Dilators

I have had dilators for years and never really knew how to use them i.e I would just use them as and when without much continuity. I used them for a time a few years ago to help me get over my vaginismus.  It did help.

However, in the last few months I have been using Amielle dilators everyday to stretch the muscles in the entrance of my vagina, when possible anyway.  As I have stage 4 endometriosis I am unable to do anything due to extreme pain except lay down during my period  and i’m normally still in pain after I have finished bleeding so I leave it a few days before using them again.

Amielle Care Set - Vaginal Dilators come in a pack with four different sizes. The ones I have are made from a cream coloured plastic and are conical in shape. They come with a handle (personally I don’t use the handle but each to their own) there’s also a brush to clean them with and a little bag to keep them in. I like these dilators they are smooth which makes them easy to insert and they always feel a little cool and that’s always good when your vulva feels like its auditioning for Londons burning! 

I started by using the smallest size dilator and popping a little YES lubricant on the end. The company YES, http://www.yesyesyes.org/ do a water based  lubricant and oil based lubricant which are certified organic. They do two different sizes, the smallest  sized bottles fit nicely in the bag with the dilators for easy use. I would then insert the dilator into my vagina for 5 minutes a day then take it out to wash ,  followed by putting an ice pack on my vulva for 7 minutes. I set a clock for this as my physio told me that the ice pack increases blood flow and healing to the area up to this time but after this time it starts to decrease blood flow. I have been using  Nexcare Coldhot Cold/Hot Comfort Pack Large which can be put in the freezer for use as an ice pack or popped in the microwave for a hot pack.  I always wrap the ice in something to prevent ice burn. I love the ice! It’s really helped take away any of the burning afterwards. For me it's better than using lidocaine.

Then each day I would do the same routine again with this size dilator but add 5 minutes more until I had reached up to an hour, at this point I moved it around and in and out. Once I had done this then I would move on to the next size and start the routine again. This is really working for me and now I am on the largest size, if you would have told me that at the start I wouldn’t have believed you.

So now my next size dilator is my partners willy! I’ve asked him if he minds me borrowing him, as if he is a dilator i.e. do the same as the above with him instead of the dilators. We can see the comedy value here, I think it makes the situation a bit easier to deal with. So this is my plan. Wish me luck, I’ll keep you all updated.

* A handy hint from a sex therapist, if you use the oil based YES lube on you both then you can also put the water based one on top for extra slide. 


I personally like the water based one as it seems cooler than the oil but this is a personal preference.So I have been putting that one on and the oil based one on my partner.