People Share The Scariest Thing That's Ever Happened To Them While Home Alone
Whether you're nine years old or a full blown adult, finding yourself home alone brings a heightened intensity.
Silence is heavier and interruptions seem more sudden, and louder.
Unexpected creaks around the house and shadows in the periphery all seem gravely dangerous. The stakes are simply higher when no backup exists.
In those circumstances, even the most trivial occurrences feel like the end of the world, or at least the end of your life.
Sometimes, though, legitimately horrifying things go down when your home alone and defenseless.
joeym2009 asked, "What is the scariest thing to happen to you when you've been home alone?"
A Horrifying Tator Blast
"I was home alone at my dad's while he was working nights, making my dinner and everything. I was probably about 14 or 15 at the time."
"I was watching TV while my potatoes were cooking when I head something slam into the front door. I grab my pocket knife and check it out, nothing."
"About 10 minutes later I hear another bang on the front door, repeat and still nothing. Really freaked me out cause we'd had a few houses get broken into on my street."
"Turns out I didn't put enough holes into my baked potatoes and they exploded in the oven."
It’s All Fun and Games U tim Someone Knicks an Artery
"I was probably 9 years old, my sister was 6. We had a babysitter who was 12, so alone in the sense that no adults were around."
"Jackass that I was, I squirted bug spray on my sister and she chased me in retaliation. I ran through some French glass doors to get away from her. She went for the knob and missed. Her arm went through one of the glass panes."
"She cut herself so deep, you could see muscle, tendons, and bone. It looked like a shi**ily cut piece of raw meat, since that's basically what it was. The babysitter held a piece of cloth on my sister's arm until my mom came home (called her right away) and took my sister to the ER."
"Got 60 stitches out of it."
Some Spooky Fowl
"I was watching some sort of ghost TV show about demons or something in my basement, home alone when I was probably 14 or 15..."
"A fu**ing turkey walked up to the sliding door and started tapping on the glass. I noped the f*ck out of that basement so fast. I don't think I ever watched that show again either."
-- Evani33
Not What it Looks Like
"When I was younger my mom left me and my little brother home alone while she ran to the store."
"Mom leaves and me and my brother are watching TV in the living room and we see a bunch of smoke from the big bay window facing the front yard shortly after she leaves. We look, and a car has crashed into the ditch that is next to our driveway."
"My mom rounds the corner of the side road to pull onto [our road] and sees a ton of cop cars in out driveway and shutting down the road, 2 fire trucks, at least 2 ambulances, and, as any mom seeing this, freaks out."
"They allow her to park in the neighbor's driveway since ours is currently occupied. And we see her sprinting across the yards. The cops intercept her, she sees that me and my brother are okay and is able to calm down enough to talk to the cops."
Bringing in the Big Guns (Dad)
"I was 15 and I used to baby sit for my neighbors down the block. They had a really nice house, 3 floors with a built-in garage under the house, that connected to the basement."
"They also had the type of security system where anytime a door opens you heard 'beep beep beep.' After the parents left one night I was putting the kids to bed and I heard the "beep beep beep.' "
"I yelled out, thinking it was the parents coming back for something but no one answered. I was freaked out so I called my Dad and asked him to come by since he was only a few houses away."
"When he arrived, he told me to stay in the kitchen while he checked the house but before he could, we heard the 'beep beep beep' again and then the garage door opened - when we ran to the window to see if the parents were pulling into the driveway, they weren't."
"Instead someone in a hoodie was running out of the garage door and into the woods behind the house."
-- [deleted]
Not Creepy, Just Real and Intense
"Just me and my mom. She got drunk and fell down the stairs. She knocked herself out cold and I had to administer CPR while the paramedics came."
"She has no recollection of this incident, denies it, and no one else in my family can relate to how scary it is seeing someone almost die and having their life in your hands."
"I don't know how first responders do it."
-- miaomiao1025
“Helped Him”
"It was a hot summer and my parents went to a wedding. I had a project to do and it was like 1am and silent until a random drunk dude crawled in through my window with a bottle and blush face."
"I was 20ft away at my desk from the window and we both just stared at each other. He was flustered and said 'oh sorry there kid wrong house' and attempts to leave the way he came."
"He was drunk n dizzy so I helped him by pushing him out the window. I thoroughly shut it and stared at it for 2 hours until my parents came home."
-- Shardeel
Can’t Blame Him. Gotta Close a Sale.
"Once while I was home alone, I had been warned not to answer the door, for anyone, or I might get taken away."
"One sales guy had been banging on the door repeatedly for the last 6 minutes. I guess I hadn't muted the TV fast enough. He screamed, 'I know you're home alone in there!' I about died."
Solo Emergencies
"I started choking on a clump of Mike/Ikes. Only survived because I tripped and fell on the couch in such a way that it dislodged the candy. I was nearly killed then saved by being a klutz." -- RQ-0430
"Got a hot dog stuck in my throat. I chopped myself in the Adam's Apple and it flew out." -- deadheadjim
In the Deep End
"I was actually at a friends house when her parents weren't home. We were maybe 10. It was her, my sister, her sisters and me. We decided to go swimming."
"There had been a rash of burglaries lately but mostly garages being broke into. Anyway, we were in the pool when we noticed the kitchen light turn on (it was evening)."
"We assumed her parents so looked in the window to do something stupid to get their attention when we realized we do not know the individual in the house."
"We hid behind the wall of the pool (above ground) terrified until her parents finally came home. It appeared as though he got spooked as he only ransacked the kitchen and left the garage door wide open when fleeing."
-- atjmoulder
Covering It’s Eyes, At Least
"For me, I was 12 years old and my dad was at his girlfriend's house. I went into my room to take a shower. I always put a chair under the door handle in my room because it didn't have a lock."
"My Grandma loved giving me porcelain dolls and she decorated my room with shelves that had porcelain dolls on them. All of the dolls were on their shelves before I got into the shower. When I exited my bathroom, one of the porcelain dolls was 10 feet across the room, face down on the ground."
Retroactive Horror
"The scariest thing that happened to me I didn't know actually happened until the following day."
"One day our friend came over and called me to let him in our building in a hurry. Turns out this guy had been crouched by my car in the parking lot and had approached our friend and closed in on him."
"Upstairs I noticed that the guy had left a green bundle near my car and assumed he would be back for it."
"Turns out the guy had escaped from county the night before with two other guys. He was in jail for assault with a deadly weapon and repeated domestic violence offenses."
"He had climbed the fence in the yard behind our building where our landlord kept his camper, broken into the camper, and stayed there the night before."
"I had been alone the night before and had taken my dog down to the yard to go to the bathroom. I noticed that the barbed wire on the top of the fence had fallen down, and my dog was nervous. But I brushed it off. The guy had been in the camper watching me the whole time and I never knew it."
-- lunazeus
2 Hours, An Eternity
"I was a young kid home alone and my mom called the phone and said a tornado was coming and I had to go shelter in the basement...The basement was incredibly creepy, especially as a child. I NEVER went down there on my own."
"So little old me grabs my toy lantern to descend into the basement all alone with rain hitting the windows, with only the flicker of my toy lamp to light up my surroundings while I make my way to the boiler room and shelter in place until someone comes to get me...."
"Imagine that, just sitting there in the darkness listening to all of the sounds for something like two hours. F*cking freaky."
This is How it Begins
"Early teen years. Power went out while I was taking a shower late at night. I got out of the shower already freaked out and looked outside through the window. My house was the only one without power."
"Stupid teenage brain: this is clearly an attempt on my life"
"Reality: house had a weird problem where the power would cut out if the water heater and air conditioner happened to turn on the same time."
-- OMG_STAAAHHP
Block Reaffirmed!
"This just happened last week, I woke up to someone in my house, walking up the stairs to my bedroom. It was about 1 pm and I work third shift, so I was sleeping."
"In my haste, I didn't grab my bat. I whip open my door and it's my ex best friend, whom I've blocked on every social media site... she starts yelling at me for not responding to her and how she misses me..."
We're on TV!
"Police were chasing a guy and he ran into into our backyard and over the fence to another house. It felt like the helicopter was going to land on the house." -- JahLife68
"This happened inherent I was like 4 or 5 except he ran straight through our apartment." -- PC_nodnarb
With No Knowledge of Science That Must've Been Downright Biblical
"First time I was ever home alone an earthquake hit and being a 10 year old who had never experienced an earthquake I had no idea what was happening and lost my sh*t."
-- garrett77
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
People tend to gravitate toward various celebrities based on the work they do without really knowing who they are in real life.
For example, actors who play nefarious characters may have a legion of fans who love the rebellious persona but can be let down after discovering their personality is actually quite loveable.
We often tend to forget celebrities are people too, and their real-life persona may be contradictory to the type of characters they play in movies.
Curious to hear from those who were in for a pleasant surprise after meeting a star, Redditor BEEPY_BO1 asked:
"Who is the kindest/rudest celebrities you've met IRL?"
These positive chance meetings stayed with Redditors forever.
Not Forgotten
"My sibling has a terminal illness in the 80s and Make A Wish sent our family to the set of Knight Rider to meet David Hasselhoff. Was cool, but that's not what matters."
"Fast forward 30 years and I'm at Heathrow picking up a family member when I see the Hoff standing there on his phone. I approach him and wait for him to end his call. He looks at me and says hello. I tell him that we met. He looks at me and say, 'Was their name ...?' He remembered their name after 30 years."
"That will always stay with me."
– AnsweringLiterally
The Sweet Canadian
"I used to serve Rachel McAdams at a restaurant fairly regularly. She was always super sweet. Very lowkey and soft spoken in person. She and her husband would come in late and keep to themselves."
– overintoxikatied
"I was at a pub in Toronto years ago and we were watching the Blue Jays home opener on the TV. The bar had a long booth seat with a series of tables strung along so you sat pretty close to the next patron."
"Had no idea that Rachel McAdams was sitting next to me the whole time. My friend and I watched the game and chatted with them throughout as they were right next to us. Just regular pub chatter and comments about the game."
"The Jays ended up coming back to win, and Rachel and I high-fived at the conclusion. She and her friend left, and my friend smacked me after they got up and said "that was Rachel f'kin' McAdams!" So yes, she seemingly has the ability to just be low-key and fit right in despite being a beautiful Hollywood actress!"
– skipfairweather
Satisfying His Sweet Tooth
"Ian McKellen came to the spa I worked at and was absolutely lovely. We didn’t sell ice cream but there was a farm shop across the road and I mentioned it and he asked me if I’d take him there."
"My friend who worked in the farm shop had his mouth open the whole time seeing me buying ice cream with Gandalf."
– ClydeinLimbo
They are professionals but are also good with people. A winning combo.
Pure Magic
"Penn and Teller hang out in the lobby after their show in Vegas to chat and sign autographs. Very friendly and yes Teller can talk."
– vandalia
"Teller was really sweet to my brother who is handicapped and in a wheelchair. That meant a lot to me."
– VeryBestMentalHealth
The Perfectionists
"I have worked with Steve Martin and Martin Short, they’re both super nice, respectful, and incredibly dedicated to their craft. They’ll spend hours finessing a couple lines in a show they do every night just to get it right for that evening’s performance."
– snakefest
The Conversationalists
"I was an extra on The Last of Us and met Pedro Pascal. He was super nice. We technically weren’t allowed to talk to the 'talent' and they’d usually ignore us but he and Gabriel Luna talked to us anyway."
– _PlaZma
Talent Recognizes Talent
'Giancarlo Esposito was incredibly warm and also told me I should try and get into voice acting. I have never and will never attempt to do so but it was such a nice compliment for no reason.'
– dronecypher
These Redditors have bragging rights for the best celeb encounter anecdotes.
Congrats Are In Order
"I proposed to my wife at a restaurant in Kauai. Afterwards, Michael Keaton leaned over from his table with his family and enthusiastically congratulated us. Very kind and friendly."
– Warren_Puffitt
Deadpanned By Deadpool
"Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively live relatively close to my hometown and show up to this Christmas event every now and again that our town puts on. Walked out of the ice cream parlor downtown and sitting on the bench right outside is Ryan Reynolds eating an ice cream cone. I looked up at him as I was walking out and made eye contact, and I looked away, then I looked back to make sure it was him, and he looks me dead in the face and goes 'I know right, isn’t it crazy?' And then he gets up and walks away. 10/10"
– Euuphoriaa
Inspired And Encouraged
"I met Weird Al at a con once. While he was signing the photo I bought, I told him about how he inspired me to write my own parody songs. He seemed genuinely interested and asked if I had a YouTube channel, but I told him I just write them, not record them. Super nice dude (at least for the brief time we spoke)."
– Avandra
A Birthday To Remember
"Jeff Goldblum, after a matinee of 'The Pillowman.' Autographs, photos, asking people where they were from, what else they had seen/were going to see. One girl mentioned they were in the city for her birthday as she was taking a photo of him with her friends, he stopped and said “How can you not be in your own birthday picture,” took her camera and grabbed someone from the crowd to take a picture of the group. Would not leave until he was sure everyone got what they wanted (despite his assistant or handler trying to move him along for dinner before the evening performance)"
– alter_ego19456
I met Keri Russell at one of my favorite restaurants. She was dining alone and reading a book.
I'm not usually not one for invading a celebrity's personal space, but because I was a HUGE Felicity fan, I had to say hi.
I told her she was even more gorgeous in person and that I wanted to tell her I admired her work. She blushed and simply said, "Oh, stawwwp!" and laughed.
She then asked about me, what I thought of the food at this particular establishment, etc. She had such a great, laid-back vibe. Not wanting to take up any more of her time, I excused myself.
When she eventually got up to leave, she came over to where I was sitting with my significant other at the time, and she told us with a wink, "You boys, have a good night."
I almost died.
Never dip your pen in the company ink.
An age-old saying warning you not to seek out love within your workplace.
In most cases, this is just a word of caution. In others, dating your colleagues is still against company policies or can only be done after a mountain load of paperwork is completed.
While some might find this ridiculous, many find it understandable and adhere very closely to these rules.
After all, what could be more awkward than your ex or an ill-advised one-night stand sitting in the next cubicle over?
Even so, when you think you feel sexual tension with a colleague or co-worker, it can be hard not to act on that impulse.
Because really, what's the worst that could happen?
"Coworkers that couldn’t handle the sexual tension anymore and went for it. How’d it turn out?"
A Very Costly Mistake
"Really poorly tbh."
"Extremely drunk sex and ended up losing our friendship."
"We were 24 and worked at a bank together, we used to be best friends."
"But now we haven’t talked in years."- sarruhgirl·
Nope
"I have been rejected respectfully each time."- kingspooky93·
There Can Be Too Much Of A Good Thing
"Not great."
"Dated for just over a year (on and off), but now that we’re not together, it sucks having to see her almost every day."-StellarSandDweller·
It Happened...
"After years of sexual tension we did it."
"It wasn't anything close of what we expected, never talked about it again and we went back to just being friends."-dimensionsanalyst
Lucky For Him, Less So For Her...
"She's been suffering my snoring for 20 years now."- get_off_my_lawn_n0w
Didn't Go Unnoticed
"HR all of a sudden wanted a 'friendly chat'."- DiggingUpTheCorpses
Ups And Downs...
"Made out in the walk-in fridge."
"Went out for a while, got engaged, moved in together, got married, started drifting apart, realized we were growing into different people with very different long term goals, got divorced, haven’t really spoken since."
"Together for close to 11 years total."
"Main issue was kids."
"We both wanted them at first, then she no longer did."
"We cared enough for each other to not want to see the other unhappy long term, and we had an amicable split."
"We did not get married in the walk-in, nor spend a tremendous amount of time in it."
"We DID have an ice sculpture at the wedding however."
"It was not a Netflix & Chill deal, it was years and years ago, so more like Blockbuster & Chill."
"I’m good now, thanks."- gn0xious
No Issue Here...
"I run a sole proprietorship, so I 'go for it' about twice a day."
"Don't think it will last, though; I'm not really my type."- MyNSFWside
Got Out When The Getting Was Good
"It was great."
"Good sex, and then I left the job before it got weird."- TIMBURWOLF·
No Regrets Whatsoever
"It was the hottest sex I ever had."
"We are still in touch, but we are continents apart."
"I haven't met him since 2013."
"Pretty sure if we meet again, we will not waste time talking."- SingingBull
"Had sex with him two months into my employment there."
"Nineteen years later we have a mortgage in the suburbs and two children."- Extra-Simple9711·
I Love You Episode 20 GIF by The OfficeGiphyNothing But Regrets
"Terrible."
"'Don’t f**k your boss."- oyofmidmidworld
A Bit Of Good Luck?
"Been together for 5 years now and still working in the same company (different departments)."
"Both of us had multiple promotions since we got together."
"Great sex and great on saving gas and food expense as we live together now lol."- crapuccino4
You Can't Make This Stuff Up
"Not great."
"He would flirt with me and come over to hang out."
"Told how he was trying to evict his ex girlfriend from the apartment because she wouldn't leave before the lease was up (which was true btw she confirmed that)."
"He told me he liked me alot and wanted to get to know me."
"Then he decided that He wanted to convert to Mormonism."
"He became panicked about going to hell and after we would hang out (nothing sexual) he would sob."
"Full on sob."
"Begging God to forgive him."
"He and the rest of the people I worked with were tight and he would go through these depressive episodes and crash at their houses."
"I started getting bullied and harassed HARD at work."
"One day he invites me to his house to watch a movie."
"We watch the movie."
"He tries to kiss me but not really."
"I am confused as f*ck at this point and ask him to take me home."
"On the way he asks me if I like him, I said yes I really liked him."
"He asked me if I would consider dating him and maybe have a sexual relationship with him."
"I said yes because I really liked him."
"HE LAUGHED AND SAID I WAS NOTHING BUT A NYMPHO WH*RE BROUGHT TO HIM BY SATAN TO MAKE HIM STUBLE IN HIS WALK WITH GOD!"
"He said there was no way he would ever consider me because I was not A Good Mormon Girl."
"He dropped me at my car after bursting into sobs AGAIN and yelled he has to pray for his soul I sh*t you not."
"Turns out he was telling EVERYONE that I was 'forcing myself onto him' and he was uncomfortable with me."
"The bullying got worse."
"I quit with no notice."
"I WAS ONLY THERE FOR 45 DAYS."- PwrtopUltimate
Samuel L Jackson Reaction GIF by Coming to AmericaGiphyYou never know when love might hit you, and sometimes it might be on an elevator to your office.
Even so, always proceed with caution.
After all, think about how awkward it is to run into an ex or a one-night stand on the street, then think about what that would be like 8 hours a day, five days a week...
People Explain Which Seemingly Obsolete Companies They're Surprised Are Still In Operation Today
There are so many companies and products that have fallen by the wayside as time marched on.
Some companies we never thought we'd live without.
Some, we're glad to see crumble... I'm looking at you Columbia House.
Who else thought CDs for a dollar sounded too good to be true?
It's always surprising when you stumble upon a company or store still open that you could've sworn had shuttered long ago.
If only I could find a Shoney's.
Best breakfast buffet ever!
Because I certainly don't need anymore Amway.
Redditor HRJafael wanted to know who still has their doors open and has some staff, so they asked:
"What 'obsolete' companies are you surprised are still holding on in the modern world?"
The other day I saw a Radio Shack. I thought it was 1999.
What's next? A Circuit City?
Who is She?
Weight Loss Lol GIF by Sofa City SweetheartGiphy"Jenny Craig just bottomed up this week. I'm surprised it lasted this long."
BlackPopeye_03
Knock, Knock
"I had some older woman knocking on my door at like 2 pm on a Wednesday trying to come in and give me a demo of a Kirby vacuum cleaner. Also, door-to-door salespeople are apparently still a thing in 2023."
jimx117
"I have a nice Kirby from one of those salespeople. Convinced her to try some homemade shine. Her driver/supervisor stopped and tried some as well. They both got so buzzed they left the demo model at my house. It’s been 4 years and no one has tried to get it back. Quite a few attachments as well."
HoosierPaul
The Catalog
"I read that Netflix just announced they are going to stop mailing DVD's for rental in the next few months. I thought they stopped doing that a long time ago."
King_Kong_The_eleven
"Apparently this is a big deal for hardcore movie fans, as there are many movies deep in the movie catalog that are not available to view through streaming."
roraima_is_very_tall
"There's a reasonably large community that prefers physical media, particularly UHD BDs to streaming. I mean it does make sense, those enthusiasts have spent considerable amounts of money on their equipment, so they will naturally get the best possible picture quality."
samstown23
Hey John
"There's a secret society among us that is keeping Long John Silvers afloat."
EMPRAH40k
"My grandma liked to go there for a piece of fish and some hush puppies. Then she’d take me to McDonald’s for coffee (for her -I was a small child) and a vanilla cone. When I miss her I go to one of the last Long John Silvers in my area and get fish and hush puppies."
yesiamyam233203
"Secret society meaning those who only eat fish during Lent."
"I mentioned it in a different thread but Lent is like a 40-day Black Friday for Long John Silvers."
"Source: former LJS employee who experienced lines out the door during Lent."
StasnoFrete
AO What?
aol GIFGiphy"Blows my mind that aol.com is still a thing."
Iliveacrossthegreen
"I honestly thought this was gone and I didn't notice until I worked in IT support and saw people with AOL emails. Total shock for me."
Arcades_Samnoth
I still can't believe I know people with AOL.
Do they know the century?
Bad Execution
raul julia GIFGiphy"Cutco. Seems like they could be much more successful if they dropped their current sales rep pyramid model."
i0datamonster
"Yeah, I never understood the MLM thing. Sometimes the product is actually good, but the execution is garbage."
CpuJunky
I need a number
"The yellow pages."
AlternativeSelfee
"I do remember before being able to look stuff up online, going out of town & browsing the yellow pages @ the hotel looking for places to eat & many other things. I couldn't tell you when I last saw a set of yellow pages."
Runes_my_ride
"I work at a hotel. About once every two years I get someone asking if we have a copy of the Yellow Pages."
steelgate601
A reason for every holiday...
"Party City. Their stores are huge and every time I go there’s less than 10 customers."
iamnotkelly
"Party City is one of those stores that makes its nut from a few days a year. The week before Halloween and there's a line out the door."
"4th of July, Easter, graduation time, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are when they do their business. It's a one-stop shop for everything you need for an event that allows you to see it beforehand and not make a bad Amazon purchase."
StalkMeNowCrazyLady
Bad Health
"Herbalife. Don’t the people know? Lol."
CThreePHo
"They've been opening storefronts that pose as small health food shake shops in place of (or in addition to?) the old MLM model. They just opened one down the street from my job and stopped by with free samples."
"They tried really hard to disguise that it's Herbalife."
"It's a really weird business model, you buy a 'one-day membership' in their health club that comes with a shake and an energy tea and I think that's supposed to let them skirt some legal issue with the shops?"
daabilge
Check Please
Applebees GIFGiphy"Applebees. I can microwave my own food."
User8675309021069
"The other week I was at Applebee's when the waitress came by and I told her that my Pepsi wasn't tasting right, and she offered to put water in it."
Applebee's? Who in the world wold still eat there? I've turned down free food from there. Geesh.
What would you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Men Who've Gotten A Vasectomy Explain Whether They Regret It And How The Procedure Changed Their Life
With more people exercising their right to live a childfree life, or to at least start their families later than people used to, it's important for people to have access to forms of birth control that work for them.
For some, that means getting a vasectomy, but there are aspects to the procedure that most wish they had known before making the appointment.
Redditor jaqeacc asked:
"To men who have gotten a vasectomy, do you regret it, and how has it changed your life?"
Avoiding the Risk
"I’m 30 with three kids and got a vasectomy earlier this year. My wife almost died in childbirth for the last one. Can’t risk that again. No regrets."
- DesertDelirium
Enough Kids
"No regrets. Had it done after our third child was born. We definitely couldn't cope with a 4th child, and my wife was told sternly that she should not have another."
"It hasn't changed my life. It has helped my wife in that she no longer takes birth control."
"Interesting that some other commenters in this thread have had life-changing situations where they went for reversal. The health worker tried to talk me out of the vasectomy, saying I was very young (I was 35). She kept coming up with these scenarios in which I might want to have more children. I would reply, 'I still have three children.'"
- WitShortage
Pain Management
"I had one at 43 years old and didn’t have any pain at all after the procedure. It was fully covered by insurance as well. I recommend making sure they give you the Xanax 30 minutes prior."
- Specific_Albatross63
Respect the Recovery Time
"You need five to seven days to recover. I just did it. The last thing you want to do is pop the internal sutures and bleed into your sack. Then you have to walk around with grapefruit or cantaloupe-sized balls."
"Don’t rush it. After seven days, you’re good to go. Hit it sooner (especially lifting) at your own risk."
- jbrad194
Preventative Care
"I got mine, no regrets, and my sex life vastly improved. Just make sure you get a sperm count post-OP."
- Cebonite
Prepare the PlayStation
"I just want to add a warning from a friend of mine who had it done."
"He had the operation and went home to recover for a few days, unfortunately, he had not foreseen that he wouldn't be able to set up the new PlayStation he'd bought himself as a 'reward.' He didn't feel up to all the awkward bending and f**king around behind the TV. Instead, he had to sit there on the couch for days wishing he was playing it!"
"So a careful warning to anyone else reading this: plug your self-reward PlayStation in before you have the operation and not after. Learn from his mistake!"
- not_right
Rare Issues
"I had one back in 2014 and have been part of the one percent of people who experience pain every day after. Last year, I got it reversed because I didn’t want to be in pain anymore but that did nothing but cause me more issues."
- Slugs86
Stress Free
"My partner got his vasectomy in January. Neither of us have kids, and both of us turn 30 this year. Of course, no OBGYN would entertain sterilization for me (a female), but he was able to set up the appointment with no problem. I’m just now getting the birth control out of my system and it’s life-changing. We’re ecstatic to be able to enjoy each other and not worry about pregnancy."
- PayMeToRedditMmkay
Moving On
"I've had one some nine years ago when my then-girlfriend and I broke up and I decided that I'm too old now to find somebody to have kids with (which was/is totally okay)."
"My urologist really took the time to explain to me how it all works and to make sure that that's what I want. The procedure only hurt a little bit, even though some dude sticking a long hypodermic needle in your sack is probably a rather acquired taste. The greatest inconvenience was the ban on bathing."
"As for the effect, I would definitely do it again. My long-term (=long enough to get tested and do it without a rubber) partners all appreciated it a lot, and even in connection with other forms of contraception, it gives a certain peace of mind. Besides that, the sex itself hasn't changed at all."
"If you're sure you don't want any more kids, I can totally recommend it."
- Radiant_sir_radiant
Potential Complications
"It has changed my sex life significantly. Posts like these are disheartening, because I remembered scrolling through similar posts and disregarding those who were not so lucky and ended up with PVPS (Post-Vasectomy Pain Syndrome) or other changes in their sex life. So many men say it's the best thing they did and never regretted it: no change in orgasms whatsoever."
"The intensity of my orgasms has changed a lot. It isn't as good as it used to be. It's like stepping on a garden hose where water wants to escape but it can't. I never feel relaxed after an orgasm anymore or fulfilled. There's a feeling of congestion after."
"I am not experiencing any pain, luckily. I do feel my testicles are more sensitive. I already feel the tenderness when I go to the bathroom just to pee. I loved it when my partner held them, but I don't anymore."
"Everyone will say it's psychological; your urologist and the people around you. I have posted a couple of times on Reddit about it, but most people thought I was trolling."
"Maybe it is only psychological, but that doesn't change how I perceive my orgasms."
- ThrowRabedeezled
Motivations for the Procedure
"One of my mates got married at around 20 and had two kids by the time he was 23. Got the snip when the second kid was born. Turns 30, and found out his wife had been sleeping with every guy at the gym, divorced, remarried, but the new wife is only 25 and wants kids of her own. He went in for the reversal, but I haven't heard if it was successful yet."
"Another mate was single, got the snip around 35 to make casual sex less stressful. Got married at 40, decided they wanted kids, got a reversal, but it was unsuccessful (that was about 10 years ago though)."
- Michael_Scott247365
Electrifying Experience
"I guess I'm one of the unlucky few..."
"Had mine done, went in, just like most: Small opening, went in, numbed... This is supposed to be the only part that's uncomfortable... I'm pretty sure he hit the wrong spot somewhere."
"Everything was fine for the one side, and then I felt stuff on the other... Not unbearable, but I will never NOT remember feeling whatever he was doing."
"My doc, however, didn't ground the tool that's supposed to cauterize the area. I got shocked to f**king kingdom come. It was the single most painful experience of my life. I put it above almost dying in a car accident or the time I got shot in the eye with an airsoft rifle."
"Recovery: Over a month."
"Walking made me scream. Sleeping was pretty much impossible and it was absolutely miserable. The doc didn't believe me and finally gave me pain medication on my 3rd+ visit. Which was a constant need so that I didn't get fired."
"Ended up behind on every bill I had."
"I'm fine now."
- D3Dragoon
Childfree Choice
"No regrets. Done it this year with 31 without having children."
"The chance of regretting having a child is too high and I do not want it to feel or even suffer from it. I can live with the regret of not having one."
"As for the question, 'And what if your girlfriend wants children?,' I only date women that do not want one. And even then, when all the planets align and h**l is frozen, there are too many children in children’s homes growing up without parents. Adopt them and give them a home and more importantly a loving family."
- Cruso91
Open Communication
"Got the snip around age 36 after my then wife and I were done having kids. My health insurance covered it 100%, not even a deductible. The pain wasn’t too bad. Felt very much like when you’ve been kicked in the nuts."
"We later divorced. It made post-divorce sex life great. Women were really into the security of not getting pregnant. Let me tell you, life was pretty sweet."
"My girlfriend now has no kids. I was very upfront with her very early on in the relationship about the fact I didn’t want more kids, and didn’t want to hinder her from pursuing having children if it was a desire of hers."
"I basically told her if we needed to end the relationship so that she could find someone else to have kids with, I’d understand. She said she was ok not having kids and we’ve been together ever since."
- wizkee
Dad Jokes
"I was told that after a vasectomy I wouldn't have kids anymore, but when I got home, they were still there..."
- CommentToBeDeleted
While there are certainly risks, and even regrets, involved, most Redditors argued that the ends justified the means when it came to getting a vasectomy.
For most, it removed the stress and pressure of possibilities of pregnancy that some people are not interested in, and it's difficult to put a price on something like that.