Daily Question (1/10/12) – Conquering Fears

[Heather34]

Hi Ladies. Dr. P posted an excellent blog today about dilators and resistance. He wrote “residual fear of being ripped apart and continued fear of penile penetration are common in patients overcoming vaginismus after treatment with the Botox program.” I think this is an excellent topic for a daily question – FEARS.

Immediately after my procedure, I remember wanting to dilate all of the time and being afraid that if I didn’t, then it suddenly would no longer work and I wouldn’t be able to. This was probably one of my biggest fears during the first few days post-procedure. To get over this, I told myself over and over again – “I was able to successfully dilate at Dr. P’s clinic … it fit once with no pain … it will fit again.” This worked wonders for me as I “knew” it would go in as it already had in the past.

Are there any residual fears that you may have following the procedure? What has helped you to overcome these fears?

[Dr. Pacik]

The fear of using dilators is perhaps one of the most common reasons women don’t think they can go through with the program. They need considerable reassurance and this is one of the major benefits of this Forum-to remove the unknown causing fear and replace this with reliable educational information. The fear of failing with dilators lingers after the treatment. Early on, it is all so strange but possible. Patience is important because with time it gets easier as the muscles are stretching and the Botox makes it impossible to go back into spasm. Even a few days of not dilating during menses is not a problem, one simply starts with a smaller dilator to get used to the dilation program once again. Now that the extreme fear and anxiety are abating, everything becomes easier.

[Heather34]

@ Dr. P, you wrote “one of the major benefits of this Forum-to remove the unknown causing fear and replace this with reliable educational information.” This is so true … the more we talk about it and read about it, the more we learn and fears subside.