Have got dialators!

Hi all

I ordered my dialators and picked them up from mums yesterday..happy birthday to me lol

They came quick so really pleased about that. They came in a nice little case and pouch. They are packed away like russian dolls so the smaller onces are hidden inside the bigger ones. They were a pack of four and oh my the forth one looks so fat!!

Gonna start with the smaller one tonight. Think that will be ok and once Im completely comfortable with that one I'll try the next size up.

Gonna do it once a day for about 15 minutes at night when Im more relaxed and I will let you know how I get on. Still keep staring in horror at the biggest one!

My only question is if I have a flare up and am in a lot of pain do I go ahead and do it anyway? even if its just with the smallest one? What do I do when Im on my period! that is so messy do I go ahead? Hmmmm

Sebby
xxx

Did you get the Femmax ones? That's the set I've got and the way you describe yours sounds just like mine. As for whether to use them on your period, it's down to personal preference really. I don't, I do external work during that time but it's up to you. If I have a really bad flare up I skip the dilators but that's because my flare ups involve worse skin inflammation so it isn't a great idea to use them in that situation. Again up to you, if you find they help they may reduce a flare up. When you try the slimmest one it might be an idea to press it into the sides of the vagina to see if you can feel tightness or very sore spots, if you can it's evidence of a spasmed pelvic floor so at least you'd know before you see a physio. Let us know how you get on.

Yes those are the ones I got! Another member recommended them.

I will deff try and see if I can feel a sore spot.

It would be lovely if they reduced the flare ups. I do think that when Im heavy on my period I will skip it, not only messy but the period pain is crappy so dont think I will be able to handle doing that as well.

Will let you know how I get on

xx

Good luck! I've had to lay off mine for a while because they were too good at relaxing the pelvic floor (I used mine to stretch the muscles) and I lost all stability in my SI joints so if your pelvis is stable and your pelvic floor is tight they could work really well!

Thanks after years of also having Vaginismus I do think Im very tight! could be just what I need

Is this the set you got? http://www.vaginismus.com/products/dilator_set This is the set I got. And oh yes, the big one scares me so much! Don't know how I'll ever get that thing to fit! We shall see. I really hope the dilators help us. I know one of my biggest problems is the spasming and tightness down there, maybe this can relieve that over time. Good luck!

And Sarah001, have you heard of an SI belt? My therapist mentioned me getting one, but she wasn't quite sure if it would help me yet or not. http://www.serola.net/en/New-Belt/new-serola-sacroiliac-belt.html Here is an example of one. Early in my physical therapy, she tried a "taping" method of my lower abdominals to try and take some of the stress off my abs to try to correct my pelvic floor. My posture felt better with the tape but I was allergic to the adhesive so I could only kept it on for a day (I was supposed to keep it on all week).

Yes I do have SI belts, I wear one all day every day but my pelvis is so bad because I have Hypermobility Syndrome so my ligaments don't support my joints properly so I don't get much relief from wearing a belt. If you ever decide to buy one the serola belt isn't the best one out there, it's really, really chunky and rubs. I have a saunders belt which isn't very chunky and I'm about to buy a Compressor belt designed by Diane Lee who is a world famous physio who specialises in SI joints. Unfortunately she's in Canada or I'd have gone to see her! Her belt has removeable straps so you can place them to mimic the muscles that aren't working which is ideal for me because I have different muscle problems from side to side.

I've also had lots of taping techniques tried on me but they didn't help either, just made my skin really red and itchy! You can get different types of tape but as I didn't get any help from this I didn't bother.

Believe me over the last 6 years of SI problems I've tried everything, I just don't have enough ligament support for the normal stuff to work. I also have shoulder problems and frequently hear them pop in and out of position for the same reason. It's a very painful situation.

These are the dilators I got

http://www.mdti.co.uk/vmchk/Female-Health-Products/Femmax-Dilator-Set/flypage.cafe.tpl.html

The big one can sod off lool!

Eeeek! Looks about the same size as the big one in my set. Well, let's just think about the tiny ones for now!

hey these really helped me!! i know the big one looks scary but believe me, you will be able to do it eventually! good luck

oh also use lube, and i found doing it whislt watching something good helped relax me!

Really I could do the big one! whoa! if I can do that then im getting myself several boyfriends lool!!

Am soon gonna be off my period and flare up is calming down so will get to work again. Will start off with just 5 minutes and be more gentle this time!

The cd came with some relaxing music but I dont like it lol I'd rather listen to My Chemical Romance anyday..so that what im gonna do lol

Need some advice on this dilator lark

Only used slimmest one twice. First time was day before my period (I was early so didnt know this!) and used it for about 15 minutes..too long methinks! and did the stretching in small circles thing. Then had flare up

Then used a week or so after period (as did my back in and couldnt face dilator as well) only used for 5 minutes and didnt do the circle thing. Flare up again!

I know i expected this but im so confused and dont know if im doing anything right. Am still waiting for physio appt to get sorted.

I dont know if im to still keep doing it daily if I get a flare up or just wait til it dies down again.

Im still waiting on the 'Ending Female Pain' book to be delieverd and have had to email the bookshop....

Any advice would be most welcome

xx

When you say you did it but without the circles thing, do you mean you just held it still in your vagina? (sorry to be graphic but we have to be!) You must move it in little circles, so your hand holding it is making little circles. (there may have been a dvd/cd with the dialators?) i know it must be painful but try to get through it, also you must do circles and not just leave it to sit in your vagina.

Also, what do you mean by flare up? do you mean pain? because that will happen at first but you have to try and get through that did you use lube? you must use a bit of lube, i use KY jelly which is fine (and fine for those with sensitive skin)

really try to use for 20minutes every day try not to have a break (obviously if you hurt your back fair enough!) but i use the dialators even when on my period (it gets a bit messy but is generally fine)

basically what my gyneocologist told me, which is true, is that you need to be putting something in your vagina every day. this not only helps with the sensitive and painful part of the vagina but also gets your confidence back with putting things in your vagina, so you won't need anymore to wince at sex scenes or feel weird about that area, it REALLY helped me!

it will be painful for a bit, but i really think you could benefit a lot from doing it. just try and do it everyday for 20 minutes. let me know how its going and you can always ask me if you want advice. you can do it!

Thanks so much for your advice..yes I did the circle thing you were saying at first, then got scared off!

Yes I describe a bad bout of pain as a flare up..soreness and rawness

I will give it another go tonight. Have bought some KY as I didnt like the lube the dilators came with.

I had a dvd with them but the sound went funny and I could see the nurse moving her lips but no voice..only background music! very odd..do they think I can lip read? lol

I had a leaflet of instructions so was following that

How long before you noticed less pain after using them?

Am off to give it a go..am scared!! lol

As you have vaginismus too Sebby you can just hold the dilator in place for 15 minutes a day until you get used to it before doing the circles thing. In Ending Female Pain that's one of the techniques she uses to build up to moving it. You can do small top of the muscle down to the bottom of the muscle movements too but stay away from the bladder. You don't have to rush to circles, take your time because if you experience alot of pain afterwards it will make you tense up the next time so keep within low levels of pain. You can also do kegels around the dilator with the emphasis on the relaxation part to get your body used to it being there, we're all a bit different and if something is causing you alot of pain it needs changing slightly to suit you better. I use Biofem as a lube, it's ph balanced so doesn't disrupt anything.

Thanks Sarah :)yes I didnt think of that regarding the Vaginsimus...believe me those circles I tried to do were the smallest circles ever as its like steel tight up there!

I will try again tonight and just keep it up there lol whist doing some kegals and trying to just relax. Listen to some nice music

I have got KY Jelly it seems ok but I do know bio-fem I used to use that when I thought all this was recurrent thrush!

I get myself another tube of bio-fem and compare the two

My Ending Femal Pain book as just been delivered to mums and i'll pick it up at the weekend..am very excited lol

Something else I do when the pain is particularly bad is use my thumb to press into the superficial muscles, so I use the thumb of the oposite hand to push the muscles just inside the vaginal opening and do this for a few minutes each side and it makes things feel a bit better. My superficial muscles are always noticeably tight and feel like they're solid when I touch them and it is quite painful to press them but makes things feel less painful immeiately afterwards and the next day too. I tend to do this when the outer areas are very painful and it reduces it alot.

I held the dilator inside last night for about 20 minutes and for the last few minutes was able too move it a bit

I noticed that the left side of the vagina wall was quite tender and sore and I was tight and stiff as usual so I leaned the dilator to the right to avoid the sore bit for the moment until that dies down...

I guess my vagina is in protest!

At least I softened up a tiny bit..I had a cuppa tea and was listening to my favorite talk show on the radio. Trouble is I end up laughing at the odd callers which feels weird when you have a dilator in lol at least it helps me relax

I really really dont wana do it tonight so its gonna take all my will power to do it...not so much cos of the pain (well a little) but I feel so tired and bloody anxious that It feels like a bloody chore gonna just give it a go and see if I can relax even in my anxious times

Thanks for your advice i'll try that pressing thing..

Hi Sebby,

Do you also warm up your muscles before you try using the dilator? Just contract and release your muscles a few times before you start. It helps kinda warm em up a bit and tire it so it's not as tense. You can also do it if you find them tensing while you have the dilator in you.

Cheers,

Sue

Oooh good idea Sue I'll try warming up this evening before I use them! I guess I didnt think of warming up lol but using them is a form of exercise so I should really!

I noticed when I used them the other night that I manage to relax a bit after about 10 minutes so the last 5 to 10 minutes or so I feel a bit better

I did notice I got some odd burning sensations inside as well as out when I was pushing it in. I have to stop and relax and wait for them to pass..its horrible! so I thank God they do pass!

I think the tissue is so not used to anything being inside that it just flares up as there is something rubbing against it.

I did also find that pressing on the outer part of my Vulva muscles helped with the pain..dunno why lol

Hi Sebby,

When I was working with dilators, I found that if I breathed out at the same time I was pushing the dilator in, it wouldn't feel as awful.

For me, the feeling of a dilator moving in our out or moving made me nauseous really. I'm so glad it's not part of my homework rite now.

I'm just hoping that all this work you're doing with dilators isn't goin to mentally scar you tho... you kno, you'll start to connect dilators and objects with pain - this is pretty much how my brain is rite now... totalli F#$%ed and traumatised from the idea of any objects entering the vagina is pain.

I know it's difficult not to feel anxious bout it cos you so badly want the treatment to work... But try not to push yourself too much. Do what your body can handle so that you feel more comfortable and relaxed. =)

That's quite weird Sebby, I'm very tender on the left too. Wonder if that's something to do with pelvic misalignment? My muscles all get tight on the left (left SI is in posterior rotation with an outflare on me) and weak and painful on the right (right side is in anterior rotation with an inflare). I have a trigger point about halfway up the vagina that's so painful it makes me visibly cringe each time I touch it and the superficial muscles are really tight and solid on the left on me too. On the right I have painful areas but not the tight bands of muscle. Odd, I'd like to know if that was a common finding, if it is it means we've all got something in common!

Yes Tweety I too look at the dilators and think 'I hate you!' lol yep I knew would link the to pain damn things!

I will deff go at the pace I can handle..like not before a period when I get a terrible flare up!

Sarah..Yep halfway up my vagina on the left that horrible sore spot! what is it!? I find myself leaning the dilator to the left to avoid it!

Well when I went to get my nerve block I remember the dr saying that its often nerves going down the left side that carry the more pain signals..maybe thats something to think about? although the nerve block didnt work? Hmmmm