Data-probe 3

23 October 2023 (WS1)

Mendrisio (CH)

Participant 3

She is a professional working in an agency focused on digital experiences, with a strong interest in information design. She has a background in design education, having studied under renowned professors and collaborated with institutions in Italy. Her interest in this project stems from her passion for data-driven design and a personal connection to the topic, having experienced a prolonged period of urinary tract infections earlier this year.

need to urinate

lower abdomen

fever

infection

recurrences / correlations

anxiety

vomiting

Written description:

My experience with urinary tract diseases began last February, I had five urinary infections in a row. For all the infections, I had the classic symptoms: difficulty urinating, burning, the sensation of not having emptied the bladder, kidney pain. Since my general practitioner was far away, the infections were treated with prescribed antibiotics (given without knowing what type of infection it was), in order: FOSFOMYCIN, CIPROFLOXACIN, FOSFOMYCIN, FOSFOMYCIN. After the last cystitis, my doctor prescribed a urine test and a gynecological visit. The whole time, I took cranberry supplements and painkillers. The last infection was the most painful, it flared up very quickly, within an hour, causing sharp pains and not allowing me to get up from where I was. That evening, I had to take a train, and it was a very difficult journey. I arrived at the station supported by my boyfriend because I couldn't walk due to the pain. The following day, it got much worse, causing me fever and vomiting. I went to the gynecologist at the local clinic who, given the situation, after the visit and an ultrasound, prescribed me, in addition to the necessary antibiotic due to the severity of the infection, a 6-month treatment of ECN and 30 days of DEVAMIX (probiotics) + Saugella active for intimate washes. After the last cystitis, I haven't had any more severe ones, I continued the treatment for 6 months, and when I felt the first symptoms, I added cranberry supplements. The infections caused me various problems in sexual intercourse, which I interrupted for several months.

Picture of the probe:

Base Image Anxiety Overlay Urine Overlay

List of components:

1 mini cube of wood;
3 small cubes of wood;
1 medium cube of wood;
3 small parallelepipeds of polyester;
2 big parallelepipeds of polyester;
1 small triangular shape of foam;
3 big triangular shapes of foam;
2 big parallelepipeds of foam (1 double folded);
7 small spheres of wood;
9 mini spheres of metal

Oral description:

"No, so, there are 5 (artefact blocks) because, in reality, I have never suffered severely from urinary tract diseases. I have had very mild cystitis, which I treated with supplements, always cranberry, but it never turned into something that gave me serious and severe symptoms. Until February, when I had consecutive episodes that I actually associate with a single episode. For this reason, I composed different forms that were effectively 5 different episodes, but I see them as a single episode because I was never truly well throughout the entire illness. So, it starts with the first phase, and as you see, in the first four phases, I had similar symptoms that only increased or decreased depending on the phase I was in. What changed is that, compared to the first time I had it, I felt increasingly less stable. In fact, further along, the more the sculptures fall because, with the repetition of the illness, with the recurrence of symptoms, the most severe symptom in the end was the anxiety and fear I had towards the illness. That is represented by the wooden cube, which gets bigger and bigger. But it is bigger because anxiety increases, yet it becomes less and less stable. Until the last stage, which was the most severe, causing a very serious infection with vomiting, fever, and the need for urgent intervention. And, as you can see, it is completely unstable and is represented by more wooden cubes, more wood, and therefore more anxiety on my part. The last form is what remains because I still have symptoms related to these episodes, mainly linked to fear and how these episodes have influenced my life, causing me anxiety, especially regarding sexual intercourse and everything that, for me, could trigger that illness. And so, what remains are heavy metal balls. That's it."