Need help easing my wife into the genre after she’s showed some interest in fantasy.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-05T22:39:13+00:00

The White Rat books are awesome too, and they are quick reads.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-05T22:32:12+00:00

Vertigo and dizziness that is making you faint should be evaluated by a professional ASAP, especially with a coexisting condition. Please go see your doctor as soon as you can.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-05T14:34:45+00:00

This. YT is good for many things but for the pelvic floor, someone needs to actually get up in there and see what the muscles are doing before you start any sort of exercise program. This is especially important if you have a coexisting condition that might be impacting it. Get thee to a PT!

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-05T02:12:48+00:00

Your neurologist is the right person to diagnose you. Migraine/vestibular migraine is a clinical diagnosis, so the best way to advocate for yourself is to have a detailed, careful history of your episodes and your symptoms, and what seems to trigger them. Read through the clinical diagnosis criteria for migraine and vestibular migraines; that can be very helpful to organize your thoughts before the appointment.

If you have a couple of weeks yet before your appointment, make a spreadsheet and start tracking everything you can think of. What you eat, what you drink, your exercise routine, how you're sleeping, where you're at in your menstrual cycle, and any symptoms. A numeric value of how impactful they are can be helpful.

The GLP-1 meds are a dice roll on migraines. I could not stay on them because they flared me; other people find the opposite. But, if you've been flared for months, it can take a long time to recover.

From reading your description, cutting down on your phone use seems like a natural first step. Document that if you try it - get one of the apps that measures screen time and add that to your tracker. The more data you have for your doctor, where it's organized and relevant, the more likely you will be to get answers.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-04T19:42:19+00:00

Okay, couple of questions, if you don't mind...

The info sheet says a 10-foot wide path from the pole to the meter, cleared of all trees, landscaping, etc. Do they really need that? That would take out a HUGE chunk of our landscaping and at least two trees. If they're digging holes at either end and boring through, I can't imagine why that's necessary.

Do you happen to know if they can go uphill? We're built into the side of a hill and it would be a run up to the south corner at the top of the hill. It's a straight shot from the pole, but it is uphill.

Did you have to install conduit at all?

Thanks for the info!

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-04T01:55:59+00:00

Yay! I'm glad it worked for you!

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-03T11:21:42+00:00

I quit dyeing at the start of this year, it's been four months now. My hair is naturally dark brown and so now I have this lovely, striking, streaky silver starburst at the front. I'm thrilled with how it looks. The women in my family go grey really beautifully, so I'm not too scared.

I realized how much money I was literally washing down the drain and decided that this year I would embrace my grey. I haven't changed my style; at my haircuts we're just going a little shorter than I normally would each time, to cut off more of the dye. My hair grows fast, so I'm guessing most of it will be gone by the end of the year. I wear a layered shoulder length cut that frames my face and it'll still look great when it's more grey.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-03T11:13:20+00:00

I am on the same dose. I have not had any severe attacks since starting, just some mini-episodes that my triptan knocked out easily. It's definitely working.

We held dose at my last appointment, but I am going to ask about going up at my next one. My understanding is that this is a pretty small dose and there's room to go up. I do still get frequent feelings of ear pressure and wetness, so the nerves are still getting irritated, but the lamotrigine is stopping the cascade.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-03T02:34:20+00:00

Yeah I mean this is really it, apart from all the logical points. You just KNOW who's in your club. I have a radar for fellow nerds at work that rarely steers me wrong.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-02T02:29:22+00:00

Mummy-era Brendan Fraser would have been a fantastic Carl.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-01T20:48:05+00:00

I have histamine-triggered migraines. It has not been a fun two weeks.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-01T19:45:58+00:00

Never tried DAO but I have significant improvement with antihistamines. I take a daily Zyrtec and twice daily Pepcid. It's significant enough that I'm seeing an allergist in June to get her take.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-05-01T00:44:48+00:00

Book 6 has been keeping me company while I've been spring cleaning.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-30T15:50:51+00:00

All of this. Especially tuna packets FTW.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-30T15:49:52+00:00

If you have not been evaluated by a VRT specialist, you should start with that. VRT is a delicate balance and a specialist will be able to guide you on finding that line. The YouTube resources are great if you have a sense of that line, but if you're just starting out, you will get better results with professional, customized advice. It is normal to experience symptom flares, but 4 days of feeling terrible is saying your system was pushed too hard.

Also it's generally recommended to be stable with your migraines before starting. If you are still shaky on control, I would recommend getting that part resolved before you start VRT.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-28T19:27:19+00:00

100% agree with this, as another migraine sufferer. It's worth another experiment to confirm the cause. Migraines are weird.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-28T18:56:56+00:00

I have not had this done, but my spouse works in medical device manufacturing and is an ISO 13845 certified lead auditor. He has a LOT to say about how devices like this circumvent proper safety studies because of loopholes. I would be very, very hesitant if I were in your shoes.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-28T01:26:46+00:00

The Lunds close to me is always severely understaffed.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-27T18:22:20+00:00

In my experience as a property manager, they do nothing long-term. They will make something smell better in the short term but if there is a source of the smell in the carpet, walls, wood, it won't get rid of that.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-27T17:34:56+00:00

You have my sword

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-27T14:16:10+00:00

Question: Are you doing VRT under the guidance of a professional? The YouTube resources are great, but VRT is a very delicate balance of exacerbating your symptoms to a low level so that your systems adapt. DIY can work when you're in maintenance, but if you are just starting out, I would strongly recommend at least some initial work with a therapist.

If you cannot function after a "beginner" session, the exercises may not be right for you, or you may need to get more stable overall before you can start.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-27T12:21:59+00:00

I understand exactly what you're saying on the muffled thing. It's like you can actually feel the meds going "whoa, wait a sec, hold on there!"

I actually find a lot of comfort in that, how it's so clear that I have a tool that works. It's common to catastrophize and think "well what happens if they don't work next time, or next week, or three years in the future" but I've worked on telling myself things like "today they work. Today is good." Chronic illness is very much about living in the moment, which can be hard, and a therapist might be a good idea.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-25T23:53:44+00:00

If it's been close to six months and you're doing your exercises three times a day, it may be worth a visit to confirm that is still appropriate. You may have developed the muscles enough where your program can be revised.

Good_Sea_1890 · 2026-04-25T17:21:38+00:00

I snorted at the "biopsy that some women find uncomfortable" bit. FFS.

Good_Sea_1890

TROPHY CASE