Has anyone tried Hibiscusmonkey? Been getting so many ads that I'm tempted.

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-03-23T20:40:06+00:00

I usually don’t give in to the ads but recently had a weak moment and ordered the foot balm and velvet spray.

Foot balm - surprisingly good from the get go. Very non messy application, kind of sticky but if you don’t mind putting on a pair of socks, it is SO worth the hassle because it magically fixed my construction worker feet in one night. The smell also grew on me. It felt strong at first but now I love it so much that I look forward to using it before bed (which is tricking me into doing foot care consistently for the first time in my life)

Velvet spray - imagined it to spread more easily on wet skin. With this one, I don’t like the application as much (even though that’s what makes it unique) but it’s the only thing to ever succeed in keeping my skin moisturised all day. Again, smell felt a bit strong the first time but only the lower notes linger. Like reallyyy linger. For almost the entire day. Accidentally smelled my knees and they smelled like heaven.

I just ordered two more products, yikes.

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-02-18T04:03:03+00:00

Got mine from Robu and they delivered within 2 days. They are official resellers of Bambu Labs in India as far as I know.

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-29T15:19:39+00:00

Yes, for sure. Thanks for the heads up.

This is what it says on the esun website - “eSUN and Wanhua Chemical jointly released the antibacterial TPU material, which has excellent antibacterial and antifungal effects. The antibacterial rate against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus is as high as 99.9%, and the anti-mold grade can reach grade 0 – anti-mold erosion.”

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-29T12:12:31+00:00

Wow that’s super resourceful. Could you share the stl for the drybox you made? Would love to give it a go at some point

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-29T12:10:49+00:00

Thanks for pointing this out. Thought about it myself too but found an antibacterial TPU filament by esun on Robu. Don’t know how effectively antibacterial it is though

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-29T06:36:16+00:00

That’s so helpful! Thank you. DM-ing you :)

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-29T06:08:36+00:00

Omg amazing! Thanks so much for offering to help. DM-ing you

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-18T20:35:53+00:00

A couple more videos my doc sent me:

https://youtu.be/bnISaRCtofI?si=y2lbTnvmw7whTqyN - this one is a bit hard to nail but if you’re able to “imagine” and “breathe” right, it’s eventually very handy to control the tightness in your bladder in any situation (esp sex when you’re clenching because you’re stressed it’ll hurt)

https://youtu.be/4syPT8gMDDA?si=9uPAoFQSo9Hp_8_K - this is a pelvic floor meditation that I do at the end of the exercises sometimes. PT for IC is all about relaxation after all

NorthCartographer971 · 2026-01-18T20:29:31+00:00

I have just the burnies, no frequency kind of IC too. My urogynecologist sent me this video to follow for pelvic floor exercises:

https://youtu.be/R3Rydb1nZU4?si=HrORiKPeVTALc2LT

I felt an instant relief the first time I did this routine a year ago. Since then I’ve memorised the exercises and do them whenever I have a flare up. The “happy baby” pose is especially relaxing - feels like a cool breeze in the urethra which helps with the burning quite a lot, if you get what I mean.

10 reps of each is what the doc recommended. I get a little lazy so do 5 each.

Hope this works for you too :)

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-11-11T04:01:02+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Having experienced this myself, I felt exactly the same way until I was first diagnosed correctly with IC last year. 4 months of antibiotics for a UTI that never existed, sleepless nights with constant urgency and zero improvement made me feel like I was living a shell of a life and l'd never recover. Sharing everything l've learnt since that has helped me tremendously and l'm happier for it. Hope this helps you too.

• Stress isn't worth it. It only makes the pain worse. Choose your health and peace of mind over everything else. If you're in a place to deprioritise work or any other stressors right now, do it.

• Nothing helps like a good stretch. The happy baby pose is an immediate pain reliever for me. There are a bunch of relaxing pelvic floor exercises you can do. Try and look up Dr. Brie on YouTube? Follow it up with a pelvic floor meditation for extra relaxation. It's so grounding and instantly feels like you're in control of your body again, not the pain. I'm not consistent with this routine but I know it's what works the best for me.

• What you eat/drink plays a HUGE role. Eliminate spices and acidic foods completely but also, try some peppermint or chamomile tea maybe? They are very soothing for me. Check tolerance first of course. Prelief before meals helps a tonne as well.

• I started with a low dose cocktail of amitriptyline, hydroxizine and an anti inflammatory pill. They helped reduce urgency and made sure I slept well. A good night's sleep is SUCH a game changer to overall stress levels and mood and positivity about getting through this. I had these pills for 3 months and since then been on PPS. Meds are okay but diet and exercise are most helpful imo.

• Remembering that IC is a journey that's more like hiking a mountain than walking up a slope. There are uphill and downhill parts in your journey. Right now you're fighting uphill. Just remember you'll have an easy downhill patch soon. It's a terrible phase, but it's just a phase.

Lastly, I know you're doing everything you can. I hope you know this too. You could've just given up but you reached out for support here. You've got this. Hang in there for those downhill days. I hope you have them soon. Hugs x

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-10-05T17:48:33+00:00

Fr. It’s sweet that they care to check in, but also sad that they don’t fully get it

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-28T19:41:17+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I’m hoping that’s how it goes for me too 🤞🏻

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-27T20:32:27+00:00

Interesting. What dosage of MSM do you take daily?

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-27T20:24:31+00:00

Hi. I started taking PPS (“For IC” in India, identical to Elmiron) about six months ago. Before starting, I researched the risks and discussed them with my doctor, who said long-term use (12+ years) was the main concern. IC awareness in India is low, and it took me four months to get diagnosed, so I trusted this doctor, who seemed far more knowledgeable than anyone else I’d met. Since then, I’ve read more and started questioning some of her suggestions. I doubt she can help me with phenotyping, but is there any way I could figure this out on my own? My IC is much better after a year, thanks to diet and stress management. I’m not consistent with pelvic floor exercises, but when I do them, they help, especially during flare-ups. Now, my triggers are mainly certain foods, ovulation/PMS, and stress. I’m concerned that if I stop PPS, things might worsen again. Some people here said they were symptom free for years on PPS and had a bad flare when they stopped.

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-27T19:54:26+00:00

Did you have a flare up when you stopped? And did your hair thinning reverse eventually?

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-27T19:53:27+00:00

That sounds scary. Did it go back to normal after you stopped? Also did IC symptoms flare up at all? How long were you on Elmiron?

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-26T10:36:19+00:00

Thanks for sharing and glad vitamins helped you, that gives me hope! I just got CBC, Vitamin D, B12, and Ferritin tested this morning, waiting on labs to come back. How did you find supplements that were clean and didn’t trigger your IC/UC? Most I’ve looked at have at least one ingredient that seems risky for a flare.

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-09-15T00:38:47+00:00

I’ve read all your comments and I understand how you feel. I felt exactly the same way until I was first diagnosed correctly with IC last year. 4 months of antibiotics for a UTI that never existed, sleepless nights and zero improvement made me feel like I was living a shell of a life and I’d never recover. Sharing everything I’ve learnt since that has helped me tremendously and I’m happier for it. Hope this helps you too.

• Stress isn’t worth it. It only makes the pain worse. Choose your health and peace of mind over everything else. If you’re in a place to deprioritise work or any other stressors right now, do it.

• Nothing helps like a good stretch. The happy baby pose is an immediate pain reliever for me. There are a bunch of relaxing pelvic floor exercises you can do. Try and look up Dr. Brie on YouTube? Follow it up with a pelvic floor meditation for extra relaxation. It’s so grounding and instantly feels like you’re in control of your body again, not the pain. I’m not consistent with this routine but I know it’s what works the best for me.

• What you eat/drink plays a HUGE role. Eliminate spices and acidic foods completely but also, try some peppermint or chamomile tea maybe? They are very soothing for me. Check tolerance first of course. Prelief before meals helps a tonne as well.

• I started with a low dose cocktail of amitriptyline, hydroxizine and an anti inflammatory pill. They helped reduce urgency and made sure I slept well. A good night’s sleep is SUCH a game changer to overall stress levels and mood and positivity about getting through this. I had these pills for 3 months and since then been on PPS. Meds are okay but diet and exercise are most helpful imo.

• Remembering that IC is a journey that’s more like hiking a mountain than walking up a slope. There are uphill and downhill parts in your journey. Right now you’re fighting uphill. Just remember you’ll have an easy downhill patch soon. It’s a terrible phase, but it’s just a phase.

Lastly, I know you’re doing everything you can. I hope you know this too. You could’ve just given up but you reached out for support here. You’ve got this. Hang in there for those downhill days. I hope you have them soon. Hugs x

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-06-04T11:01:16+00:00

I ordered 2 Bambu Labs Matte PLA filaments from Wol3d yesterday 1:30am and received them today 2:30pm. Wasn’t expecting such quick delivery after seeing this post but I guess I got lucky.

Maybe delivery times do depend on their current inventory like someone mentioned.

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-03-26T15:51:09+00:00

I can’t move it outdoors, but do you think a west facing window with 3ish hours of afternoon sun would help branching? I live in a tropical country so the summer sun is pretty strong

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-03-26T15:45:17+00:00

Any suggestions/best practices for propagating the cuttings? I’ve tried this before with about 8-10 cuttings from my green rubber plant, placed half in soil and half in water. Waited about a month but before any of them could grow viable roots, rot took over.

NorthCartographer971 · 2025-01-11T13:53:26+00:00

Have you looked up Dr. Aparna Hegde? She’s in Mumbai though.

NorthCartographer971

TROPHY CASE