whole sperm! They ended up finding whole ones on both sides. I was so relieved I cried. I did ask when they got to the second side if I could look and Tammy set everything up for me so I could see them. There weren’t many whole ones but there were a lot of parts.

The whole surgery took about 2 hours. The music was really relaxing. We didn’t really talk much during. Neither of us care for sports so I think Dean was a little out of his depth trying to figure out what else to talk about. Zac did chat quite a bit after he had his shot though. I think it made him feel better to be talking. He did dose off for a bit at one point but not for long.

After the doc closed up I helped him get DH’s underwear and supporter on. Then he got him up and I helped him get dressed. Afterward he talked to us in the office about more post-op information and explained to us what a redo would be like should we need one. (I think so that DH would understand how important it is to take care of himself.) Then he hugged us both and sent us on our way with our scripts. We will be meeting with him again in the morning.

DH is doing really well. He is pretty sore but it’s manageable. We went out to lunch afterward and then came back to the hotel for him to get some rest. We’re planning on going to The Alamo after he’s had a nap.

Zac wanted me to add that while it did hurt quite a bit the pain didn’t last long. He said it was over quickly and it wasn’t that bad of an experience.

There was another couple looking really nervous in the waiting room when we left. I really wanted to say something to them but couldn’t think of what to say. Instead I tried to give them an optimistic smile and hoped that it conveyed what I was thinking.

 

So – Summary: We were both really nervous but it wasn’t a bad experience. I feel such a sense of relief after hearing what they found. The staff was wonderful and I would recommend them to anyone in a heartbeat.

 

Thanks so much ladies! I’ll keep you updated as things progress.

 

 

I am so relieved that it’s over. Zac is doing great. He’s a little uncomfortable but not in pain. Since the doc had to go digging to find his tube he’s more sore than the average guy would be.. I know the whole sperm thing doesn’t mean anything to you guys but it’s a good sign. It’s not an assurance of success mind you but it shows that things should work normally with the tubes connected. Zac is also taking the instructions the doc gave him seriously. I was afraid he wouldn’t since he seemed a little annoyed with the particulars when we were going over it before the surgery. Something about going through the procedure gave him an appreciation for the delicacy of the site, I guess.

He’s also been a little loopy on his pain meds. Loopy might not be the right word. He seems a lot more relaxed than he would be normally after something t

his traumatic. I’m glad. Aside from him having to take care moving around it’s been a pretty normal day. We were going to go to the movies but he didn’t think he could handle sitting upright in a hard seat that long so we’re just hanging out at the hotel. I swam some earlier in the afternoon (the weather is awesome) and sat in the hot tub for awhile a little later while he lounged in a chair next to me.

I’m feeling good about things and not just this. I’m certainly more relaxed about life than I was this morning.

Maybe it’s because I know I can’t but I’m suddenly ravenous. It’s going to be a long three weeks.