Marzipan, I am glad that you have chosen your way way of life and that you did not fall for the pressures of your ex. Some guys have done the opposite and now only wish that could have another chance. Those who fell for the pressure do "do the right thing" have not understood that the right thing is what you feel on the inside. Not all of us were destined to be parents and that's OK. There are enough people on this planet. Anyways, welcome to this chat. I am glad to have you here.
Here is a good site:
http://www.vasectomy-information.com/
Also, there is another one, it is from a specific area, but information applies anywhere:
http://www.azurology.com/vasectomies.htm
http://www.noneedlevasectomy.com/
Many places do ask too many questions and will require initial consultation where doctor will perform an exam and inform you of what takes place, later an appointment is set and procedure is performed.
One of my friends had a snip a little while back, he said it is not too bad. He describes the pain level about 1/10 of that experienced during tooth extraction. They do not actually touch the actual testicles (that would hurt!), the tissue that is cut is the scrotum skin which is a form of a muscle. Actual vas deferens do not have very many nerves in them, so pain is minimal. The swelling and bluing that may take place is the scrotum skin healing. According to my friend he felt no pain of any kind from the inside - just from the actual bag material is where the swelling was. My friend had the No-scalpel procedure, he says it's the way to go if you can find a doc who does them.
I read on this site and some other places, that women have trouble getting sterilized, but I cannot say that I have found it to be the case for men. Generally, no one will question. Some docs will just remind you an extra time that procedure is not reversible (is that supposed to be a problem?).
Good luck and enjoy! Just remember rubber will still have to be your best friend - snip offers no protection against any STD's. Marzipan, if you have any other questions, PM to me!