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Dear all,
For such a long time now I have read this forum in anticipation of the day that I could join the ranks of you brave ladies, and now sitting here having had the botox I feel quite overwhelmed and out of my depth.
I live in Europe and the option of coming to the states was never feasible given my finances. I’m 30 years old and have primary vaginismus so I could never insert a single thing, no matter how small into my vagina. In an act of kindness I can never repay my husband used all his savings to pay for private botox treatment. Due to my doctors lack of availability the whole thing happened so quickly and 2 weeks ago today I had the botox under general anaesthetic. Unlike Dr Pacik’s program, I did not have dilation and I was told to wait for 10 days before attempting penetration which was somewhat confusing given the way Dr Pacik does it. I followed this advice and for the past four days I’ve been inserting the smallest dilator, although only for 15mins at a time (but i can move it in and out without a problem) The burning sensation and psychological fear is still there, but the muscles give way! It’s a miracle!
I’m starting to panic though. Reading these stories of how other women could have sex within the first two weeks has disturbed me as i’m nowhere near ready to insert something as big as a penis. I also fear that the botox will wear off before I get to the stage where I can accommodate the largest dilator. On the net as well, I read a blog by a women whose doctor told her that most women need 3 injections before they can achieve intercourse. That is not a possible for me.
All in all, I think I will try to use the dilators for much longer and try to sleep with it in at the weekend before moving up a level. What my husband has given me is the most precious gift of all and i’m so grateful. For years I suffered with depression and abused drugs to block out the impact this condition had on my life. I just pray that this works…
Thanks for reading and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated x
Hi ladies. There is an excellent new blog posted today concerning the importance of distinguishing vestibulodynia from vaginismus.
Excerpts include:
“Women are often told that vestibulodynia is what causes the pain on attempted penetration when the real culprit is vaginismus and associated vaginal spasm.”
One of my patients writes:
“I self-diagnosed that I had vaginismus. I never considered myself to have vulvodynia or vestibulodynia, but I can see how my doctor could misinterpret this pain during a GYN exam because of my high level of anxiety. I mentioned vaginismus to my doctor and she thought I was talking about vulvodynia or vestibulodynia and seemed unaware of vaginismus.”
“Distinguishing vaginismus from vestibulodynia is very important because Botox is effective for both conditions, but one needs to know where it is best to inject this drug. In vaginismus, the entry muscle is usually noted to be in spasm under anesthesia and it is the vaginal muscles that are injected. In vestibulodynia, the vestibule is injected.”
“Dr. Pacik continues to have in excess of 90% cure rate using Botox for vaginismus and has noted that associated vestibulodynia disappears, as the patient is able to achieve intercourse.”
Ladies, I believe this is a very important thread. Were you ever misdiagnosed with vulvodynia or vestibulodynia when you, in fact, had vaginismus?
Topic: Dr. Pacik on NBC News
JoNel Aleccia, senior writer for NBC News, wrote an excellent article about Dr. Pacik’s Botox Treatment Program for vaginismus.
Excerpts from the article include:
“To treat [vaginismus], Pacik injects the muscles at the entrance of the vagina with Botox, which works as it does in the face, interrupting nerve impulses and allowing the muscles to relax. “When I inject them, I put them asleep,” he said. “You would not be able to approach these people with a needle.” When they wake up, the women find that they are relaxed enough to allow penetration and, soon, to have normal sex with their husbands or partners.”
The article goes on to further reference the successful use of Botox to treat another sexual pain disorder, vulvodynia:
“[Pacik’s] work was echoed this week by a new report in the journal Archives of Dermatologythat said a 26-year-old woman was cured of vulvodynia, an excruciating, persistent burning vaginal pain, with the use of botulinum Toxin A injections.”
This is an excellent article about Dr. Pacik and his Botox treatment for vaginismus that was written by the senior writer for NBC News ladies. Amazing!!! I would welcome your comments and feedback concerning this important article.
Hi ladies. I was thinking about more helpful tools for those transitioning to intercourse. One thing that may be very helpful to do is to use the regular dilators for a while (an hour or two) and then, after dilating, to also use the Lelo. It’s very comfortable and even smaller than the pink dilator. It also has many different speeds and controls which can serve as a wonderful distraction and also a great source of relaxation for even the most anxious patients.
Concerning the distraction part of using a vibrator, Dr. Pacik writes:
“Clitoral vibration makes both dilation and intercourse easier (and more fun). If the clitoral stimulation is too strong, the vibrator can be placed on the lower abdomen. When I give Botox injections into the facial muscles, I routinely use a dental vibrating toothbrush (without the brush) to help distract my patients during the injections.”Concerning the relaxation part of using a vibrator, Dr. Pacik writes:
“The Lelo Liv is a very appropriate vibrating dilator for our vaginismus patients. We highly recommend the Lelo Liv because this vibrating dilator allows the vaginal muscles to be stretched while reducing stress and promoting relaxation. To use the Lelo Liv, make sure it is very lubricated, turn the vibrator down to the lowest setting and insert it slowly. Move the vibrator in and out being aware of which sensations you enjoy the most. Many of our vaginismus patients do well combining vibrators with dilation before transitioning to intercourse.”For the veterans reading this, would you also recommend the Lelo? If so, why and how has it helped you?
Hi ladies. There is an excellent new blog posted that thoroughly describes the three components of treatment (i.e. the 1, 2, 3 punch)
http://www.vaginismusmd.com/vaginismus-treatment-the-123-punch/
Excerpts include:
“The first punch is the injection of Botox under anesthesia. This is the knockout punch for the spastic muscle at the entry of the vagina (the “closed fist”). It will be unable to recover for about four months.
The second punch is the progressive dilation under anesthesia, stretching the tight muscle(s). Once these muscles are weakened and stretched under anesthesia, the continued post treatment dilation keeps these muscles stretched.
The third punch is reduction of anxiety. It is well known that fear and anxiety play an important role in continued spasm of the entry muscle. The brain says “PAIN“, the vagina responds with a protective reflex “NO ENTRY“. Once fear and anxiety lessen and women are able to tolerate penetration as well as having comfortable pain free intercourse, this protective reflex appears to diminish, and the reflexive spasm of the vaginal muscles appears to disappear.”It goes on to describe the importance of post-procedure care:
“The three punches described must be combined with careful post-procedure monitoring, which includes the review of daily logs to help patients with their post-procedure dilation program. The counseling done after treatment is of utmost importance to help women understand what needs to be done when they return home and the steps needed to succeed in having pain free intercourse.”I entirely agree that all of the combined steps of the treatment program along with the post-procedure care is what makes it work so well and be so effective in curing vaginismus. For me personally, once the first and second punch occurred, the third immediately followed. Specifically, once I woke up from my procedure with the largest dilator in place and knew that I could remove and re-insert it without any pain whatsoever, my anxiety was immediately reduced from around a 10+++ to close to nothing. The more that my husband and I practiced with the dilators this day and the more we saw first-hand that I was experiencing no pain, again, the less anxiety I experienced about future penetration. I knew that if worked this time, it would always work and practicing with the dilators truly does re-train your brain. I no longer experienced this pain/fear with insertion that I had experienced for so many years. I wish I could explain it in better terms but it simply disappeared once I experienced pain-free dilation for the first time.
Ladies, what have been your experiences with the combined 1-2-3 program along with the aftercare component?
Hi ladies. I have read so many of your stories and have my own story of seeking and receiving several failed treatments for vaginismus. How many of you have heard a doctor or clinician suggest to “just relax”, “don’t think about it”, or “just do it”? The pain associated with vaginismus is not “in the women’s head” and does not readily respond to these suggestions. Vaginismus is a ‘real’ physical pain and the Botox treatment for vaginismus works to address both this physical pain and to also diffuse the fear of penetration. First, the Botox injections work to weaken the tight vaginal muscles that often make penetration impossible. Second, waking up with the dilator already in place works very well to diffuse the fear associated with penetration. For some patients, such as myself, this was the first time that something was inside of me “pain-free” and, in realizing this, it entirely eliminated any anxiety associated with penetration. The uniqueness of this combined approach to vaginismus is what truly makes it work so, so well. I encourage your comments and feedback here ladies and look forward to reading your posts.
Hi ladies. Recently, there have been some posts and stories about failed Botox treatments for vaginismus at other clinics and locations. For example, in Julisa’s story, it was noted “this patient lives on one of the Caribbean islands and failed to make any progress with two sets of Botox injections. After her treatment, she was not instructed in the use of dilators and given no follow-up support.” What truly makes Dr. Pacik’s Botox treatment work ladies is the entire combined program (i.e. the well placed Botox injections into the spastic muscles, progressive dilation under anesthesia, supervised dilation in the recovery area, post procedure counseling, and careful follow-up and support post-procedure). And, most importantly and what made it work for me, was how much Dr. Pacik and the entire staff at his clinic truly care about you and support you every single step of the way. To know that he believes in you 100% is truly one of the best feelings in the world and instills confidence and helps you to believe in yourself and achieve tremendous success.
This treatment was a life-changing experience for me ladies and I would love to continue to help other women to discover it as well. Today, Dr. Pacik’s blog further describes the use of Botox for the treatment of vaginismus and the limited availability at other clinics. He writes:
“[P]atients suffering from vaginismus are having difficulty finding clinics to do this work. We are honored to have received FDA approval for the continued research that we are doing using not only Botox to treat vaginismus, but a detailed program consisting of dilation under anesthesia, and 2-3 days of post procedure counseling. This portion of our comprehensive program consists of supervised dilation, counseling on the use of the dilators, progressing to intercourse, sex therapy to improve libido, and preparation for future GYN exams. Our success rate has been consistently in the high 90% range since 2006. We are the only clinic in the United States to have received this FDA approval.”
This is such a wonderful accomplishment Dr. P! For anyone reading this who may have inquired about Dr. Pacik’s treatment, trust me, it works 100% and is truly the BEST treatment out there and the true cure for vaginismus. I can’t stress enough how important the after-care and post-procedure counseling was for me. Through the use of daily dilation logs, you become accountable for your own change. It helps both you and Dr. P to track your progress and also address any challenges and it aids so much in the success of the program as a whole.
To the treated patients or ‘veterans’ reading this, how important was your after-care communication post-procedure?