To Answer A Question On Period Pants & Reusable Pads

If this makes you squirm, move along and skip this post. I put it in the title so you won't be unpleasantly surprised. 

Mrs Fever asked, so here are the deets. 

This is one of three I ordered -  and my favourite.

I usually wear boyshorts around the house so this Bambody one just takes the place of my regular home undies during periods. The absorbent gusset part doesn't feel thick or bulky. I've worn this overnight and haven't had any leaks. I also wear it with a tampon in the daytime. It replaces the liner I would normally stick in my undies on tampon days to catch leaks.

I also have one that is regular cut, not boyshorts, from 4Period. It's not as comfortable, as the absorbent strip isn't as stretchy as the rest of the underwear which means you can kinda feel the difference in the snugness as it sits around your butt / hips. Admittedly the gusset isn't stretchy on the boyshorts either but for some reason the fit is better maybe, so I don't quite feel a difference. 

Again, this is something I wear instead of sticking on a liner on tampon days. And perhaps towards the tail end of things when I'm just spotting or have a very light flow. This is the one I have, and looks and feels just like regular undies. I've included a video so you can see that it's pretty thin, not bulky or pad-like. 

The third one was a high waist one from Goat Union. I requested a refund from Amazon cos the size wasn't as advertised, the high waist was more like sits-right-under-your-boob (I'm not terribly short either, 5-foot-5) and it definitely did NOT look like this :

This brand gets a huge NO from me.

At about $20 a piece period panties are pretty pricey, which is why I decided to have a go at reusable pads too ...

Aight, here we go. Pads. 

I bought 2 to try from Ali Express but you can find them on most shopping sites I imagine. I don't know if Ali Express delivers outside Asia, but if you want to try and get some from Amazon, here's a link. In my opinion there really isn't very much need to get the branded ones. All you need is for the thing to be made with the correct materials. 

The ones I bought from A/E can be found HERE. It says it's made of -

Outer layer: waterproof PUL

Middle: 1 layer microfiber for small size, and 2 layers microfiber for medium and large sizes

Inner: bamboo charcoal

... which is common enough a formula, whether in a branded or non branded pad.

At less than USD$2 each, it's a lot more economical than single-use pads (and branded reusables), and more comfortable too. It's hard to show you what the fabric looks/feels like, but I try in the pics below. They attach to your undies like regular pads with wings, only with a button instead of adhesive. The absorbent part in the middle isn't much thicker than the rest of the pad, but it holds a pretty decent amount of fluid.  

On my second day I wore this all day (at home, cos it was my first time trying it out) and it turned out fine. Not messy, not icky, not wet. If I've already been sitting on a drip (there's no such thing as TMI on this blog is there?) for a bit, it just gets soaked into the middle layer. If I've gone to the loo in time to see a film of liquid sitting on the surface, I wipe it off with toilet paper. Surprisingly the older stains don't rub off. So it really does absorb everything and keep you dry. 

I bought two sizes - top middle is the small / top right is the medium.

And FLAMINGOES!!!

When I went to have a shower I just dropped it on the floor and smooshed it with my feet to get all the blood out under COLD running water. 

NOTE - hot water makes it easier for blood to stain the fabric so always remember to smoosh it with COLD water. (Same for period panties...)

Once the water ran clear, I turned off the shower and pumped some soap (I just used my castille shower soap) onto it then ran my knuckles across the pad,  pressing down slightly and working the suds into the layers. The first wash there was a very faint pink in the suds so I rinsed and squeezed and repeated the soaping. By round two it was clean. But of course, because I'm me, I did it a third time. It sounds tedious but it's really quite quick when you're actually doing it. Then squeeze all the water out and hang to dry. 

IMPORTANT NOTE NUMBER 2 - Do not use fabric softener on your pads either in the wash or in the dryer. It coats the fabric and affects how it absorbs liquid. Which is what you need it to do. ABSORB. So just don't. NO to fabric softener. YES to plain soap and water.  (Same with period undies!)

It's really quite simple, the wash up I mean, and not as bad as you would imagine (or I had imagined). DURING use it was also a lot less messy than I expected. All in all, a good experience. 

(Some companies recommend leaving used pads to soak in a pail of water and adding to it day after day, changing out the water daily, as the pads pile up over the course of the period, then washing the whole lot together in the washer at the end of the week... but I personally prefer NOT to have my cloth pads sit in dirty water TYVM.)

Definitely good for light days, or when you're only going to be around the house and don't have to worry too much about accidents, at least until you figure out the absorption vs flow of your pads and your cycle.

Here are some links with more info about reusables (some are from the reusable pad companies themselves, but I realise there aren't a lot of useful articles out there otherwise) : 

So you want to board the reusable pad bandwagon

Reusable Cloth Pads FAQs by The Period Co.

Everything you wanted to know about reusable cotton pads

4 Tips to Extend the Life of Your Cloth Pads by Tree Hugger Cloth Pads

I hope that answered your questions, if you want to know more, feel free to ask. Nothing's too gross to talk about in this part of Blogland.

Food, Pads, Boswellia, and a Foot Pic

Before I get too long and winded, I'm going to show you the pics from a new dim sum restaurant we tried last week. 

Top left - har gow, crystal dumpling, steamed beef ball 

Bottom left - fried mango puff 

Top right - minced pork dumpling (the meat was wrapped in a deep fried chewy dough)

Middle right - fried durian fritters

Bottom right - spinach soup

It felt like being in the middle of HK - around us were tables filled with what looked like super rich businessmen plunging into dishes of seafood that cost upwards of 3-400 dollars a plate. And here we were with our $45 dim sum and spinach. LOL. 

It was an experience, that was. 

Dinner on Friday was at a Thai place we like down by the marina. We'd eaten there multiple times before and always get pretty good service cos the waitress knows us by now.

Top left - fried long beans with olive leaves  👍👍👍

Top right - prawn omelette (there was a promo - get a beer for a dollar with this dish)

Bottom left and right - fried black cod with spicy Thai fish sauce - we decided to just pour the sauce over instead of dipping. It was soooo good. 

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Recently I'd been experimenting with reusable pads and period underwear. 

I got a couple of panties from Amazon but I don't think they're the most practical thing cos it's not like you can just change halfway through the day if you're out and about. I suppose they'll do for wearing at home. Lucky for me I'm home at least half the day once I'm done with work. 

A friend told me about washable pads that you can attach to regular undies, which make a little more sense, cos at least all you'll need to do is switch out the pad and stick it in a ziploc till you get home I suppose. But still, I'm not a fan of carrying this stuff around in my bag all day. 

However, since I am a tampon user, I think the period panties and reusable pads might work on days I'm tamponed-up, so that I don't have to wear (and waste) a liner in case of accidents like I do now. They'll work as a back up rather than as a primary option. 

And as I told BIKSS, the pads have been made with a very cushy comfy fabric - like having a blankie for your pussy! 

If you enlarge the pic you'll see the fuzziness of the fabric. And there are tons of designs to choose from (I picked a flamingo one) and many sizes too. 

I won't be giving up my tampons anytime soon, but I have reduced the number of single-use liners and pads I use during a period. Which is great news for my pocket and the earth! 

If you haven't tried them and would like to, feel free to ask anything about my experience with them. 

If you have, let us know your thoughts on these products. 

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The three wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrhh when they sought out the baby Jesus. They knew what the fuck they were doing, let me tell you. 

That arthritis supplement my boss gave me (Artrex DS) is actually a combination of winter cherry, boswellia serrata (frankincense!), curcumin and ginger. 

MIMS has a rundown of the ingredients HERE.

 

I've looked at the research for boswellia + curcumin and it looks very promising for arthritis, tendonitis and other old-age related aches and pains. It's also preventive and curative for certain types of cancer (altho that research is still in very early stages yet) and has good outcomes in studies involving DM2 patients (diabetes type 2) in terms of insulin resistance and boosting liver and kidney function which could be suffering as a result of DM complications. 

I'd say it's really just an all-round godsend for me, especially, since I'm already dealing with tendonitis in various joints, and anything that prevents cancer is great news for a smoker... plus it can't hurt to have something that's good for DM since my family has crazy DM genes.  

Oh, and if that doesn't convince you, it's been shown to augment HDL levels and diminish LDL levels. What more can I say. 

I found a formula I like but I can't get to the official page. I'll show you the bottle and you can look it up on Amazon or Nowfoods on your own if you're interested. 

Description

• Balanced Immune Response
• Standardized Boswellia Extract
• Plus Turmeric Root Extract
• A Dietary Supplement
• Vegetarian/Vegan
• Kosher
• Botanicals/Herbs
• Family Owned Since 1968
• GMP Quality Assured

NOW® Boswellia Extract is a standardized extract of Boswellia serrata, also known as frankincense, a resinous botanical that has been traditionally used by Ayurvedic herbalists for centuries. The bioactive constituents of boswellia, boswellia acids, have been shown in scientific studies to affect key enzymes involved in the maintenance of healthy tissues. Through these mechanisms, boswellia may help to naturally support the immune system's balanced response to normal internal metabolic stress, as well as to the typical wear and tear of everyday life.

I've decided that after I'm done with the formula that my boss passed to me, I might continue taking this to keep the aches and pains at bay.  Therapeutic dose is given as 300-500mg 2-3x a day (for boswellia) and 150-250mg of curcumin per day, altho some sites suggest 1-2g of curcumin. 

All I can say is with these types of supplements, taking a low dose at the beginning to test for negative reactions is prudent, then slowly increase it until you reach a level that seems to work for you. Once the pain is gone then it is advisable to step down for a maintenance dose. No need to overdo it eh? 

When I took my collagen supplement at the recommended dose my shoulder pain went away and all was good with the world. My boss suggested that I might be experiencing pains in other areas because I haven't been taking the "full" dose for a while. So I think I shall increase my collagen intake too while my tendons and ligaments repair themselves. 

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Since I've had a chance to breathe I've started baking my lapis cakes again. 

And I've also had time to paint my toenails. :)

KD this one's for you!

I'm Getting Old...er

I discovered a bit of numb, rough, discoloured skin on my right outside-ankle bone (lateral malleolus). I think its caused by the pressure I put on it from always crossing my right leg under me when I sit. 

I now have ointment for it.

My inguinal ligament is also not in the best shape:

What does inguinal ligament pain feel like?

Pain and tenderness in the groin and the inside of the thigh. Pain when you bring your legs together. Pain when you raise your knee. A popping or snapping feeling during the injury, followed by severe pain.

I am now on an anti inflammatory course of meds for "arthritis and joint pain" - that's what it says on the box. My boss says very confidently that his "older patients seem to like how it works for them!"

After this I'm supposed to increase my collagen intake (I have supplements but I don't think I take nearly quite as much as what it says the recommended dose should be), and I'm waiting on a curcumin supplement to get here. 

And that's not all. 

I have dry and impacted ear wax, the ENT guy says. The good news is that my hearing test went well. Not much change from last year's results so he's glad about that. It's still slightly alarming that my results are the way they are at my age (altho he thought I was younger hahah... made my day it did!) which is the not so good news. At the moment he's just monitoring it but he reckons if there is a greater asymmetry between the left and right ears at any point then he recommendsI do an MRI to check my auditory nerves to see if there's anything strange going on there - ie, a tumour or some such business.

Currently he doesn't think it's anything tho cos I don't have any other symptoms like giddiness or migraines or noises in my ears other than ringing. 

He mentioned that loss of hearing at my youthful age (*koff koff*) could be congenital but the morphology of both my in-the-ear bits was normal which, he says, would be highly unlikely if that were the case, and besides, the hearing problems would have begun way sooner, like in my 20s. So he's ruling that out. 

He did say that I should stick some olive oil (pure, not the cooking version but the massage type) in my ears at least a couple of times a week. Massage it for about 10 mins, he said. I'll fall asleep, I protested. Great, he said, even better - give it a good long soak!  

(pic taken off the web)

 

10 Days to Go

 

Sing along now! 

There's a place I know where we should go - heydiheydihoh
Won' t you take me there your lady fair - heydiheydihoh
There's a brook near-by the grass grows high - heydiheydihoh
Where we both can hide side by side - heydiheydihoh

Hooray! hooray! it's a holi-holiday
What a world of fun for everyone, holi-holiday
Hooray! hooray! it's a holi-holiday
Sing a summer song, skip along, holi-holiday
It's a holi-holiday

There's a country fair not far from there - heydiheydihoh
On a carousel the dingdong bell - heydiheydihoh
On the loop di loop we swing and swoop - heydiheydihoh
And what else we'll do is up to you - heydiheydihoh

In the country side we take a ride - heydiheydihoh
Where the stars will shine lots of time - heydiheydihoh
Back of your old car we might get far - heydiheydihoh
In the summerbreeze we feel at ease - heydiheydihoh

Pic taken off the web

It's called the premier suite. And they've got a free cancellation up to 2 days before check-in policy, which is good for me given the way my life can maybe sometimes be potentially unpredictable. (I'm trying not to jinx it hence the hedging.) 

And at something like US$80 per night. Not a bad price by local standards. Hotels are crazy expensive. I made the reservation and put down my card number, and I'm pretty certain BIKSS wanted to chuck some cash into my bank for it, but I told him he could pay for gas and food and everything else on the trip cos "How often can I say I'll pay for the suite?"

Fine. Cheap thrill. 

Anyway. I'll update with more mad food pics while we're gone. But in the meantime, here's a Turkish meal we had last week at a place that was recommended by a friend. She wasn't wrong about the quality of their food! 

Actual peppermint tea (or more accurately, tisane)

Tajin lamb something or other. I really can't remember what we had cos the lady came and recommended a coupla things, we nodded and made some selections, she said ok, I said ok, BIKSS shrugged and said ok, and then she was off.

All I remember was that she asked if I wanted this second meat to be beef or chicken and I said beef, and then she said ok and that she would bring rice and bread to accompany our meats. 

This was beef chunks sitting in a yoghurt-eggplant gravy that was totally delicious. Of course we couldn't finish all of it so I doggie-bagged half and me and my two caregivers had a very enjoyable lunch the following day! 

I wonder if we'll be able to get Turkish food while we're on vacation... 

The Flaky Pastry Yam Mooncake

Took mum to the GP to get her labs done. Didn't want to go all the way to the hospital as she's not able to transfer into a car right now, but the trip to the GP requires only that she be pushed in her wheelchair. So we chose that option. 

And because it was rather a harrowing experience (the usual doctor wasn't there, his uncle - a dinosaur of a chap - was there today; the lab they use doesn't run the PTH test, the other lab that does it won't be able to collect her sample till tomorrow meaning we'd have to bring her in again!) I decided to treat myself to a mooncake. 

After the custard and bak kwa versions this is my next favourite type. These three are the ONLY ones I actually pay good money to buy every year, really. The traditional ones I can do without. I'll only eat them if they're gifted. And not even then, sometimes. 

And after this I shall have me a warm cup o'tea. Mmm perfect!

Sliders and Bak Kwa Things

The bak kwa place we discovered earlier this year also does a DIY sliders board. 

We had the katsu and salad again in addition to trying their sliders and wrapped enoki -

Those are my fingers (for size). That's how tiny the eggs were! Adorable!

Isn't it the cutest? 

The sweetness of the bak kwa gave this a slightly different flavour than we're used to. Normally it's made with regular bacon, but bak kwa bacon is a whole different story. I loved it!

And while we're on the topic of bak kwa - here's a bak kwa mooncake cut open. 

I forgot to add this to my earlier post. 

It's all gone now. BIKSS decided on one without the yolk. More bak kwa in his mooncake I reckon. 😏

Have A Good Sunday

It's not Tuesday but this was too cute not to share. 

A Girlfriend's Job and Mooncakes Etc

I am glad I haven't been so wrapped up that I haven't noticed something being up with BIKSS lately. This girl's still got her mojo!

I think I might have sensed something a couple of weeks ago but didn't say anything till I was a bit more certain and we had the time to chat about stuff if it really was something. 

Or maybe I have been so wrapped up in my stuff that I didn't notice till I got out of mum-sitting jail. 

He was surprised I asked if anything was bothering him / stressing him out / on his mind cos it kinda came out of nowhere. And to be fair he really does keep everything under wraps quite well. I think it's more of a vibe than any actual difference in his mood or behaviour. As I said to him, well, if I'm right, then I'm just THAT astute. And if I'm not, then just put it down to my being over sensitive and having an active imagination. Then you're astute, he replied.

Anyway, we managed to have a bit of a conversation about what was on his mind - work related stuff - and I'm glad it's not anything TOO serious. Yet. 

I think it was a meaningful way to end a lovely day out together across the border shopping for mooncakes. 

We got - Hello Kitty snowskin avocado and chocolate (top right), chocolate and walnut (top left), baked skin custard with lava egg yolk (bottom middle), flaky pastry yam with egg yolk (bottom left), and of course, some snowskin durian (bottom right). Yup. No actual traditional mooncakes for me, cos really, I don't particularly like them. I prefer the variations TYVM!

Lunch was at our favourite Japanese place - 

Soft shelled crab salad

Beef crepes

Wasabi mayo prawns

And some sashimi

We had some time to kill after shopping since it was too early for dinner so we popped into a hotel for a quickie and a lie down and cuddle. As we were leaving BIKSS mentioned he liked the view so I took a pic. I think it just happened to be nicely backlit somehow. Don't know where the light was coming from, but it was beautiful.

Dinner was a quick 4-topping pizza at a new Italian place we discovered earlier on this week - we ate at their other outlet and decided to try this one yesterday... but it was crowded and noisy and I think we'll be sticking to that first one from now on. 

Tuesday's dinner - 

Grilled veggies / spinach and ricotta pizza / tiramisu

Yesterday's pizza - 

Spianch / meatballs / artichoke / ham

And now I shall resume my watching of The L Word Generation Q!

Happy Mid Autumn Festival! (I shall leave you with a picture of a pretty box of mooncakes that was gifted to me by some ex-colleagues - the hotels charge an arm and a leg for packaging I swear! This is why we don't buy ours locally. It's way cheaper - we're talking 1/3 the price - across the border!)