Dilation Fears

[Rachel Bellefountaine]

Been post op 23 days now and aftercare was going fine until I had complications with bleeding that started about a week ago, as a result of a bleeding disorder I have. Apparently my hemotologist was unaware that I was supposed to be putting something into my vagina 4 times a day and ended my meds 10 days after surgery when I probably should have stayed on the medication while healing.  I have since been given meds to help with clotting during dilations and iron pills to help me build up my red blood cell count over the next few weeks, and Dr. Brassard has prescribed that I only use my smallest dilator for now. However, I'm now scared ->-bleeped-<-less of dilating and concerned I've been doing it wrong. I'm worried I've been been putting too much pressure on my dilator, keeping the clots from staying closed but it also seems like when I'm more gentle I begin to lose depth. I started between the black dot (4th) and the 5th dot on my dilator and now I can't even get to the 1st without trouble If I work it in a bit I can get to a bit deeper but my dilator comes out with about an inch or two on the top and tip, which scares the bejeezus out of me, even though it looks like its clotting well now. I dunno. I'm trying to find the right balance but struggling With these fears. On one hand I don't want to damage my vagina but one the hand I don't want it to close up  because either because I wasnt putting enough pressure on. Could use some advice from people who have more experience in the matter.

[mrs izzy]

Can not address your complication on your medical issue.

As for dilation are you keeping a good angles as shown by nurses?

Use a lot, I mean a lot of lube. I lube mine 3X till I work it into full depth.

As we heal things get tight inside, and seems more as it passes the PC muscle. Steady pressure and use your gauge dots to judge depth. As long as you are not going past your blacked out dot you will be fine.

I know this is so stressful, not everything will work out with out issues, just keep up with your schedule of dilation a day and once ready to go back to size increase then start back up.

Do not skip and I would suggest you add time while using the #1. Once its in longer time will only benefit.

So relax, good angles, lube,lube and take your time and work to depth. Have you tried just twisting it right to left a little to help break the surface tension

Wish I had more to offer, I kinda worked on mine one day at a time. Made adjustments as needed but never missed a dilation time my first 7 months.

Izzy

[Jenna Marie]

I'm afraid I don't know anything about bleeding disorders, so I really can only talk about the general dilation stuff.

That said, Brassard's nurses said that if there were anything seriously wrong, it would *hurt,* 99% of the time. So while it's wise not to put too much pressure on, using the same amount of pressure you did at the beginning is probably safe in terms of damaging your vagina, by this point. Also, bear in mind that during the initial 4X daily dilation period, there is a LOT of lube left in there (yes, even with the douching) and blood mixed with lube or water can look like an awful lot more than it is. I panicked a couple of times and had them tell me that what looked like a ton of blood, like a maxi pad soaked through, was probably a teaspoon or two of actual blood and the rest was clear liquids that were already in there, now dyed bloody.

As for the bleeding/clotting issue, you probably have a sense of what it looks like when that's going wrong, after having (horribly) had to live through it? So if things look better than that, you can probably tentatively conclude that it's going OK.

[Flan]

I can only really recommend a pelvic exam by a gyno in case internal graft stitch went prematurely :/
If it's intravaginal bleeding some monsel's should do good at stopping it.

Other than that more lube (on stent tip and/or vaginal opening) and a saline (or iodine/hydrogen peroxide diluted with water) douche using a urinary catether (that hasn't been used for urine obviously) in case coagulated blood is adhering to the inside.

[Flygirl]

Im 9 weeks post op and although I dilate diligently 3 times a day now, the past 2 weeks ive noticed everything seems to be tightning up, to the extent ive sometimes struggled to get the smallest dilator in during my first session in the morning.
Its also caused some bleeding, which does seem quite extreme mixed with the lube, but in reality it is only a few drops of blood.

The key is to relax and be patient, and dont force things to the extent that you do damage. I have also experienced the anxiety of everything is closing up and understand your fear there, but the anxiety causes me to be tense and it then becomes more difficult to get the dilators in, which just has a snowball effect to the extent I give up and try again later when ive relaxed a little. Be diligent and do not stress too much about the bleeding. I understand that you have a medical concern regarding the bleeding, but also remember, most women bleed fairly heavily for a few days at a time each month, and they are just fine.

If you do have a serious concern though, I would second seeing a gynaecologist, just to have things checked out for your own peace of mind.
Good luck and I hope it resolves without further complication.

[Jenna Marie]

Flygirl : I went to my GP at 3 months post-op and he said that somewhere around 10-12 weeks is when scar tissue usually starts to firm up (for any operation, not just this one) and that it would be a good idea to very gently massage the internal scars for ~5 minutes twice a day. Basically, put a couple fingers maybe 1-2" inside, feeling for that "tightening" spot, and rub very lightly. It made a huge difference; I went from the same issues you describe, with being almost too tight to dilate and it hurt sometimes, to dilation being perfectly comfortable.