His and Her Health

I'm having a vestibulectomy and would really appreciate hearing about others' experiences with the surgery and recovery - and if, in hindsight, you're glad you chose this route. I think I've already read probably every single post on the topic, but still would be great to hear more - especially if anyone is willing to talk "offline." My e-mail address should be listed in my profile. Or, if you'd like to post a reply here, I could respond offline - if you have an e-mail address in your profiles and are ok with chatting further. Thanks so much!

Hello. I hope I can share some insight to the surgery. I had surgery in August 2008. It's been about 3 months since my surgery. I still have some discomfort. The recovery process has been long and frustrating at times. I'm in my mid 20's and have never been able to have intercourse. I'm currently in the dialator stage of recovery.

It took me about 5 weeks to be able to walk with out any real pain. For the first 4 weeks, you are lying down with ice packs 24 hrs a day.

Don't be worried about going to your boss. I explained to my boss that it was something personal that I needed to have taken care of. I did have to apply for FML to take the time off without any problems in coming back to my job.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi
I am also considering one and hope it is okay if I ask you a couple questions.

How did you find your doctor? I'm in California and having the hardest time locating a true specialist!

Also, How long do you think I should take off from school? Im a college student and wondering if I should plan it around summer vacation or if less time is do-able.

thank you!

Stephanie

Please feel free to email me on my personal email with any questions you might have. I am very happy that I had the surgery. I can tell a noticable difference. I almost have no pain, but I am still healing.

I found my doctor by doing some research online. I live in Florida but traveld to Washington D.C. to have the surgery. It was well worth it, but there are a lot of expenses. Try to plan it around a vacation. It took me out of work for at least 6 weeks. You can't really wear pants for about 4-5 weeks.

(Sorry about the double post)

Dr. Goldstein mentioned that there are only a handful of doctors he trusts in the US and I wish I knew who he recommends. If I were to go to the east coast, how long do you think I should plan on staying there? I have also heard good things about doctors in Utah and Arizona which are much closer to me. How did you find out about your doctors success rates? Does he do the vaginal advancement that Dr. Goldstein uses?

Any advice is sooo appreciated. I'm still trying to convince my mom that the surgery is the way to go....I'm 21 and have been in pain for 2 years. My specialist at Stanford keeps pushing me back to PT.

Actually, Dr. Goldstein was my Doctor. I did my own research and that is how I made the decision that Dr. Goldstein was the right doctor for me. There wasn't a doctor in my area that performed this type of surgery. So I flew up there to have him check me out and let me know if I was right for the surgery. I stayed in DC for a little over a week. You have to be there for a pre op, surgery, and a post op before you go home. If you do this, you will need to find an extended stay hotel. A place that has a kitchen with a freezer!

It took me 6 years to figure out what was going on with me. I would make an initial appt with a doctor that performs these surgeries to see if that is exactly what you need. They have a test they do that can help determine if you are a good canidate.


I realized that I might have needed the surgery when I read someones blog that described the pain she was going through. Do your research on the web. You should be able to get some answers that you need. Good Luck! I'm 24 and glad I went through the surgery.