the neovigina

[Jules]

I'm wondering, I went through some very tough surgery when I was seventeen. I had skin taken off my bottocks and inverted into a path made under my ureatha to make a funtional vagina. It took many years for me to feel like this was a natural part of my body. It shrinks if i don't keep it open with dilators. Now it does feel like a normal vagina but I was wondering has anyone on this site, had surgery like mine?

[PJ]

Jules... I had a sigmoidectomy(sp.) - where they take part of your intentinal tract to build a functional vagina... I also was to keep in open with dialation... and it did feel for the longest time a part of the original anatomy (BUM) - But this will pass. I would be open to a private discussion of this if you wish... email me. There are other aspect to my situation... PJ

[glow_stuff]

I'm 19 and I just had a vaginoplasty just this last summer, your are definately right about it being a "tough" surgery. It's been around 8 months. I had the skin grapht taken from my left thigh. I have a scar there but most of it's healing normally. I am now using a dilator. I was told I would only need to use it twice a day, but I pretty much have to wear it 24 hrs a day. How long ago did you have your surgury? I would love to talk more and find out how it's been after a while.

[Jules]

WOW eight months, I'm 34 so 17 years ago. You realy made me think back to the days of my surgerys. But hay I was nineteen once! and still am at heart The situation got tough becuse I stoped useing the diolators for a long while but I'm back on track now. When I was seventeen I had a boyfriend who knew I was going in for surgery but didn't know for what. I had to make up that it was bladder surgery. looking back, I wished I could have honest. It was very tough keeping it secret. Now I do things much diffrently.

[alison]

I had vaginoplasty two years ago using two long skin grafts taken from my abdomen. The scars are hideous and I should have insisted he take them from my buttocks.

I dilated three times a day for the first six months, then twice a day. Despite my frequent dilations and being sexually active I have experienced some narrowing of my vagina. I broke up with one boyfriend simply because I had difficulty accomodating him. I didn't have much sensation the first year but that has improved.

I can say it no longer feels like a "surgical site", it now feels like a part of my body. Like the rest of my body it isn't perfect, but at least I can say it feels right.

[Jules]

Hi! The scars take a long time to heal. Mine took many years. My first boyfriend was very supportive and helped me clean the graph sites daily. Then when My mom thought it would be a good idea to put baby powder on the sites to stop them from weeping they got really badly infected. It made black marks and large bumps. I went back to the doctors and to stop the scar tissue from leaveing the dark marks, they removed all the scar tissue off my buddocks and started over from scratch. I was in the hosptial for a whole week. It was hell. Ugh! I had to put gause pad over the sites and then rip them off very day untill the new skin on my buddocks was smooth agian:( I hated the way it looked being all pink in color but after about three years the tissue turned skin color and now the scars just look like mild discoloration. SO the scars will look better in time. I have feeling on my boddocks as well which I find amazing. You can also run your hands over them and not even feel the scars, I'm very happy with that. But..I couldn't sit on my fanny for 16 months when the scars were healing. Luckly I had dropped out of school by then. It took two years before I could sit comforably. So using the buddocks as the doner has some uncomfortable draw backs in the first years. I don't like thinking back to those very hard times in my life, but it did improve greatly over time. As far as the size and shrinking, and intercourse, I'm just glad that I have a vagina that feels right to the touch. I can have vaginal orgasms but never realy found intercourse one of my favorite things. Keeping the opening open helps the walls to feel nice and soft and Estrogen cream gives in a realy natural wetness that I can't tell is diffrent from other girls when they get wet. Intercourse is such a small part of sex. Some Men might have a hard time seeing it that way. I have become very sexually inventive other ways, although I do like to have fun with penetration only with smaller things. :p

[alison]

Hi Jules,

My graft scars are purplish with some thickening/hardening. I had an emergency appendectomy in my twenties and that scar faded over time but is still noticeable. I'm not sure how much the grafts will fade in comparison. I can't expose my midriff or wear a two-piece bathing suit but that's not a big deal. However with a partner I am a bit self-conscious.

Yes estrogen cream helps. I use it before dilating and it does help soften the vaginal walls. I however do not self-lubricate much so some type of lubricant is necessary for dilation or intercourse. I've had some difficulty accomodating larger partners and in fact broke up with a guy who was just too big for me. I also have not orgasmed through vaginal penetration although I do have some sensation.

[Jules]

mine were purple for about a year and a half, then red, then pink, then skin color. It just takes time, it will get better I promice:)