If someone is going to be handling the family jewels, you want them to be the very best in their field. We’re not talking about buying a cup of coffee here (more on that later). Who performs your vasectomy is an important decision. Let’s be honest, a vasectomy can be a scary experience for men to even think about. Never mind going through the procedure itself.
So how do you judge where to go for the best vasectomy in Nashville (or anywhere else for that matter)? Well, ask the expert. A urologist who specializes in vasectomy procedures.
I’m Dr. Joe Pazona, a board-certified urologist with Pazona MD here in Nashville. Allow me to guide you through choosing the best vasectomy doctor in your area.
How do you define “the best vasectomy”?
First, we need to agree on how one would define the best at anything. We all have preferences for products and services. Although I think NY has the best pizza and Nashville has the best hot fried chicken, you may feel differently (you’d be wrong by the way LOL). When it comes to medical procedures, it gets a little tricky.
I would define “the best” at a medical procedure as the following:
“An exceptional overall patient experience, from scheduling through follow-up, performed by a skilled physician who provides outstanding, consistent outcomes.”
Notice that I say the entire patient experience. Who cares if the vasectomy specialist is great if he’s unavailable or his office staff is rude. Who cares if he’s a nice guy who trained at Harvard if his vasectomy procedure is painful. From start to finish, a vasectomy should be easy! If it isn’t then maybe you’re not in the right place.
Let’s go through the top 10 best vasectomy practices, so you can best select the right vasectomy specialist.
Best vasectomy practice #1 – Convenient scheduling
Don’t you love it when you call a medical office and the phone rings 20 times with no answer? How about leaving 4 voicemails with no return call? Personally, I can’t stand it. That’s why I opened my own practice, Pazona MD, in Nashville to offer better customer service.
With our Nashville office, you’ll get a human being on the phone the day you call. They will also be courteous, thorough, and easy to work with. If not, please let me know!
Convenient scheduling also means offering a vasectomy every day of the week, mornings or afternoons, with same-day consultations and procedures. We know that not everybody’s work schedule is the same.
Although Fridays are certainly the most popular vasectomy day, maybe you’d like this done on a Monday. A lot of men looking for a vasectomy in Nashville work in the music industry. With traveling/touring you need flexibility. We got you with same-day vasectomy consults and procedures!
If as ‘the vasectomy specialist’ you perform the best vasectomy in Nashville, but no one can get in to see you because your scheduling is inconvenient, then no one will know what you have to offer. The best vasectomy specialist will make the scheduling process as easy as possible.
Best vasectomy practice #2 – Professional, welcoming office and staff
Many times when I see a patient for a second opinion in Nashville the patient says, “the doctor I saw was fine, but their office was terrible!” If you walk into a medical office lobby and it’s packed like a cattle farm, then don’t be surprised if you’re treated like . . . well . . . a piece of meat.
A warm, welcoming space is important. Warm and welcoming staff are even more important. At Pazona MD we treat you like a guest in our home. Smiles and laughter are the norms in our office because we know that you might be a bit nervous about your vasectomy in Nashville.
Our hospitality continues into the vasectomy room. Like to listen to country music? We got you covered. More hip-hop? That’s cool too. We even have a towel warmer so your boys are relaxed by the time we start the vasectomy.
Best vasectomy practice #3 – Online reputation
Nowadays ratings are everywhere. Whether you’re looking for the best cup of coffee or vasectomy doctor in Nashville, you can search online to find what you’re looking for. It goes without saying that you probably don’t want a 2 or 3-star doctor to handle your junk. It doesn’t mean they’re a bad doctor, but needless to say, they’re not impressing everyone either.
So how do you know if the reviews are legit? At Pazona MD we currently have over 250 reviews with an average rating of 5 stars. Many are regarding a great experience with a vasectomy. You might call BS on our 5-star rating. If you’re skeptical then read the reviews.
If reviews come with specific details then it’s probably from an actual patient. If you notice no details or the comments are generic, there’s a good chance the reviews aren’t from patients. One doctor had his wife, son and brother leave reviews . . . I mean really?!
Also, see if the doctor actually took the time to respond to the reviews. I personally read and answer every review that is left. If you take your time to leave a nice comment about our office, then the least I can do is send a personal thank you.
Best vasectomy practice #4 – No-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy
Experts have the best technique. The best technique with a vasectomy typically means less pain, fewer complications and better results. In this case, you want a no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy.
How does this work? We use a device that can numb the skin without a needle. Then, rather than cutting you with a scalpel, we use a sharp instrument to poke a small hole in the skin. This is less traumatic than the “old-fashioned” technique which can cause a higher likelihood of bleeding.
If you’re really interested in watching the procedure, click here to watch me perform a vasectomy in under 10 minutes that a patient filmed while I performed the procedure on him. Couldn’t have hurt that much given his steady camera work.
Best vasectomy practice #5 – No clips or sutures
For those guys who really do a deep dive into the vasectomy procedure, there are some variations as to how the procedure is performed. Some doctors use clips to close the ends of the vas deferens (the tube being cut that carries the sperm). DON’T GO TO A DOCTOR WHO USES THE CLIPS!
Why do I feel strongly about this? First of all, it’s just lazy. It signals to me that the “vasectomy specialist” doesn’t want to take the time to cut, cauterize and suture the two ends of the tube away from each other. Who knows what other corners he may cut. Second, it adds unnecessary expense to the vasectomy. The clips are titanium and can be expensive. Lastly, do you want to feel a metal clip in your ball sack for the rest of your life? I think not.
In terms of sutures, I’m referring to suturing the skin incision closed. I use sutures internally. They also dissolve.
Why are skin sutures bad? Well, it probably means that the “vasectomy specialist” (I’m being sarcastic of course) made WAY too big of an incision. He has to close the skin back together or you’ll never heal. The tiny skin poke from a no-scalpel technique heals on its own without sutures.
The other reason to avoid skin sutures is they bleed and itch! Your boys are already going to be sensitive, does your tobacco pouch need to get caught in your underwear all day while a suture takes 2-3 weeks to dissolve? No, it does not.
Remember, a vasectomy performed by the right urologist can be a fantastic experience. I mean who doesn’t like to get high, listen to great music, and have even better conversations? Yes, some dude is going to be grabbing your junk. But this dude is a professional, and because you did your research on the best vasectomy, you know that your boys are in good hands.
Personally, I don’t think doctors should be declaring themselves the best at anything. As they say on one of my favorite bumper stickers, “Less Bark, More Wag.”
Continue reading for the last 5 things to look for when selecting the right vasectomy specialist.
Best vasectomy practice #6 – Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
Even if you’re going to a vasectomy specialist in Nashville, the fact of the matter is that some dude is going to be working on your junk. This is an unsettling thought, to say the least. So why not get relaxed (aka “high”) with some laughing gas?
Nitrous oxide anesthesia is a safe, effective way to minimize pain and anxiety with a vasectomy in Nashville. Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is self-administered prior to, and during your vasectomy so you honestly don’t care what’s going on. It’s a “choose your own adventure” since you decide when to “take a hit” of the gas.
The benefits of laughing gas include that it’s:
- Safe (<1% of nausea/vomiting)
- Short-acting (wears off within a few minutes so you can move on with your day)
- Effective
Can you have a vasectomy without laughing gas? Absolutely! But why risk being uncomfortable. 90% of our patients choose the gas and are glad that they did.
Listen, you’re hopefully going to have only one vasectomy in your life. The no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy technique is great, but it’s not completely painless. Don’t be cheap, get the gas (it’s a $100), and actually have fun while getting snipped. Nitrous oxide is a great way to ensure you have the best vasectomy experience in Nashville.
And the answer is “NO” . . . you cannot take the gas home with you LOL.
Best vasectomy practice #7 – Experience of vasectomy specialist
Remember, you’re only having this done once. You want to go to someone who’s done a few of these (at least 1000). This is not the time to go to the new doctor recently out of training or the old dude who’s going to pull out the rusty pliers from the 1980’s.
Believe it or not, a vasectomy is a procedure that urologists typically have to learn out in the real world. We spend most of our residency training cutting out kidney tumors and prostate cancers. We only have a few opportunities to learn a vasectomy in our training. Therefore, real world experience really does matter.
In the wrong hands, a vasectomy can be a miserable 30-45 minute procedure. In the right hands, assuming your balls cooperate, a vasectomy in Nashville can take less than 10 minutes. Experience matters.
Best vasectomy practice #8 – Volume of vasectomy specialist
Similar but different to experience is volume. How many vasectomy procedures is the specialist performing on a regular basis? Why does this matter? Let me give you an example:
I have a ton of experience (10 years and over 400 operations) with robotic surgery. But when I came to Nashville in 2019, my robotic surgery volume dramatically decreased because it’s a competitive market for cancer surgery. So, I stopped performing robotic surgery.
On the flip side, I noticed that no one was clearly the vasectomy expert in Nashville. I had already performed thousands of vasectomy procedures elsewhere, so I decided to focus on creating the best vasectomy experience in Nashville.
Since opening Pazona MD, here are our vasectomy numbers:
- 1st year: 352 vasectomies
- 2021: 477 vasectomies
- Projected 2022: 762 vasectomies
You can do the math. We do A LOT of vasectomies in Nashville because our patients are awesome and usually refer their buddies for the vasectomy procedure.
Ask around and compare numbers. If the other vasectomy doctor can’t give you his exact numbers, then question whether this is a focus for his practice.
Best vasectomy practice #9 – Urologist focuses on vasectomies
If you want the best cup of coffee, then where are you more likely to go:
- The diner where the menu has 100 items and Flo is flinging around cups of Joe made from a 1950’s machine that looks like an oil drum OR
- The artisanal coffee shop that only makes coffee, shows you where they source their beans, has high-end modern machines that require a physics degree to operate, made by a passionate dude with a killer mustache and huge smile on his face because he loves making coffee.
I’m choosing option 2. Why? Because they care about making the best cup of coffee. Their passion comes through with their product. So why would you choose to go to a doctor who doesn’t focus on a vasectomy?
Now anyone can say that they’re “an expert” at something. But if they list 20 surgeries or medical conditions on their website that they are an “expert” in, then they are not an expert. Focus leads to expertise. Not self-proclamation.
So how do you tell if someone is a vasectomy expert in Nashville? Look at their website. Read their reviews. Call and talk to the office staff. You’ll be able to spot a fake in a heartbeat.
Best vasectomy practice #10 – Exceptional bedside manner
This is not the time to go to the a-hole because you heard “he’s a good surgeon” or your doctor recommended him. This is a potentially scary experience. When you go to the right vasectomy specialist, you’ll be put at ease the second you meet him.
Does the vasectomy specialist shake your hand? Smile? Ask you questions? Listen to your concerns? Is he non-judgemental? If not then walk out.
I’ve had patients tell me the doctor wouldn’t do their vasectomy because they were too young, didn’t have any kids (not your decision Dr. Butthole), or because “they moved too much” when attempting the procedure. What a shame.
Pazona MD puts you at the focus. I like talking to patients about their kids, favorite Netflix shows, and post-vasectomy lunch plans. We play music, we laugh. If you want to sleep while on the laughing gas, then that’s cool too. I’ll just quietly work while you’re getting high as a kite.
You’re getting your balls cut on. You should like the dude who’s doing it.
Conclusion – Where do I get the best vasectomy in Nashville?
=That’s for you to decide. Personally, I don’t think doctors should be declaring themselves the best at anything. As they say on one of my favorite bumper stickers, “Less Bark, More Wag.”
With that being said, if you think that Pazona MD may be the best fit for your Nashville vasectomy then give us a buzz.
Feel free to call (615) 527-4700 or email ([email protected]) us to schedule a vasectomy consultation.
We will even run your insurance information before the visit so you know your exact out-of-pocket expense.
Don’t live in Nashville? Then you have 2 options. Come visit Music City for a vasectomy weekend! We’ll perform a same-day consultation and procedure, so you can spend the rest of the weekend honky-tonking on Broadway with some quality food and beverages.
Otherwise, I know urologists all over the country. I’d be happy to try and find someone locally for your vasectomy.
