I'm off to See the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Ahhhhhs - Newport, CA 55yrs Old

Wow I can't believe it's been a year since this process started, but, as they say, time flies when you're having "fun" LOL I had my annual exam yesterday and all is well!! Vaginal tissue is pink and moist just like in my 30's. I'm still dealing with a tiny patch of scar tissue just at the "threshold" where my epsiotomy scars are. My doctor gave me a sample tube of Prenarin Cream and told me to use just a dab on that spot a couple of times a week...
A couple of months later...
Wow!!! That cream did the trick!!! I'm now 100% rejuvenated. Everything feels amazing. No pain at all!! The results have been nothing short of miraculous!!
That's the good news...
The not-so-good: I've just run out of the sample tube of Premarin. My insurance won't cover it and the cash price for it is nearly $400 !!!Not to mention all of the scary cancer risk warnings about its use. I'm gong to email my doc and see what she has to say about maybe trying a different cream that would still work and not break the bank. Also, next month I'm due for my 1yr touch-up treatment, but everything is feeling and working so great, I'm a bit worried about "jinxing it" but my doctor is saying I shouldn't wait until I feel like I need it and doing it now would just keep things on track.
I'll do another post once I decide what to do.
In two days I will be 57, but vaginally speaking, I'm at least 20 yrs less than that!!
I'm so glad I had the Mona Lisa Procedure last year. I am a happy camper!!!! ????????

Several months later and I am doing great!!! Sooooo glad I had the procedure!! It has changed my (love) life!! I can now enjoy totally pain free sex again, when before it was 100% impossible. It used to be so terribly painful, there was no chance of penetration. To be clear, it's not exactly like it was pre-menopause, we have to go about it a bit differently now. No more jumping right in at the drop of a hat in any position. We have to prepare a little bit now, I need a little warm up fore play and I need him to insert fingers first to open me up before actual penetration. But, my husband is well endowed, if he were smaller, I'd probably have zero issues. I am still using my dilators after every shower and that makes a big difference. We've now gotten into a good rhythm that works for us and sex is now back to being sexy and spontaneous without my having to instruct him. It took the two of us to make it work. He was eager to learn what I needed, and what he needed to do to make it comfortable for me. We are very open and communicate well which I think is key. We are really enjoying each other sexually again and it's wonderful!! My libido, I noticed is also increasing as the fear of pain has faded. I had thought it was a hormonal side effect, but now I realize it was a pain response that made my sex drive wan. That was an unexpected benefit that I've been enjoying as well! For me, this has been life changing, I didn't realize how much sexual relations with my husband effects so many areas of my life. I feel happier and less stressed. I had been experiencing anxiety, melancholy and feeling "old" but now I feel vibrant, sexy, alive!! Don't discount the mental benefits of intimacy. It all seems to be intertwined. I am renewed!!

Ok, so... Life handed me a whole truck full of lemons!!! I could open a lemon aide factory!!
Lets start with the procedure... It actually went very well, a bit longer than the previous one and this time, I smelled a slight tinge of something burning and had a little concern but chalked it up to the fact that the fan they always use was facing a different direction than usual and figured this was probably normal since my doctor didn't seem in the least bit concerned and I know I can trust her. I followed the same post procedure protocol as before, icepacks and Aquaphor. Again, there was virtually no pain just a slight sensation of being able to feel my vaginal walls, especially while walking. I was never able to feel the inside of my vagina, even while wearing a tampon unless I had an infection, but that would be painful. This was more like it was just sensitive and it passed in a couple of days. There was some yellowish-white, odorless discharge for a couple of days as well. I was really anxious to give it a try once the waiting period passed but my husband was sick, so I had to wait a bit more. Then my daughter, who lives in Boston and is pregnant with her second child (my granddaughter is 22 mos) asked if I could please come for her birthday. I planned to leave in just a few days, hoping my hubby would be well before I left. However, our son's wife who was also pregnant, contracted toxemia and they had to take the baby 3 weeks early!! The baby came home the same day I flew out. There was just too much commotion, sleepless nights, etc for intimacy to happen. I made it to Boston and was having a really nice 10 day visit when I received a call from my sister that her son had been shot and sadly, he didn't survive. She was nearly incoherent, so I made travel arrangements for her and her husband (and her service animal) to fly across the country for the funeral. Then I detoured my travel home to meet up with her. I took the soonest red-eye flight I could get. There was much to do and plan and take care of (he was an organ donor). Then, our other daughter, who lives in Australia, had her baby the night before the services (a week early). Talk about an emotional roller coaster!!! I felt like an emotional schizophrenic!!! My husband was the sweetest and drove for hours to meet up with me and be supportive, but, obviously, it was hardly the time for romance. I actually thought of those scenes in movies where people grieving would "hook up" and found it to be absolutely absurd. That was the last thing on my mind as we said good bye to my 28 yr old nephew. It was a long drive home. By the time I got there, I was trashed, mentally, emotionally and physically. Still reeling from all of that, I had a mountain of work to catch up on and worked late into the night for several days. Just as the dust was beginning to settle, I ended up with a raging yeast infection!!! Most likely due to all of the stress, lack of sleep, disrupted diet or maybe I just picked it up the the hotel?!! Whatever the cause, it was not conducive to trying out my rejuvenation. I opted for the 7-day treatment just to make sure it was knocked all the way out. I used the last vial yesterday. I did try my dilators and had no pain whatsoever, so I'm thinking it's going to be all good. I'm thinking perhaps tonight or at least this weekend we will have lift off and all rockets will be firing!!
Stay Tuned...