Vaginal dilation after GRS?

[Guest Kurohana]

Hey

Just had my GRS/SRS 11 days ago, and they're removing the urinary catheter and the whole packing today..

So I've got a question about dilation...

Since my hospital won't be providing me with a set of dilators, I was wondering where I could get them, and what exactly I should get..

1) Would something like this do? http://www.blushingbuyer.co.uk/product/276/amvagdil/amielle-comfort-vaginal-dilators.html

I'm not sure about the diameters..

I also found some that were specially made for SRS/GRS, but they were all extremely expensive, and I don't want to spend too much money..

2) How often will I have to dilate, every day, every second day, every week? Also, how long will I have to leave the dilator in during each session?

Can someone also help me out here?

I already asked my surgeons about it, but they said I just just use any dildo from any sex shop... But honestly, I don't want to have to use a phallus-shaped dildo since that would be a major gross-out for me..

Okay, thanks for your help in advance, you'd really be helping me out since I'm pretty lost lol...

[Drea]

I would normally say ask your surgeon. I am a bit dumbfounded that your surgeon doesn't have any specific recomendations in terms of frequency or many of the other questions your asking.

I know this isn't relevent to you since you are now in the situation, but this is something to get sorted out before surgery. The most important time for dilating is right after surgery. If packing is comming out today and you are looking right now for dialator I imagine it will take at least a day or two to get something unless you have something to use already. A few days delay in dialating can set you back as far as maintaining depth.

Usually right after surgery, dialation recomendations I have heard vary from 2 to 5 times per day. Most are at least 3 times per day, but I did hear one who said only twice. Over the next weeks and months this will drop down to to once a day and eventually once a week. You can expect that the first 6 to 8 weeks will be multiple times a day.

The specific durations vary by surgeon. Using a smaller one for the first 5 or 10 minutes and a larger one for the balance is not uncommon. Typical durations vary from 15 minutes total to 40 minutes. There are also other specifics as to how much lubricant, direction of insertion and how much pressure to use. I hope your doctor can provide some direction there as doing so improperly can greatly increase the risk of fistula or other complications.

As to the dialators themselves, the ones you provided a link don't look like they would be very suitable unless your surgeon hasn't provided much depth. A typical depth would be on the order of 12cm to 14cm (5 inches) so only the two largest one would be long enough and even then one would be marginal. The problem with just the two longest is that the diamater may be too much for you initally.

As for just any dildo, clearly there are some diameters which will be too big. Ones with lots of bumps or other irregular protrusions would be undesirable in the early days after surgery. You also have to watch out for the material. Post surgical dialators will be made from a non-porus material that will not allow bacteria to reside in the surface so they can cleaned/disinfected between uses.

Hopefully your doctor provides more informaton. I leiu of that you might want to look at other surgeons for their post surgical instructions. What other surgeons recommend as far as dialators may be a good guide.

[Paula ult]

As Drea said i can not believe the surgeon did not tell you before surgery that you would need to order dilators, long before surgery i was given a packet of information which included a dilation manual with directions on how to dilate and frequency, my surgeon gave me #'s 1 and 2 when the packing and catheter were removed and she used #1 to show me how to dilate and then had me do it while she watched to make sure i was doing it the right way, the dilators i was given are from soul source, the web address is below.

http://www.soulsourceenterprises.com

Dilating is very important in the beginning to maintain depth and keep the neo vagina from closing, my schedule was brutal, 5x a day for 30 minutes, i did this for the first 2 months, now i dilate 3x a day, the hospital usually does not supply the dilators, usually the doctor does, since he does not supply them you better order them and get them overnight delivered.

Paula

[Guest kelise]

This blows my mind! You should definitely already have your medical grade dilators at hand, as you should be dilating at least three times a day starting when your packing is removed. As Drea mentioned it's vital to have medical grade ones that do not support bacterial growth. Sex toys are not good at this. In fact, once I was healed it took two tries to find a "toyfriend" that was small enough to work for me. Dilators are designed to gradually increase our size over a period of time.

Who is your surgeon if you don't mind me asking?

[Guest Leah1026]

Hey

Just had my GRS/SRS 11 days ago, and they're removing the urinary catheter and the whole packing today..

So I've got a question about dilation...

Since my hospital won't be providing me with a set of dilators, I was wondering where I could get them, and what exactly I should get..

1) Would something like this do? http://www.blushingb...l-dilators.html

I'm not sure about the diameters..

I also found some that were specially made for SRS/GRS, but they were all extremely expensive, and I don't want to spend too much money..

2) How often will I have to dilate, every day, every second day, every week? Also, how long will I have to leave the dilator in during each session?

Can someone also help me out here?

I already asked my surgeons about it, but they said I just just use any dildo from any sex shop... But honestly, I don't want to have to use a phallus-shaped dildo since that would be a major gross-out for me..

Okay, thanks for your help in advance, you'd really be helping me out since I'm pretty lost lol...

Like Kelise said: This blows my mind. What kind of clinic/surgeon was this?

People usually start dilating the day the packing is removed. I think that was Day 6(?) for me. My surgeons dilation schedule was something like:

3 times a day for 3 months

2 times a day for another 3 months

1 time daily for another 6 months

And then go progressively down from there.

Someone else already posted the link for Soul Source Enterprises. My surgeon issues a set for all her patients and they came in a lavender(?) suede bag.

You might find this web page useful:

http://www.marcibowers.com/grs/postopcare.html

You can even view the discharge instructions Marci gives us.

If you have more question after reviewing that... just ask.

[Guest Kurohana]

Okay, well, first of all, thanks for all your replies

(Sorry for my late reply, I actually am still in hospital, so I can't write all the time)

Well, I was kind of shocked too, but at least they surgery went really well and they didn't mess up at all (nerves all intact, peeing works without problem, no complications... =) )

Err, I'd rather not say who it was, in case my surgeons read this here, sorry. You probably wouldn't know them anyway, they're both surgeons in a rather small town in Germany..

And that's my next problem: the links you sent me are good, and I tried ordering from Soul Source, but they don't ship to Germany(I live in Germany)

Most sites I found don't ship to Germany actually..

Another thing: Are you sure about the depth being 12-14 cm? At the moment, the surgeon told me to put in the vaginal stent (the one they put in right after the surgery) and to leave it in at all times. I just remove it when I go to the toilet and put it in again when I'm done..

I measured and the stent I'm using right now measures 10-11 cm at most, and goes in all the way. In that case, wouldn't the dilators from the link I put in here work? The second one(11 cm / 25 mm) should work in that case, shouldn't it? Or am I wrong? Feel free to correct me lol...

I'll try asking my second surgeon about it this afternoon if he drops by, he may know more, but to be honest, I'm not so sure about that...

Oh, and kelise, you said dilators gradually increase our size. Do you mean the depth or the diameter? Or both?

Anyway, I'm really grateful to all of you that you're helping me so much! Thanks!

[Guest Maria_B]

These girls are smart girls, Kurohana, you're in good hands.

I don't have anything to add, I did however want to congratulate you on a successful surgery.

[Drea]

I measured and the stent I'm using right now measures 10-11 cm at most, and goes in all the way. In that case, wouldn't the dilators from the link I put in here work? The second one(11 cm / 25 mm) should work in that case, shouldn't it? Or am I wrong? Feel free to correct me lol...

I'll try asking my second surgeon about it this afternoon if he drops by, he may know more, but to be honest, I'm not so sure about that...

The dialators need to be a little longer than the neo-vaginas depth. If the what you have that is 11cm long fully inserts, then your depth is at least 11cm. How much deeper are you? Maybe not much more or that is exactly it.. As far as the second one at 11mm working, yes it may just be long enough but the handle will be right there at the opening which might pinch. It just looks to me like it has some edges I wouldn't want right there. Also I don't know if 25mm would be a good diamater though. I don't recall what the usual dilator diameters are, but some clearly are much smaller 16mm diameter and some larger. Usually one starts smaller and works up so 25mm may be just a bit big at first, but maybe it won't,

Oh, and kelise, you said dilators gradually increase our size. Do you mean the depth or the diameter? Or both?

That would be diameter. Essently all need to be longer than your depth.

[Guest Frank67]

Hi,

hope it's ok to post here. Here are some links for you. Got them from a friend.

http://www.impodoc-shop.de/xanario_pinfo.php?language=de&cPath=27&products_id=73&sessID=e178b45c4d20cca8aca49f126efa1e64

http://www.medintim-shop.de/FUER-DIE-FRAU/Vaginal-Dilatoren/?force_sid=a64716f1b36dc0982228fd568c1692fe

http://www.vaginismus-besiegen.com/shop/neu-amielle-comfort-5-dilatoren/

As you can see the first 2 ones are from Germany. I'm sure the shipping is no problem.

Grüße (regards)

Frank

[Guest Kurohana]

I measured and the stent I'm using right now measures 10-11 cm at most, and goes in all the way. In that case, wouldn't the dilators from the link I put in here work? The second one(11 cm / 25 mm) should work in that case, shouldn't it? Or am I wrong? Feel free to correct me lol...

I'll try asking my second surgeon about it this afternoon if he drops by, he may know more, but to be honest, I'm not so sure about that...

The dialators need to be a little longer than the neo-vaginas depth. If the what you have that is 11cm long fully inserts, then your depth is at least 11cm. How much deeper are you? Maybe not much more or that is exactly it.. As far as the second one at 11mm working, yes it may just be long enough but the handle will be right there at the opening which might pinch. It just looks to me like it has some edges I wouldn't want right there. Also I don't know if 25mm would be a good diamater though. I don't recall what the usual dilator diameters are, but some clearly are much smaller 16mm diameter and some larger. Usually one starts smaller and works up so 25mm may be just a bit big at first, but maybe it won't,

Oh, and kelise, you said dilators gradually increase our size. Do you mean the depth or the diameter? Or both?

That would be diameter. Essently all need to be longer than your depth.

Right now, the stent I'm using is 30 mm in diameter and 10 or 11 cm long.. I think I'll go for the ones from my link, I honestly don't know what else I should buy.. Plus, time is running out.. And if all else fails, I can still buy another set (though it'd be a waste of money, but okay..)

And Frank67, thanks for the links you sent me

They're exactly the same dilator set as the one I had in my link lol..(Amielle comfort)

So I will order them from your links, they're less expensive

Okay, once more, thanks for your help, everybody!

My second surgeon is on holidays, I just asked, and he's not coming back for another week

[Guest Hayley]

To add my two cents, i'm blown away that you're only getting the catheter and packing removed NOW! 11 days after surgery!?! That's about twice what most other surgeons normally call for.

If i'm wrong, anyone else pipe in and let me know!

Oh! and of course congratulations on your surgery!!!

[Paula ult]

My packing and catheter were in 8 days, that is the norm for Dr. Mcginn's vaginoplasty patients, i am not familiar with German surgeons procedures, it seems every surgeon has different amount time they leave the packing and catheter in, and the number of dilation's per day in the beginning vary from as few as 2 to as many as 5.

Paula

[Guest NatalieRene]

Oh my god!!!! Dr. Leis provided me with a full set as soon as he took my packing out. Then right then and there he showed me how to dialate. Since then it has so far been a chore. Who was your surgen?