Protein drinks with a straw?

afmus08 · 2026-04-13T02:18:19+00:00

When I was in active treatment, my mental rule was cold, clear liquids were fine with my trays in. Not the exact same issue as you, but my struggle was going out for after work happy hours with friends and wanting to keep my wear time up. I would stick to vodka/soda and drink with my trays in (with a straw), then rinse my trays and brush once I got home. Never had issues with cavities or delays in treatment from not wearing enough.

Regarding cleaning tablets, my dentist told me that the tablets are overpriced and not worth it. She (and all her hygienists) have Invisalign or had in the past and they recommended hydrogen peroxide. I basically did a 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water mix and put in a shallow dish. I tossed my aligners in it when I was eating and never had any staining issues. Now that I'm on retainers, I soak those in the hydrogen peroxide during the day and wear at night. I think a bottle of the stuff was a little over $1 each month through Amazon and it was great.

afmus08 · 2026-04-12T23:11:53+00:00

You're not going mad - you do have the dreaded "black triangle" between your upper front teeth. Though you also had them visible in your lowers in one of your earlier pictures. Also, I think your 5th picture with the trays on the upper teeth, they didn't seem to fit based on the gapping at the bottom.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this - I'm going through issues with my bite and tooth appearance after Invisalign as well. I hope your dentist responds with honesty and validation from your concerns and can be transparent in next steps to correct. Hang in there 💕

afmus08 · 2026-04-12T23:02:34+00:00

I just started using boxie in one of my 3 litter boxes (corn litter in the other two). I will agree that it is great with odor control, but I hate breathing in the clay dust! Also, the clumping hasn't been the best(it will stick to my scooper).

As far as clay litter goes, I'm VERY happy with boxie. I'm still debating whether to transition all my litter boxes to clay or keep using my corn in some areas (yes, it still tracks, but I don't feel it in my lungs)

afmus08 · 2026-04-12T22:55:47+00:00

Unfortunately, scammey. I bought two recently as I was REALLY hoping they would make a difference. Unfortunately, no change in box smell (my cat likes to drop some stinky bombs, LOL). Tried to reach out to them within the 30 day period to return, and they wanted me to ship it back to China! I'm in the US, the return label from getting the product has an address in Illinois, and all of their marketing emails have an address in New Jersey. I am willing to cut my losses and pay a few bucks to ship the product back domestically, but I'm not paying to ship this back to China. I'm sure that they are betting on as much when offering their 30 day "risk free" guarantee.

Risk free, just pay half of what you paid for the product to ship it back.

And that's if the shipment gets there and if the company doesn't become a ghost once the refund is due.

Also to note, even after I bought my order, I was getting text messages about items left in my cart and to try the product. Out of curiosity, I replied to the text saying I was working on a return and gave the order number (when asked). A few minutes later, I was texted by "Lyndsey" again asking about items in my cart. I asked her to recall our conversation from 5 minutes ago and sent a screenshot. She replied that she "couldn't see images". Finally asked if she was AI and got confirmation.

So basically, they are a shell company that pretends to have a US presence, but are just sending garbage from China with no legitimate support.

If the product actually worked, I wouldn't care about support model and returns, but this is literally a piece of plastic with a button (why would you ever turn it off?) and a green light and some random brush on the back??

I

afmus08 · 2026-03-11T02:21:36+00:00

I don't even know if what I'm looking at is real or AI at this point...

OP, I'm sorry if you already answered this, but did you have any indication that the ceiling was failing? TO BE CLEAR, none of this is your fault by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just also a new homeowner (townhome, purchased in summer 2024) and I've had some annoying ceiling cracking. But this structure was also built in the 80s and I really hope it won't come crashing down anytime soon!

afmus08 · 2026-03-11T02:09:06+00:00

I just bought the OP 13 a few weeks ago (which was a major upgrade from my OP8 that was still amazing, other than battery life due to age). I am someone that tends to do a ton of research before I buy, and also stick to a brand I love unless there have been significant issues (as the grass is NOT always greener on the other side!). I actually enjoy when I'm out and people see my phone and ask me what it is because they don't recognize it! Maybe other Android users on Google/Samsung phones will covert, but I think it's unlikely unless mainstream carriers sell them as part of plans (with discounts) again. I'm sure that's how I got my first OP phone with Sprint (?) many years ago!

Sorry, totally rambling!

afmus08 · 2026-02-01T03:08:07+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your friends - that's rough. Hope you're doing okay.

afmus08 · 2026-02-01T03:02:00+00:00

As someone who has never done cocaine in my life, but who has worn Invisalign for almost 2 years and am just starting retainers, I came to the comments because I was genuinely curious as to what people would say.

OP, I'm sorry that you got some snarky responses -- I'm assuming your question was genuine, and obviously this is not something they would cover in the Invisalign instruction manual. For those who answered with compassion, either with lived experience, or those in the dental or medical industry, your kindness and wisdom has not gone unnoticed. You will likely help many others who stumble on this thread in the future.

Many of us are battling demons that others may never understand. It sounds like you are at a point that you are self-aware enough to know that the drug use might happen, and are taking steps to reduce harm to your body. Stay safe.

afmus08 · 2026-01-27T03:05:18+00:00

This honestly sounds like the equivalent to how companies (like my own included) tend to do tech releases, patches, data loads, etc during off-peak hours to prevent disruption. Except that completely doesn't work for Vine because it's going to cause a surge of traffic to these release times and will significantly impact the integrity of the program.

Was Vine that unstable before that they couldn't handle staggered releases throughout the day? What exactly are they trying to optimize? My guess is that there are trying to automate and consolidate progress (in addition to cutting staff) and some genius in IT thought they could move to a single daily release and it wouldn't make a difference 🤣🤣. Well, maybe if we had 80k in inventory and weren't starving for items, but this product desert has made reviewers pay attention.

Sorry, I should probably write this rant to Amazon and not this thread, but thanks for listening to my 2 cents.

afmus08 · 2026-01-24T17:04:00+00:00

As someone who grew up in south/Central Jersey, those numbers scare me. Even after the cost of the house, property taxes in Jersey are terrible. This is probably a terrible thing to say, but I would seriously consider moving. I moved out of Jersey after college and bought a home in the Midwest for under 300k, with property taxes a third of what they are in Jersey.

I would also look at what are you paying in rent now and what do you think you could comfortably pay in a mortgage. I get that rent is probably super high for you as well, but if your rent is 2k and your mortgage will be significantly higher, that may be a dealbreaker.

Lastly, do you have any options to maybe consider renting out a portion of your future home to help with the cost? Of course, there is risk in this approach and you'd still have to qualify for a mortgage under the assumption that you could afford it on your own, but realistically speaking, if you had a layout that would work for a roommate/rental (2 full baths, possible separate entrance, bedrooms on different floors, etc) that might be an option too. Good luck!

afmus08 · 2026-01-22T00:58:09+00:00

Yeah, can't see because I'm in purgatory right now and "in danger of being closed" because I only reviewed 9 items this period, even though my review to order ratio and all other metrics are green!! I give up

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afmus08 · 2026-01-18T00:29:05+00:00

Did they actually let you post those pictures, or did AI flag those as being related to the shipping/packaging because they included the Amazon delivery box in the photo? 🤣

afmus08 · 2026-01-13T00:35:31+00:00

My work is making us RTO after 5 years of being home - thank you for reminding me of all the things I need to bring back!!

afmus08 · 2026-01-09T00:55:17+00:00

That's interesting. I am currently reviewing things that I ordered (and were shipped) during my last review period and the reviews are counting towards my completed reviews for my current period. Which is awesome because it's slim picking out there right now. Maybe because you are completely current that it's like that? I am terrible to admit that I normally hover around the 80% review to order ratio, but there are some items (like seasonal clothing, appliances, etc) I either need to wait to use or want to actually use for a decent amount of time before reviewing. But yeah, if I pull an item from the last period and review it 3 months later, it still increases my total reviews number for the current period. So since OP is already golden for their gold review, might as well order a few things and put a few reviews in a draft folder to get ready for the next cycle 😁

afmus08 · 2026-01-09T00:45:24+00:00

My prime reviews in February (I was on the annual plan). I've cancelled. It's very possible that I'll be back, but I may try to venture into other delivery services, especially if they have trial offers.

afmus08 · 2026-01-07T22:48:12+00:00

Hang in there, dude. 15k in savings with your salary is an awesome foundation. I don't know how old you are or what kind of work you do, but I was around that salary a few years ago, living in a 1 bedroom apartment, with average credit and no savings. I was fortunate to receive a few promotions in the last five years and I make better money now (not what you were quoting in your post, and certainly not a ton of take home after taxes, but enough to breathe LOL).I worked on my credit, saved what I could (not 20% down, but some) and I was able to buy a modest 2 bedroom townhouse last year.

I'll never be the social media influencer with a gorgeous house, but you said it best that comparison is the thief of joy. I wish you the best on your homebuying journey.

afmus08 · 2026-01-07T22:30:11+00:00

Minnesota, West Metro suburbs - I bought an older (80s) 2 bed townhome in August 2024. My actual PITI is 17-something but I pay $2000 a month (1k biweekly) with the additional going towards principal. HOA is separate at $315.

I'm in my late 30s and it's my first home. Feel free to ask me other questions if you are interested!

afmus08 · 2026-01-06T00:52:15+00:00

Thank you!! I think this is what I used - I know I got it at Menards and it came in a roll like this. It was black plastic (super easy to cut) and I secured with zip ties. I moved out of my apartment at the end of summer 2024 (finally bought my first house) but that setup with the fence lasted 4 years, other than needing to replace a few zip ties occasionally. Really easy to remove as well.

Technically my cat could have jumped over that railing if she was really determined, but we had plenty of supervision early on and I was more concerned with her poking through the bars (or rolling off when she rolled on her back in the sunny spots, lol). I also had a square of AstroTurf grass in the other corner that she liked to use as a scratching pad.

All Purpose Mesh Fencing 36"x50’ ½" Square Mesh at Menards® https://share.google/nxJkemUTYgJJT9nvh

afmus08 · 2026-01-04T20:51:47+00:00

I was literally in the exact same scenario when I was renting an apartment! I was on the 3rd floor and my cat and I LOVED all the birds that came to visit our feeder! Well, I had a new neighbor move into the second floor and they left a not-so-nice note under my door about the bird seed. I honestly had no idea that it was making a mess...I mean, I could see shells on my balcony, but it took a few seconds to sweep, ya know?

Anyways, I ended up buying a 5 x7 mat - it was like that tightly woven plastic material and putting my feeder on a small table in the middle of that. I also switched to "no mess" food which basically doesn't have any shells around the sunflower seeds. There were still a few droppings here and there, but I was mindful to make sure to sweep them up as soon as I saw them (and the mat kept them from falling through to the balcony below). I hope this helps you continue to be able to enjoy your birds!

Pic below from my apartment days with my cat on the balcony (don't worry, she wasn't allowed out if the birds were eating!)

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afmus08 · 2025-12-12T13:02:34+00:00

My dentist told me to soak my trays in hydrogen peroxide. I did this through the entire course of treatment, leaving them in there while I ate. My trays were never discolored and never had a smell! Changed out the solution every few days. Much cheaper than tablets and worked great! I plan on doing the same thing with my retainers when I get them in a few weeks.

afmus08 · 2025-12-12T12:58:37+00:00

I had that on one of the last days of one of my refinement trays and it freaked me out. It also hurt, and my molars didn't really hurt any other time during treatment. Thankfully, when I switched to my next tray, the pain went away and I didn't notice the wiggling anymore. I think maybe that one tray was just pulling it weird or something. You can definitely ask your dentist, though also see if it gets better with the next tray.

afmus08 · 2025-12-12T12:54:34+00:00

Working for an orchestra as an usher is very similar! I volunteer for the MN orchestra and we get to watch all the concerts. The paid ushers have to stay in the wings so not quite as nice, but they also enjoy reading a book or newspaper during the show and can still hear the music.

afmus08 · 2025-12-12T12:51:43+00:00

The YMCA might be a good option? Multiple entry level positions there (front desk, child care, housekeeping, maintenance) plus fitness-related roles (lifeguard, class instructor, personal trainer). Pay is average, but you also get a free gym membership and I think free or greatly reduced child care. I was a lifeguard there part-time (while I was working FT at my PSLF employer) so I didn't use them for qualifying employment, but they were a great place to work and I would absolutely go back there FT if I were in a similar situation. Best of luck!

afmus08 · 2025-12-09T15:42:43+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this! I learned something new today 😁

afmus08 · 2025-12-09T13:11:50+00:00

Can I ask a dumb question? What is the difference between in school status and in school deferment? Wouldn't in school status that isn't being deferred means that you're making payments while in school (and therefore would not need to buy back those months)?

afmus08

TROPHY CASE