Liya

Hey everyone.

I'm having a lot of issues with urinary tract infections/cystitis. I get them often, but especially after I have sex. I am in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend of two years, and don't see him too often, but when I do I end up with a urinary tract infection. So far we've done basically everything suggested, short of getting a low dose antibiotic from a doctor.

We tried:

No oral sex

Washing up before and after sex

Urinating before and after sex

Latex condoms without spermicide

Polyurethane condoms without spermicide

The last time (before this one), I ended up in the hospital with an acute bladder infection that was spreading to the kidneys. I had to get an antibiotic shot next to my kidneys and take ciprofloxacine and a prescription Azo-like medicine. There was a lot of blood in the urine and a LOT of pain in my back and abdomen. We figured it was the spermicide on the condoms we used.

The UTI I have now is fairly mild, but I'm assuming that since I myself didn't pee immediately after (although I did everything else, and used a polyurethane non-spermicide condom), that it got me again.

I'm SO sick and tired of being ill with UTIs. They're not fun at all. I'd rather have a broken leg than a UTI.

What I'm asking is, could it be more serious? Like, could it be something wrong with my urinary tract, and not just recurring infections? Has anyone had similar issues and eliminated them? What can I do to prevent a UTI from occuring?

I am so tired of all of this, and it's making me fear being intimate with my boyfriend. :( Please help.

Hey everyone!

My right ear is currently at 9mm, and my left is at 10mm. I had to stretch my left ear from 8mm to 9mm with the taping method, because it refused to allow a taper through. Luckily, there's not a lot of pain when I try to stretch at all - it just doesn't go!

I'm planning on trying to tape up to 10mm, but it's very difficult to wrap the tape around the plug. I'm looking for an additional method to help get my ear to cooperate. I massage it with oil and only mess with it after a shower, but it just isn't elastic enough to do what I want it to do.

It's been a few months since I've done anything to it, and I even took the tape off entirely for a while before re-taping it today. (I got two wraps on right now with no issue.)

Should I get a heavy plug, like a solid steel plug, to help encourage it to stretch? Is there anything special you'd recommend I'd do? What about specific plugs to encourage loosening?

Thank you all ahead of time.

I’m so desperate for a good bra!

Right now I’m wearing bras from Aerie at a 34D. I have to wear one of those elastic band expander hook doohickeys (the kind that adds an inch or so to the band) in order to even close the bra.

Obviously their bras don’t work for me, but my measurements SAY they SHOULD at least CLOSE.

I did the 5 measurements and checked the chart.

Snug under: 33”

Tight under: 32”

Standing: 39”

Leaning: 41”

Laying: 39”

Chart: 2/5 looks to be the best bet

Also they seem to be full on the bottom with a narrow root?

My actual snug measurement is smaller than the Aerie band size, but I can’t even get it to close on the tightest clasp. According to a chart I would be a 34G (rounding up from 33) or a 32I (both using the leaning measurement), or maybe a 34DD (rounding up from 33 and using standing measurement) or even a 32G… So obviously I’m not sure where to even start?

UK size possibilities would be 34F, 32G, 34DD and 32F respectively. I am considering a 34DD and 34F to start with since the other ones seem like they’d be very tight…. Hmmm.

Any advice would be great - also, bra suggestions are good too. Thanks ahead of time, I’m really confused!

I had ikura only once at a restaurant on my sushi, and it had a really cool texture, but it tasted salty and ... off, sort of like (oh my goodness please forgive me, but it's the best comparison I had) semen.

I got sick the next day from something I ate at the sushi restaurant, so I'm only assuming it was rancid ikura.

I want to try it again, but I'm hesitant because of how awful it tasted to me - I don't want to experience that taste again. Is that how ikura actually tastes, or is it different?

Hey everyone! I've been stretching my ears over the last four or five years now, and am currently at 9mm (between a 0 and 00) in my left ear. My right ear, however, refuses to go from 8mm to 9mm no matter what I do.

I tried soaking it, massaging it, lubricating it... I've also waited til after a shower, and then did all those things again, but to no avail. There isn't even much pain, a little bit of a pinch, but it just refuses to go!

It's been at least 4 months since I've stretched my left ear, so it's been over 6 months since I've gone from a 1g (yes, I had troubles from a 2 to a 0g too) to a 0.

Would a weight help? Or should I just keep waiting? Or... gasp, will it never stretch? (Oh I hope not)

Thanks ahead of time!

Hi there! I want to buy my first ball jointed doll, but I don't know where to start. My budget is pretty low, so I can't buy the most popular or highest rated brand doll. Where's a good place to buy second hand, discount or budget dolls, for my first one? Anything that is decent and around 12" would be perfect.

(Sorry if I sound like a total dork, but I really don't know much about bjd yet and really wanna learn!)

Hi guys! I've been wanting to change my name for a while now, but I just can not find a last name that suits me. Would it be possible to just change my name to a single name, until I get married? Or do I have to have a first and last name?

Hi there! I'm really serious about learning Afrikaans, and have a general understanding of pronunciation and all, but am really wanting to learn it to become fluent. I know that Afirkaans and Dutch are really similar, even though Afrikaans is like a very old version of Dutch, so would learning Dutch be smarter?

I'm willing to pay for any programs too, so don't hesitate to suggest any of those. I wish Rosetta Stone had it, but alas they don't. :(

I'm having issues finding that one treat that my rat(s) love enough to do anything for them. I can, on some occasions, get them to do something for ham, but of course I don't want to give them much protein at all. Yogies are a good treat for sometimes, but they'd rather not spin in a circle or stand up for them. They usually snatch baked lays from me, but that of course isn't the healthiest either.

Any ideas on what treats I can try that can possibly make them go nuts to get their paws on?

Hi there! I don't know anything about sugar gliders yet, and am working on doing my research. I have never cared for, come across or even seen a sugar glider in person, however, so I don't know anything about their behavior.

For this I'm hoping to find someone who's had both rats and sugar gliders, and would really like a good comparison between the two. I do know that sugar gliders require a lot of human bonding and a big cage, similar to what a parrot would live in (with lots of branches) as well as *some* of their diet, but behavior-wise I know nothing.

Any advice would be awesome!

Hi! I am strongly considering getting my nipples pierced, but I will admit that the idea is pretty embarrassing. I don't care if it hurts or if it's tough to heal, because piercings do that. My main concern is mostly how the procedure goes, how long it takes to heal, and if it's better to wear a bra or to go without.

Please share your experiences :)

Hi there. My name currently is Leah, pronounced "lee-UH" but I find it too boring and plain for me. I currently am spelling it Liya, but want to change it to something more snazzy. Preferably 3 or 4 syllables only.

I was thinking Annaliya or Nataliya but am definitely looking for some creative ideas. Any idea is great. I'm honestly open to ANYTHING as long as it has a nice flow or looks pretty when spelled. :)

Hi there! My boyfriend and I are considering adopting a bird, but we're unsure what type to go for! We are planning to live in an apartment that allows caged animals, so if birds aren't suitable for apartments I'll rethink. :)

We are thinking about a bird that sings or talks but isn't the type to squawk too loudly. This isn't always a possibility though, with birds, but one can hope!

Also, the friendlier the bird, the better. My boyfriend and I are hoping to have a bird that doesn't bite much, or likes to be handled. From my past experience, a cockatiel would be out of the question, but if you have a different story about your cockatiel please share! :)

I'd also prefer the bird to be medium sized, although it doesn't necessarily matter if it is a nice, friendly type of bird.

Birds I'm interested in learning more about are quaker parrots, green cheek conures, eclectus parrots, and lovebirds, but I'm definitely open to any other types of bird. I love the way finches sound (although I know they're not the type to want to be handled) and the promise of canaries, too, so any info on any bird that you know of would be wonderful.

To recap, an ideal bird in an ideal world would talk or sing, and not squawk, is small to medium sized, and very friendly. Mess doesn't matter, and I would like a pretty bird, but I'm not going to complain about color or looks!

Hi there. I am still learning on the proper way to care for rats, so I can be the best rat mommy I can be.

Normally, my rats are angels, but when Lily especially (one of my two girls) wants to groom me, she'll go for really soft areas and ends up biting rather than licking or gently scraping, like my underarm, belly, or lip. She recently bit my lip pretty hard and drew blood, and I scolded her with a squeak and put her back in the cage.

Is there another way I can prevent this biting? I know she's not doing it out of fear, anger or hunger, but rather out of love, but it still hurts pretty dang bad. I want them to be able to bond with me but I'd rather not end up a bloody mess :P

Thanks ahead of time~

Grrr! I am so frustrated. I have two rats, but I can't tell who is the one pooping in the wheel. Usually I wouldn't be too upset and just clean it out, but whoever is doing it insists on running in the wheel after, smooshing it around and everything. It's nasty! Worst part is that they do it when I'm not around, so when I get up in the morning, it's filthy and covered in poo.

Any ideas on how to get them to stop doing this? I'm cleaning it as best as I can with deodorizing cleaners and all to get rid of the smell, but there's no stopping it that way, apparently...

Hi everyone. I had ferrets a long time ago, and my apologies for being graphic, but they would poop up the corner of the litter box rather than actually in the litter. Cleaning it, for me, was impossible, and someone else would have to do it, because... well... scraping poop vertically from the corner of the litter box is nasty.

However, those ferrets weren't very well taken care of. (I was too young to know better) They were only let out once a week and their cage wasn't cleaned often, either, so it was pretty gross.

What I'm actually asking is.. do all ferrets poop vertically, or is that only because of a soiled litterbox? I was thinking of getting a ferret or two now that I'm well grown up and much more responsible, but if I can't clean the litterbox because of how gross it is scraping it, then I will pass on that entirely.

Thanks ahead of time!

The little twerp actually backs up to the groove, aims, and pees directly in it. I can easily clean it up with paper towel, but I'd rather not have to if there's a way I can prevent it. Has anyone solved this problem before?

Hi guys! I bought a very big cage for my rats. I've had them for about 3 months now, and they've been wonderful and very happy, but their cage was pretty small, about the size of a 10 gallon tank with a shelf and all.

Violet, the active girl, took to the new cage very fast. She ran up and down and explored the tunnel, slide, and ramp, and ran in her new wheel for ages.

Lily, the lazy one, however, seems terrified. She doesn't seem to want to climb down willingly to use the litterbox, and instead peed and pooped all over the top shelf. I cleaned it up, and moved her to the bottom, where she let out diarrhea all over my hand and seemed utterly terrified. She then climbed all the way back up and got back in her space pod to go back to sleep.

Is there a way I can help her be less scared, or is this going to be how she is? I made sure to use familiar smells like some used bedding and an un-cleaned space pod, but it's only been a day, so I can understand being uneasy, but she's acting like she's gonna die or something!

I have two female rats, and I love them to pieces, but they are more hyper than they are cuddly! This is fine with me. I hope to get some boy rats down the road!

But I do LOVE rodents. I love all rodents. I haven't kept any rodents other than rabbits (who were half wild, considering they were born and lived outside in the chicken yard, in their own hutch), and rats, so I was curious as to what rodents are the cuddliest, according to those who have kept them.

Rodents I'm interested in taking care of are mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, degus, rabbits (though technically not a rodent), gerbils and generally any other rodentlike animal that can be kept as a pet.

Also, I really wish capybaras could be easily kept as pets, but their requirements are too difficult to meet, so I'll just wistfully look at pictures of capybaras on the internet. ;_;

Hi guys! I'm interested in a Flemish Giant! I have had rabbits before, and have even hand-raised 7 rabbits in total from birth, but never a rabbit as big as a Flemish.

I'm not looking to buy a Flemish Giant any time soon, and will only adopt one when I know I can handle it and when I have a proper home, but I would like to ask some questions and learn as much as I can beforehand!

I know that Flemish Giants need huge cages, but I'm actually more interested in having it roam the house like a cat or dog. Is this a good idea, or is it better to have a cage even if it's out of it the entirety of the day?

Also, when litter training a rabbit (which I have never attempted), do they still leave little poops behind them as they roam, or do they use the litterbox to every time?

Any other information is super useful, as I'm hoping to find some people who actually own or have owned Flemish Giants to hear opinions, facts and anything else that I should know!

Thanks ahead of time. :)

(Also, I know rabbits aren't rodents, but I suppose that tag will work for now.)