what are some of the best purchases you've made ?

YⓄ乙 @aussie.zone to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 258 points –

I bought cast iron pan which I think is the best ever purchase I made.

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Vasectomy. Before I got my vasectomy, I had a lot of anxiety that the condom might fail and an unwanted pregnancy would occur. That's not to say vasectomies can't fail, they can, even years afterwards, recanalization can happen so I get tested every year.

Annual failure rate of condom (average use) is 18%, and with perfect use it's 2%. This means that over a span of 20 years, even with perfect use, there is a 33% chance for a pregnancy which is too high for me. A vasectomy with annual testing of sperm count is as close to zero as possible.

Yeah, this isn't the usual holiday present thing... this is something you buy for yourself.

I agree with OP though on the cast iron though, these are super affordable and last forever. restoring a rusty cast iron skillet is pretty easy, so there is no reason to buy them new; from a bang for the buck perspective, this is really good.

Yup this is why I got my tubes tied. Too much anxiety just relying on the pill!

Pretty smart. Hope it wasn't too difficult for you to get it (many doctors treat their patients with condescension and dismissal about sterilisation, especially towards women).

Oh man it was a nightmare finding someone who would sterilize me. I was 24 when I started seriously looking, and I can't tell you how many doctors told me I'd change my mind about not wanting kids (insert huuuge eyeroll here), and one doctor even said that he thought my boyfriend was forcing me into it and that I didn't understand how permanent it was. Thankfully I did finally find someone to take me seriously but man, what a pain in the ass!

Before leaving Reddit, I spent a lot of time on the r/childfree subreddit and read many threads with similar experiences. They have a list of CF friendly doctors, so this is a great resource that can save people a lot of time and frustration.

Yep - back in the day the LiveJournal childfree comm had a similar list which was really helpful!

Is the annual test really necessary?

If you want to be 100% Sure then yes.

Most people are fine with being 98% sure though.

Most people don't do it, but it's mostly for my peace of mind.

Got my procedure scheduled in two weeks, so I am hoping it's a one and done thing

Vasectomies rarely fail, just make sure to follow the instructions and use other contraceptives until you get the tests cleared (since you will still release sperm even afterwards for a while). Hope you have a smooth experience like mine.

I worked with a guy that had to go in three times but I think he was no following post operation care. You are supposed to abstain for a few days while it heals.

When I got my vasectomy it was no needle, no scalpel. They make a small hole then pull the vas deferens out cut and tie it to itself then do the other, all with pain numbing spray. Was 5 minutes not including the ball shaving. I went in to work that night, with an ice pack on my balls all night but barely had any issues. Some extra swelling happened but I went back for an injection of anti inflammatory and it went away.

Yeah, I'm 5 years in and stopped getting tested.

It was a fantastic purchase though!!!

This means that over a span of 20 years, even with perfect use, there is a 33% chance for a pregnancy

No this is completely inaccurate and wrong...there's a 33% risk of a condom failing. You'd still have to time it with ovulation of the person you're boinking for there to be a risk of pregnancy. And even then, having sex in the most optimal period isn't even a guarantee of pregnancy, far from it.