Kai

NOVEMBER 2009 - Cycle #25

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:47:36 GMT

Monday -- Day 22
11am - wiped reddish and felt crampy so I put the Mooncup in.
11pm - just a little brownish sludge on the bottom

Tuesday - light day
9am - just a little more reddish sludge on the bottom.
3pm - a teaspoon of reddish on the bottom. Swapped for Lunette cos going out.
10pm - didn't measure but bright red. Probably 5ml
11:30 - damn, felt it shift just as I was falling asleep. Removed and reinserted. Much better.

Wednesday - briefly heavy
8:30am - up to first line. Went in hard and dry.
11am - up to the first line.
1:45pm - appx 5ml -- and heading out
11pm - to the first line

Thursday - light and waning
12noon - just a little
11pm - just a teaspoon but still quite bright

Friday
9am - just a few brownish drops. Removed for a liner.
6pm - slobbered up that liner pretty good. Put the Mooncup in just to eliminate the yuck.

Saturday
9am - forgot to take the cup out last night. Removed this morning with just a few brownish drops in it. Liner, just in case.

OCTOBER 2009 - Cycle #24

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:40:41 GMT

Saturday -- Day #22
Wiped pink yesterday and had diarrhea last night.
Put the Mooncup in just in case this morning cos 10am-3pm L1 Range.
Wiped reddish all morning and left a brown blip on my shield. Nasty cramps since 2pm.
4pm - still cramping. Just a little brownish sludge on the bottom. (So why all the cramps?)

Sunday -- 10am-3pm L1 Range with the other group.
5am - paranoid, couldn't sleep. Half asleep, I dumped out just a little.
8am - just a little brownish sludge on the bottom of the Mooncup. 10am-3pm L1 Range again so I put the Lunette in just in case. Went in hard and dry. Didn't feel a drop until...
2:30pm - OMG! HUGE OVERFLOWING LEAK! RAN to the potty in a panic between Ex7 and Ex8. Good thing I had a shield because that one leak FILLED it!
Today was supposed to have been a "threatening" day. Instead, it was a SURPRISE GUSHER!!!
9pm - to the first line = 7ml. That's all???

Monday
8am - BLIP as I got out of bed. I should have listened to my inner voice and worn a shield last night. Nope. Dummy. Blotch on the sheets where I pivoted to get up. Up to the 2nd line in the Lunette. 15ml. Seemed very watered down. (So did the leak.) Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
10am - probably 4ml in just the last couple of hours. More than I expected. And here we go with the cramps again. Not bad but "there."
late afternoon - between the 2 lines
midnight - a healthy teaspoonful. Waning. This was a heavier-than-lately period in general.

Tuesday
11am - a teaspoonful. Dark red. Swapped to Mooncup.
11pm - just a few drops

Wednesday
Shield. The end.

SEPTEMBER 2009 - Cycle #23

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:57:54 GMT

Wednesday -- Day #19 Mooncup - And it's Day 2 of a nasty head cold.
Spotting? Cramping? Mooncup just in case cos going out.
4:30pm - teaching tonight. One big blip of a clot.
11:30pm - almost nothing in the cup

Thursday - Mooncup and Lunette - head cold is moving down into my chest
10:30am - very little, just spotting.
4:30pm - just a little, swapped to the Lunette cos teaching
12:00 midnight - still just a little

Friday - Lunette
A small BLIP as I stood up out of bed. I'm glad I wore a liner to bed. Why does it do that EVERY time???
8am - a healthy teaspoonful. Here it comes.
12 noon - gurgled. To second line -- probably as full as it would get before overflowing
4:30pm - just above the first line
11pm - just below the first line

Saturday - Lunette - afternoon on the range
10am - just below the first line
12:30 - hardly anything
10pm - to first line and with an interesting clearer layer on top -- swapped to Mooncup overnight

Sunday - Mooncup - afternoon on the range
12 noon - just a few drops of brownish but put it back in anyway just in case.
late night - just a few drops of brownish. Removed. I'm done.

AUGUST 2009 -- Cycle #22

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:27:51 GMT

Last time around, it was 36 days. This time it started coming on at 15. Just click OFF, dammit!

Wednesday, Day 15 after my last cycle -- just spotting:
Early afternoon - Odd cramping and a little tinge on the toilet paper so I popped in the Mooncup, just in case. "Just in case." I love that about cups.
11pm - Just a little brown sludge on the bottom.

Thursday - threatening stage:
Wiped red first thing in the morning despite wearing the Mooncup overnight. Not unusual to get a blip of a leak first thing in the morning. Just a little in the cup but bright red, fresh.
A little later - I would be on time if I hadn't been 2 weeks late last time. Feeling a little crampy and period-y. Is it the real deal?
1pm - Blip? Yes, a small one. Emptied the cup only because we were going out. Not even a teaspoonful, not red/not brown, seemed GRAINY when I dumped it in the bowl.
10pm - A teaspoonful or so, dumped it only because I was curious at how much. Should have waited another hour or two until bed-time. But no harm.
11:30pm - Swapped to the Lunette just in case I have another heavy night like previous cycles.

Overnight
2:42am - Couldn't sleep. Very paranoid about leakage. Also very gassy from yesterday's burrito lunch. Just a teaspoon in the Lunette. Swapped for a tampon because they don't leak. Tossed and turned yet some more. Very restless, bad night's sleep.

Friday - here it is:
Bad start to the day after a bad night's sleep -- the filter in the coffee pot folder over and wadded up. Ugh, coffee full of grounds.
9:30am - Filled the tampon. Swapped back to Lunette.
12noon - To first line on the Lunette. Took it out only because it shifted when I pooped and was uncomfortable.
2pm - Going out so I emptied it just in case. Not quite to first line. Bright red with clear on top.
7pm - Thought I felt a blip and "is it full?" Nope and nope. Just a gurgle and not up to the first line.
11:30pm - Just a teaspoon.

Overnight
Another fucking sleepless night. First time I saw was 4:22 and the last one was 5:55. And a lot of numbers in between. I hate insomnia.

Saturday -- kept the Lunette even though I thought it would be overkill -- but turned out not to be after all.
9am - not even a teaspoon.
Odd gurgling and a little dark leakage throughout the day. Wiped red all day. Did I empty it during the day? Maybe. I don't know. I don't remember.
10:30 - was going to swap for the Mooncup but just past the first line, which was more than I expected so I kept the Lunette. Deep red with a clear layer on top.

Sunday
10am - Only a couple of brown drops in the Lunette. Swapped for the Mooncup.
11pm - not even half a teaspoon but more than I expected in there. But removed anyway.

Monday
Shield.

AUGUST 2009 -- Cycle #21

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:21:01 GMT

Even though my cycle had shrunk from about 25 days to about 22, this one took 36. My first menopausal delay.

I was due on the 28th and have been spotting ever so slightly -- just barely occasionally staining my panties, wiping "tinted" -- for a week and a half.

Spotting got a little harder on the 8th, 9th and 10th. I wore my Lunette because I was away that weekend and there was just a little brown sludge in the bottom of the cup each time I changed it. I didn't wear it the night of the 10th but when I got up to pee at 6am (when the low battery alarm on the CO detector started to beep) I wiped red (not just brown) and popped my Mooncup in "just in case." Good thing I did. I felt crampy before I fell back asleep and yes, it felt like my cycle had begun.

Tuesday the 11th
Woke up feeling "wet" and wiped sloppy red (residual slobber) before I got out of bed. The Mooncup had a healthy teaspoon or more in it when I checked it about 9-10am. It's baaaaack!
Noonish - Been sitting at my computer all morning. Peed red, wiped red and left a big blip on my shield. Annoying but normal.
3pm - Slobbered up my shield to near over-flowing. Between the lines on the Mooncup. Swapped for the Lunette cos my flow seemed to have picked up and we had to go out.
5-6pm - Diarrhea. Ugh.
8pm - My shield is wet but more clear than red. Surprisingly little in the Lunette -- only about 7ml. Just barely to the first line. I wish I could see the lines on this cup better.
11:30pm - Diarrhea again. Damn, I "shat fire." But only a teaspoon or so in the Lunette.

Overnight - Sleepless and restless night. Bad night's sleep.
4am - Felt a BLIP and got up. Hadn't reached my shield yet. Only a teaspoon or so in the Lunette.
Overcast so couldn't see the Perseid Meteor Shower.

Wednesday
8am - felt another BLIP when I got up. It became a few BIIIIG sloppy leaks that filled my shield by the time I got to the toilet. Lunette was full, probably overflowed with my cervix in it. No wonder it leaked. This is something new... flowing so hard overnight. In the past, overnights have always been light and gravity has made me gush during the day. But the good news is that that was probably the worst of it and things will taper off from here.
10:30am - Lunette and shield were both 2/3 to 3/4 full.
afternoon - a little more than a teaspoon in the Lunette and more clear than red on my shield.
7pm - Didn't empty the cup but swapped out the shield for a fresh one.
11:30pm - Not even a teaspoon in the Lunette.

Overnight
5:30am - Felt like I HAD TO go pee but Lunette seemed to block the flow. Dribbled out slowly. Didn't remove cos half asleep.

Thursday
10am - Very little in the Lunette. Swapped for the Mooncup.
[no more notes so going by memory:]
before bed -- just a little

Friday
morning - even less
evening - empty and removed

Mental Pause?

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:19:30 GMT

I'm over a week late and that's VERY unusual. I'm not feeling any of the usual warning signs and symptoms.

Could this be my first menopausal missed period?

Will it be late? Will I skip it? Will I just click OFF? Do I have irregular cycles and nasty surprises to look forward to? (I didn't when I clicked ON -- I was regular from day one.)

Let's see what the future brings.

JULY 2009 - Cycle #20

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:55:36 GMT

Sunday - Mooncup
Wiped brown and left a mark in my panties so I put in my Mooncup.

Monday - Mooncup
Woke up and it felt "wet." It hadn't leaked beyond my vulva but I wiped with a tissue before I got up and it came away SOAKED. Seems to have been one BIIIIG blip of a leak. Just a little in the cup. I think my theory is right... the more active I am, the less my cups leak. It's not unusual for it to leak overnight or when I do a lot of sitting.
11:45 - BLIP. Less than a teaspoon in the Mooncup. Been sitting all morning.
6:15 - I don't know if I peed red but I definitely WIPED red. Busy day outside, didn't sit down much. NO leakage but my shield was very "wet." Lots of clear discharge. Only a teaspoon in the cup, which was surprising that there was so little in it.
11:30 - Still only about a teaspoon in the cup. But nothing on the shield.

3am - Why did it feel like I had to pee so bad? Hardly anything came out. Peed red, wiped red, small blip on the shield. But again, only a teaspoon.

Tuesday - Mooncup, Lunette, Instead
8am - Another blip on the shield. Glad I wore one. Peed red, wiped red and the Mooncup was 2/3 full. Unusual for me to have bled so much while sleeping. Swapped to Lunette just for the extra capacity.
6pm - After 10 hours, Lunette was only about 1/2 or 2/3 full so this cycle seems to have been slow and steady, and kinda light. Swapped to Mooncup because it's big enough.
11pm - A teaspoon or less in the Mooncup and on a whim, I swapped for the Instead that's been hanging out in the cabinet.

Wednesday - Instead, Mooncup
10am - No way to measure the contents of the Instead but it was red and sloppy. Rinsed and reinserted. I like cups better only because Insteads are sloppy but I kept wearing the Instead anyway.
3pm - Just went pee but didn't remove it. It has slobbered, good thing I'm wearing a shield. And I suspect I'm down to a dribble so it really shouldn't have made a mess.
7pm - More slobber on the shield. Not much in the Instead but it was red and sloppy so I swapped it out for the Mooncup because it doesn't seem so messy.

Thursday - Mooncup
9am - Not even half a teaspoon in the Mooncup. Put it back in just so I wouldn't stain my panties.
11pm - Just a drop. Removed.

Friday
Just a liner that I didn't really need.

JUNE 2009 -- Cycle #19

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:59:20 GMT

Friday = threatening stage

Saturday:
Here it comes. Lots of cramping, more brown sludge than red flow. Mooncup held up well, even overnight.

Sunday:
Oh boy, teaching an ERC on my heavy day. 2nd time. First time was last year. Paranoia galore beforehand. Wore a pad (not just a liner) as a back-up, just in case. Emptied the Lunette 2-3 times in the porta-potty, just in case. Never more than half full. After 6+ hours on the range -- standing, walking, bending, stretching, squatting, on and off the bike a dozen times, etc -- only two tiny little blips on the pad. Might not have seeped through my panties if I hadn't worn a back-up. Heck, I leak more SITTING AT MY DESK than when so active. Came home and swapped for my Mooncup because I thought the worst of it was probably over.

Joey update on her cup: "Ok, made the holes bigger with the drill bit you recommended. It may work better, I'm not sure yet. I'm SOOOOO paranoid about the ouchy I got last time, I'm thinking I thought it hurt worse than it did. Will try again later. It still seems like it's too wide, like it takes up too much room. I don't feel it when it's in, but getting it out is still a wrestling match."

Sunday night:
Woke up 5am to roll over, coughed and felt a blip. Shit. Got up, went pee. The Mooncup didn't feel right when I reached in to take it out -- like it was crooked or something. Half-asleep, didn't want to mess with it. Swapped for the Lunette, just in case the Mooncup didn't like how I was sleeping.

Monday:
Flowed a lot more than I expected today. I think I filled the Lunette around noontime. I spilled a bunch out during removal and there was still quite a bit left in the cup. Then it was pretty full again around dinner. I think my cervix sits more deeply in the Lunette than the Mooncup so its capacity isn't as high as I'd like it to be. Hardly anything in the Lunette at bed time so Mooncup overnight.

Tuesday:
There it goes. Mooncup.

MAY 2009 -- Cycle #18

Sun, 24 May 2009 13:59:06 GMT

Wore the Lunette down to Ema's.

Tuesday
Just a dribble. Threatening stage.

Wednesday
Here it comes -- with a little "residual slobber" by late evening and bed time.

Thursday
Damn, it leaked overnight/early morning! Good thing I was wearing a liner cos I filled it (the liner.) I think it was because I was propped half-upright watching TV and dozing, waiting for Ema to wake up. Continued to "residual slobber" all day. Went through many liners before everything calmed down by evening.

Friday
There it goes.

Saturday
Just a couple of liners.

APRIL 2009 - Cycle #17

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:14:12 GMT

SUNDAY -- Not due until Thursday but recalculated to Monday (tomorrow) because my cycle seems to have shortened consistently.
3pm - Cramping and brown sludge so I popped in the Mooncup.
11pm - Just a little brown liquid at the bottom.

MONDAY
8am - Just a little, slightly redder.
1pm - Couldn't take the Mooncup slobbering any more -- half a liner-ful. About 5-6ml, swapped for Lunette. Fresh liner.
6pm - Only another 6ml-ish despite cramps all day. And reddish "wet" slobber on the liner. Perspiration too? 87* today. Unusually warm for April. 1* below our record temp. Even my feet have been hot -- and my feet are always cold.
9:30 - Still only 4-5ml in the cup but yet more reddish slobber on the liner. Ew. Swapped for a new one. Last cycle, I sprung a wet reddish slobber leak in the middle of the night. Do I trust it or will it do the same tonight? I don't want to wear panties and a liner to bed. I want my parts to breathe after a long hot sweaty day. But I don't want to sleep poorly because I'm paranoid either.
11pm - Just 3-4ml in the cup

TUESDAY
I slept with panties and a liner. No need to have been paranoid. Phew!
8am - 15ml in the Lunette. A surprisingly heavy night. I usually slow down overnight and gush during the day instead.
11am - 8ml and nothing fresh on the liner.
3pm - 3ml and slobber all over the liner. New liner. It seems the heavier my flow, the less I leak. The lighter my flow, what a mess.
11pm - Barely 2ml and swapped for the Mooncup.

WEDNESDAY
11am - Barely 2ml but still red.
3pm - Barely 2 ml but still red.
11pm - Barely anything and more brown than red. Removed.

THURSDAY
Liner, just in case.

Cycle total = appx 50ml

APRIL 2009 - Cycle #16

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:44:32 GMT

My one year anniversary of cups will fall between this cycle and the next.

16-1/2 cycles per year. Wow, that's down to 22 days. Things are definitely winding down. And they're not nearly as heavy as they used to be. I wish I had numbers to "prove" that instead of just "gut feeling."

THURSDAY - due Sunday - Mooncup
4pm - Spotting brown, cramping and going to the supermarket so I popped the Mooncup in.
11pm - just a little brown in the bottom.
Daily total = 2-3ml

FRIDAY - still surprisingly light - Lunette
9am - Yay, red. 2ml? Swapped for the Lunette. Let's see how long it takes to fill it.
8:15pm - Couldn't stand the suspense any longer. Could have gone all day to bedtime with it. It's official, I can't even find the lines on that cup WITH my glasses on. Rinsed it out and hunted for them, finally found them. They're tiny. Seemed to have been halfway between the lines. What's that? 10ml? They're not marked. So why bother putting lines?
11:30pm - just a little. 2-3ml?
Daily total = 14-15ml

SATURDAY - heavy day - Lunette
4am - Woke up to roll over and DRIP! What??? Oh no. Big sloppy leak. Why??? Full? Nope. Not quite to first line. 6ml? That was uncalled for.
8am - Not quite to second line. 13ml? My guess is that I'll start off heavy and get lighter as the day goes on.
10:15am - What, AGAIN??? Another big nasty drip of a leak. What's going on today??? It was open, it was in right. Appx to first line. 8ml? And I definitely put it back in right.
1:45pm - An active day with a LOT of housework. Hardly sat down at all. AGAIN! Another big drip of a leak. To second line. 15ml. Is that my overflow point? It has been 3-1/2 hours so time-wise, that's about right.
4:30pm - Dammit, AGAIN? I don't know, maybe not. Did I change my liner last time? I don't remember. I think I did. This time it looks more wet than red. Just stray tinted discharge? Definitely new liner this time. And there was hardly anything in the cup. Just 2ml?
11:15pm - Nothing on liner. Down to a trickle. About 3ml. Should probably have swapped to the Mooncup but I kept the Lunette out of laziness.
Daily total = appx 47ml. Is that a lot? I don't know.

SUNDAY
7am - only a ml or two. Kept the Lunette out of laziness again.
4:30pm - About 5ml after having been on my feet all day again. Swapped to the Mooncup.
Daily total = barely 7ml

MONDAY
8am - just a couple of drops since 4:30 yesterday. Too lazy to dig out a liner. I'll check and probably remove later.
11:30am - Nothing in the cup. Put on a liner, just in case. Could probably do without it.

GRAPH:
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Post about this cycle at http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/1637076.html

MARCH 2009 -- Cycle #15

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:34:23 GMT

MONDAY - Day 4 of the flu.
9am - wiped red
11am - wiped red again, popped in the Mooncup
Drinking a LOT of water today to rehydrate from cold and cold tablets and I was very dehydrated overnight last night.
Wiping red every time I go -- but so far, nothing on shield.
5pm - starting to pee red as well -- and small blip on the shield How/Why is it getting past the cup?
11:30pm - OMG!!! WTF??? Dark brown JELLO! SUPER THICK GLOP! Thicker than jam. Up to about first line 7.5ml? =8oO
Swapped for the Lunette.

TUESDAY - after a lousy night's sleep
9am - Back to normal. More red than brown. To first line.
1:30pm - odd gurgle. Peed red, wiped red. To second line. 15ml. Minor red (not diluted like in the past) splotch on my liner.
5:30 - another odd gurgle. Peed red, wiped red. Just beyond first line. 9ml. A little more red added to the liner.
8:30 - Didn't dump the cup but there's a little more red on the liner. Massive coughing fits all evening.
***The good news about the liners this cycle and last is that I seem to have conquered the pee traveling up problem.
11:30pm - Just below first line. 5-6ml?
Swapped to Mooncup because the Lunette felt BIG all day.

WEDNESDAY - I think my flu finally broke today.
9am - very little in there, just half a teaspoon.
5pm-ish -- wiped red and emptied it just because I was curious. Not as much as I expected. 5-6ml?

THURSDAY
removed in favor of a shield

FEBRUARY 2009 - Cycle #14

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:18:22 GMT

Thursday and Friday -- due Monday
just light spotting
wore my UK Mooncup

Saturday
peeing red and wiping red with the Mooncup -- but barely a mark on my shield.
1pm - just a little in there but bright red instead of brown. Swapped to Lunette.

Rest of Saturday and Sunday
no notes

MONDAY
am - THIS should have been the cycle to chart. Peed and wiped red throughout but only a quarter sized blip on the shields on either of my two heaviest days. That's cos I bore down and super-wiped around the cup if I didn't remove it -- to try to minimize what had traveled up. And I rinsed AND DRIED the cup if I removed it. I'm back down to a trickle now.
11pm - surprisingly full by bed time cos I thought I was done

Tuesday
am - just a few drops. Swapped for the Mooncup, just in case.
pm - more than I expected. Glad I wore it.

Wednesday
just a shield, nothing on it by evening.

JANUARY 2009 - Cycle #13

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:28:10 GMT

A very short, very light cycle.

Tuesday -- not due until Sunday (early!)
9am - Wiped red, put the MCUK in.
11pm - Just some brown sludge

Wednesday:
5am - Bad dream, DRY mouth, drink of water, went pee even though I didn't have to
6am-ish - Half-asleep, did it just BLIP???
7am - Woke up to roll over, remembered the blip. "FUCK! I'm sticky!" Yes. Wet and a little bloody. It's cos I went pee earlier. Got up, removed, about 7ml brown sludge and the outside of the cup was wet. That is the source of my slobbering. Pee travels up and around the cup somehow. I HAVE TO remove it every time I go pee, otherwise I BLIP a piss-based leak that picks up whatever residual blood there is to become red and sticky.
12:30 - Gurgling. Shit, it leaked. About 10ml, more brown than red. Swapped for the Lunette.
11pm - Residual slobber on shield. About 10ml.

Thursday:
8am - Just under 15ml. Went back in a little dry. Gotta remember to drink more water today.
10am - Peed red, wiped red. Here we go again.
11am - Peed red, wiped red. Still trying to remember to drink a lot.
1pm - Peed red, wiped red. About 15ml.
4pm - YIKES! I missed my cervix! Almost nothing in the cup, very full shield!
11pm - Only about 4ml. Short period. Very strange.

Friday:
8am - VERY little in there. Was going to swap for the Mooncup but decided to remove completely and just wear a shield.

Saturday and Sunday:
Light spotting throughout. More clear than red or brown.
2 shields on Saturday
1 shield on Sunday

DECEMBER 2008 - Cycle #12

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:39:33 GMT

Sunday - not due until Thursday
2pm - put the Mooncup in - felt crampy
(Untouched until)

Monday
9am - just a little brown sludge
11:45am - went pee, wiped red, tiny blip on the shield already. Here we go again. Crampy again.
1:15pm - went pee, wiped red, a teaspoon+ of red. Swapped for Lunette cos going out. Feels "full."
4pm - went pee, barely wiped pink, nothing in the bowl. Stuff on shield had diluted and spread. "Full," bladder sensitivity and cramps.
6pm - went pee, no pink, no nothing. Nothing new on the shield. Cramping like crazy and still feeling quite "full" but no more bladder sensitivity.
7:15pm - went pee, wiped a little red. Still no leaking like last times. Less cramping, less "full." How long until I empty it?
8pm - went pee, wiped red, needed to go to Walmart. Dumped it just in case and just a teaspoon or two. So, why all the damn cramping???
11pm - reseated it just so it wouldn't slobber overnight. Seemed DRY going in.

Tuesday
8am - woke up to a healthy BLIP of a leak. WTF? But only a teaspoon or two inside.
11:15 - peed red, wiped red. Not quite half full. Seemed particularly messy.
2pm - peed red, wiped red. Cramping again. And headache too.
3:30pm - figured I'd be full but only about 1/3. Cramps are subsiding, headache is waning. I think the worst is over. This one was particularly uncomfortable and manifested itself in FRUSTRATION too with the damn fish tank.
??? - in between?
10:15pm - 3rd cycle in a row with a night of constipation. HURRY UP and RUN to the bathroom! For no reason. Removed the cup to do so, knowing it wouldn't really help. Was going to swap for the Mooncup but the Lunette was about 1/3 full so just in case I decide to gush (it won't) I'll keep the big cup. Felt a hard lumpy poopie through the back of my vagina that didn't want to come out. Eeewww. Tomorrow morning all will be normal again.

Wednesday
9am - about 1/3. Swapped to Mooncup. One of the girls on the Cups List said the Lunette feels like she has a bowling ball up there. Yeah, I can feel the width too. Not uncomfortable, but THERE. Mooncup is more comfy. Invisible.
3pm-ish - About half full.
6pm - shower and about 1/3 full

Thursday
9am - just a little brownish sludge
11:30pm - just a little brown sludge
Removed, the end.

-----

DECEMBER 2008 - Cycle #11

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:38:31 GMT

Friday
1pm - wiped red, put in the Mooncup
wiped pinkish all day but nothing on my panties.
11pm - just some brown sludge

Saturday
8:45am - just some brown sludge
11:30 - peed red, wiped red. Liner is WET but not necessarily red. Is pee traveling UP and around the cup?
1:30pm - yes, I think it's going UP. Still just brown sludge.
evening - ? and that liner was GROSS.
11pm - just a teaspoon but getting redder. But nothing on the new liner. Swapped for Lunette overnight even though it's probably overkill

Sunday
9am - damn hard to pee with the Lunette first thing. Took it out, peed more. Just a little in there.
10am - It feels really FULL down there. Borderline annoying. Debating switching to another cup. I think the worst of it has hit.
11:30 - Not quite as annoying as earlier. Went pee, peed red. Wiped red. Minor blip on the shield from before.
12:30 - BLIP! Aw shit, here we go again. Took it out to re-seat it. 2/3 full. BURPED coming out, splattered it all over the place, what a mess.
2:30 - went pee, wiped red but didn't pee red. No leaks up to now. If removing it each time I go pee is the key to avoiding the residual blip, then what's the sense of having such a large capacity cup?
evening - peed red, wiped red, swapped for a clean liner
8pm - peed red, wiped red, took it out cos I was constipated. Didn't help. Same thing last month. Went back in very dry and therefore I can feel it. But the worst of it is over already.
11pm - took it out to pee only so it wouldn't slobber overnight

Monday
8am - Just a little but bright red. Swapped for the Mooncup.
in between -- peed a few times, wiped a little red
5pm - dumped it only cos I was thinking about it. Only a teaspoon, bright red. Barely pink on the shield.

Tuesday
9am - hardly anything in there, more brown than red. Removed in favor of a shield.

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NOVEMBER 2008 - Cycle #10

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:37:29 GMT

MONDAY - not officially due until Thursday
4:30pm - Just wiped brown until now. Wiped red so I put the Mooncup in.
11pm - Still wiped brown all evening. Stirred earlier but it doesn't seem to have helped. Musta been sloppy in there for it to still be wiping out. Gave it a rinse and put it in dry just so it wouldn't be in for more than 12 hours by morning.

TUESDAY -- the worst of it
9am - Just brown sludge. But wiped reddish. Damn, why does it do that?
10:30 - Slobbered, wiped red. Swapped to Lunette. Raked leaves.
3pm - Did it slobber more? Or did it just spread on the shield? Wiped red, to first line. Watched TV.
6:30pm - Wiped red, blip on fresh shield. Dammit.
9pm - Hadda go potty but constipated. Removed the Lunette to help, it didn't. To first line.
10pm -- Fuck, wasn't in right. Uncomfortable and bubbling away since I put it in. Not leaking, just uncomfortable.

WEDNESDAY -- a medium day
8am - wore a shield overnight because I put it in wet at 10pm and it was still slobbering at 11pm. Only to first line by morning? Today's horoscope says: "You thought there was a permanence to a partnership, but now you're not so sure." How true. Putting it in wet last night was a sloppy mistake. In fact, it seemed extra messy all yesterday. 2 shields during the day, another one last night. Tampons never slobbered like that. It's all residual. Do I really have that many nooks and crannies? Still Lunette. Planning to let it go 'til tonight.
10:30am -- DRIP! (WTF???)
11:15am -- Dammit. Did it just drip again? Fresh shield. Didn't want to mess with it until tonight but took it out, cleaned it, dried it, reseated it. I can tell that it's in WELL. Wasn't to first line yet. Frick and frack!!!
2pm -- I've leaked more. Went pee, red in the bowl and wiped red too. Why does it keep leaking??? It is WELL seated.
4pm - That shield feels YUCKY. Is there more on it or is it just fermenting? Went pee, red in the bowl and wiped red too.
5pm - Got up to talk to Ken. Drip! Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.
5:30 - Couldn't stand that gross shield any more. Fresh. Went pee, wiped pink.
8pm - Went pee, wiped pink. There's a pink splotch probably from last time I went pee.
10:30pm -- Went pee, wiped a little pink. Why, why, why, why, why???
11:15pm - Filled to 2nd line or beyond, it's hard to see the markings. Swapped to Mooncup.

THURSDAY -- very light day
10:30am - just a little brown on the bottom.
4:30pm - just a little brown on the bottom. Removed in favor of a shield.

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OCTOBER 2008 - Cycle #9

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:36:17 GMT

large UK Mooncup, large Lunette, large Diva

FRIDAY:
Put the MCUK in this morning cos I wiped red.
6:20pm, wiped red even with the cup. WTF?
7pm, I felt the Mooncup Blip and wondered how my old Diva would work now that I know how. Swapped for that.
11pm, the Diva has been gurgling all night. Feels like it's leaking but it's not. Severe bladder sensitivity for the past 15 minutes since I went pee. Back to the MCUK. Maybe I'll try it again tomorrow.

SATURDAY:
8am, MCUK makes it hard to pee, even first thing in the morning.
9am, switched to the Diva just to see how it would be.
12:30, drinking and peeing a lot today. No more gurgling but wiping red each time. No leaks though. (Still VERY light.)
And that's when it began to leak. Slobbered all over a shield.
2pm, a big teaspoon -- re-seated. I wasn't drinking/peeing as much.
4pm, still very light. Still leaking a little but it feels like a lot. This is why I gave up on the Diva. Swapped for Lunette.
10pm, emptied the Lunette (not much) before bed.

SUNDAY:
DAMN! Lunette leaked overnight. Not a huge Exxon Valdez incident but a 2-finger splotch. Fuck.
6am, emptied it and put on a maxi for the range. Seriously considered a tampon. "No, that's what I got this for!" Stuffed many tampons into my purse and pockets, just in case.
10:30am, emptied it in the porta-potty! 2/3-3/4 full. The worst of it. No leaks.
2pm, emptied it at home. 1/2 full. No leaks. Washing the bed cover. Fucking leak.
11pm, 1/3 full.

MONDAY:
6am, almost nothing in it. Really DRY to insert, a little bladder sensitivity throughout the morning.
2pm, 1/4 full. Swapped for MCUK.
11pm, just some brown sludge -- don't really need it any more.

TUESDAY:
8am, removed.

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NOTE: That "leak" might have been there from Thelma (cat.) One of the moles on her back is bleeding.

SEPTEMBER 2008 - Cycle #8

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:33:15 GMT

Wednesday: Mooncup and very little in it. Brown glop.
Wednesday Night: Ditto

Thursday:
8am -11am -- MC about 1/3 full and it leaked a little -- but I did lift up the dock.
11am - 2:30pm -- Lunette Considering trimming the stem -- but I like the ANCHOR it provides. But I can feel it. About 1/2 full into the shower and no leaks? Wow.
4:30 - Lunette, about 1/3 full -- still no leaks but makes me feel like I GOTTA pee
11pm - Lunette, about 2/3 full -- stood up all night (classroom) and still no leaks

Friday
8am - Lunette overnight, only a teaspoon by morning
9am - just a little, swapped to Mooncup
about 2-3pm -- BLIP! Why did it leak? Less than 1/4 full. It's such a comfy cup. Why does it have to slobber??? And it seems like it ALWAYS wipes red.

Saturday:
8am - very little inside
3pm - very little brown sludge. Removed for a liner.

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SEPTEMBER 2008 - Cycle #7

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:32:10 GMT

Large Mooncup UK, Large Lunette

Wednesday: Just threatening, wore the Mooncup, no problems.

Wednesday night: Swapped to the Lunette 10pm - 9am. Minor blow-by at first and it's hard to pee with it in the morning.

Thursday: Swapped back to the Mooncup at 9am -- mostly cos I had the shits (yesterday's cookies and tomato sauce) and it was hard to pee with the Lunette.
11am - swapped back to the Lunette just to get more familiar with it. Mooncup was half full already so I seem to be at the worst of it. And there was a little blow-by. Good thing I was wearing a shield.
12:30 - The stem was poking me a little so I gave it a quarter turn. Minor blow-by. Happy for a shield. Tampons never leaked. Why do cups?
2:30 - Went pee, wiped red, only 1/3 full. Did I swap shields too? I don't remember.
8pm - Only a teaspoon in the Lunette. Swapped for the Mooncup cos the worst is over. I'll check it again in the morning.

Friday and Friday night:
wore the Mooncup all day and night and it hardly collected anything.

Just a shield on Saturday.

Short period.

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AUGUST 2008 - Cycle #6

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:30:34 GMT

Large Mooncup, NEW large Lunette, large Diva

I've been wearing the Mooncup for a few days without really needing it. And then I switched to the NEW large Lunette yesterday for the Moss Gathering. Last night and today too.

It presses on my urethra and makes it a little hard to pee. Felt like I had the beginnings of a UTI yesterday.

The Lunette feels a little too big. I wish I could trust the inside out Diva (no reason, I just don't.) Maybe later.

I did but only for a short time. I just don't trust it. Besides, I wanted to use the Lunette.

It seems to be a light cycle this time around. Slow and steady? Or will it gush later? I just don't know.

Sunday 9am - 12:30 - Large Lunette, only 1/3 full but it left a blip on my shield. WHY? Emptied it regularly without much in it. It leaves a little blip every time... residual, not blow-by.

Sunday night - Lunette -- no leaks, no worries

Monday - swapped for Mooncup and filled it by afternoon, again by evening. Overnight too but hardly anything inside by morning. Swapped for shields.

OVERALL:
Wearing the cups beforehand is a little uncomfortable in the long run. Don't use them 'til they're needed. The Lunette felt a little large because everything was super sensitive but I know better for next time.

http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/1274128.html

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JULY 2008 - Cycle #5

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:28:36 GMT

NEW Large Mooncup UK, Large Diva

Wednesday:
Spotting, threw in the new Mooncup, including overnight. No odd shift when I laid down.

Thursday:
Emptied at 7am, only a teaspoon.
Emptied at 11:30 couple of leaks, only a teaspoon.
12:30 - Dammit, why is it leaking? A little more than a teaspoon. Bore down to poop and spat it out. Swapped for inside out Diva. Dammit, it leaked two more times before I shoved it DEEP in there. Then it stopped leaking.
4:45 - OK, so it wants to be deep. Swapped it for the Mooncup again, shoved that deep. Wondering if that'll work because it seemed like the Diva was on its side with the bottom squished in so it was super short. Tilted in there? Continued to leak a LITTLE. Tampons don't leak. Why do these?

Thursday overnight: tampon

Friday:
AM - what is that little BUMP in my vagina???
A little blow-by at first with the Mooncup.
12:30 - leaking cos it's full.

That's all I wrote but days later, I'm still remarking at how many more SHIELDS I use than with tampons because of MINOR leaking. Tampons never leaked like cups do.

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JUNE 2008 - Cycle #4

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:26:44 GMT

Small Lunette, Large Diva, Insteads

Monday:
only needed it a little. Small Lunette. More brown sludge than anything else. Just a little blow-by.

Monday Night:
Small Lunette. Paranoid. Didn't sleep well.

Tuesday: Started off with the small Lunette.
About 1pm, switched to inside out Diva -- only to try it out. (I've had toothpicks in the holes for a couple of days in anticipation.) Trick for easier opening, punch down fold, facing DOWN.
1:15 - the Diva doesn't feel as "obvious" as the Lunette. I worry that it can slip because the inside (out) is so smooth and slick. No stem to "anchor" it.
1:30 - hadda pee (drinking lots of water.) Wiped red and just didn't trust the Diva. Turns out that it would have been fine. It was just residual. Took it out, flipped it right side out. Felt it at first, then not at all. (I can feel the Lunette if I think about it.) I should have left it alone and trusted it. Going to leave it alone until 4:30, when we go to the range. Sorry, just don't trust it. Instead? Tampon? I'll decide later.
4:30 - Instead.
Later: DAMMIT, Insteads don't work on the bike. My mass centers on the Instead and squishes whatever is in there out. Good thing I wore a big pad, not just a blip shield. Not a big mess (still light flow) but lots of stress. I've worn a cup on light days on the bike. I haven't noticed, same squishing?

Tuesday night: Tampon. Wanted a good night's sleep.

Wednesday:
Inside out Diva. Hot snot, it didn't leak! But without a stem to anchor it, I worry that it'll tumblesault. It seems slicker than right side out.
3pm - I actually FILLED it! Appx 6 hours with moderately heavy flow. I think the worst of it is just starting.
4:30 - just a little in there when I swapped it for a tampon.
9:45 - Tampon wasn't so full. The worst of it definitely passed when I thought it was just starting. Down to a trickle. Right side out Diva. Went in low but definitely opened. Kegeling it into place??? Hoping it's right until morning and beyond.
11:30 - definitely not leaking. Heading to bed.

Wednesday night:
Diva, right-side out. It irritates me a little. Makes me feel like I "have to" pee.

Thursday:
10am - swapped for small Lunette. Very little in the Diva. Wiped red and fresh small blip on panties. Leaked?

Thursday night: Nothing. Done.

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JUNE 2008 - Cycle #3

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:24:52 GMT

"All Small Lunette"

Sunday: just a little leakage while riding. Not deep enough? Did it fix itself or did it wait for me to reinsert?

Sunday night:
Felt funny when I laid down. Did that last cycle too.
Felt better when I rolled onto my side.
4am - leakage
7am - leakage
lousy night's sleep

Monday:

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And that was all I wrote. I don't know what I used or how successfully.

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MAY 2008 - Cycle #2

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:23:16 GMT

Large Diva, Instead Softcups, small Lunette

May 8: http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/1140194.html

Monday - "threatening"
Instead from 6am to 2pm. Very light "threatening stage" so not much in there.
Panty shield to about 5pm. Pretty full.
Back to Instead.
9:15 felt funny, squishy.
10pm still not much in there.

Instead overnight.

Tuesday -- light to heavy
8am - not much in there.
8:45 - I can feel it. Is it cockeyed? Getting very curious to try out the small Lunette.
10:45 - GASP! Instead leaked! Swapped out for the small Lunette but I think it's in wrong. I think I had it but then I took it out and reinserted. Should have left it alone.
11:15 - I walked around a lot and watered my gardens, etc. Small Lunette still feels wrong -- like it's being pushed out. I took it out and put it back in again. Is my cervix is hanging down REALLY low and pushing it? It already feels like it's trying to escape again -- like it's not in deep enough but I think it's in as far as it goes. Gonna give it some time and see what happens.
11:40 - Shoved it, squished it, super-kegels. Messy. Leaking? Felt OK until I got up and walked around. What if I swap it for the Diva?
12:15 - BLIP! I thought it was leaking so I swapped it out for the large Diva. No, it was probably just the residual combined with water from washing. It probably would have been fine despite being uncomfortable. It has only been a couple of minutes but the Diva is much more comfortable so far.
2:15 - only cos I'm thinking about it. Diva is comfy and doesn't feel like it has been leaking. Been up and walking, doing laundry and fish tank, not sitting here.
3:45 - DAMN! It leaked. Panty shield was full. Good suction but only a LITTLE actually in the Diva. Despite how uncomfortable it is, would the small Lunette actually work?
6:15 - no leaking. Went pee but didn't take it out.
8pm - just a little blip of a spot on my shield -- probably just washed out from going pee last time. Hardly anything in/on the cup. Swapped for the small Lunette making sure I shoved it DEEP past my pubic bone this time. I'm not sure if it's (O) on my cervix or not. If it is, it won't leak. If not, slobber city!
10pm - it feels like it's slipping down again. I think I'm in a lull so I can't tell if it's leaking or not.
10:20 - went pee and checked it. Damn, spilled it down the toilet before I could see how much was in it. Seemed like the most so far. I would have wanted to see how much had collected. Rejoice! Success! Is this going to be my heaviest night? Reinserted dry, just so it wouldn't slobber.

Overnight: Small Lunette. Paranoid for nothing. No leaks. 3/4 full by 8am.

Wednesday - heavy to light
8am - Swapped the small Lunette out for an Instead to give them a try on a heavier day and give myself a rest from potential poking and prodding like yesterday.
11:45 - Curious to see how much was in there but it squished and spilled before it came out. Seemed like a "rewarding" amount. At this point, I trust Insteads more than the cups.
3pm - pooped! A lot seems to have spilled out of the Instead because the water was red but there was very little in the cup itself. That tells me I can "empty" it by Kegeling. I'm starting to like these Insteads more and more. Especially for down at the range! On the other hand, if I (for example) have a coughing fit, would that be enough to Kegel and empty the Instead when NOT on a toilet?
7:30 - Spotted on the shield -- only because I inserted it wet last time? Swapped for the Lunette and do I dare keep in in until morning?
8pm - Changed my mind, swapped for the Diva. Let's try that overnight.
11pm - Diva is leaking. Swapped for Instead. Still moderate flow.

Instead overnight. Hardly anything by morning.

9:45 - Swapped to Lunette. Can I trust it more than the Diva?
1:30 - No leaks, perfectly sealed. But it feels low/protruding. I've shoved it a few times but it keeps coming back. Or is that the stem I feel?
4:15 - I can still feel it. That must be "normal." Gurgle? Dumped it. Less than 1/2 full. Unlike Instead, NOT MESSY at all.
10:45 - Very little in it. Brownish, been there for a while. Removed.

CONCLUSIONS:
I hate the Diva. Is it "difficult" or just the wrong size?
I like the Lunette. It pops open. It doesn't leak. But it feels like I'm pushing it out.
I have full confidence in the Insteads but they are VERY MESSY.

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