Botox Treatment for Vaginismus for Out-of-Country Patients

[Heather34]

Hi all. I have seen so many posts and comments over the 3 years that I have been moderating the Forum from women who have vaginismus but live in another country where either the Doctors there have never heard of it or they have never heard of using Botox as a treatment option. If you are in this situation and reading this, please know that traveling to the United States and visiting Maze Women’s Sexual Health for the Botox treatment program is a great possibility. I have read so many posts from women who traveled from England, Ireland, Australia, and so many other countries to visit Dr. Pacik in NH and undergo the procedure. I wanted to share a few stories from international patients:

Specifically, Lou writes:

“So, by now you have seen posts from the other two lovely ladies that make up the ‘dilating divas’. I have been travelling but am finally able to sit down and share my experience with Dr Pacik and his phenomenal team. The three of us had our procedures in late September and I can’t even articulate the progress since then. In fact, the progress while we were all together, post-procedure, was nothing short of amazing. I can’t tell you how valuable it is to have a supportive group of women sharing the same experiences (and of course, the wonderful Dildo Dude who was just as comforting to us two single gals, as he was to his lovely wife). Sharing such personal thoughts, fears and hopes seems strange to discuss with strangers, but in that environment it is like having your own personal cheer squad. Don’t be afraid to talk to each other – you’re all in the same boat. It only enriches the experience because you learn from each other and it removes the isolation that makes Vaginismus really hurt. Procedure. I am 28 and this was my first time in a hospital, let alone having surgery. I was on the other side of the world (from my home in Australia), with no family or friends and I was nervous. As the nurse put my IV in she said “this is the most painful thing you’ll experience all day. I always say that and nobody believes me”. She was right. That little sting was the worst aspect of a day that turned out to be…dare I say it?…fun. That’s right! The three of us were tucked into soft, heated beds, wheeled into the surgery room, had a little sleep (under anaesthetic, of course) and woke up back in our snuggly beds with blue dilators in. Still groggy, I turned to the nurse and said “It’s not every day you wake up and your life has changed for the better”. Then the three of us compared pain levels, had some nurofen, ordered lunch, read magazines/books, dilated and chatted. Like a very strange but cathartic sleepover! I’m not trying to trivialise or sugarcoat the procedure because it very emotional for everyone involved. But I want to reassure any future patients that you couldn’t be in better hands. The entire team goes ABOVE AND BEYOND to make you as comfortable as possible. And we all know how rare that is. This is a group of people that genuinely care and understand the suffering of their patients. Dr Pacik is a pioneer and a humble, lovely man. Post-procedure. I was halfway through two months of travelling when I went to Manchester. The second half of my trip presented time challenges, but I have managed to dilate every day and have experienced no major setbacks or problems to date. I think this may be due to Dr Pacik’s advice that you need to “start small and dilate up”. I think this method has stopped me from trying to do too much too soon, and I’ve had steady, consistent progress as a result. Just to give some context, I had been aware of Vaginismus for 7 years (after successful but PAINFUL intercourse for the first two years of a 6-year relationship), but I really think I have always had it to some degree. Tampons were never possible – the prospect filled me with dread – and gynaeological exams have always been painful and stressful. Q-tips were even too big to insert. By contrast, I am now sleeping with the purple dilator in every night and I also use the pink and blue ones before bed. Sometimes I look at those glass cylinders and am just amazed that they fit in THERE. But it’s true what Dr Pacik said in his book, once you wake up from the procedure and the dilator is in, something just clicks. It’s the first time I felt like my body hadn’t failed me; it was doing what it’s designed for. And that is a feeling I want for all of you ladies! The Dilating Divas hailed from the US, Romania and Australia – we travelled far and wide to get this done. And I think I can safely say it is the best decision I have ever made!

Dilating Diva #2 xx”

I also wanted to share some information about visiting NYC on your trip.

Specifically, Rachel writes:

“When you come for your treatment you have to jump the train to New York, or even fly into New York before your treatment and spend 1 or 2 days there. We caught a broadway show-Billy Elliott which was amazing and did all of the tour buses and the empire state building. I did this before the treatment and found it took my mind off being nervous!! I was so over stimulated with everything in NY I didn’t have time to worry!!”

And, finally, I wanted to share a story from an international patient who was treated at Maze Women’s Sexual Health in New York.

Specifically, N, Age 29, writes:

“I got married in May 2010. I had a very interesting sexual relationship with my partner before getting married, but we never tried to have intercourse. During our honeymoon, we tried a lot of times to have intercourse, but failed terribly. Things deteriorated every time we got in bed as it started to feel like trying execute a mission which always fails, so we stopped trying so hard. After 6 months or so, I visited two gynecologists. One of them refereed me to a therapist who introduced me to the idea of dilation. We started with the smallest size which went fine, but then she gave me the bigger size which I could not dilate with. By this time she had identified me as a vaginismus patient. My husband started searching online for causes and treatments, and he found Maze Women’s Sexual Health and botulinum toxin. First it sounded scary, but at the time I had no other options. I was losing all my self-confidence and I felt like a freak that could not open her legs to anything, not even for a medical exam or even inserting a tampon! I went there for the first appointment, where I met with amazing doctors. They were very friendly and very professional and they identified me as a vaginismus patient as well, and offered me two kinds of solutions – one was continuous dilation and the other was the botulinum toxin treatment (which I originally called to ask about). They explained the procedure to me, and four months later I scheduled and had the surgery which went very smoothly. After the procedure I started dilating with larger sizes of dilators which I never imagined I would be able to do! The led to having successful intercourse. It took my husband and I a lot of research and courage to be able to do this since I live in a country where no one has ever even heard of botulinum toxin. I know it sounds like a cliché, but seriously, Maze Women’s Sexual Health changed my life. I am finally a normal woman and my relationship with my husband went back to magnificent again. Finally, I just want to thank all the Doctors at Maze, everyone I met has been a great help and they are all really comfortable people to talk with. I felt at ease the moment I stepped into Maze for my first appointment up to this moment. Special thanks to Melissa who has been supportive all the way and amazingly friendly.”