Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Buy it only if you love conspiracy theories., June 3, 2004
By A Customer
Dissapointing in a word.The problem I had is "Who is this aimed at?". The author seems to be trying to target men who might want to have a vasectomy to dissuade them, and those who have had a vasectomy to try and persuade them that all the medical problems they now have or will have in the future are totally down to vasectomy and nothing else. As a reader I felt it only succeeded in alienating both potential audiences. I was hoping to read some new, and hitherto undiscovered information, but it's purely a product to fit in with the already over-stocked "I've had a vasectomy and it ruined my life" genre. It's poorly written, and I suspect borrows heavily from the existing products of the genre. When I looked for the source of quotations, there usually weren't any, or the quotation was sourced from other similar essays and not anything remotely medical. Although some medical quotes are included, they are rather obscure, and you get the feeling that they *might* be not verbatim because of the use of ......... part way through the quotes. The book relies heavily on a supposed conspiracy between the various medical authorities and practitioners worldwide to hush-up information in order to protect their lucrative income from doing vasectomies. Alhough information is sometimes scant when a vested interest exists, the conspiracy theme struck me as ridiculous. A quick web search reveals that vasectomy has a history going back nearly 200 years. I cannot see how it's possible to keep the tin lid on that type of information for nearly two centuries. The author quotes figures of 30% plus men who undergo vasectomy having serious complications - where that figure comes from is unclear. I got to wondering if it is the case that 30% plus men have these problems, there must be a great deal of men suffering out there very quietly. I also got to wondering "If this is true, why aren't there any pressure groups, and why do we never hear the odd news item or article on this?" Yes, there is a risk to any medical procedure elective or not. Dentistry carries a risk, childbirth carries a risk so does sterilisation. The author is correct that when men and women go to medical practitioners to discuss being sterilised the discussion or potential risks may vary in quality, and this is something for the authorites to address. However, it's not exactly hard to find quality sources for anything and everything medical on the internet. There are also some good books available - this isn't one of them. Buy it if you love conspiracy theories, otherwise don't bother.
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5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read If someone you love is considering having it done, March 14, 2004
By A Customer
My doctor told me that I would be back playing sports in two weeks to a month after the vasectomy. Its been two years and I still can't play, instead I take pain medication on a daily basis just so I can get around work at a sedentary job. I know a lot of people that haven't had long term problems; but I also have talked to some (although a small percentage) that do. The best anaology I have come up to understanding this pain is like getting a cramp in your calf; but instead its in your privates. If you have any doubt whether this is true; just go to Google Search Engine and do a search on "vasectomy" "testicle pain." I will highly discourage my sons from having a vasectomy because there is that chance they could end up one of the unlucky few, like their father. The urologists like to dismiss the subject because they can make $1200 bucks in a 10 minute operation (a real cash cow.) This is something I had never heard about until it happened to me (too late.)
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely something to consider seriously, November 9, 2007
I read this book from cover to cover this summer, when my husband and I were considering a vasectomy. Boy, am I glad I read this first!! We definitely decided it wasn't worth rushing into or treating as a simple, ordinary procedure. I'm still doing research, but wouldn't have even thought to do so, without this book.
I really liked the part of his book near the end, where he gives advice to the man who decides to go ahead with a vasectomy, learned from his own sad experience. e.g. to get checked out for any possible testicular infection you may not be aware of, because he had one that probably caused a lot of his complications to begin with. A simple antibiotic treatment could have saved him a lifetime of chronic pain thereafter.
I had no idea that post-vasectomy, sex and, worse, all of life could be painful for the man. That is definitely too high a price to pay for preventing pregnancy, in my book! Something the author wrote stayed in my mind, like "I would have worn 10 condoms [for birth control vs. the pain I'm living in constantly for the price of my vasectomy]!" Knowing how little my husband likes one single condom, I took that as a loud warning against the possible pain.
I took the author seriously because he wasn't bemoaning his "loss of manhood/virility" or anything like that (in fact, his fertility was restored when he had a reverse vasectomy to try to reduce his constant pain. It helped a little, but not completely). I disagree with another reviewer of this book, who said this book is a "scam" and the author's just out to make money, because what would be the point of that? The author stands nothing to gain; if anyone stands to gain, it's urologists who perform vasectomies without giving them enough careful attention beforehand, and not taking complaints of pain seriously afterwards!
I ran the book's assertions by a doctor friend of mine, and she said it was probably hogwash. I see, however, that there's another book on Amazon.com about the same kind of topic, written by a doctor, so I plan to read that and continue my researching.
I was shocked by the author's point that sperm aren't "absorbed into the body" as "they" say; rather, they enter the bloodstream and cause the immune system to malfunction/overwork. That makes sense to me, and is worth my consideration and research, to see whether it's true.
It was also enlightening to me that the "messing with" the delicate hormonal balance in a man's body, by the possible removal of one or both testicles to try to stop the chronic pain, can cause male menopause and other health problems that sounded serious.
I respect my body and my husband's body and the Creator of our delicate hormonal systems and everything else biological too much to rush into a vasectomy now. I think everyone considering a vasectomy should at least read this, or if not the whole book, the final recommendations for those determined to go ahead with it, in case they turn out to be the "1 in 100" who have complications with vasectomies. Why be horribly surprised by a lifetime of chronic pain, when it can possibly be prevented? Do yourself a favor and read this book.
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