Dilation schedules have reached mythical status.

We always hear, follow your surgeons advise on the dilation schedule or risk dire consequences. While this is good advise as it puts the responsibility squarely on the surgeon, how much dilation do you believe you really needed? And did you ever cheat?

So much attention is given to this strict schedule that I think it can cause anxiety to girls whose dates are approaching and is possibly a deterrant to those unsure if they can complete this as ordered.

Is it possible the schedules are constructed conservatively for liability purposes?

Im not advocating not following your schedule. Rather try not to be anxious about it. Many thousands of us who have been through it turned out just fine.

I followed my schedule regularly for the first 3 months, but after that i was very flexible, skipping days here and there and turned out fine. Now i skip a week at a time and its not a problem. I imagine others at this stage or longer will say the same.

Dilate yes, but it doesnt mean that it will take over your life forever.

God bless Dr. McGinn I love her, but her schedule of 5 times a day for the first 8 weeks was really rough!  My poor vagina constantly felt like it was beat up and bruised.  Actually it was probably trying to force the larger dilators rather than the frequency of dilation that caused the problem- there was a time at about 4 months when I tightened up so much I could only use #1 and #2, and it caused me great distress because I was sure I'd lost them forever.  However, I talked to Dr. McGinn and she said just continue using the smaller ones so as to not lose depth.  I continued 3 times a day with the two smaller ones for at least 2 months past the 6 month date when I was supposed to have been able to drop to once a day, and that paid off in that after that time I was able again to move back up to #3, and eventually back to #4 as well.  In all that time I never lost any depth, thankfully.

Now at 14 months post I have regular sex but also still try to dilate at least once a week as well, or twice if the organic one hasn't left me too sore lol I must admit though that the #4 still leaves me feeling a bit beat up too, simply because it's like dilating with a brick- but then the nice, more pliable one with the life support system attached has me totally spoiled. 

Quote from: Valeriedances on August 17, 2011, 03:33:42 PM
Is it possible the schedules are constructed conservatively for liability purposes?

I believe so!  but then again, nearly every US physician has adopted what I call a "defensive medicine" philosophy....."lets do this in case of litigation" type of thing which may not even be required.  My post op dilation schedule is 2x/day and eventually down to once per day.  Also in my instructions are "in the event of non-regular intercourse, periodically dilate"......again, as you said every surgeon has their own dilation regimen but I dont think we'll ever know exactly what the minimum is for optimum results.

I am a Mcginn girl just over 3 months post-op, yes the 5x a day for 30 minutes the first 8 weeks did take over my life, now at 3x a day it is more manageable, yes i have cheated and have done  2x a day two days in a row because i was not in a place to dilate, there were no noticeable ill effects other than insertion taking longer, same with dilation time, she recommends 30 minutes, i did that religiously the first eight weeks, now i usually do 25-30 minutes.

I do not think there is a firm answer to how much dilation you really need, everyone is different, what works for me at any given point in time may not work for you and what works for you may not work for me.

Paula

Dr. Leis - May 31st 2011. Dilation begun upon removal of packing (ugh!) one week later. Schedule has been: Four times a day for three weeks, three times for three weeks, two times for three weeks, once daily for three weeks (one week left on this schedule), then once or twice a week until forever. I'm going to go for twice a week for three weeks then see if once weekly works. Follow-up exam on September 21.

Set of five dilators: #1, #2 & #3 no problem except it's a bit disconcerting to have one suddenly on insertion slip in a quick two or three inches when it gets past the entrance (you hope it stops short of the lung cavity!); #4 is sometimes a little hard to get in; #5 - not a chance - it stays in the drawer! The only time I missed a session was the day I flew home - missed two. After that, at the end of each three week group I felt like another major step had been reached. One week to go - perhaps Champagne is in order! My feeling is that if something isn't healing right, at least I have done my part in following the schedule. Also, for most of us, our surgeon is far away - drop-in checkups aren't feasible, so of course dilation schedules may be tilted to the excessive side.

For girls facing surgery, remember: Your dilator set is your friend. Don't fear it. You absolutely need it, regardless of what schedule you get put on. This too shall pass, and after all, compared with the things you have faced to get this far and will face afterward, dilation is very minor. She says, looking back on it! 

Susan Kay

Can you ever just quit dilating forever? There has to be a time where it's gonna stop trying to close up. >.>

The consensus I've seen and heard is that if no ocassional dilation occurs, the chances are that the vagina will start closing up. As for me, I'm not laying out that kind of money to just lose it due to neglect. Of course, dilation using a human dilator (advantage - not nearly so hard, owner's ego regardless) serves the same purpose. Also you may get dinner and drinks!   

I guess you can let more time pass between dilations and increase them if it seems shrinkage is occuring. I suggest asking your surgeon.

Susan Kay

Hi Babz, and welcome.

In the scheme of this process, dilation is just a step (repeated over and over) on the way to completion. I suggest getting a hand mirror and little flashlight. Not that you need to stay up nights admiring the new equipment, though I've indulged my ego that way too, but you do need to inspect your new self and the healing. I do warn you, it's one God-Awful looking mess for several weeks. Part of the problem with dilation is that it irrates the healing tissues. By the time you are down to once a day, that will change.

You are paying a lot of money for that new equipment - enjoy having it. And keep us informed as you move into this glorious stage of your life.

Susan Kay

PS - By-the-way, congratulations on the weight loss. That is a battle. I'm not there yet, but getting there.

Quote from: ~RoadToTrista~ on August 23, 2011, 04:19:52 PM
Can you ever just quit dilating forever? There has to be a time where it's gonna stop trying to close up. >.>

I have posted on this previously...I make no bones about the fact that I quit dilating about a decade or so ago (closer to 13 years ago).  But heterosexual intercourse was never on my schedule, so loss of some components of vaginal size were not a factor for me.  I can still easily get enough digital penetration to be satisfied and to get my partner in the mood to work for the both of us...is it what Pierre would have recommended?  hell no.  But it works for me, and it works for the partners I have had...and that means that the answer to the question is that yes, there does come a point where I could quit forever, at least as far as hard plastic items was concerned. 

I'll stick to the recomended schedule to start with and then I'll start listening to my body...if dilation becomes difficult i'll do more...if it's easy I'll do less.

I stuck to the schedule religiously for about two months. By the time month 3 rolled around I started relaxing a bit. I know, I know, spent a lot of money to get this parts, etc, etc.... but I haven't lost depth yet. As long as I'm hitting my marks I figure a missed session here or there isn't going to break the bank.

Besides, how in the world can you get through life while having to retreat to the bedroom every few hours? It's crazy! Doably crazy for a few months, sure, but it does get real tiring real fast.

Here a note from a Suporn girl, i was told to dilate 3 times a  day for the first 3 months.. However I have cheated many times and like valerie explained i experienced that my body would tell me the need to dilate. The only time i dilated the recommended 3 per day was the before the long journey home.When in Chonburi i figured 2 times per day was enough for me (the rest of the day i was eating kfc, mcdonalds and hotel food to prevent anymore weight loss Lol ) back home I dilated once per day for the first couple of days then restored to 2 per day for some 3 weeks and before the 2 month  mark i reduced to once per day, which i still maintain to this date (now 3 months post-op)...and everything goes fine without loss of depth ..so i'm very happy! The keyword was relaxation..as long as i was relaxed  everything seems to go relatively easy even with the largest dilator.

Marci girl here. We had to dilate 3x/day for 3 months, then 2x/day for 3 months, and I'm amlost to the point of 1x/day.

I was pretty good...I stuck to the schedule for the most part....only skipping one here or there but very rarely.

When I did skip, I usually didn't notice a big difference or anything so it felt pretty safe.

That aside, I have off and on stopped using the #4 dilator and regretted it every time i went back to using it.....so I never skip it anymore....

Funny, I never had a dilation scheme.
I had my srs 27 years ago.
At that time, I had a sort of glass  dilator leaved behind into the vagina.
In that round solid glass was a slot for fluid disposal.
I had to include it for one year, two times a day I could take it out, just to clean and in again.
After one year I could let it out for 2 hours , one month later three hours, etc.
I thought it was a good method, the dilator was behind the muscle ring in the vagina, so you could just work after the recovery period.
After a certain time, skin becomes mucous, so not too much problems with lubricating.
Even after all these years I have lost no depth.
it was a bit uncomfortable sitting in the beginning but, hey...everything has a price.

Annette

Annette,
makes me wonder why they do not do those dilators anymore?

It's a bit when you get new earring holes. Best to leave the stud in, not to pull and push it in and out 5 times a day, or?

Axelle

Hi Axelle

I don't know why it's changed, I think the new method is better.
I'm from the old days and medical science is making progress every time, but for me, it worked pretty good.
But, like I said, it was hard to sit and it was a bit painfull.
Maybe it's less painfull now with the same results, at least I hope so.

Love
Annette

Hi!

Does any of your surgeons recommended to start dilation only after they think the wounds are totally healed? At least this is the protocol here in Finland... I've been questioning my surgeon and nurses all the time about how should i do, etc and specially the surgeon says they want us to get to know our new anatomy 1st, so lets play with fingers!    Also, according to her, flap techniques don't need that much dilation compared to grafts (which is actually true, I've been checking some scientific articles  ), so she says it can wait a month or so after surgery to start dilating. She prefers the wounds to be all healed rather than damaging something inside with the dilator. So far I have absolutely no instructions on how many times I should dilate/day or whatsoever, only the hygienic instructions on how to clean. (I'm 3 weeks post op now)

On my last day at the hospital I asked the nurse to teach hoe to dilate properly, showing a dilator kit I got from a friend - and she refused to teach saying it was too early for me... I found it kinda rude! 

This whole thing worried me cause it goes in a completely opposite direction of what we read about in forums, surgeons sites, etc...

Quote from: missF on September 14, 2011, 05:16:05 PM
Hi!

Does any of your surgeons recommended to start dilation only after they think the wounds are totally healed? At least this is the protocol here in Finland... I've been questioning my surgeon and nurses all the time about how should i do, etc and specially the surgeon says they want us to get to know our new anatomy 1st, so lets play with fingers!    Also, according to her, flap techniques don't need that much dilation compared to grafts (which is actually true, I've been checking some scientific articles  ), so she says it can wait a month or so after surgery to start dilating. She prefers the wounds to be all healed rather than damaging something inside with the dilator. So far I have absolutely no instructions on how many times I should dilate/day or whatsoever, only the hygienic instructions on how to clean. (I'm 3 weeks post op now)

On my last day at the hospital I asked the nurse to teach hoe to dilate properly, showing a dilator kit I got from a friend - and she refused to teach saying it was too early for me... I found it kinda rude! 

This whole thing worried me cause it goes in a completely opposite direction of what we read about in forums, surgeons sites, etc...

My surgeon had me start dilating not even a week after the surgery. It was expressed that the first few months were most important to keep up on dilation schedule....as things heal.

Quote from: Debra on September 15, 2011, 09:15:05 AM
My surgeon had me start dilating not even a week after the surgery. It was expressed that the first few months were most important to keep up on dilation schedule....as things heal.

That's why I'm worried. Apparently here is the only place where surgical techniques are so advanced that dilation is not really very important [/sarcasm] 

Dr. Leis removed the packing one week after surgery (now that was fun!) and said to start the dilation schedule right then and there:  4 times a day for 3 weeks, 3 times for 3, 2 times for 3, 1 time a day for 3, then once or twice a week forever. I assume if you wait for the vagina to heal, it might well heal right back together. I don't want to take that chance, or I should say I didn't want to take that chance, so I didn't. Forget the instant gratification - let it heal. (does that qualify for one of my double-entendres?)

Susan Kay