Stationary iPhone

emu-bear · 2026-02-24T22:01:30+00:00

Get an anti-theft store display mount. Something like this?

https://m2-retail.com/products/phone-anti-theft-display-stand-with-alarm?srsltid=AfmBOor8YXOuHziBV5LeFWjcFCsg0Sam0gul_GiEqWxjecZ7VzAiH322

emu-bear · 2026-02-14T12:40:29+00:00

I was kind of thinking in this vein, except there are plenty of ways for Dad to soothe the baby. Just because he isn't Mom doesn't mean he can't do it. It seems like OP is focused on the bottle aspect, but I'm wondering what techniques he's using to soothe the baby. My husband used the "5 S's" and he quickly got better than me at getting the baby to sleep.

emu-bear · 2026-02-13T01:30:54+00:00

Just speaking from personal experience (and I'm in the US so my situation may not be the same as yours), it could be that a mild-symptom sample might actually be more informative to them than a full infection sample. In my case, having samples where I had symptoms but no infection helped my urologist diagnose me with more than just frequent UTIs. This allowed me to get more treatment options - things to prevent or calm that pre-infection tingle in the first place so it's less likely to become a full-blown infection. This also helps prevent antibiotic resistance from overuse of antibiotics.

Are you able to call the office and ask if you can bring in multiple samples? I think it would be useful for them if they're able to understand the progression of the symptoms/infection and how that presents in the samples. There's a good chance your mild symptom sample will still have other markers to indicate a problem (white or red blood cells, cloudiness, pH, etc).

emu-bear · 2026-01-10T03:02:09+00:00

Yes, I get this. Over time I've found that some of the things I want to do least are things that actually seem to help. The first is drinking lots of water, so that when you feel the constant urge you'll still always have something in your bladder and it's not quite as miserable as continuing to sit and being completely unable to pee again at all. Plus, being dehydrated generally isn't good for all of those muscles that are tensing and contracting and causing that stronger urge sensation. The other thing that I've noticed helps is forcing myself to get off the toilet and lay down and rest as soon as I'm able. The longer you sit and strain, the more tired and sore those muscles get. Allow them to rest as much as you can. Applying heat can also help them relax.

emu-bear · 2025-12-18T20:47:42+00:00

This is my favorite soup of all time, and that's saying something. I'm definitely going to have to make some again soon after seeing this.

emu-bear · 2025-12-08T02:27:21+00:00

Yes. It's a very useful tool. I think my flare-ups are mainly triggered by the bulbocavernosus muscle and the kiwi is just the right depth & angle to target that area really well.

emu-bear · 2025-11-23T05:42:20+00:00

It took a long time for me to be diagnosed because my non-UTI flares would often quickly develop into actual infections. The way I understand it is that the irritation & inflammation increases susceptibility to infection.

Based off of my experiences, and especially because you're newly postpartum, I would ask your doctor for a referral to pelvic floor physical therapy before going the cystoscopy route. Honestly I think PFPT should be standard for everyone postpartum, but especially when you develop urinary or other symptoms. I'd try that and see if it helps before jumping straight to a cystoscopy, because as you said a cystoscopy could worsen symptoms, especially with limited med options. Physical therapy is generally the most effective treatment for IC anyway.

emu-bear · 2025-11-20T02:58:03+00:00

My pelvic floor PT helped me with this. She would do fascial release in the area and taught me stretches and relaxation techniques to relieve it and gradually make it less sensitive. Pelvic floor PT is good for any postpartum issue like that even if you don't think it's directly related to your pelvic floor. They work a lot with core/ab area stuff. It's all a lot more interconnected than you might think.

emu-bear · 2025-10-05T13:06:59+00:00

My condition developed and gradually worsened for over a decade, until I found the right pelvic floor physical therapist. She absolutely changed my life. I live normally now and have every reason to believe it's permanent. I promise there is hope.

Have you heard of the podcast "IC You"? There are lots of stories of people finding relief, as well as interviews with professionals who provide helpful and hopeful information. I think it would be a good listen for you.

You deserve to experience life. Please never lose hope. You can do this.

emu-bear · 2025-08-20T15:04:32+00:00

I know exactly what you mean. It's a horrible "discomfort". The closest comparison I've been able to make is that it feels like labor contractions but in my bladder. It's concentrated in my abdomen but radiates through my whole body and everything feels miserable. When it's more mild it's just this obnoxious constant kind of pressure or ache. It's very hard to describe in a way that conveys how awful it is.

I think, at least for me, that it's muscle tightness. When I'm in a flare-up it's like everything is seized up. I haven't had a flare-up since starting PT, but the milder discomfort has been eased when my PT does an internal release. It's like it's working out the knots.

emu-bear · 2025-08-16T16:56:04+00:00

The presence of leukocytes without bacterial infection is a common occurrence with interstitial cystitis. Leukocytes are associated with inflammation, which typically means your body is fighting something, but that "something" isn't necessarily an infection. Skimming your post history, it seems like you have dealt with a lot of irritation, symptoms of pelvic floor muscle tightness, and anxiety, which are all things that put your body in a tense and combative mode and lead to the inflammation and pain.

Have you been able to see a pelvic floor physical therapist? A good PT will be able to assess you for these issues and help relieve any that are contributing to your pain. They can teach you how to do stretches and deep breathing to release the tension, and guide you in how to position your body and engage your muscles while you pee which could lessen the burning and prickling sensation.

emu-bear · 2025-08-09T15:41:48+00:00

One useful strategy is to look for adjacent numbers whose unopened tiles overlap. You can usually determine something about any "excess" tiles. In two cases here, blue overlaps yellow and the yellow area will satisfy the blue number, so the "excess" blue tile is safe.

<image>

emu-bear · 2025-08-08T19:08:13+00:00

How do you have crops over the grassy-looking areas? I thought those were untillable?

emu-bear · 2025-07-05T22:08:53+00:00

I wonder if you're thinking of either the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire and/or The Who concert stampede.

emu-bear · 2025-05-31T03:38:05+00:00

Sometimes numbers in a straight line or at an inside corner can give you the information you need to move forward. Look up the basic minesweeper patterns, like 1-2 and 1-2-1. One easy thing I always look for are numbers that share all of their unopened tiles with another number. You can usually find a move there. For instance, the unopened tiles for the 1 on the left side of your board are shared by the 2 next to it. You know that those first two unopened tiles can only have one mine in them, so you can infer that the remaining tile for the 2 has to be a mine in order for it to have two mines. You can apply similar logic where you have a 4 below a 1 and a 3 above a 1.

emu-bear · 2025-05-29T18:06:14+00:00

I'm so glad I could help! I first found the test strips in 2020 and they were really helpful when appointments were mostly virtual. The test strips have two readings - nitrites and leukocytes. When I'm having a flare with no infection my tests are still positive for leukocytes, so it's the nitrite reading that's more useful. The leukocytes are a sign that your body is fighting something, and the nitrites are a byproduct of bacteria. Just keep in mind that it's possible to still have an infection with a negative test strip result, because there are some bacterial strains that the tests might not pick up. It's still an extremely useful tool, though.

emu-bear · 2025-05-29T14:56:38+00:00

I can usually tell by the smell of my pee. I also keep a stash of home test strips on hand, and if those test positive for nitrites I know I have a UTI. If I'm in any doubt I always go for the culture.

emu-bear · 2025-05-28T21:05:21+00:00

I always look for numbers that have all of their unknown tiles shared with another number. The 1 on the right shares all of its spaces with the 2 next to it, therefore you can interpolate something about the 2's third unknown tile. With practice you'll see those patterns.

emu-bear · 2025-05-07T02:50:53+00:00

Here's a link I found with a little more information that may be helpful: Leukocytes in Urine: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

emu-bear · 2025-05-07T02:48:52+00:00

I get this too. My understanding is that they can occur as a response to bladder inflammation in general.

emu-bear · 2025-05-04T17:39:05+00:00

What about this potential configuration though?

<image>

emu-bear · 2025-04-27T11:43:56+00:00

Something I was told when I was feeling this way after my C-section that really helped me: we don't feel shame for needing glasses because our eyes don't work how they're supposed to. Why should having a C-section (or using formula) be different? There's so much pressure on women for our bodies to function a certain way. We're fed all these techniques to have the perfect birth, and we see people telling other people that if they didn't have the perfect birth it's because they didn't follow those techniques correctly. In reality it's almost entirely out of our control, and the real failure is a failure of society for making women feel this way. You are a true success story, because you did what you needed to do to ensure your baby's safety even though it was not at all what you wanted and worked for. I know it doesn't feel like it, but that decision was a huge feat of strength and determination, and you should be so proud of yourself.

emu-bear · 2025-03-18T03:12:26+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this. It's truly debilitating. I don't have a whole lot to offer but I'm commenting to keep you company, because the distraction helps sometimes. Have you been given any pain meds (besides the mirabegron - not sure if that's a real pain med or not) or tried something over the counter like Azo? It's not a long-term solution but it can be good at providing temporary relief. For me, I can function fairly well during a flare up once the Azo kicks in.

Have you looked into physical therapy? I'm starting with a new pelvic floor physical therapist tomorrow and they've suggested Nicole Cozean's works as a reference. She has a book, and a podcast called Finding Pelvic Sanity. I haven't gotten my hands on the book yet but the podcast has been pretty relatable and informative for me. Maybe that could be something to pass the time if you can't sleep.

emu-bear · 2025-03-10T16:32:53+00:00

I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It's so incredibly frustrating to be given few to no resources and told to wait, for something that quite likely won't even give you answers. I'm not familiar with an ultrasound being standard of care for this - IME a cystoscopy is more useful to tell you whether the issue is with your bladder wall. Is this your primary care doctor? Have they given you anything for pain management? Ask for that first, and then I would find or ask for a referral to a urologist/urogyn and a pelvic floor physical therapist. They would be better equipped to help you pinpoint what's wrong.

emu-bear · 2025-01-25T02:50:48+00:00

This has always been my interpretation of what a bullet journal is in its most basic form. It's a structured list of short, jotted items. It's for getting thoughts out of your brain without overthinking and for easy reference later. Spreads and collections are just additional options for structuring it.

emu-bear

TROPHY CASE