Dr. Jean-Philippe Bercier BSc, MD, CCFP
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Introduction
Preparation
Operation
Recovery
4 – Recovery
You will undoubtedly be relieved to get up and walk around after four hours of lying supine. However, we ask you to return home or to your hotel room and minimize activity. Spend the evening in bed or on a sofa; read or watch television (for the first 48 hours, your scrotum should be as high as your heart to minimize scrotal venous pressure and bleeding).
Backaches are possible during the overnight hours. We suggest you sleep on your side with hips and knees flexed or on your back with your legs elevated on five or six pillows so that your hips and knees are flexed at a 60-degree angle. Doing so will keep your lumbar spine straight and eliminate the lordotic curve, providing excellent relief for most back-pain sufferers.
Post Vasectomy Reversal Instructions
- Eat whatever you like, as much as you desire.
- Take the antibiotics per prescription schedule.
- The scrotal support should be left on during bowel movements for the first 48 hours following the surgery.
- We suggest icing the front of your scrotum, on top of the scrotal support, for 48 hours, 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off.
- Before you leave we will give you a prescription for Celebrex 200 mg to take twice a day with your breakfast and dinner.
- If you still have discomfort despite the ice and taking Celebrex, take Tylenol. Do not take aspirin.
- Extra gauze will be provided. Change the gauze through the scrotal support opening when it becomes blood stained over an area about the size of a half dollar.
- Keep your follow-up appointment on the day after the procedure. At that time, I will remove the small drain tube inserted at the time of the reversal, a process that most patients don’t even feel. The incision is left open to allow drainage and healing from the bottom to the surface.
- If you leave the office by car, your partner should drive. Once you have returned home or to your hotel, you should be in a reclining position for at least a few hours after the drain removal. Air travel is not permitted until two days after the reversal.
- You may remove the scrotal support and gauze and take a shower two days after the procedure. Gently wash the scrotum with soap and water, pat it dry and reapply a scrotal support. (Soap and water will not infect the wound.) At this point, you may use the more traditional “jock strap” athletic supporter, the top of which must be lowered for urination or bowel movements. However, we ask you to wear the scrotal support for three weeks. Use gauze if there is any spotting from the incision site, just to keep your support unstained.
- Skin may be discoloured around the incision. This is normal. This discoloration sometimes extends part way down the shaft of the penis, and the incision may not close for two or three weeks. Apply a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the incision daily to keep it clean.
- Most men can resume their normal activities and work at about 14 days after the reversal. For those with exceptionally physical occupations or hobbies such as: weight lifting, squats, crunches, leg press, road biking, horseback riding or similar behaviors, we encourage that they avoid the most strenuous activities for a full 4 weeks.
- Ejaculation may resume two weeks following the procedure. You may notice some blood in the ejaculate; however, this is no cause for concern.
- Bring a semen sample in the container provided or in any tightly sealed, clean container to a medical lab one month after your reversal. The test may be repeated three to six months later. This will depend on the sample results and possibility of pregnancy.
- The frequency of optimal coital intercourse is every 48 hours, from 6 days before the day of ovulation to 1 day after the day of ovulation. The success rate is even better 3 days before the day of ovulation until the day of ovulation.
- It is also important to avoid excessive heat to the scrotum indefinitely as long as you’re trying to conceive.
READ OUR REVIEWS
Had my vasectomy performed by Dr Dumais, who has taken over for Dr Weiss who has since retired. She was absolutely excellent. Great bedside manner, clear explanations of what was happening and any potential discomfort that might be felt during each step. Entire procedure from freezing to finish took under 10 minutes.Before beginning Dr Bercier confirmed my age (31), that I had no children, and that I was 100% certain I never wanted to have any (and that my partner felt the same way). She reiterated that while surgical reversal is sometimes possible, the procedure should be considered permanent.Nurses/office staff were friendly and efficient. Got up from the table a bit too quick and ended up sitting down in the chair and fainting. They were right on top of things and immediately went into their usual routine for when those things happen. We had a little chuckle about it, and at no point did it feel weird or judgemental which I very much appreciated.A couple of other notes based on some things mentioned in a few other reviews here:- Total out of pocket fees are $170, consisting of a $20 deposit and $150 on the day of the procedure. Those costs are detailed in the attached photo of the “Pre and Post Vasectomy Kit”. As detailed on the page patients can choose to pay only for the specific items/services they want, and they also give you a week post-procedure to request a refund and pay only for the needed items. This information is not provided anywhere before going in, so most will just pay the $170 and be done with it. While some of these costs are certainly quite highly inflated, they do help make up for the fairly minimal compensation the clinic receives from OHIP for each procedure.- Website is a bit of a mess, although most of the important bits are easy to find (and all the most important info is attached to the emails you’ll get). Specifically one thing they have changed is that you do *not* need to travel to the office to pick up your vasectomy package before the procedure! You are given it after your appointment just before leaving.- To the few complaining about pain/discomfort lasting more than the first week and “not being made aware of the risks”… did you not bother to fully read through the documentation available both on the website as well as repeatedly sent to you in the emails? All of the risks and rates of various complications are explicitly laid out in advance. Every body is different, and there is a small chance of a variety of complications. Choosing to ignore the provided information and then complaining that you wouldn’t have gone through with it if you knew is just ridiculous.One last recommendation for the doctors here: I highly recommend investing the few thousand dollars towards having a professional web design company re-build you a new website from the ground up. The current site is a mess, particularly on modern phones, and this is something that will radically improve the patient experience.
Dr. Valerie Dumois did my vasectomy, and she was really quite kind willing to answer questions. It was for the most part painless and the pain you feel is minimal. Reception was also pretty great they answered all my questions to male sire I heal properly. Was great meeting them all and doing it the modern way or a scalpel and needle is definitely in every males favour. Thank you so much for being such great people
Half an hour to my appointment they told me to wait outside(35 degrees celcius) until exactly my appointment. Dr. Bercier if you can call him a doctor had the most rude and disrespectful attitude I've had from a doctor. I asked him three questions to which he said he didn't care. During the procedure I simply asked how long does it take and he replied with "How long do you think it takes? Did you see me with the other patients?" I think his attitude was racially motivated because I'm not French. Don't come here! Go somewhere else!
Great clinic, 5 stars all around. Leading up to the appointment they provide you with fantastic information that explains everything in detail. Great communication, super organized, friendly and professional. Everyone from reception, to the nurse, to the doctor - all were pleasant, efficient, and professional. It was a huge piece of mind. The doctor played my choice of music during the procedure. It was practically painless, with only minor discomfort for a brief moment, and it was quick. I am now recovering comfortably with very detailed instructions about how to enhance my recovery. Thank you Dr. Weiss and Dr. Bercier! Highly recommend.
The process of getting my vasectomy was quite efficient. From walking in the office door to sitting down in my car again was only 20 minutes. The staff was very friendly in greeting you and providing instructions and Dr. Bercier was pleasant to deal with, friendly and gentle. Dare I say the experience was enjoyable! Any trepidation one has about the procedure, don’t worry! Thanks to all.
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