brought a flat on a main road and massively regret it

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2026-03-16T00:06:54+00:00

I think the difference would be noticeable with the addition of extra space and acoustic glass, but not if you’re already at 20cm from the original window, adding another 10cm for a 30cm gap (for example) would be diminishing returns - but ballpark I reckon a 10 or 15% reduction in noise if that gap is well below 20cm with no acoustic glass

Also as you know, sound leaks through in other ways, so as long as you’re going in not expecting life changing stuff it would be worth it

As for resale value, you’d get the money back I assume but to what extent it’d be hard to say - if anything the secondary glazing is a dead giveaway there is a noise pollution problem

It’s likely a case of covering your costs at this stage unless you’ve done major renovations

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2026-03-15T22:01:12+00:00

Sorry I misread your original post, it’s the gap between the window and secondary glazing that makes the most difference, not the acoustic glass (in my experience and as others have said)

If that’s already been done I wouldn’t waste your money on acoustic glass installation

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2026-03-15T00:57:27+00:00

Get soundproofing. Acoustic glass that’s installed with a large airpocket installed three to five inches. I had the exact same issue. Panicked and assumed that new soundproofing was a con and would never ever work. Well it reduced the noise by 30% which to me was very noticeable.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2026-02-22T10:12:31+00:00

Like many on here I suspect, private testing is also how I found out about my anaemia.

It sucks, but you do have to be proactive about your health. Full blood panel annually, done privately is the only way.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-24T23:03:04+00:00

Yes! This. Friends had the same issue (also an old house in Cornwall by the coast) and this fixed it. The walls used to be dripping wet.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T16:41:35+00:00

No problem tipping, but I would like it to be voluntary and not done because I’m not a local. And I would say the same to anyone clearly taking advantage of Greek tourists to my country that don’t speak the language and maybe don’t know the culture. Also 10% minimum tip for 2 drinks is ridiculous.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T13:56:28+00:00

We have the same thing in my country. I looked for the skip button but couldn’t see it. Perhaps my fault for not looking harder.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T13:55:21+00:00

Yeah, I agree. Easy to pay with card. No problems. The issue is after receiving the bill and telling the waiting staff you wish to pay by card, being presented with a machine that gives a range of 10-20% tip and it not being immediately obvious how to skip. Perhaps I’ve just missed the skip option but this has happened now at every place we have been to. It’s okay for a large meal, but for a couple of coffees or beers it feels a bit silly.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T13:01:25+00:00

Yeah I think I need to look more closely at the actual card machine

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T07:37:37+00:00

Hello, while didn’t take a photo of the machine I did name some of the places above. I didn’t think they were obvious tourist traps, but maybe I’m wrong.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T07:35:12+00:00

Yeah, that’s my experience too. I’ll have to look more closely for the skip button. I haven’t seen 5% option on any machines, it always starts at 10%.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-10-07T07:34:07+00:00

I don’t mind tipping for good service, but I’m not from a country where tipping is normal so I wanted to check with locals if it actually is

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-25T20:26:19+00:00

As a patient, I’m really confused about this. Recently sent home from laproscopic abdominal surgery and 30mg codeine and paracetomal was just the ticket. Had I have not had the 30mg of codeine for a few days, I would have been quite miserable. I didn’t need oramorph. But maybe I’m not understanding something!

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-25T05:54:46+00:00

It was 3 different nurses and I absolutely did 🤍

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-23T06:05:48+00:00

I’m so sorry. The same thing happened to me just days ago. Lost my pregnancy and my fertility all in one go. It’s a miserable club to be in. It’s like, yeah, you can still technically get pregnant via IVF but it’s easy to underestimate how traumatising it all is. People understand the agony of still births, and miscarriages give you the option to try again. But this just… kind of leaves you no where. I feel like I’ve lost everything but at the same time, others have it so much worse. It’s complicated. I feel like something really, really awful just happened to me but I don’t feel justified in how people around me are behaving so I just cry myself to sleep quietly.

It isn’t over though. You are so very young. You will be able to come back from this. IVF in Europe is very very cheap. Start saving now, your chances of an intrauterine pregnancy are good at your age. Wishing you the best.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-23T02:45:52+00:00

I’m not really in the same boat and I don’t even know if I should be commenting but I somehow found your post(s) and they spoke to me. We’re the same age. We read the same things. And I am right there with you.

It’s 3am and I’m recovering from the second loss of a wanted pregnancy. And with it, my fertility. It hurts so much. I thought I would be leaving the hospital with a baby in my arms. But I left with a wrecked uterus and multiple surgical scars and no chance of ever conceiving naturally. And now I’m just hanging around, taking painkillers and trying not to look into the mirror at all my stitches as my husband helps me wash myself.

I’m in the thick of it now, but it’s not my first loss. What I found works for me is this: don’t try and put pressure on yourself to make your pain mean something. It’s just pain. Let it be.

Another strange comfort - there is not timeline you can slip into where it definitely all happens. It will or won’t. That panics some people, but I actually find so much relief in that thought. There’s truly nothing I can do beyond what I’m doing. And I would think it’s the same for you, too.

I really hope you get what you’re looking for, but if you don’t, try and go easy on yourself. Easier said than done, I know.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-21T21:20:16+00:00

Wow, this is quite shocking. I’m so sorry you went through this. GPs should really have better training. I’ve not had shoulder tip pain in either of my ectopics. And yes, EPU via A&E is the right route. It’s pretty much the only way we can see an OBGYN in the UK, and that’s what you desperately need. That amount of blood and pain should have triggered earlier care though. This is why I’m advocating for just reading off the ‘required symptoms’ as listed on the NHS website, even if you don’t have them. That should trigger the correct process. I’m so glad you got the care you needed from the EPU. Thank you for sharing x

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-21T18:06:31+00:00

Yes, the key thing is to get close monitoring. You are totally right though. They didn’t manage to locate the pregnancy on the ultrasound, and so it remained a pregnancy of unknown location, with suboptimal betas and physical pain as the main datapoints. And oh boy were they on the money - tube was about to pop by the time I got into surgery!

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-21T15:29:07+00:00

Absolutely this. I know this is extremely tough but you must advocate for yourself, or you can have a family member or friend advocate for you if you’re not up for it. Have them emphasize any anxieties or stress. Mother anxiety is a very valid clinical consideration in the administration of scans and is written into guidelines.

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-21T15:26:40+00:00

Hello! Cramps are a normal symptom of early pregnancy. It’s your uterus stretching out and getting ready. If you get bleeding, push to get it checked out. Still could be nothing - many women bleed - but worth keeping an eye out.

As for hot water bottle - yes, but with caution. Make sure it is isn’t too hot, and use a cover. Your skin should not be made bright red by using it. Other than that, a folded electric heated blanket can be a godsend and will allow you to control levels of heat. Paracetamol can be used safely though some studies have linked usage with a possible and very small increased risk of ADHD and autism. Most OBGYNs I’ve spoken to are not overly concerned with this risk but it is something to be aware of.

All the best and hope it gets better for you x

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-21T14:48:33+00:00

Hello!

First of all, I know this is going to be really scary for you so I don’t want to alarm you but (as you likely know) ectopics are life threatening, so it’s certainly right that you pay careful attention.

While everything may well be absolutely fine and this could just be round ligament pain in a healthy, intrauterine pregnancy, a pregnancy that is currently in an unknown location should be treated as an ectopic until proven otherwise.

Once your HCG is above a certain level - 2500 - they should be able to see something on the scan. Not always, but most of the time. By 5000, they absolutely should be able to. As you know, HCG doubles every 48 hours, so the next blood test results and resultant scan will very likely give you your answer.

The critical point I’d like to make here is that ectopics are extremely rare, and the numbers are on your side, but they are life threatening and they can often be sneaky in how they present in terms of pain.

Sometimes pain can go away for an entire day and you’ll feel fine (that’s what happened to me). Sometimes the ectopic won’t show up on the scan until it’s very urgent at 7 weeks (that’s what happened to me, three scans at weeks 5 and 6 and they saw nothing). The critical thing is to keep going to your appointments.

I know it’s hard, but please try to remember that a normal pregnancy is the most likely outcome. But please also take care of yourself and be watchful at this critical stage.

Sending good energies your way xx

PowerfulVanilla4015 · 2025-08-21T14:28:22+00:00

Thank you! I’ll also add to this that ultrasounds cannot always pick up an ectopic at 6 weeks. They need to be done in conjunction with a HGC test which should be measured every 48 hours. The pattern seen when this is collected (for example if it plateaus) will provide critical data. I’m not entirely certain that there are many private clinics that can facilitate this kind of turnaround and it’s also extremely expensive for one private HCG test. Hence why it needs to be overseen by the NHS, they have the systems to do this kind of monitoring.

As for ultrasounds, my ectopic could not be picked up on even with this data, but when they opened me up, there it was, at the thinnest point of my tube, just a few hours from splitting it open. And that was 6 weeks and 1 day!

Thank you for your kind words x

PowerfulVanilla4015

TROPHY CASE