I did a little better titrating the temperature. I kept it above 102F the entire time. But my left leg went numb again.
I have a bit of a stomach ache, but that's probably because of the pizza buffet lunch and large Mediterranean dinner.
It's local standard of care to get 2 semen analyses after a vasectomy. Today I called a patient with lab results. His test showed no sperm. He sounded excited to be able to have sex without fear of pregnancy. His procedure and first test were almost a year ago.
In this 2005 study, 233 (42%) men did not return for 6-week, 3-month, or 1-year post-vasectomy semen analysis (PVSA). Of 551 men, 318 (58%) returned for 6-week PVSA, and 138 (25%) returned for 3-month PVSA. Only 44 (8%) of the 551 eligible for a 1-year analysis returned for PVSA.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Day 4: everything's just ducky
I am getting a little more used to the process. I'm not sloshing water around everywhere. Sitting is not as uncomfortable, and my leg didn't go numb.
I'm still working on the water temperature. Today I ended at about 97-98 degrees, but I probably had a higher average temperature throughout the bath.
It is always important for a researcher to describe his methods, so how am I measuring the temperature anyway?
I picked up this little guy at the local mega-mart. The bath thermometers were either ducks or frogs. The duck was obviously cooler because of the sunglasses. Also ducks reproduce by copulation, while frogs participate in amplexus (an external form of pseudocopulation). So I thought the duck would be more appropriate for my task.
I'm still working on the water temperature. Today I ended at about 97-98 degrees, but I probably had a higher average temperature throughout the bath.
It is always important for a researcher to describe his methods, so how am I measuring the temperature anyway?
I picked up this little guy at the local mega-mart. The bath thermometers were either ducks or frogs. The duck was obviously cooler because of the sunglasses. Also ducks reproduce by copulation, while frogs participate in amplexus (an external form of pseudocopulation). So I thought the duck would be more appropriate for my task.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Day 2: Turn up the heat!
To better interfere with the production of my spermatogonia I slightly adjusted my hot water heater to get something closer to 116F. When I filled up my sitz bath, this time the water was steaming at 118F.
As I settled in, this water was noticeably hotter but not scalding. I tried my best to titrate in flow from the bag as it cooled. At the end of the 45 minutes, the water was somewhere between 97 and 98 degrees. I was hoping it would be above 99. Maybe I can improve this with better control of the water flow.
About 30 minutes in, I developed pretty dense numbness in the left L4-L5 dermatome. It improved with shifting my weight, but positioning is going to be a challenge.
After I was done, my scrotum felt noticeably warmer than usual. I suppose this is a good sign.
As I settled in, this water was noticeably hotter but not scalding. I tried my best to titrate in flow from the bag as it cooled. At the end of the 45 minutes, the water was somewhere between 97 and 98 degrees. I was hoping it would be above 99. Maybe I can improve this with better control of the water flow.
About 30 minutes in, I developed pretty dense numbness in the left L4-L5 dermatome. It improved with shifting my weight, but positioning is going to be a challenge.
After I was done, my scrotum felt noticeably warmer than usual. I suppose this is a good sign.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Day 1: My first ball bath
I have now "dipped my balls in it" for the first time.
It was difficult for me to find an exact description of Voegeli's method. One article did describe it as sitz bath, and I saw no mention of any sort of continuous heating method. So I am going to assume that we use water that starts at 116F and gradually cools over the 45 minutes.
I ordered a sitz bath kit from Amazon and filled it up. For good measure, I put the water bag in a cooler. Unfortunately, it appears our tap water only goes up to 114F. I decided to go forward with the treatment anyway.
Observation Number 1: I liked having 45 minutes of quiet time to read.
Observation Number 2: Sitting on a toilet for 45 minutes is quite uncomfortable. I don't know if I will get used to it with practice, or if it gets worse.
I turned up the hot water heater a bit, and will try again tomorrow.
It was difficult for me to find an exact description of Voegeli's method. One article did describe it as sitz bath, and I saw no mention of any sort of continuous heating method. So I am going to assume that we use water that starts at 116F and gradually cools over the 45 minutes.
I ordered a sitz bath kit from Amazon and filled it up. For good measure, I put the water bag in a cooler. Unfortunately, it appears our tap water only goes up to 114F. I decided to go forward with the treatment anyway.
Observation Number 1: I liked having 45 minutes of quiet time to read.
Observation Number 2: Sitting on a toilet for 45 minutes is quite uncomfortable. I don't know if I will get used to it with practice, or if it gets worse.
I turned up the hot water heater a bit, and will try again tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
It's my sperm!
Pics or it didn't happen.
I have to admit, it was kind of weird gazing upon my little swimmers. I debated getting the proper equipment to do a formal semen analysis, but decided it would expand my budget too much.
So my experimental technique consists of:
In the 3 days before obtaining this specimen, I had taken 2 long baths. I don't know if this would have much effect on my sperm count.
Again, this is not a formal analysis, and I have no specific training. But it appeared to me that less than half of my sperm were motile. I saw several with abnormal morphology. Near the bottom of the second slide, you can see a sperm with two tails.
Conception was not particularly easy for my wife and me. We didn't require any medical interventions, but we did track cycles and time our intercourse to maximize our chances. We have been able to conceive, but it took at least 4 cycles. Obviously I am fertile, but I maybe not ideally so.
I have to admit, it was kind of weird gazing upon my little swimmers. I debated getting the proper equipment to do a formal semen analysis, but decided it would expand my budget too much.
So my experimental technique consists of:
- Collect specimen in paper cup
- Allow 10 minutes for semen to liquefy
- Draw with disposable plastic pipette
- Mount on glass slide without staining or preparation
- Observe at 40x
In the 3 days before obtaining this specimen, I had taken 2 long baths. I don't know if this would have much effect on my sperm count.
Again, this is not a formal analysis, and I have no specific training. But it appeared to me that less than half of my sperm were motile. I saw several with abnormal morphology. Near the bottom of the second slide, you can see a sperm with two tails.
Conception was not particularly easy for my wife and me. We didn't require any medical interventions, but we did track cycles and time our intercourse to maximize our chances. We have been able to conceive, but it took at least 4 cycles. Obviously I am fertile, but I maybe not ideally so.
Monday, March 28, 2011
My microscope
I bought a microscope off of Ebay and it seems it will work out quite nicely.
It's an Amscope M200. There's nothing too fancy, but it's got an electric light, coarse and fine focus, and 3 levels of magnification. The digital camera is pretty basic with just 0.3 megapixels. But it plugged and played well with my computer. And since my main purpose for the camera is blogging, 640x480 will be sufficient.
It's an Amscope M200. There's nothing too fancy, but it's got an electric light, coarse and fine focus, and 3 levels of magnification. The digital camera is pretty basic with just 0.3 megapixels. But it plugged and played well with my computer. And since my main purpose for the camera is blogging, 640x480 will be sufficient.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Why Louie?
You probably don't remember MTV's sketch comedy program The State. Heck, neither do I. But I later found out many of my favorite comedians got their start on that show.
Who is Louie? To quote: "Louie! The guy who comes in and says his catch phrase over and over again!"
As we are both dipping our balls in things, I thought it would be a perfect match.
I am continuing to make preparations for my experiment. I have purchased a microscope with a digital camera and some slides. I will soon post pictures of my sperm before using the heat method.
Link to Louie video:
Who is Louie? To quote: "Louie! The guy who comes in and says his catch phrase over and over again!"
As we are both dipping our balls in things, I thought it would be a perfect match.
I am continuing to make preparations for my experiment. I have purchased a microscope with a digital camera and some slides. I will soon post pictures of my sperm before using the heat method.
Link to Louie video:
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