Botox Treatment for UK Patients

[Heather34]

Hi ladies. In a prior post, Annabel was inquiring about those patients who have traveled over from the UK to receive Dr. Pacik’s treatment. What have been your experiences? Flights? Hotels? Car Rentals? Any information that you can provide would be helpful and I can’t wait to hear from you. I’ve also posted general information from Dr. Pacik’s website about the Botox treatment for UK patients.

by Peter T. Pacik, MD FACS
Botox Treatment for Vaginismus for our UK Patients
We have a number of patients from the UK who have made the trip across to be treated for their vaginismus. It has been a joy working with each and everyone. They have made themselves available to counsel other women who have questions about the treatment of vaginismus with Botox.
Easy Trip from Great Britain
The flight from England to the US is fairly simple. We are about one hour north of Boston (Logan airport) an easy drive by car on Interstate 93 and 5 hours north of New York (Kennedy airport). If you fly into Boston you can take a bus to Manchester, NH from Logan or you can take transportation to downtown Boston (20 minutes) and from there continue to Manchester by car or bus. Car rentals in Boston may be less expensive than at the airport (no airport fees). Rush hour starts at about 4PM and by going into Boston after you arrive (easy city to get around, much of it by walking) you can enjoy the sights of the city and leave for Manchester in the evening after the rush hour. Sue is excellent at coordinating all of this. Often a car is not needed until the second day as explained below.
Flying into New York City (Kennedy Airport) is more difficult in that the drive to Manchester, New Hampshire is about 5 hours. A good alternative is to fly into Toronto, Canada where you can connect with a direct flight into Manchester, New Hampshire.
Many of our patients arrive from around the United States and Europe. We have negotiated rates with the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester, New Hampshire about 10-15 minutes from the airport. Please use my name Dr. Pacik when making reservations and ask for their special rates. They are located at 700 ELM Street, Manchester, New Hampshire, Phone Number 603-625-1000. For any problems, speak to Peter Palandri the reservations manager.
Do NOT sign up for the breakfast package ($184/night) which is considerably more. The discounted rate should be $104/night + 9% tax. For breakfast and other meals the nearby Red Arrow Diner is open 24 hours a day, serves excellent food at reasonable prices. When we have the primaries many of the famous politicians have plaques where they rested their derrieres.
The Radisson hotel has an indoor pool, fitness center, whirlpool and sauna. Their cafe is surrounded by glass and indoor gardens. The hotel has a bar and lounge, gift center and in addition offers free internet service. They will pick up and drop you off at the Manchester, New Hampshire airport and with advance notice will transport you to and from my office.
Often the first day of treatment is a day that you would normally go back to the hotel to rest. After a long journey, and an anesthetic, many of my patients are happy to rest for the afternoon of the first day.
Follow-up Care After Botox Treatment for Vaginismus
The following days (days 2 and 3) are mornings of working with the dilators under our supervision at the office. For the afternoon you can visit the famous Currier museum in Manchester and we have a number of trips that can be planned to tour beautiful New Hampshire and nearby Maine. Our mountains are about 1-2 hours to the north and the seacoast is only 30 minutes from the office. Tours through some of the old towns nearby capture some of the best scenery in this beautiful New England state. We will provide you with touring maps and suggestions. It is on this second day that a car rental would be worthwhile. Patients are asked to stay for 3 full days. An evening flight to England can be planned at the end of the third day. You can return your car in Manchester and take the bus directly to Logan airport (about one hour). The hotel will transport you to the nearby bus terminal (no charge).
For those who are able to extend their “treatment vacation” Canada is about 5 hours to the north and Vermont is about 3 hours to the west. Beautiful Acadia National Park in Acadia, Maine is about 5 hours to the north (city is Bar Harbor, Maine).
We will do everything possible to make your trip worthwhile. When you return home we hope that you will have fond memories of the trip, and that you will be on your way towards cure.

[Sara]

Hi Heather,

My name is Sara and I travelled from the UK – London to be specific. The whole trip was an amazing experience and I still look back and think ‘wow’.

We travelled from Heathrow airport to Toronto (had the choice to stop over in NY but we chose Toronto) and then had a from there to New Hampshire (the plane was tiny!!!!!).

Reached New Hampshire – very friendly people. Stayed at Clarion (the hotel reccomended by Dr Pacik and his team). While planning our trip we were tempted to look around for other hotels but I was actually very happy we decided to go with Clarion as the short distance to the surgery made things much easier after the treatment and the shuttle service was an added bonus!

We stayed in NH from Sunday to Thursday. Used the extra time to visit the Mall and local attraction. Very beautiful small town. After NH we then went on to visit Ottowa where we met friends 🙂 If you are able, I was happy we planned other things around the treatment which made the whole experience much nicer and also keeps you distracted while dialating 🙂

if any one is planning a trip from the UK and has any specific questions please let me know.

[Heather34]

@ Sara, thank you so much for your post. It’s so, so helpful for future patients traveling over from the UK! And, CONGRATS on completing the treatment program!!!

[Dr. Pacik]

Thanks Sara. This is all very helpful for others thinking about making the trip for treatment. For those in the UK, and anyone else travelling to Manchester, NH, the Clarion Hotel is now under renovation. We have created an excellent relationship with the Radisson Hotel which is also nearby.http://www.vaginismusmd.com/patient-info/during-your-stay/

[arose]

Hi there,

thanks Sara for your advice. I am also hoping to travel from the UK to have the treatment this summer (just sorting a few things out before I book). We are also considering making the most of the trip by planning in one or two extra visits…

What is Toronto like? (so far I have been considering NY).

Can anyone recommend any other places to visit whilst we’re over here? (We don’t get to travel abroad much, so whilst on a budget, we want to maximise out trip!) i.e. particularly stunning places?

Also, would you recommend fitting in other places before or after the treatment? I will be on school holidays, so won’t be going back to work immediately when we get back anyway.

Thanks!

[Lou]

Dr Pacik – have you been in contact with any of the uk medical professionals? I’d like to help other Uk women who are suffering but do not know where to start – who should i contact etc? is the Botox treatment known in the uk medical world?

[Dr. Pacik]

Botox injections for vaginismus are being done in London but I have a number of patients who have been treated this way and not helped. The injections are done without anesthesia and there is no post procedure care. The dose is very low. One patient was injected twice and failed both treatments. The above patients were all successfully treated when they visited with us.

I am in the process of publishing my data, but this takes time, not to mention the actual delay until articles are published. I have given many lectures and continuing ed. courses but still not reaching enough health care professionals. All we can do for now is to continue to post on the various forums so at least those that follow them become knowledgeable.

[rachel]

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!! We then caught the Amtrak train to Manchester, New Hampshire which is really well priced and takes around 2 hours I think. We saw amazing scenary of New England on the way through..well worth it. After the procedure we headed to the coast and drove all the way up to Portland stopping at the little places on the way through. There is so much to see, we actually hired a car from the machester airport and got to drive around everywhere from Manchester…don’t hire a car in New York though…way too busy and scary!! The petrol over here is really cheap to so you can travel for a good price. Downtown in Manchester there is lots of wonderful restaurants too and the portions are humungous and cheap. We enjoyed the whole experience so much that we are planning another visit to New York and then we will take the Amtrak train again..trip down memory lane…we treat this place as our honeymoon place now, rather than Spain where vaginismus destroyed our honeymoon.

[arose]

Hi Rachel,

thanks for this info!

We’re probably flying in to Boston, travelling to Manchester, then going on to New York. We’re trying to work out weather it would be better to hire a car from Boston and have it the entire time we’re in Manchester, or go from Boston to Manchester by bus, and go back from Manchester to New York again by public transport (Amtrak?) How much time do you have during the procedure to visit places? And is it worth getting a car just for this?

Sorry, this probably seems like such a minor detail, but any help we can get from others just takes the anxiety out of trying to make everything ‘right’!

How did you get on with the treatment? Is there anything else you’d recommend?

Thanks a lot,

[Heather34]

Hi Annabel. If you visit Boston for any amount of time, I also wanted to let you know about a private gondola tour along the Charles River. The hubby and I recently did this and it was such a romantic and memorable experience!!!
http://www.bostongondolas.com/
This romantic cruise along The Esplanade and onto The Charles River includes:
* A PRIVATE 50 minute cruise
* A live accordion player
* A basket of cheese & crackers
* Fresh strawberries
* Rich chocolates
At night, votive candles will be lit to create the perfect romantic ambiance. Couples, don’t forget, a kiss under any bridge brings good luck to all!

[arose]

Ah thanks Heather! We’ll be in Boston for a day… this kind of advice is great!

[rachel]

Hi Annabel and Heather,
Wow…the Gondula tour sounds amazing and I may have to put that on my list to do when I plan to return with my hubby for a romantic holiday!! So, Annabel you could do either a rental from Bosten or the bus. We took the bus and it only takes an hour to Manchester. However, our bus driver was a little strict and over the top with rules!lol I think as long as you are not intimidated by the roads in Boston then a rental would be better. If I remember rightly, I think once you get out of Boston the roads are pretty mellow and easy to drive…not 6 lanes or anything like that. Boston may be a little more tricky as it is a big city and there may be one way systems and it will be similar to moterway driving in the UK. I would take the Amtrak train from Boston into New York because you do not want to drive in NY..trust me..it is way worse than London!! The Amtrak goes through conneticut and New Hampshire and you will see cute New England houses, lakes and lots of trees. I loved every minute of the train ride. When we got to NY we just walked around the whole city and got a ticket for the tour bus which takes you everywhere you need to go. You can get 24 hour ones or 72 hour ones and you just get on and off as you please..it is awesome. If you get a car rental when you are in Manchester then you have the afternoons during your treatment time to head north and you can drive up the coast..we went to York and Merredith and we got all the way up to Portland and stopped and had a curry!

It was funny because I was able to go and explore even though I was waddling like a duck because of the dilators!lol However the wonderful thing is nobody knows you so you really don’t care! I just looked like I was walking with a bad back!lol It is a great experience and I have no regrets whatsoever in going into debt to get the treatment…it truly is an experience of a lifetime and a memory I will treasure forever. It was the start of a new beginning and it changed my life. The team are also wonderful from the Receptionist to the nurses and of course Dr Pacik himself. I remember to this day when I woke up after the procedure giggling to myself because of the medication, to this day I don’t know what I found to be so funny, but it proves to me that I was not distressed in any way which was one of my biggest fears. Before going for the procedure I was soooo nervous that I would be thinking up horror stories in my head about being injected with botox and I would burst in to tears with fear that it wasn’t going to work…but it did and now we are working on having a baby. Dr Pacik and his team were very patient with me even when I asked the same questions over and over again!! So please don’t worry about anything. I know you are coming a long way for this treatment but it is going to be fantastic. I found it helped take my mind off things to plan all the wonderful things I was going to experience whilst I was there like a broadway show, new york, visiting new england…having a new york hot dog and seeing the new york street dancers…horse drawn carriage ride through central park.

By the way, a word of advice regarding flights too. If you get a flight through Toronto or anywhere in Canada, be prepared to pay a whole lot more than if you head straight for the usa. Also if you fly into New York we found that it was way cheaper than flying via Toronto or straight to Manchester or Boston. However if you look at Thomas cook airlines (Air Transat) they are usually the cheapest flights if you come through toronto.

Well hope this helps!
Rachel

[Heather34]

Hi Annabel and Rachel! Annabel, Vegas is going to be soooooo much fun for you as well! I’ve been twice and it’s truly an unforgettable experience to go there. The whole trip sounds exciting!!! I definitely agree with you Rachel about taking the Amtrak from Boston to NY – you never want to try to drive in NYC. I tried once when we were adventurous and wanted to see the giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center – soooo scary – I remember a ton of yellow cabs flying by me at every turn. LOL. I also couldn’t agree with you more Rachel about the actual procedure. I remember being entirely freaked out prior and then waking up after and also being giggly and happy because of the medication and also the fact that it was over. Then, I remember just working with Dr. Pacik and the best staff in the world. They make you feel calm and at ease for the entire treatment program. Now, we too are working on having a baby which is so exciting and something we never even discussed prior to the treatment.

I’m glad you guys liked the gondola ride idea. It was super romantic and such a memorable night for us. We’ve also done the horse and carriage ride which goes right through the heart of Boston – very fun!!!

Faneuil Hall Horse and Carriage Ride http://www.eleganttouchcarriage.com/services.htm

Faneuil Hall in historic Boston, Massachusetts is our #1 pick for romantic places — and — the Elegant Touch Carriage Company’s exacting attention to detail and excellent service are sure to make your horse and carriage ride memorable for years to come.

The Elegant Touch Carriage Company offers carriage rides in and around the Faneuil Hall area, Old State House, Kings Chapel, Public Gardens, Newbury Street, Trinity Church, Copley Square, and the Theater District. These are all part of Boston’s famous Freedom Trail.

[Bessie]

Hi Annabel

The bus (Boston Express, I think), from Boston to Manchester is clean, comfortable and only about and hour, and very inexpensive, so I recommend it. We spent 4 days in Boston before the procedure and it is a stunning city. I would have liked to got to New York too, but time didn’t allow.

[arose]

Thanks Bessie!