[mshopgirl]

I am 27 years old and have been suffering from vaginismus for 3 years. It took almost that long to figure out what the issue really was; I have secondary vaginismus – I was able to use tampons and had intercourse for 1 year before the pain started. My husband and I have spent basically our entire year-and-a-half marriage without having intercourse, the last time being on our honeymoon. The pain was so severe and I had so much anxiety that we had just given up hope. After a few rounds with “specialists” and physical therapy, we were advised to read Dr. Pacik’s book “When Sex Seems Impossible” by our sex therapist. When I started having a severe regression from my physical therapy at the end of 2011, my husband and I contacted Dr. P’s office. Within a few weeks we had a Skype call with Dr. P and by early to mid January were setting up an appointment for a mid-February Botox procedure. I underwent the procedure on my 27th birthday. I have been very consistent with my dilators since returning home; I knew I needed to make it a priority in order to achieve the full effects of the Botox.

I am happy to say that 21 days post-procedure my husband and I achieved full penetration! Below is my email to Dr. P, Ellen and Sue sharing the great news:

We had full penetration tonight!! I don’t think it can actually be considered intercourse because we did nothing but insert, but it feels like it might as well have been. We were planning on just trying minimal penetration after I dilated with the blue, and then maybe trying my husband’s clone [we used the Clone-A-Willy]. I propped up my bum on a pillow because it seemed like that would be easier for me to control the insertion. I slowly inserted my husband’s tip and there was no pain! It was so crazy because I felt like there should be pain but there wasn’t. There wasn’t even any resistance really, not even once he got thru that ring that Ellen talked to me about (that I was having so much pain with when inserting the blue at the office) [this is what she talks about with the rubberband in the office and in the DVD]. Even though it was the first time we had tried minimal penetration, it felt right to keep going, and pretty soon my husband was all the way in! I even did a few kegels to see what that would feel like; it didn’t hurt at all. There was really no discomfort; I think I expected some since the blue dilator is so uncomfortable. I did have a bit of anxiety when my husband asked if he could do a man-kegel (move himself inside of me); I panicked a bit and had him slowly take himself out. We tried it again once I calmed down a few minutes later and it went right in, no problem! I think we’ll try penetration again without thrusting a few more times before we try any movements. 🙂

I told my husband this as soon as he was in all the way and I thought I would share: I knew that the Botox would help but I really didn’t think it would work. I think I was just in pain for so long that part of me really didn’t think I could ever have sex again without pain.

I don’t know how I will ever thank Dr. P, Ellen and the entire team!

[mshopgirl]

This is a copy of a post I created elsewhere.

Dr. Pacik has asked me to start a discussion about the glass dilators that are now available to patients. I know that the use of glass dilators is very new in terms of the use in Dr. P’s office, but apparently glass dilators have been used for years to help treat vaginismus (thanks for the bit of history Dr. P!). At first, I was really, really nervous about the idea of using glass to dilate, but after using them for almost 2 weeks, I feel like they are the best fit for me.

I am currently 13 days post procedure (the big day was February 14) and have been exclusively dilating with the glass dilators. Dr. P used the silicone dilators during my procedure and I woke up with the Big Blue inserted. I used the silicone purple, pink and blue to dilate right after my procedure, but I was very uncomfortable with the length of the silicone (especially the pink and blue). Dr. P had a few glass dilators in the purple size at the office and suggested that I try one at the hotel that evening to see how it worked for me. I was very uncomfortable (sharp pains) the remainder of the day and night of the procedure and switched between the purple silicone and its glass counterpart. The following morning, I arrived at the office with the glass dilator (purple) as I found it was more comfortable to sit. On day 2 (the day following the procedure) I used only glass dilators during my dilation sessions at the office. Dr. P happened to have a few full sets of glass dilators (purple, pink and blue) available for purchase ($160 for the set, I believe), and my husband and I immediately jumped on the chance to allow me to dilate with glass.

Like I stated above, I really believe that the glass dilators are the best fit for me, but they may not be right for everyone. Ideally I think anyone who is close enough to Dr. P’s office or is going to have the procedure in the future should try dilating with glass, even for just a bit, to see how it feels for them. For me, the two things that make glass good for me is that (1) they are a few inches shorter than the silicone (they don’t stick out at all once they are inserted, at least for me) and have a base that is ergonomic on the bottom to fit well into the vag opening (thanks Ellen!), and (2) the glass is slippery so insertion and removal is much easier (I found that the silicone dilators, at least for me, tended to stick to my skin when inserting and removing).

The glass dilators, like the silicone ones, are non-porous so there is no risk for TSS. I have been using Slippery Stuff lube which Ellen talks about in the DVD (you will get it post-procedure); we purchased it from Amazon. I wash the glass with mild soap and water after each use and then let them air dry (I am looking for some kind of drying rack as the glass dilators are hollow on the inside).

My complaints about the glass dilators are limited, but there are a few: (1) the dilators, since they are hollow, tend to hold water inside that takes a while to dry (I am dilating enough that there isn’t time for it to dry between sessions) and it makes my underwear a little damp after wearing a dilator, and (2) the dilators are slippery enough that some times they slide out really fast if there is nothing there to hold it in place (underwear or shorts). As for the first complaint, I think a better drying method would help (like drying rack or something). I have briefly considered a hair dryer, but the glass tends to get warm and I would be afraid of burning myself. I also live in Seattle where the air is damp, so that might also contribute. As for the second complaint, I just have learned that as soon as I am ready to remove the dilator, I have to have a hand in place to catch the dilator as soon as my underwear come down.

The only other thing I had an issue with, in terms of the glass dilators, was that the first night I slept with the glass in (the night of the procedure), I found it a bit painful to remove in the morning; the glass seemed to be sticking to my skin (much like my experience with the silicone). I found that slowly turning the dilator as I was slowly removing it really helped. I think that there were a lot of factors in play at this time – 24 hours post-procedure, local anesthetic had just worn off, still using lube with lidocaine – and I haven’t had the issue since. I also think using the Slippery Stuff lube helps; I have found insertion and removal much more bearable since I started using Slippery Stuff, I really can’t say enough about it!

Sorry for the novel, but I hope it helps!

[Author]

Posts