Tab Gets Fixed

We never meant to have three kids. The plan was that we would have two children, at least three years apart. Instead, our second child turned out to be twin boys born just 28 months after our first son. When our contraceptive of choice--the cervical cap--failed, it failed big time. We don't want another failure, which is why Tab took the day off from work yesterday to have a vasectomy. He returned from the urologist a few hours later, a little sore but mostly just relieved to have it over.

We've been talking about this measure for years, ever since the twins were born, in fact. For awhile I was reluctant to make it official. I knew more childen were impractical, but I wasn't ready to say never again. The older the boys got, the easier the decision became, however. As much as I loved their babyhood, I can't imagine doing it all over again. It was like a good book, one that I loved enough the first time to want to read again, but twice was enough. I've put that book back on the shelf.

Having survived two pregnancies, one long, induced labor (no epidural, either) and a C-section with complications during my recovery, I felt I'd had my fair share of disagreeable medical procedures and that it was Tab's turn. Fortunately, he agreed.

And here is one of those strange inequities in managed care: Although our health plan does not cover the cost of prescribed contraceptives such as the Pill or the IUD, we learned that Tab's vasectomy would be fully covered, except for the $10 co-pay for the office visit.

The urologist described the procedure to Tab at a visit earlier this month. Vasectomies are relatively simple, unlike tubal ligation, the female sterilization procedure. The doctor performs vasectomies in his office on Friday afternoons, using only local anesthesia. Recovery is a matter of a few days so that his patients can be back to work on Mondays. The doctor gave Tab an informational booklet, which Tab, always a little squeamish about medical stuff, passed on to me.

"Tell me if there's anything I need to know," he said.

After Tab left for his appointment, I enlisted the boys' help in making chocolate chip cookies for Daddy. They like to help me chop the pecans and watch while I pour the chips into the mixer. Chocolate chip cookies are Tab's favorite. I thought it was the least I could do, considering what his afternoon was like.

Tab's only complaint upon his return was a very painful few minutes involving clamps. "If there's one area of your body where you don't want clamps, that would be it," he said.

"Clamps, eh?" I said, thumbing through the informational booklet. "Oh, here it is. You want to know what those clamps were for?"

"No! You can tell me in a few weeks. Maybe."

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