Day 2 Post Procedure

[Nola218]

Well here I am, day 2 post procedure. Everything went fabulously and I feel I’ve already made huge progress. A couple questions though:

From any of your experiences, is the following normal?

1) When the dilator is in, I constantly feel like I need to empty my bladder, even if I JUST did!
2) My legs feel weak, kind of like Jello. I feel like any given moment they could give out from under me.
3) Sleeping is very difficult. I took Tylenol PM last night but kept waking up due to the soreness of having a dilator in, and I had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep in. I’m hoping this gets better!

Otherwise, everything is going great!

[Heather34]

Hi Nola. Huge Congrats on your recent procedure and wonderful progress!!!! In regards to your questions:

1) When the dilator is in, I constantly feel like I need to empty my bladder, even if I just did?

In a prior Forum post, the following exchange was written:

Patient 1 – Is it normal to have an urgency to have to pee while dilating? what causes that?

Patient 2 – This was normal for me. Your bladder is on top of your vagina’s opening and cervix so I would suspect that is why you get the urge. I always have to go after intercourse. You’ll get used to the feeling and it won’t feel so urgent.

Dr. Pacik – Sometimes when patients wake up (after the Botox treatment with a large dilator in place) there is a sense of urgency to pee even though the bladder is empty. Some also have frequency for a day or two. This is all related to pressure against the urethra and bladder and resolves quickly.

2) My legs feel weak, kind of like Jello. I feel like any given moment they could give out from under me?

I am not sure why you are feeling this and can only speak for what I experienced in the past. I was extremely and incredibly nervous pre-procedure. Despite this, I had the procedure and was very successful with the dilating and later transitioning to intercourse. Once I got home, however, I experienced a huge let-down period post-procedure and felt physically exhausted and run-down. I remember e-mailing Ellen and Dr. Pacik a day or so after my procedure with my concerns and they both helped me so, so much. I remember feeling a similar way in the past when I had tremendous anxiety prior to an exam. Immediately following this two-day test and once I returned home, I ended up getting the flu and it, again, was from the let-down of everything I had just gone through. You have been through a tremendous amount in such a short period of time and you are doing so, so wonderful. I would encourage you to e-mail Ellen or Dr. Pacik about this specific concern or anything at all post procedure as I remember they helped me so, so much after my own procedure in June.

3) Sleeping is very difficult. I took Tylenol PM last night but kept waking up due to the soreness of having a dilator in, and I had a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep in?

Sleeping with dilators can be difficult to become used to. In a prior blog, Dr. Pacik discusses sleeping with dilators: http://www.vaginismusmd.com/sleeping-with-dilators/

Also, several Forum members have discussed their experiences of sleeping with dilators and what worked or did not work for them:

Patient 1 – I usually sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs and this seems to help. Also, if i’m laying on my back I’ll usually put a pillow under me. I use LOTS of lube and wear tight underwear. Hope this helps!

Patient 2 – It has been a little over 5 months since my procedure and sleeping with dilators is now part of my bed routine. As Dr. Pacik indicates, using a good pair of fitting panties (i.e: Spanx) helps to keep the dilator in all night. I have the colored dilators and have been sleeping with Mr. Purple (Dilator #4 out of 6 sizes) ever since my procedure. Mrs. Pink (Dilator #5) enters only about 75% of its size and Mr. Blue (the biggest of them all) enters about 50% only. I have marked them both with bands (the kind you use for your hair to get into a ponytail) so I make sure I have reached the desired length when dilating. I hope this helps, happy dilating!!

Patient 3 – I didn’t care for sleeping with the dilators, however it wasn’t impossible. I did it for the first week or so sleeping with the purple dilator. It didn’t hurt at all just hard to get comfortable sometimes so I sat on the neck pillow. I decided sleeping with it in wasn’t for me and I sent Ellen an email asking for any other options. She told me to just extend my dilating in the morning on the nights I was suppose to sleep in it and that has worked wonders for me.

Dr. Pacik – I agree. Some patients simply struggle with sleeping with dilators, while others find it easy. It’s not the end of the world if this is discontinued and making up extra time during daily dilation. If discomfort returns, it is simply a sign that more dilation is needed (rather than more Botox). If discomfort does return it is never as severe as the original problem of vaginismus.

I hope this helps and look forward to reading more of your posts!!! :):):)

[Nakitalab]

Hi Nola. I am so happy that you had the procedure! I had my procedure last October and experienced the very same things that you have. For the first week or so I had a hard time sleeping at night due to being uncomfortable. I found that if I wore bike shorts and/or underwear with a pantyliner helped and I found sleeping on my side a pillow in between my knees helped. I too felt like I needed to empty my bladder while dilating and Dr. Pacik and others on the Forum assured me that it was a normal feeling. Lastly, I found that I was tensing up alot when I was dilating which in turn made my leg/thigh/butt muscles feel shaky and sore like I had been exercising. While dilating I found myself to tense up because I was so nervous and scared about dilating. But each time I would find myself tense I would breathe and talk myself into relaxing. In the beginning I was constantly tensing up while dilating but eventually dilating became second nature and I didn’t tense up. You are doing great and again I’m so happy that you had the procedure. Please don’t hesitate to share and ask questions as you take these wonderful healing steps!