Shout out for the dilators!

So glad you had a good exam. And, your PET scan is going to come back perfect too!

Love and Hugs,

Cindi

That's great Chris! Love the sign!

I've found another dilator option, a dilator that also has vibration. It's used as part of a whole program to improve vaginal function (dryness, size, etc.) after cancer. If anyone is interested I'd be glad to provide a link. The developers, a physician and sex counselor, are going to carry out clinical trials on the effectiveness of their approach

I have ordered the cool cone dialators and I'm still waiting for them to arrive. How long did it take for other people to get theirs.

Lol! No sooner did I post this, did they arrive:)

Charissa, to see if cones are something you need. Everyone is different. You will have time to get them if you need them. I understand how hard is this wait, the best thing you can "order up" is an afternoon at a spa to rest your mind and your emotions so if your body is ready for a soft massage (neck, face, shoulders) and a facial and soft music, scented candles and creamy lotions ORDER TODAY!

Charissa said:

Okay, this is all new to me

Okay, this is all new to me and pretty foreign.  Can I ask what these cool cone dialators are and how they help us? Hope this isn't a stupid question. I guess I could Google it. But, if I have you guys, then I'd rather hear it from you. Do I need to order one? If so, can you provide me with the link?  Thank you, ladies. Still awaiting my pathology report. I'm assuming, "No news is good news!" I meet with my oncologist on the 9th. I will have all the findings back then.

In the meantime, I have been spending every minute researching the cold caps. Hoping they work for me. It's worth a try.

Love and hugs!

Charissa, if you have internal radiation, brachytherapy, where they place a wand in your vagina to deliver radiation to the vaginal cuff, it can cause stenosis - scarring, rigidity, dryness, and shortening to the vagina.  Often women are given a hard, plastic dialator by their doctors to use after brachytherapy.   As women are always so resourceful!  and have found better ways to deal with this a treating ourselves.  I know this all sounds very scary, but I would recommend not to get too far ahead of yourself and take this one step at a time.  The wonderful warriors here at available to support you along the way.  

Hello ladies, I met with my radiologist on Monday. He wants to do five brachytherapy treatments in lower doses vs. three treatments at a higher dose. I have my first treatment next Friday (July 1st). When he was explaining the dilator, I misunderstood. I thought he said I'd use it after each treatment for 5 minutes. However, his nurse clarified yesterday that it is used after I complete all five treatments and will need to be used for the next three years. She said the first year is daily, with the exception on the days you have intercourse. And, years two and three are every other day.

In addition to No Time for Cancer's great explanation, he also explained that with my particular Type of cancer he would be lowering the recurrence rate, with radiation, to my vagina from 20% to 1%.  However, if I DO NOT use the dilator faithfully, it can cause stenosis (as broken down above in No Time for Cancer's reply), which means if I fall into the 1% category, he would not be able to administer radiation to that area a second time.

The dilator he showed me did not look impressive; more like a long, hard, plastic missile. I went ahead and ordered two Cool Water Cones (small and medium). They sounded very soothing and easy to work with.  And, I like that they do not have any harsh chemicals, but rather are made with 100% all natural ingredients.

I ended up at Urgent Care this weekend. My bladder never stopped spasming at the end of the flow, but instead got worse. Ends up, I had a bladder infection. I'm thinking I had it from the time I left the hospital. But, with all the pain meds and thinking it was normal after the extensive surgery I ignored it. Plus, it wasn't like any bladder infection I have had in the past - where I had urgency to go frequently and burning upon eliminating. Instead, it was just spasming at the end of the flow and eventually started slightly burning. They put me on Cepro, which then caused a yeast infection.

My-oh-my, this poor body. Yesterday was my mammogram and today was my consultation for my colonoscopy. Luckily, she's allowing me to put that off until after I'm healed and done with radiation. You'd think we'd get cancer from all these exams and toxic stuff we have to drink. Yuck!  I shouldn't complain. I now see the importance of these exams and the need to reamain pro-active vs. reactive.

Thank you all, again, for the wonderful information. I'll let you know how it goes. Love, hugs, and healing to all.

Charissa, It is interesting how different our doctors are... I also had the 5 lower doses of brachytherapy. And, I was told I had to use the dialator two times per week or have sex two times per week or a combination of both per week. I am about 5 months out from by radiation and so far so good on keeping the stenosis away.

You will do fine with the brachy.  If you haven't had a colonoscopy before.... the worst part is the prep the day before. The procedure didn't cause me any issues afterwards and I was asleep while they did it.

Love and Hugs,

Cindi