• How to Prepare your Home and Surroundings for your Baby’s Arrival

    Whether you’re expecting your first baby or adding to your growing family, preparing for the new arrival is exciting. It can also be a little bit overwhelming, as you try to think about everything you might need and everything you need to do. Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered, with this list of helpful tips.

    • Deep clean before the baby comes. Now is the time to do this, before you’re busy with a newborn. Either deep clean on your own or hire someone else to do it. Consider steam cleaning your floors, to remove dirt and germs without chemicals. Don’t hesitate to hire help with cleaning after the baby arrives.
    • Know your limits. Some tasks are not good for a pregnant woman to do. Avoid moving furniture or doing other extremely strenuous tasks, and delegate the cleaning of the cat box to someone else.
    • Set yourself up for success post-baby. Create space beside your front door and insist that people remove their shoes when they enter your home. Get a separate hamper for the nursery. Stash cleaning wipes near hotspots like doorknobs and faucet handles, so it’s easy to keep them germ free. Establish cleaning routines that can be easily and quickly implemented by anyone helping you.
    • Do a thorough safety check. Your baby will become mobile more quickly than you can possibly imagine. Now, before the baby arrives, remove possible hazards and secure dangerous items. Store medicine out of reach and out of sight, and securely lock your cabinets. Magnetic locks work well on nearly every type of cabinet, allowing you to keep little ones safe without pinching your fingers. IF you have firearms in your house, remove and lock ammunition and lock it away in a place separate from the gun. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or check to make sure yours are working properly.
    • Clear some room in your fridge. You’ll need to make room to store bottles of formula or breastmilk. Also, people will probably bring casseroles and meals to help you out after your new little one arrives, and you should make sure there’s space for that. It’s also not a bad idea to throw out anything on the verge of going bad and give your refrigerator a good cleaning before you have the baby.
    • Get ready for visitors. Will someone be coming to stay and help after the baby arrives? Take some time now to make sure you’ve got everything an overnight guest will need. Change the sheets in your guest room and buy extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap.

    At the Center for Vasectomy Reversal, we love helping people build their families. Under the direction of Dr. Joshua Green, our team provides state-of-the-art treatment for men who need a reversal of their vasectomy or have other fertility concerns. To learn more, contact us through our website, or call 941-894-6428 for a free consultation.

  • How to Help your Body Heal Faster After Having a Vasectomy Reversal Procedure

    A vasectomy reversal is a safe, outpatient procedure with a high success rate. However, as with any surgical procedure, patients who undergo vasectomy reversal need to take care afterward, to help their bodies heal. Full healing can take several weeks, and it’s important to follow your surgeon’s instructions for aftercare. Here are some tips on how to help your recovery go smoothly.

    • First, commit to at least a week of rest. Try to take off work, and just spend the week relaxing. If you can’t fully stop working, it’s ok to take calls and emails while resting on a sofa. Your everyday activities should be limited. You can get yourself a drink, for instance, or make a snack like toast, but avoid cooking full meals. You can drive, but don’t lift anything. You absolutely cannot go to the gym.
    • Be aware that it may take more than a week. Especially if you have a physically demanding job, you’ll need to take two weeks off work. In fact, with any job other than a desk job, it’s better to take the full two weeks. After four or five weeks you should be essentially back to normal, though you should still try to avoid heavy lifting.
    • You won’t be able to exercise for a month. Your body needs rest to recover, so you should not do any exercise beyond walking for the first month after your operation. Even though it’s a fairly gentle exercise, swimming is not advised. This is because chlorine can damage open or newly healed wounds.
    • Postpone sex for no fewer than two weeks, and preferably longer. Some patients can resume intercourse after two to three weeks, but for most, it’s better to wait a little longer. After four or five weeks, most patients can comfortably have sex again. It’s crucial not to rush things, because you can undo your surgery, and then you’ll have to go through the whole process again.
    • The right diet can promote healing. Eating nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables, eggs, healthy fats, and protein-rich foods can help your body recover more quickly.
    • It can take several months for pregnancy to be possible after vasectomy reversal. After six weeks, the doctor will perform a semen analysis to see if sperm has successfully returned to the ejaculate. By about three months, men typically have viable sperm. However, it may not be possible to achieve pregnancy for several months, so it’s important to be patient.

    If you’ve changed your mind about the size of your family and you’re interested in reversing your vasectomy, the Center for Vasectomy Reversal can help. Under the direction of Dr. Joshua Green, our team provides state-of-the-art treatment for men who need a reversal of their vasectomy or have other fertility concerns. To learn more, contact us through our website, or call 941-894-6428 for a free consultation.

  • National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

    Did you know that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? It was so designated to bring awareness to childhood cancer, which is the leading cause of death by disease for children in the United States under 14. It’s also a time to honor those with pediatric cancer, as we continue to search for a cure.

    • At least 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. Because of advances in treatment, more than 80% of those children survive their cancer. In fact, there are about 420,000 adults in the United States who are childhood cancer survivors.
    • What causes pediatric cancer? Childhood cancer causes aren’t fully understood. The common theory is that cancer-causing genetic changes occur by chance. In about 8% of cases, babies are born with genetic risk factors.
    • Cancers that develop in children are different than those found in adults. Though in some rare cases children can develop cancers normally seen in adults, the most common childhood cancers are:
      • Leukemia: The most common childhood cancer, accounting for about 34% of cases. Typically occurs between 2 and 4, more commonly in males.
      • Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors: Spinal cord tumors are rare; brain tumors typically start in the lower parts of the brain.
      • Neuroblastoma: Typically starts younger than 5 years old.
      • Wilms Tumor: Usually found in very young children, uncommon over age 6.
      • Lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma is rare in children younger than 5, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common, but rare under 3.
      • Rhabdomyosarcoma: Affects skeletal muscles, commonly in kids under 5.
      • Retinoblastoma: Eye cancer, generally diagnosed before age 3.
      • Bone Cancer: Usually occurs in teens.
    • Symptoms of childhood cancers are often overlooked. Cancer’s early warning signs can be masked by common illnesses or everyday bumps and bruises. It’s crucial for parents to be aware of the warning signs and remain vigilant for signs of childhood cancer, which include:
      • Leukemia: Bone and joint pain, fatigue, weakness, bleeding, fever, and weight loss.
      • Brain Tumors: Headaches, dizziness, balance problems, vision, hearing, or speech problems, frequent vomiting.
      • Neuroblastoma: Impaired ability to walk, changes in eyes, including bulging, dark circles, and droopy eyelids, pain in different parts of the body, diarrhea, and high blood pressure.
      • Wilm’s Tumor: Swelling or lump in the belly, fever, pain, nausea, poor appetite.
      • Lymphoma: Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, groin, or armpit, weight loss, fever, sweats, and weakness.
      • Bone Cancer: Bone pain, often growing worse at night or with activity, swelling.

    If you’re planning to have kids, it’s important to know how to spot signs of cancer in children. At the Center for Vasectomy Reversal, we love helping people build their families. Under the direction of Dr. Joshua Green, our team provides state-of-the-art treatment for men who need a reversal of their vasectomy or have other fertility concerns. To learn more, contact us through our website, or call 941-894-6428 for a free consultation.

     

  • How to Prepare For your Vasectomy Reversal

    If you’re having a vasectomy reversal, it’s normal to feel some anxiety before the procedure. Any type of surgery can be intimidating, and vasectomy is certainly a serious undertaking. The procedure itself, however, is quite safe. It’s performed in an outpatient setting and has a high success rate. There are some things you can do to prepare for your vasectomy reversal that will help the entire process go more smoothly.

    • Shake off the nerves. Trust your medical team and trust yourself. You’ve made an educated decision, choosing a reliable and experienced surgeon, and you can be confident in the choice you’ve made. Learn as much as you can about the procedure ahead of time, prepare yourself and your home for your recovery, and then rest in the knowledge that you’re in good hands.
    • Watch what you put into your body. Stop smoking at least six weeks before your surgery, and don’t smoke for at least a month after the procedure. Better yet, don’t smoke at all! Avoid alcohol for a week before surgery, and steer clear of medications like aspirin for 48 hours before your procedure. Your doctor will advise you of any other medications to avoid, but the general rule is to stop taking blood thinners and anti-inflammatory medication. You will need to abstain from food and drink from midnight the night before your surgery. Don’t even chew gum, because this can stimulate gastric acids.
    • Prepare your body for surgery. Take a shower the night before your surgery. You should also shave the area where you’ll have surgery, either the night before or the morning of your surgery. This includes the full area of the scrotal sac, extending to the groin areas on either side, but not the pubic area above the penis.
    • Make preparations for your recovery. Enlist someone’s help getting to and from the clinic, because you won’t be able to drive for 48 hours after the surgery. Arrange time off work, because you’ll need at least a week to rest and recuperate. Make sure your home is in order, and that you have everything you’ll need in easy reach of the place where you plan to rest after surgery. Have a compassionate support system in place, so that you’ll know someone will be there to help care for you during the time that you need to take it easy and heal.

    If you’re interested in reversing your vasectomy and you’re looking for an experienced professional surgical team, the Center for Vasectomy Reversal is here for you. Under the direction of Dr. Joshua Green, our team provides state-of-the-art treatment for men who need a reversal of their vasectomy or have other fertility concerns. To learn more, contact us through our website, or call 941-894-6428 for a free consultation.