Dilation schedule

[PinkCloud]

It seems that every surgeon recommends a different dilation schedule. I have visited plenty of websites and it ranges from 1 times a day to 5 or even 6 times a day. I wonder why there is so much discrepancy? does it depend on the surgeons technique? or is it just a bunch of random advise. In my country, the surgeon's dilation schedule is 2 times a day. We have 4 surgeons performing this technique. I don't know anyone who lost any depth by dilating just two times a day.

Then there is another piece of random advise. Dr. Chet says that you need to dilate at least 2 years on the full schedule. In my country, the surgeons advise 6-9 months full schedule before the vaginal lining is fully grown and attached to the wall. Again, is it because of different technique? or just random advise because no one is really sure about how it works? Just so confusing.

I wonder if there is any scientific data...

I dilate two times a day, but I will try 3 times since today. Ever since my surgery I did not notice any change in depth. It pretty much stays the same. So I really wonder about the need of dilating 5 times a day.

[mrs izzy]

Every doctor had there schedule for there patients.

One should just do what there surgeon advises.

That's how I did my schedule.

[suzifrommd]

Part of the discrepancy has to do with the different surgical techniques - penile, scrotal, or colon. For penile, there does seems to be a sort of agreed-upon schedule. The schedule I got from my surgeon seems to match those given by several other surgeons.

Though my surgeon suggested that once I've been doing it 1x/day for a while it's up to me whether I need to do it slightly less often.

[Monkeymel]

Every sports car needs to be serviced regularly. High end sports cars need regular revving to clean the engine heads... How many people actually do this?...

My 2 cents as a chet girl. If you want to avoid complications and maintain a good relationship with the surgeon then following their advice is recommended.  It means they can try to understand why certain things might be happening if you later have questions. E.g. Scar tissue tends to tighten around the 3-4 month mark - so doing minimal easy dilation might be fine for a while but then becomes painful. Is that because of scar tissue? Because swelling changed? Because of something else? They cant look inside you unless you live locally so they have to minimise their risks.

In reality, like any sports car driver you will soon learn how to listen to what your body / engine says is good. Especially once through the six months stage, when internal stitches are dissolving, when tissue changes are minimal, when muscles have adapted to their new configuration... Then it is your responsability to follow what works well for you, guided by what your surgeon has suggested.

[PinkCloud]

Well, I still have some wounds on the outer and inner labia. When dilating, I try not to touch them, but it is inevitable. I do think that dilating slows the healing of those wounds, but not much choice. At first it might seem daunting, but I got used to it on about day 19. Then it became somewhat routine.

I turn on Netflix, and just spend some time with the dilators. I currently dilate two times a day, 60 minutes, split over the afternoon and evening. I am up to dilator 4 already, which cannot go in completely, but at least I can maintain my 5 inch depth already without much effort.

I still can't fathom dilating 5 times a day. I tried 3 times, but it completely consumed my entire day. Much respect for those who manage five times. I simply can't. Too sore to maintain such schedule.

[suzifrommd]

I am scared of dilating. I'm heading to Dr Chet, too, but the idea of inserting (or shoving!! erkkk) a hard unyielding plastic form into my bruised and sore surgical site does not seem appealing at all. Help!

Don't know if this helps, since I had penile instead of scrotal, but it was really something of a miracle. The entire site was sore, raw, tender, and bruised, except the tissues around the opening. Somehow, my surgeon arranged things so that these were robust, and dilation was comfortable from the very start.

YMMV, of course, but just saying it doesn't always hurt.

[Jenna Marie]

I do wonder about the dilation schedules myself; it must be at least partly trial and error, particularly as my surgeon has *changed* his since I've been there. Even 4x daily (plus the rest of the aftercare) really DOES take up the whole day, though, it's true!

Hanazono : Yeah, don't be too scared. It wasn't exactly comfortable for me either, but even on day 1 it wasn't agonizingly painful - think more "exercising with sore muscles from the day before" than "inserting a hard unyielding plastic form into my bruised and sore surgical site." Of course, I had penile inversion as well, but I sincerely doubt it will be as bad as you're fearing.

[PinkCloud]

Today I dilated in my bathtub for the first time...  it went way easier than on dry land. 

I guess I feel more relaxed in water. Another great experience, I might start to like dilating now. 

[Jenna Marie]

Hanazono : I'm very active as well, and I admit, going from that to "immobile and injured" was definitely an unpleasant shock. I'd say I was only truly nearly immobile for a day, though, and was able to resume normal activities - albeit cautiously and in smaller amounts - by a couple weeks post-op.  The period where you're basically inactive and a patient should, hopefully, be fairly brief, even with the non-penile-inversion.

(It did take me more than a year to get back on my road bike, and that sucked.)