Post-Vasectomy Question

[alb1974]

I had a no scalpel vasectomy about 10 days ago.  My puncture wounds healed up nicely.  I spent a majority of the day of and the following day with ice packs on the area.  I confess that I was more active than prescribed on days 3 and 4 post procedure and experienced some scrotal swelling and a heaviness of the testes on days 4-7.  
   My question is in regards to the severed ends of each vas deferens.  I confess that I failed to ask the amount of vas that was removed and what type of suture my Urologist used.  I was laid up in the chair with my prepped scrotum exposed for about 45 minutes before he finally came in to perform the procedure and honestly just wanted it to be over.  Therefore, I dispensed with the chit chat.  I can only feel one "lump" on each side of my scrotum where there is some swelling and tenderness.  I guess I was expecting there to be two separate lumps on each side from the sutured ends.  I suppose he could have left the proximal end open, as I've read about that being an option.  I guess my question is:   Would a small enough segment be removed that the two ends would come together and form one lump even though the two ends were ligated separately?  

Thanks
alb1974

[darryl3]

I had something similar, the doc described that the veins retract into the body, sometimes causing the testicale to raise (as in my case), but you may not be able to 'find' the other end due to this retraction.

[Stephen Liroff, MD]

Removing  about one centimeter of vas is fairly standard practice. The ends may be tied or left open. If left open, the interior of the vas is burned with an electro- cautery for about a centimeter in each direction. Often one cannot feel the gap between the cut ends, especially this early after your procedure.
Don't assume that there is a problem as there probably is not one.
S.A.Liroff, M.D.