PSA! Automatic toilets!

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Y'all, yesterday the WORST THING EVER happened.

First a little background. A few months ago, I bought a ladycup, which cost $40. I'm kind of poor right now. And I loved that ladycup, oh my god. I've been a divacup user for years, but the lady cup is an amazing improvement. So I loved loved loved it. (You can see where this is going, I imagine). Oh, and I have really heavy periods.

So I'm at school, at the beginning of what will be a long and busy day. And my period is so heavy, I have to empty my cup every hour or so. And the first time I go to empty it....plop. I drop it in the toilet. Never in five years have I ever dropped my cup! So I was going to fish it out. I know that's kind of gross, but I'm sitting there bleeding like crazy, no tampons or pads in sight, and a long day ahead of me. I was gonna do it. I stood up to get a better angle....WOOSH.

It was gone. :(

So the PSA is this: IF YOU DROP YOUR MENSTRUAL CUP IN THE TOILET AND THINK YOU WANT TO FISH IT OUT, DO NOT STAND UP. DOUBLE CHECK THAT YOU ARE NOT SITTING ON AN AUTOMATIC FLUSH TOILET. IF YOU ARE, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES STAND UP.

In other news, I just found out that my health insurance offers NO contraceptive coverage. WTF.

Comments

[chiyo-no-saru.livejournal.com]

Oh man, that sucks so much! I'm sorry!

[slipstreamborne.livejournal.com]

GAGH I *hate* automatic toilets. I have to stand to do anything whipe or change tampons and so always end up flushing twice. I hate feeling like I'm wasting so much water.

Alas poor ladycup!

[lovethatlovage.livejournal.com]

ha, sucks so hard that it fell, i would've had some TP stuffed in my undies. but, i've used the diva for almost 4 years and i'm interested in the ladycup now (since you say it was a huge improvement).

should i upgrade?!?

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

I was bleeding so much, TP would have lasted...well, thankfully, it lasted just long enough for me to run home and get the old divacup.

I like the ladycup better because its easier to clean (fewer ridges, and bigger holes), the silicone is softer and it is significantly smaller than the divacup, so its easier to insert. And now that I'm using the diva again, I am thinking the lady cup is easier to get a seal with, because my diva keeps leaking.

[random-angelic.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, what did you wind up doing to protect yourself for the rest of the day?

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

I had to run home. Luckily my partner was home and was able to drive me back in time for my next meeting. But yeah....it could have been a really awful day.

[reckloos.livejournal.com]

good thing you still had that diva cup around. i just got one of my own. once i get my use out of it ill have to try the ladycup.


no contraceptive coverage??? ridiculous. i am so tempted to get into a longwinded lecture about national healthcare but - ill control myself.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just fired of an email to HR, but it won't do any good I suspect.

They should be embarassed to have their employees begging on the doorstep of planned parenthood. But apparently they aren't.

[pirogoeth.livejournal.com]

I have a love-hate relationship with auto toilets. I don't mind those that flush upon standing up. But I found one I really hate.

It's in at least a few Illinois rest stops - they flush when you're HALFWAY done with your business. And for some reason, it releases a cold blast of air when it flushes.

Imagine being lost in thought while trying to do your business and having that gust of air on your girlie bits. I went "EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!" when it happened, heh.

[takarou.livejournal.com]

This has happened to me. D:

[indigodye.livejournal.com]

My insurance doesn't cover contraceptives, maternity, or ANY preventative GYN care. Including yearly paps.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's awful.

[whatwe-know.livejournal.com]

i would cry. poor thing.

[exprudeconfess.livejournal.com]

Your story is going to make me even more crazy about having menstruation back-ups no matter where I go. For that, I thank you!


As for automatic toilets, I hate the ones that splash your junk while you're still going--it's so disgusting, other people's feces, urine, blood, etc has all been in there!

[jennijube.livejournal.com]

Halfway through reading your post I just started saying "Oh nooooo...oh noooo!" over and over.

That sucks! And hmmmm...ladycup. I need to look into this menstrual cup businzz.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

the ladycup is awesome. Its worlds better than a divacup, don't let the fancy diva marketing fool you. ;)

[oilbird.livejournal.com]

this made me laugh =D

[mydocuments.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! That sucks so much, but I have to giggle at the same time, because I totally lost a bracelet that way once. It fell of when I was wiping, I stood to get it out, and then I was instantly like "that was not a good idea!"

I'm so sorry though, that's really rotten to have happen! =(

[h0rsegurrrl.livejournal.com]

I have heard of so many people losing shit (well actually... more than shit... harhar) down an automatic toilet. I knew of one girl who lost a diamond/sapphire/gold ring down one of those annoying water-wasters. I'm surprised we don't hear of more lawsuits from angry people losing their expensive little trinkets down those toilets. Sometimes you don't even have to stand up to make it flush, it'll just flush whenever you move. That's helpful, it splashes water all over my ass. -_-

[pumabear.livejournal.com]

LOL!

[hiriel1804.livejournal.com]

America never ceases to amaze me. There are auto-flushing toilets? That seems kinda, unnecessary..? And stealing the cup too. Mean!
I dropped my LadyCup in the toilet for the first time this month. I was just trying to adjust its position by kegeling it up and down a bit, and it popped right out. I had no idea my muscles could do that! (a bit proud, yes ;p)

[bmclights.livejournal.com]

Americans nothing! I came across an auto-flushing toilet at a rest stop in Germany that not only flushed when you stood up-- it cleaned the seat! This little arm came out and wiped the seat down, of course, leaving it slightly moist for the next person. I was the weirdest thing!

[no1spromqueen.livejournal.com]

awww. sorry you lost your cup....but you gotta admit its kinda funny. :)

[superfan1.livejournal.com]

Oh how I hate automatic toilets so much with all the stuff I lost over the years to it. I even once try using a plunger to get mines out one time

[oilbird.livejournal.com]

hmm, I have happily used the Diva for about four years now...What are the advantages you found with the lady cup?

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Its way way smaller (didn't realize how significant the size difference was until I switched back to the diva) and is a much softer silicone. I find that with the divacup I have serious issues with the cup pressing on my bladder, and I didn't have that problem at all with the lady cup. It fit my vag (which is pretty shallow) better, and the softness just made it generally more comfortable.

The holes around the rim are significantly bigger, which makes it much easier to clean. Also it has less ridges and markings on it to collect gunk.

And it seems to be easier to seal, although it could be that I just "forgot" how to use the diva. I've had some leaking problems now that I'm using the diva again, and I hadn't leaked at all with the ladycup.

From an agency insider...

[pretty492.livejournal.com]

Is your RX plan through the same copany as your MM? Usually what happens is contraceptives are "excluded" from the medical plan because they are a part of the prescription plan. Do you know if you have a seperate prescription vendor?

Re: From an agency insider...

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

This is a very good thought, and actually it did occur to me after I posted. So I called medco, who is my prescription provider...

and the copay on a mirena is....

$497. Yes, FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY SEVEN DOLLARS. Holy cow.

I believe that I have heard of people paying out of pocket for the whole thing including insertion, and having an overall cost of about five hundred, so I am less than thrilled. The insurance lady says its the copay for each month of the entire lifetime of the device. Lame.

[slave-stasha.livejournal.com]

Oh noes :( i don't use cups...i have researching them though and am highly interested.

i hate those stupid automatic toilets...they always flush while i am still on them! It's so gross :( Readings this made me not like them more!

It's also sucky that your insurance doesn't cover contraceptives i had the same problem when i did have insurance.

Are they any special precautions you have to take using a cup with an IUD? since i am thinking about both thought i'd ask (sorry it was off topic)

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

There is a risk that if you pull out your cup and it gets caught on the IUD strings, it could yank the IUD. A lot of people choose to take that risk, and basically just be cautious.

[jmnstars.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for your cup! I hate loosing things that cost so much when I hardly have anything to spare! That totally sucks about the no contraceptive coverage...that's lame.

With that said - thank you so much for the giggle! Well, it wasn't much your original post, but the conversation it started! :) I was reading your post and was going, "OH MY GOSH!" and making shocked sounds.

And I wanted to add - don't bend over too much on those things either. I have had many flush on me while trying to fight with the damn toilet paper dispenser! *grumble*

[plasticpepper.livejournal.com]

OH NO. That is awful!