Contacting the Office Once and then Twice…

[Heather34]

Hi ladies. I initially contacted Dr. Pacik’s office for the very first time in 2009 after reading about the program on a yahoo Forum. Thereafter, I completed the Forms but never went ahead with treatment. I fell back into a depressed state and worked even longer hours than I previously had. I just assumed that with time, the condition would somehow fix itself. I remember always thinking that my husband and I would be able to make love on our trips and this would be the time it would miraculously work, only to be so incredibly disappointed each time. Fast fwd to 2011, and I, once again, saw a post on this yahoo Forum about a study that Dr. Pacik was conducting and I contacted the office for a second time. At this point, my husband and I decided to just go for it and had the procedure in June 2011. Thereafter, we were able to make love for the first time in our marriage within 7 days! Thank GOD we took this important step and decided to go ahead with it rather than me continuing to avoid it and thinking it would somehow go away on its own. Now, I enjoy spreading the word about Dr. Pacik and this program on other yahoo forums and in other avenues as there may be a woman out there just like I was that, too, could be cured from this condition with the Botox treatment program. For anyone who has contacted the office but has not proceeded with the treatment, I would encourage you to contact the office again. We did and it was one of the best decisions of our lives. Did you contact the office twice or even three times? What advice do you have for others reading this right now?

[candi]

Thanks for the good advice. Congratulations to you as well, that is good to hear!

[Heather34]

Thank you so much Candi. It was one of the best decisions that my hubby and I ever made (twice). LOL. Hope you have a wonderful long-weekend ahead!!!! :):):)

[lotus1000]

Heather, I had a bit of a different experience. After being married for 8 years, I called the office and was prepared to get the procedure done asap! However, I expected them to say that the entire pre-procedural process and waiting period would take 6 months to a year…imagine my surprise when I was able to schedule my procedure less than 2 months later! It has now been approx 7 months since my procedure and it was EASILY THE SINGLE BEST DECISION I HAVE EVER MADE. I suspect that fear and avoidance are natural (and from what I read, perhaps even common?) amongst women with vaginismus, but mustering all the strength I could to just move forward was worth every bit of it.

[Dr. Pacik]

I have a number of patients who have contacted me multiple times over a three or more year period. There are a number of reasons for delays, including financial and fear. Some women return the questionnaire immediately, others procrastinate, again for a variety of reasons. My feeling is that none of this is important, what is important is to finally make the decision. Now that Diane is doing such a good job advocating to the insurance companies, the financial challenge is lessened. Yet so many of the other reasons still need to be overcome. This Forum is magic to so many in that advice is just a post away. This is an important thread. What are some of the personal reasons you needed to delay treatment? You will find you are not alone.

[Heather34]

This is an important post Dr. P. I also remember initially delaying treatment due to a fear of side-effects from the Botox itself. A clinician who did not understand the treatment nor take the time to research it thoroughly instead suggested that Botox would cause life-long bowel incontinence and that I do pelvic floor PT instead. I tried doing this and failed as I was not able to insert anything at all, even a q-tip without the fear/resistance/burning/hitting a wall feeling. I realized that the clinician’s suggestion and my fears of Botox side effects were unfounded as I had the Botox procedure in June of 2011 and developed absolutely ZERO side effects post-procedure. There is an excellent Blog as well as Forum posts all written concerning the safety of Botox:

http://www.vaginismusmd.com/vaginismus-md-forum/?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=115

http://www.vaginismusmd.com/vaginismus-md-forum/?mingleforumaction=viewtopic&t=186

If there was a break between your initial contact with Dr. Pacik’s office and the scheduling of your procedure, what reasons caused the delay? How did you overcome any obstacles, fears, etc. leading to your procedure?

[Becca]

This is perfect timing for me to read this post. My husband and I first found out about this in October and we filled out all the forms right away, but have been trying to get the finances figured out. Finally, we now have all the finances figured out and I am terrified to schedule it. :-/ I WILL schedule it (just need to talk to my bosses and figure out time off first) but I am so paranoid that it IS all in my head. You start to believe it when that’s what everyone tells you. 🙁 I KNOW that it’s not, I know it’s real, but I am so worried and afraid that this won’t fix me, I’m really worried that my anxiety over all of this is just so bad that we won’t be able to overcome it. So fear. FEAR, fear, fear and more fear.

[Heather34]

Hi Becca. I felt so many of the same feelings that you describe prior to my own procedure. I delayed treatment for 2 years because I, too, was told by so many doctors that it was all in my head and I believed that it would somehow fix itself. I even went away on vacations with my hubby and thought that it would work because we were away together in a nice hotel room and if I willed it hard enough, this time would be different. It never was. It’s just so hard to hear that it is all in your head from so many doctors and clinicians. I, too, had to go through this and hear it from many different ones. Fast fwd to now and I wish so much I could have the courage to teach a course to them and show them the evidence that vaginismus has both psychological as well as physical components that, together, prevent intercourse. I also felt the fear that you describe that this procedure would not work and I would fail with the dilators. They scared me so bad to be honest with you as I had never successfully inserted even a q-tip. I couldn’t have been more wrong and once I woke up with the dilator in place, I was in so much shock and so elated that I wasn’t broken and something was inside of me for the first time and was not hurting. It felt a little weird but did not hurt at all. Thereafter, because of the Botox, the resistance that both my husband and I always felt when we tried to insert anything (i.e. dilators, finger, penis) was gone which allowed us to insert without the “hitting a wall” feeling. It was amazing to witness how I felt physically post-procedure but also how I felt mentally as well. I had added confidence and felt like a huge weight was lifted and I was so very happy as was my hubby. You have found an absolutely amazing doctor with Dr. Pacik as well as his staff. They all care so much about you as a person and so importantly, they understand what each of us along with our partners goes through with this condition. I KNOW you will be able to overcome and want you to know that we are all here to support you. Sending hugs. :):):)