Hil and Teppy, I microwave a damp wash cloth for a few seconds until it's steamy and put that over the sinus area. That can help. If you don't have a microwave, a bowl of as hot as you can stand water to dip it in works as well

Afrin and Nasacort aren't the same, Afrin's a decongestant and Nasacort's a cortisone allergy reliever. Afrin saves me from sinus and ear pain when nothing else, even systemic decongestants, don't work. And if you're sick of getting advice, please ignore it, sorry!

Handsome Nasacort, saved me from the pollen

Afrin saves me from sinus and ear pain when nothing else, even systemic decongestants, don't work.

This. Afrin also works pretty quickly.

I don't want to start trying any more nasal sprays, since I've already had a nosebleed.

I'm reading Fun Home, which I somehow never read before, though I've been meaning to read it for a while. I hadn't known that Alison Bechdel grew up right near where I used to live in PA. It's weird seeing all those familiar places mentioned in a book.

Having a laid back Mothers Day. Taking Mom for early Mexican food. My brother and E came overfor awhile.

I've been worried about this summer and dealing with E. I love him but he is so high energy. However he has summer camps lined up almost every week. Actually I wish I was doing some od this..pottery camp, nature camp, general day camp. Some half days some full days.

So I feel more relaxed. I love E but there's something about his energy levels and things that triggers anxiety.

This is weird. I finished reading Fun Home, and was googling for some more information, and realized that I lived no more than a few blocks away from Alison Bechdel's mother for a few years.

So from the outside I'm making progress in therapy. But on the inside it feels like teeny baby steps. Not just teeny babysteps where the goal posts were moved but teeny babysteps where I'm put on a new obstacle course at the beginning and the goal posts are further away.

And then I saw the urologist. I don't have a UTI! I still have to take antibiotics as a precaution/theraputic thing I forget the word, basically ongoing. But there was blood in my urine, not visible but there. Which could be just from the IC and having microscopic wounds in my bladder (and I've been drinking the blue berry juice but not as much as I should). I need to start taking aloe again.

So normally they'd do a cystoscopy. Except the protocol is to just do it while the patient is fully awake. That won't work for me. So there's some test they can do and if it comes back abnormal then I'll have to have one if it's atypical we'll discuss it. The urologist said they could do a hydrodestention at the same time and doing both would get me knocked out. And the hydro has therapeutic benefits. I don't think changing urologists is going to help.

This seemed like the only place to share this.

From this. It's a piece of a stalactite/stalagmite made of malachite that's been polished and, well, looks like something that would be horribly unsafe for work ... except it's just a piece of polished rock. Yes, it looks like a sex toy. And it sparked all kinds of discussion about using it as such, including whether it would poison anyone trying to do so:

I mean it kinda depends on where you stick it because malachite does not like acidic environments very much and the malachite will degrade and also might dye your bits blue-green as the copper dissolves out.

So use a condom when fucking rocks is the takeaway here.

…

I have no deeper explanation for why human females can dissolve rocks with our genitals. It simply is.

Gonna to take a quick moment to point out that sex toys that dissolve when you use them are maybe not the best investment.

OMG, I've been sorta following that convo, and giggling myself silly, while being hella impressed at the *science!* of fucking rocks (not The Rock). Or, you know, not, depending on the composition of said rock.

The picture of The Rock is the best part of that whole conversation.