anyone done vaginal physical therapy????

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momand2kids
momand2kids Member Posts: 1,508
edited September 2014 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

So,

at the gyn yesterday she noted that I have vaginal stenosis-- essentially a shrinking of the vagina--which explains why intercourse hurts so much-- the gyn exam was painful. I use replens and coconut oil to keep me hydrated,,, but probably not as regularly as I should… but she is recommending physical therapy--says she has seen it do wonders for people--- I literally just went off femara and was hoping some of my mojo would come back, and it might, but it is still going to hurt--has anyone done physical therapy for this issue?

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  • Lucybell
    Lucybell Member Posts: 20
    edited July 2014

     I have had some physical therapy for the same thing. My PT would gently stretche the inside muscles and she has me doing breathing exercises for relaxation. Life imporoved for me very quickly. It worked very well for me. They also had me hooked up to a small devise that would give insight into what was occuring exactly as the muscle expanded and contracted. It is called bio feed back. It was very expensive $635.00 per visit but my insurance paid for most all of it. Good luck with everything.

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  • Marple
    Marple Member Posts: 19,143
    edited July 2014

    Binney4 posted this link a while back on the LE threads.  It is excellent and might be helpful.  http://prc.coh.org/A-ZBooklet.pdf 

    Here is the link to the thread she started where she posts the above link.  https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/64/topic/822302?page=1#post_4080982 

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  • Zillsnot4me
    Zillsnot4me Member Posts: 2,687
    edited July 2014

    Yes I tried it also. Makes a big difference. It's a little embarrassing at first but a muscle is a muscle. After what we've been through, it's small potatoes. 

    Replens didn't do much for me. She used slippery stuff. There's also a formula called scream cream that's a vasodilator. That works wonders. Is a compounded rx. Search for it on the boards. 

    Good luck. It's worth it!

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  • cfdr
    cfdr Member Posts: 549
    edited August 2014

    Yes, I did about 4 months of PT for the "pelvic floor". It is invasive (as in, the therapist having her fingers in my vagina, also a biofeedback probe) but NOT painful. What also helped was vaginal dilators...think dildos, only without the embarrassing shape, in graduated sizes from smaller than a tampon to...well, as big as one might need. I used them every night for several months. It was a chore but it helped.

    It worked, but not to the point of bringing back my premenopausal, precancer self. I did go from being utterly unable to have intercourse to having sex that is usually not painful, often uncomfortable, and occasionally pleasurable. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it saved my marriage.

    I continue to use a dilator w/Replens for a few minutes every time I take a shower. At night, I alternate between using Replens and using a homemade moisturizer made from a blend of cocoa butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E oil. I vary the balance of cocoa butter & coconut oil summer to winter so that it is always the right consistency...cocoa butter alone is too solid, and coconut oil melts in warm weather. I use a leftover Replens applicator to scoop up some of the moisturizer,.

    Other suggestions my therapist made, which I follow: I use only dye/fragrance free detergent, and do not use dryer sheets. I generally wash my underwear separately, and use a second rinse.

    The other suggestion sounds awful, but has actually been fine: no soap on the vagina in the shower. I use a shower massager, just water. The therapist said that the vagina is "self-cleaning", and that as long as you give it a good rinse there will be no odor. I was skeptical but have found that to be true.

    The other thing I have found to be helpful is a lot more fun: cocktails! Sex is definitely easier after a couple of martinis. :-)

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  • cfdr
    cfdr Member Posts: 549
    edited August 2014

    Oh, and I should mention the biofeedback exercise, because you can practice it even if you don't have a probe hooking your vagina up to a PC:

    Squeeze your vaginal muscles as hard as you can. Release completely and take a deep breath or two.
    Do the same thing, but only 75% as hard. Deep breath.
    Squeeze at 50%, deep breath.
    25%, deep breath.

    In therapy, I would watch the PC monitor and it would show me a graph mapping my 100% effort, so I could gauge the other efforts based on that. But it works fine at without the feedback...I always try to get to the bedroom a bit before my husband so I can do this 2-3x before we begin. It definitely helps! Especially if I also have that second martini on the nightstand...

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  • doxie
    doxie Member Posts: 1,455
    edited August 2014

    cfdr,

    That biofeedback exercise is really effective.  It really stimulates the vagina.  I would never have thought it would.  Thank you.

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  • momand2kids
    momand2kids Member Posts: 1,508
    edited August 2014

    thanks so much everyone. I don't feel so alone!!  I start on 9/3 and am now looking forward to it!  H very patient but it has been a while!!!

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  • momand2kids
    momand2kids Member Posts: 1,508
    edited September 2014

    Just wanted to check back--had my first meeting yesterday--I was very encouraged.  She did say we may have to consider some estrogen in the future, but for now she thought we could work on the pelvic floor and issues there first..... I feel more optimistic about this now... thanks for the advice....

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