Where would be the best place to ask a question about Dilation?

[Guest Sunshine]

I don't know if this is the right place to pose this question but I'm looking for Dilation information.

Unfortunately this time after 3 weeks of progress, I feel like its not working any more. I get to about 3 inches over & over and the next time I go to do it again... its like there is no difference. Its been like that for about 3 weeks.

My GYN is talking about surgery as an option, but before I go there, I want to know what other people have been though. If you let it shrink back to a "dimple"... is it still possible to get it back to functional or am I seriously going to have to decide between surgery and abstainance?

Hope this is not inappropriate to ask here.

- A

[Guest Leah1026]

I don't know if this is the right place to pose this question but I'm looking for Dilation information.

Unfortunately this time after 3 weeks of progress, I feel like its not working any more. I get to about 3 inches over & over and the next time I go to do it again... its like there is no difference. Its been like that for about 3 weeks.

My GYN is talking about surgery as an option, but before I go there, I want to know what other people have been though. If you let it shrink back to a "dimple"... is it still possible to get it back to functional or am I seriously going to have to decide between surgery and abstinance?

Once lost, getting depth back is very difficult and sometimes impossible. Which is why people are constantly reminded of how important dilation is, especially in the first two years after surgery. How long has it been since your surgery? How often do you dilate?

This IS the right place for this question.

[Drea]

Is this a circumstance where you had SRS and stopped dialating or wasn't able to dialate for some time and lost depth? Or is this a case of an intersex condition where you are looking to dialate to gain depth. If related to SRS this would be the right place to post and I will respond assuming this is the case.

Unfortuantly, while I know a number who been in the situation where they didn't or coun't dialate and had lost depth and were wanting to restore it, I don't know how successful they were.

A few questions come to mind. How long has it been since stopped dialating and how soon after SRS was it stopped? The longer the time the poorer the prospects. Especially if it was stopped very soon after SRS.

Have you ever dialated before and what sort of depth did you get then? If you haven't dialated you might not have the "feel" of it and know how you need to position the dialator. For example the wrong insertion angle can put pressure in the wrong place/angle and you won't get anyplace. Also, if you hadn't before, you can't know what sort of depth you can reasonably expect. I can think of one surgeon that despite all other claims tends to provide only 3 inches.

How often have you been dialating to try and restore depth? At the very least I would expect daily or twice a day for an extended period of time measured in months to show progress.

[Guest Sunshine]

I did not have surgery. I'm IS.

Max depth I was able to get before was being able to sit on a stool with the entire rod in, after that... um... basically I was functional with a partner.

I stopped for about 3 years because I just didn't see the point when I was not involved in a relationship and hadn't really thought much about it.

When I started back up about a month ago, I could feel the back with my finger (so want to say is had shrunk back up to about an inch). Twice a day (morning and night) I sit on a bench with one size dilator in for about 20 minutes, then switch it up to the next larger size and go for about 20 more minutes. (I use an episode of TV as a timer.) At first it felt like it was burning when I did it... which I know is bad... but that stopped ... and so did any progress.

If I push I can feel the space (opening up behind the skin) up inside, but a few hours after the skin doesn't stay up... it shrinks back almost to where I started. Pushing, it goes back to 3 inches in easily, but then its like I hit a wall or something. I know I have the angle right, cause its right below my urethra and I'm lean forward a little so that it angles toward the back

Has anyone else felt this? If so, what works to get past it (wiggle it?, use some benzocaine and push harder? Just keep working on it?)

The GYN told me that I should consider surgery, but I'm not in a position to afford it at the moment and don't want to give up on the non-op method when it worked before. On the other hand, I don't want to waste hours and hours on this for months and months if its never gonna get any better.

- A

[Drea]

I can't suggest anything. If you didn't have any sort of surgery, it is a completely different situation

I am taking what you said about being IS and that you didn't have surgery as meaning your anatomy is as you were born. That being the case, why is there depth loss now? If there was more depth before, how did it get there? Did you have to do something growing up?

[Guest Sunshine]

Yes.... that's how I did it before. Like how I when from dimple to functional the first time.

[Guest Peggy]

Hi Sunshine,

I am similar to you, I have PAIS and did non-surgical dilation.

If you previously were able to dilate to functional depth, it definitely should be possible to do the same again, and if you are at 3 inches, you are not far from being ready for "the real thing".

I would definitely avoid surgery, the results are sometimes not good, and the recovery time can be long.

One thing to try would be estrogen vaginal cream. If you are taking estrogen orally (or by patch), you might also consider increasing the dosage. High levels of estrogen make vaginal tissue more pliable and stretchy. If you are a non-smoker and otherwise healthy, the health risk from more estrogen would not be very much.

Friendly greetings to all,

Peggy

[Drea]

Yes.... that's how I did it before. Like how I when from dimple to functional the first time.

I imagine if you have gone from this to what you had before that you know more than most and have one thing nobody else can comment on which is direct experience with your body.