i have been struggling with tampons for 6 years now and yesterday i was able to insert my first tampon (10 days post procedure!!). i am much more comfortable with the sight of a blue dilator then the sight of a light tampon. for this reason, before using a tampon i dilated for about 10 minutes with the purple dilator. for me, this was a mental reassurance that i would have no problem with the size of a light tampon. i put a tiny bit of the surgical lube on the plastic applicator and it slid right in!!!!