Dilation in the first 1-2 months

[mystique]

Heya, I'm planning to have my SRS with Dr Brassard the end of this year or during next year, problem is I will be attending classes at university, it's also my last term so I don't want to delay or screw up and not be able to graduate on time... Ideally I want it right after my winter semester finals, so I'll have 3 weeks to rest without taking time off... I've seen the dilation schedule of the a girl that had it recently... I can do the morning and the night one at home, but in between, I'll be at the campus, I'm wondering if doing the dilation at the campus toilet (especially handicapped ones) is feasible at all :/ I can't think of any other alternatives 

[Cindy]

Not sure 3 weeks is enough to even begin to recover to be honest. I know some girls have managed to get back to work after 4 but it must have been tough. My surgeon said 6 weeks before you think about return to work.

[Rejennyrated]

In a word no - thats just not practical - you will need about 6 weeks minimum before you start trying to do that and dilation needs to be done in a private and CLEAN environment absolutely NOT lying on the floor in a toilet! That could actually be dangerous to your health!!! I'm not joking - you have an open wound. Dilation is very important indeed, but it also has to be done in a suitable place.

The solution to that is to engage the healthcare/ welfare people at your uni and ask for access to the campus first aid treatment room - which they will have somewhere.

In terms of going back to study it will depend on how strenuous your course is, if its just lectures then you may get through it, but you are going to be tired. If there is a substantial amount of "work" to do I think you'll really struggle.

[Dena]

For the dilator to go in correctly you need to be flat on your back with legs in line with the body. Even now I may start the dilator with my legs in the air but after that I flatten out.

I returned to work 4 days out of the hospital and it was the biggest mistake I ever made. I needed 10-11 hours of sleep a day and so my life was work, eat, sleep and dilate. I hear modern surgery isn't as bad but you still want to make sure you have the needed recovery time. After about a month of this I got canned so I had plenty of time to recover.

[Jenna Marie]

First of all, dilation for the first month is 4x a day... and doing it in a bathroom is NOT recommended. I've heard of women flexible enough to pull it off (though personally I can't imagine how, I couldn't do it), but it's not a hygienic or sterile environment at all, and you'd risk an infection in the early post-op period. Brassard even banned pets from the bedroom and having a fan blow on the surgical site for the first couple months, and I cant imagine a public bathroom would be cleaner than that.

With that said, I did go back to work at precisely 4 weeks post-op and was fine, though I wished I'd taken another week. Energy-wise you should be OK, but you may need to see if you can find an unused conference room or something - and bring a clean pad to lie on.

Dena, personally, I need to have my knees up and apart. That position seems to open up the vaginal canal the most (for cis women as well, or so the sex guides say).

[mystique]

In a word no - thats just not practical - you will need about 6 weeks minimum before you start trying to do that and dilation needs to be done in a private and CLEAN environment absolutely NOT lying on the floor in a toilet! That could actually be dangerous to your health!!! I'm not joking - you have an open wound. Dilation is very important indeed, but it also has to be done in a suitable place.

The solution to that is to engage the healthcare/ welfare people at your uni and ask for access to the campus first aid treatment room - which they will have somewhere.

In terms of going back to study it will depend on how strenuous your course is, if its just lectures then you may get through it, but you are going to be tired. If there is a substantial amount of "work" to do I think you'll really struggle.

Thanks for the suggestion! We have a clinic at our campus, I'll ask if I can use one of the empty rooms for that

[OCAnne]

Hello, speaking from recent experience here.  I attempted to visit office 12 days after SRS.  A very bad idea.  I was assigned a remote production at 3 weeks.  Once again another bad idea.  My return date at 4 weeks was extremely painful and required others helping me get through the assignment.

It has taken 47 days to sit in a chair without obvious discomfort.  The more you walk, stand or sit (wrong) the longer the healing process appears to take. My pubic area is still prone to swelling if I exceed my rather conservative limit.  I wish 6 weeks rest would have been an option.  Not sure 'YMMV' much from a 4-6 weeks recovery period.

I am getting away with dilation twice a day.  In the morning and afternoon/evening.

Thank you,
Anne