Walking around with dilators in post-procedure

[Heather34]

Hi ladies. In a prior post, Becca wrote:

“Hi everyone, I have seen everyone mention that they slept (or even walked around) with dilators in. How is this even possible? How do they stay in?? I have been able to get some of my dilators in (very painful/uncomfortable, but I can do it) but I have to physically hold them in or they pop right back out. Is that because of my muscle spasms? I’m so confused. Anyways, I am just really wondering how that would work.”

This is a great question Becca. Right up until the point that I woke up from my procedure with the dilator inside of me, dilators freaked me out entirely. I tried for years to insert them to no avail and almost didn’t have this treatment because I was so afraid that I would fail with being able to use the dilators. No matter what anyone would’ve said to me about dilation prior (and they did try to assure me of its success), I didn’t believe it until I went through it. Post-procedure, I inserted the medium (purple) to largest (blue) pure romance dilators and was able to insert them without the resistance (hitting a wall feeling) that I had always had. Then, I always found that once in, they didn’t cause pain. In the beginning, the longer I left them in, I did experience a little discomfort but this was from my muscles stretching and so much activity in the area where there was none prior. On day 2 in the office, I dilated with purple for 30 minutes, pink for about the same, and then blue for 60 minutes. During this time, I talked to my roomie, another woman who also had vaginismus, who was going through the procedure, and this helped to distract us both and get us through. Then, once at home, I felt less and less of this discomfort and dilated daily for 2 hours with the largest (pink and blue) pure romance dilators and slept with the purple (medium sized) every other night. If I would’ve heard a patient say this to me pre-procedure, that I would be sleeping with dilators as well as even walking with them, I would’ve respectfully smiled and said, sure, while believing to myself that this was impossible. The walking thing took time to get used to. What helped the most was wearing very tight fitting panties, Spanx, and this helped to keep the dilator inside and it was impossible to pop out. With the pure romance dilators, I did feel that they rubbed against my thighs with walking and this was a bit uncomfortable. Many months later, I got the glass dilators and this did not happen at all. While it isn’t necessary at all now, I still use them to dilate prior to ob/gyn exams. I’ve worn them to work and left them in for hours with no discomfort. Again, in doing this, I used the tight fitting spanx and sat more on the right side of my butt then regular. But, walking was so much better with the glass dilators. You will see that this is all possible to do Becca, both sleeping as well as walking/sitting with the dilators in place. Please know that we are all here for you and I look forward to reading more of your posts! Sending huge hugs!!!!!

For the veterans, what was your experience with walking with the dilators in? Did anything help you to become more comfortable with this (i.e. tight-fitting panties, extra lube, etc.)? Did you notice a difference in walking with the pure romance v. glass dilators as well???

[salvarez91]

Hi Becca, I’m Stephanie. I got my procedure done February 7th, 2012. I remember dilating with the silicone dilators and how uncomfortable they were and how they would pinch on their way out! They were so annoying.. So I tried the glass dilators and immediately fell in love with them. The size was perfect enough were they wouldn’t stick out and so I was able to do everything I did on a daily basis while dilating with them! I would do chores, drive, shop 😀 .. I mean EVERYTHING. What really helped me was the right lube and the right panties 🙂 I LOVE the oil lube from Yes! It’s really good because while you apply it to the dilator, it doesn’t slide off like a water based one will and it’s less messy! Having the right lubrication ALWAYS made dilating easier and not so uncomfortable .. The more the merrier 😉 ! Also what helped the dilators from sliding out while walking were the gauzes I would get from rite aid .. I’m sure you could get them at any pharmacy store..They are as long as a pad but way thicker so there was no way for the dilator to slide out.. It was always kept in place.. Eventually when I became a pro (like you will also 😀 ) I just used a regular thin pad.. It would slide out very little, but I didn’t mind it .. I think your body just gets used to it that you don’t even notice it anymore !

If I missed anything or if you have any other questions I am more than happy to answer them! Be really patient and never give up. Always keep trying.. I know there are hard days when you feel like giving up .. But don’t !! It will all pay off .. Trust me 😀

[Vashalla]

I typically use cloth menstrual pads, like the ones you can get from http://www.gladrags.com or http://www.lunapads.com. They’re great because you can make them as thick as they need to be in order to keep the dilator in place, even if you don’t have tight underwear like spanx. Plus, they’re cloth, so it’s gentle on the skin, and they’re multipurpose since I also use them for my period. I personally use Gladrags, but I’m sure the Lunapads are just as good. I’ll usually put two of the gladrags inserts into one holder, and that works well to keep the dilator in. Then, I just wash them as their own load about once a week or so (depends on how many holders and inserts you have)