I was searching for the Instead cup [see a photo and its Web site] on the Web and found your page.
I had a hysterectomy (vaginally) over a year ago; recently I had repair surgery. I had been completely miserable due to the large amounts of discharge and I still had to wear pads.
A friend told me about Instead so I tried it. It is wonderful! I feel so comfortable and don't have to worry about accidents. I know I have a problem that still needs to be corrected but at least I can go out and not worry. I'm in Maryland (U.S.A.) and have been able to find the cups at Target drug stores [it's also at CVS drug stores]. They didn't have many, though. A friend also tried it and is adjusting, but not quite there yet. I've had so many surgeries, female type, that the insertion and removal do not bother me. [Some women find removing the Instead messy; many women put it in and take it out in the shower. It can be used 12 hours.]
Have you had anyone else use the cup for the same reason? I was curious if anyone else was experiencing the same type problem that I do.
Thanks
Hi, Harry!
I just wanted to write with some random thoughts on disposal bags [read a discussion last week], which seem to be the hot topic on MUM [they're all hot topics]. These used to be reasonably common in the U.S.A., not in every rest room by any means, but not unheard of either.
In the 1970s I used a brand of pads called "Confidents." These were the kind that were used with a belt. They were tapered toward the back, and I found them to be the most comfortable thing available at the time. Another plus was that they came with a supply of disposal bags in the box. Those bags were bright pink.
In a side note, pink and blue seem to be popular colors for menstrual products. [I argued that American companies usually avoid reds.] Kotex brand tampons (stick tampons) used to be individually wrapped in pink wrappers for the "super" size, and blue for the "regular"size. At some point they switched to plain white wrappers for both, which I found disappointing. The different colors made it easy to tell which was which when you carried both in your purse.
Many pads today (including the brand I use) come individually wrapped, so that you can toss one in your purse and not worry about it getting dirty. The wrapper is reusable to re-wrap your pad. (You wrap the soiled pad in the wrapper from the new pad.) These have pretty much replaced the disposal bags, and they work really well with modern pads which use adhesive, because when the pad is folder or rolled up the sticky stuff is on the outside, which holds the wrapper in place. I noticed a reference in one of the letters on this subject about using the bags for tampons. Most women flush tampons, unless otherwise instructed. Wrapping a pad is simple enough, as the pad can easily be folded clean-side-out. Wrapping a tampon is a messier proposition, and if some business doesn't have adequate plumbing and wants me to toss my tampons, they had better give me a bag!
I would also like to touch on the subject of disposal containers. Many public restrooms have waste containers for menstrual products inside the stalls, and a lot of people, especially men, seem surprised by this. This is not just for sanitation and not just because some women are embarrassed to be seen walking out of a toilet stall with a wrapped pad in her hands (I suppose some women are) but for convenience. When you change a pad, you have the wrapped soiled pad to dispose of, as well as one or more pieces of the slick backing that keeps the new pad from sticking to anything else until it gets to your underwear. If you change a tampon you have the applicator and the wrapper. If you are using both, you can have quite a collection. Where are you supposed to put this stuff? You can't wipe yourself and pull your pants up with your hands full. Usually there is no shelf or other place to put this stuff except the floor. Then when you are ready to leave you have to bend all the way over (not easy in such a confined space) and pick it up to carry out. Keep in mind that you may be juggling a purse, a coat, shopping bags or other items as well. It's far more convenient just to have a place to throw things away when you are still sitting down.
In an unrelated story, I checked out the Just-n-case Web site - Just-n-case is a carrier for tampons, pads and contraceptives - and found a link there to funny stories. Many women have an amusing and/or embarrassing story about the time when someone accidentally saw their sanitary products. I seem to have run into a lot of them lately, and I thought I would share mine.
I used to work as a city bus driver. One day the car in front of me hit a bicyclist (!) and kept going. I stopped the bus, called the police, and stayed with the cyclist until they arrived. He was not seriously hurt, but he had a cut on his head which was bleeding quite freely, dripping all over his jacket and on the ground. I handed him a couple of small paper napkins left over from my breakfast, but they were quickly soaked. He asked me if I had anything else, and I searched my purse. All I could find was a mini pad. I gave that to him, and he was grateful. (But he was a bit dazed, and I'm not sure he noticed what it was. I always imagined that he got a good look at it later in the hospital and was grossed out.) Anyway, several weeks later, my boss informed me that the company was placing a favorable write-up in my file. "What for?" I asked. I was told it was "for wompin' that tampon on that guy's head!"
This is a long and rambling discourse, but I mostly just wanted to say hello and keep up the good work.
My name is Rick and I work for a company called HealthISP, INC.
Our Mission
HealthISP is a complete one-stop health care directory dedicated towards providing individuals and families with a better quality of life through easy access to the latest in health information, services and opportunities that can help assist, inform and enlighten those who are in need.
Proceeds
HealthISP donates 10% of sales profits to legitimate health foundations (such as Multiple Sclerosis Foundations, Cancer Foundations, AIDS Foundations and Heart Disease Foundations) and towards providing Internet services to those with severe illnesses.
Shopping Gateway
HealthISP realizes that if you are bedridden, homebound, or just don't have time to go out and shop, you need a one stop gateway to some of the best sites on the Internet for online shopping. And to make it even easier for you, we let you know about each store before you go there. We have herbs, vitamins, medicine, flowers, and much, much more.
In the information part of our site we have a link to your site. We would like for you, if possible, to add a link to our site:
http://www.healthisp.com/
Thank you,
Rick
According to the U.S. Naval Observatory [Washington, D.C., the timekeeper for the U.S.A.] the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the third will be reached on January 1, 2001 [not 2000!]
This date is based on a calendar created in 526 A.D. by Dennis the Diminutive, the head of a Roman monastery who forged a common calendar from the divergent dating systems of his day.
To read more about it please go to http://justclickandgo.com.do/millennium
Irregular menses identify women at high risk for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which exists in 6-10% of women of reproductive age. PCOS is a major cause of infertility and is linked to diabetes.