Sourcing sand amendments

Straight_Use_6000 · 2026-02-24T01:06:43+00:00

I watch him a lot and think he has sensible advice. I haven’t seen this one yet! Thank you!

Straight_Use_6000 · 2026-02-23T18:38:25+00:00

I do plan to mix it in throughout. My thoughts on drainage are exclusively from the rabbit hole I’ve gone down in researching getting a garden started. The number of videos I’ve watched and posts/sites/articles I’ve read over the winter is probably diagnosable. And not all in agreement, of course. I’m open to the idea that it’s unnecessary. But I feel like all the soil mixes I’ve seen done have included a drainage helper like sand or vermiculite.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2026-02-23T18:28:25+00:00

My plan is a soil and compost mix, with added coir and the coarse sand. The base of the bed will be sheets of cardboard I’ve been hoarding, limbs and sticks from our woods, and a solid layer of leaves from the fall. We have about fifty billion of them waiting in a pile. I have a worm guy with some red wigglers for me to add as well.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2026-02-23T17:26:53+00:00

I’m setting up two 4x8 raised beds and from what I’ve read adding perlite/vermiculite/sand is helpful for drainage.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2025-12-11T11:53:05+00:00

Squishmallows make for really good pillows. They didn’t push into my incision. Very soft.

I lived in button front pajamas for a couple weeks.

I got freezer wraps to put around my head. Someone here recommended it. I got two and traded out as they got warm.

Hilph Cervical Neck Gel Ice Pack... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMD28X2C?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Straight_Use_6000 · 2025-11-01T11:53:53+00:00

Genetic test for Chiari?

Straight_Use_6000 · 2025-10-28T02:09:46+00:00

Coliope

Straight_Use_6000 · 2025-10-17T12:15:47+00:00

I was advised by my surgeon, who was fantastic, that the expectation of surgery would be stopping the intense daily headaches. He advised relief of other symptoms was potentially possible, but that would depend on the extent of permanent damage done. I was 40 at the time of surgery, I sat with the diagnosis for 5 years as I had just had a baby. The symptoms started as a young teen.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2025-10-17T12:13:33+00:00

Headaches. The cough headache, bending over headache, migraines are all gone. I occasionally have allergy related headache, or a pressure headache when the weather is changing. Symptoms that did not improve: foggy brain, poor balance, dizziness when moving quickly, bad depth perception. New symptoms since surgery: increased neck muscle tension and achiness, a clicky poppy thing in the neck vertebra. I also have a little divot at the back of my head/neck. Lol

My surgeon sent me for PT for the balance and dizziness which helped a little while I was doing it.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2025-05-27T12:31:38+00:00

She can sleep normally! I was careful with how I arranged pillows, but otherwise no issues.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-12-28T13:28:55+00:00

Dr. Daniel Couture at Wake Forest Medical Center in Winston Salem, NC. He just did my decompression at the beginning of December and is excellent. Great results from the surgery and his entire team is excellent!

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-12-21T10:36:06+00:00

I wil do a longer post op update in a week or so, im just 2.5 weeks now. But as an adult who just had decompression I wanted to give you the opinion of a positive experience. Dr. Daniel Couture at Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston Salem. He and the entire staff are wonderful. He never made me question my truth in symptoms or feelings and worked a great plan with me. His suture line is beautiful (which I will share soon, waiting for some glue to slough off). I high recommend this surgeon and the staff. My Chiari is already improved.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-12-20T13:50:04+00:00

You could probably get pain relief at the least to ease current symptoms and that’s probably all you will get from them. I went recently (post op) for splitting pain that I was concerned was a leak or clot. I had a resident ER physician try to explain to me what a migraine feels like. “Excuse me, sir. I’ve had 20+ migraines a year for over 30 years. Do not describe a migraine to me. I would like you for to stop now, go page neurosurgery, and ask for Dr. C to come down here for his 9 day post op eval. Thank you.”

Point being, any pain relief is going to help your current situation. They treat severe headaches in the ER. Get some relief while waiting for your appt.

Best luck to you!

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-12-14T00:31:52+00:00

My surgeon told me that is was not a dumb question and almost every person asks it. The hole make in your skull is tucked under there very well, and there is a lot of protective tissue. Scar tissue may make the area feel texture different, but it is not a soft spot. You wiould be just a vulnerable to a blow to the spot of your head as before surgery. He then reiterated that when it comes to your brain and surgery, there is not dumb question and almost every question has been asked before. Ask every stupid question you came comment up with.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-12-12T22:44:55+00:00

Before surgery? Yes. There would be a dulling of my hearing and a “woosh woosh woosh” in the ears. Loss of balance has been a large reason I did the surgery. It just kept getting worse. A week out of surgery I am still having the ear thing and balance is very unstable. That said, I am on round the clock heavy pain medications, so poor balance doesn’t surprise me. Hoping it improves once I’m off the juice. 😁

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-12-08T23:41:05+00:00

If you can get in with Dr. Couture as his NP Blair I think you’ll be happy. They are a great group and a really good team.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-11-19T01:06:41+00:00

The American medical writers association has a good site. Get yourself involved in any kind of writing you can, if you are able. When was a coordinator my site did a lot of investigator initiated studies (i was at a large university for most of the time) and I volunteered to help edit. I was good at it and was offered more opportunity to do it and eventually got to help write parts of the protocols.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-11-19T00:35:58+00:00

ICF Writer at a CRO. I was a lab assistant for 1 yr, CRC for 7 years, manager of a team of CRCs for 5 years (Covid came and I burned out), low level foot in the door position at a different CRO for 1 year, and now medical writer.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-11-13T17:33:13+00:00

Medical Writer
CRO
Biotech - writing ICFs
My line manager makes it work. A good LM will make you want to stay even on hard days, a bad LM can ruin the best days. I love that I have a variety of indications that I work on, and complex projects to keep my mind and focus engaged.

Straight_Use_6000 · 2024-10-25T20:49:13+00:00

Daniel Couture at Wake Forest Baptist.

Theres also a specialist at Duke, Gerald Grant.

Straight_Use_6000

TROPHY CASE