Log in

View Full Version : Dilation post op



karenpayneoregon
04-15-2015, 05:55 PM
When one goes under the knife for gender reassignment surgery you hear about dilation but may not hear the full story.

With me, I knew dilation was done three times a day but didn’t realize how much it could rule my life and that there is pain to work through.

In the beginning it is three times a day for 15 minutes then after three months two times a day followed by the anniversary one time a day.

At my post operation appointment with Doctor Bowers I was introduced to three sizes, small medium and large. They decided to start me off with the middle size dilation tool which reached the desired depth but felt a little uncomfortable so for the first week after surgery I used the smaller size. The following week I moved to the middle size which took about two weeks to get comfortable with then tried the larger size dilation tool which was extremely painful so I learned to revert back to the mid-size for five minutes then moved to the larger size for the remainder of the time.

Side note, I was going through lubrication in bulk quantities which lead me to purchasing store brands in four ounce containers that are one-third the price of the name brand.

After a month on working with two sizes I was finally able to use just the larger size but was still tight. In recent weeks it has become much easier for entry, time in place then exiting and I mention exiting because that was a one point not easy.

Going back to ruling life, think about it, for me I had to get up earlier in the morning before work, get ready, perform the actions and then clean up. Total time includes drinking coffee to wake up, preparing, perform the actions, and clean up that generally take 30 to 40 minutes. Personally I learned to adapt to this but know many people who wake up with just the right amount of time to prepare and leave for work.

Mid-day was fine for the first six weeks as I was out of work on medical leave. Back to work I get home at 3:30PM, relax then back at it, do dinner, relax then one more time at around 8PM.

I can make you feel bound to the tools and the process and some may very well want to skip the process which is not wise as the less it’s done the more likely things down there will close up. Yes things can close up and heard of this happening. You pay a lot of money for this then later find that the skimping on dilation has closed the doors down there. There are times when I had to skip but always make it up by doing a 30 minute session to make up for a missed session.
What can make things easier, at least for me was to purchase a Liberator top and bottom ramp. A Liberator is sex furniture which I learned would give me a repeatable position each and every time I dilate while in the beginning it was hit and miss using pillows to position myself. I have my setup ready in five minutes placed directly in front of my television set so I am entertained and distracted by the tool inside of me.
Anyways there are some things to think about when preparing for post operation regiment.

Part II

When first dilating one should use a fair amount of lubrication but after things get easier experiment with using less lubrication. At first I'd advise to encompass the entire part that goes in then experiment with less of that length with lube as you will learn that the lube is not so much needed as it will do the work intended as the lube will travel up to the section that has not been lubed. The closer you get to the minimal amount of lubrication the less of a mess there will be which brings up cleaning up afterwards. I get into the shower and run water over those parts that had lube on them. You should not clean inside unless directed my your doctor.

Jennifer-GWN
04-15-2015, 06:52 PM
Julia;

Thanks...this is the one and only area that most makes me cringe when thinking ahead. I know it is unavoidable but also not looking for yet another thing to run my life. It is what it is. Your Liberator bkm seems to offer some degree of smoothness to an otherwise grueling process.

Cheers... Jennifer

Angela Campbell
04-16-2015, 07:11 AM
Directly post op, as in the first few weeks, there is more. I would suggest having a lot of undies. ..3 or 4 a day, and lots of pads.

Yup, you will wear pads for a while. And pee standing up. You will have a bag attached to a catheter which has to be emptied often.

You will find that it is uncomfortable to sit, stand or walk too. No heels for a while. Pants are gone for a while too. Boredom is going to be your life for a bit, but you will find the pain meds make it hard to read or follow a movie or TV show. You'll get tired quickly so sleep will be the best friend you have.

Anyway that's the first week. ...we'll see what the second one holds.

Ann Louise
04-16-2015, 07:42 AM
That reminds me, I'd better stop procrastinating and dilate Right Now! ^_^

BTW, though it may be uncomfortable, since dilation puts you in the right neighborhood you'll have plenty of time to work on the fun part of this whole thing, the Big O.

Meow! =^_^=

karenpayneoregon
04-16-2015, 08:39 AM
@Angela, I have heard of these issues such as needing lots of underwear, I was using one pair a day, walking, I walked everyday in a skirt for week one because of the catheter but was fine after my post-op visit to have it removed than was into leggings there after. Never had any issues with concentration in regards to reading or watching movies, made good use of movies on Amazon prime. I do admit to napping several times a day and pain on my bottom area until the packing was removed and prior to packing removed had a very good bottom pad I got from the web.

One thing I was told ahead of time was that I could get up and walk the next day but they said, no, we will allow this on day two and took every chance given to me to walk. I even bypassed the wheelchair when leaving the hospital. Speaking of the hospital, all the nurses who assisted me while there sent me a card the following week were they all signed the card. I think in total there were six nurses who assisted me, all of them were great except for one and was told by the other nurses she was not personable.

I think that from reading various stories about surgery and recovery that many make it out to be really painful yet for me it was not. Using a pain level from 0-10 my average pain was at 3 and thinking back it must had been from how meds were given to me using an IV, never once asked what was given to me as I was doing well.

On my blog I have a picture of me three hours after arriving in my room, I think that picture well describes how I felt.

arbon
04-16-2015, 10:24 AM
I'm seeing Dr Chettawut in a month - He requires two hours dilation a day for the first two years which is is a lot more than other doctors that I am aware of, and really I have no idea how a person can do that much a day everyday for so long.

Jorja
04-16-2015, 01:32 PM
I really had little problem with dilation. Of course, the initial insertion just after surgery was quit sore but after that it was no problem except it got boring until the nerve endings woke up. After that I enjoyed dilation time for some reason. ;)

Starling
04-16-2015, 03:57 PM
In addition to its therapeutic meaning, the word "dilation" is beginning to take on distinctly erotic associations. I can't wait.

:) Lallie

Aprilrain
04-16-2015, 09:38 PM
Dilation sucks for me, it's just painful. I hate it.

Starling
04-17-2015, 02:58 PM
And that's the difference between fantasy and experience.

:) Lallie