My Vasectomy was a simple procedure, and not unbearably painfull. A couple days of mild discomfort (I went back to work the day after mine), nothing to really worry about.
As far as condoms go we usually use them but we have a couple of select couples we have gone bare with, we realize the the risks are there, but we believe that in that small circle of friends who we have played with bare the risk is fairly low. We always respect the wishes of our partners regarding Condom use. I must admit that at my age I often loose my erection while putting the condom on, so I'll often resort to satisfying my partner with my tongue and fingers as many times as she'll let me. I do have a question though for those of you that always use condoms, how many of you use them for oral sex? If you do Oral without a condom aren't you also taking a risk (although I realize it's less of a risk than intercourse for most STDs)? Everyone has there own comfort level, and you and your partner have to decide what you are comfortable with and with who, and decide what risks you are willing to accept or not accept.