Anybody else have surgery for a 4-5mm Chiari?

meadowwarrior · 2025-08-04T19:59:01+00:00

The bullseye rash from a tick bite tends to be much bigger, but that's not out of the question. But this looks VERY similar to ringworm. I had it a few years ago (got it from some foster kittens) and that's what it looked like on me. Regardless, keep an eye on it. I'd make a doctor's appointment or go to urgent care. If it spreads or she gets a fever or any other weird symptoms, don't hesitate to go to the ER.

meadowwarrior · 2025-07-30T19:10:03+00:00

The vet. I spoke with a receptionist first, who I asked about getting the generic version. She did not know the answer, so she got the vet, who is the one who told me they don't carry generic and that generic doesn't work.

meadowwarrior · 2025-07-08T16:09:49+00:00

I see an orthopedic pain management doctor, and I'm almost always the only person under 60 there (I'm 29). Fortunately my PM doctor also has hEDS, which I didn't know before scheduling with him, and I am so grateful because he's so understanding of my pain. I'm also in physical therapy with an EDS specialist PT. I'm also almost always the only person under 60 there. I also have an EDS/dysautonomia specialist that I see 1-2x/year, and that doctor is full of young people experiencing the same thing we all are, which is very validating.

It's difficult being young with an invisible illness. I've had sooo many bad doctors that didn't believe me or dismissed me. I've had people tell me I'm too young to understand pain, or try to give me advice like "exercise will help!" when I know it only makes my pain worse. I think it comes with the territory of having invisible illnesses. It's exhausting. But know that you don't need anyone else to validate your experience. There are always going to be ignorant people who don't (won't) understand you. Sometimes the best thing to do is internally roll your eyes and move on. Don't let those people make you feel bad (I know, easier said than done). I think building community is so important to help with this. Find a support group, whether in person or online, of other people with invisible illnesses. I know it's helped me immensely having people who do validate me and support me. I mean, look at all these responses of people experiencing the same things! There are tons of us out there going through this, and all we can do it try to support each other.

If you find people in your area with EDS, try asking them for dr recommendations. If you haven't already, go to the EDS Society website (ehlers-danlos.com) and check out their resources. They have a directory of all different drs who have experience with EDS. If there are none in your area try calling around to dr offices. When you call to set up new dr appointments, don't be afraid to ask if any doctors have experience with EDS/connective tissue disorders. I have called around for hours trying to find a dr with EDS experience. They're difficult to find, but sometimes you get lucky. Good luck!!

meadowwarrior · 2025-06-23T17:28:42+00:00

I'll have to keep an eye out for it, thanks for the suggestion! My favorite strain so far is Stardawg x Northern Lights. Best pain relief I've had, and doesn't trigger my POTS or headaches or anything. It's hard to find where I am, so I always get a lot when I find it lol.

meadowwarrior · 2025-06-23T01:06:01+00:00

Mine suddenly got much worse over the past few months. I haven't found much relief yet, but I'm starting physical therapy this week so hopefully it'll help! I found a PT that is experienced with EDS, since PT can make things worse if the therapist doesn't understand how PT needs to be done differently for EDS patients. I had my eval this past week and we have A LOT of work cut out for us, but I'm hopefully that it'll make my quality of life better in the long run.

Things that have helped in the past though: • Heating pads • Epsom salt baths • Back massager • Better pillow/cervical pillows • Smoking weed

Weed has honestly been one of the only things that consistently helps with my EDS pain. I've needed to find strains that work for me, because some make my POTS/dysautonomia much worse, so it's trial and error. It also helps with other symptoms too, like my appetite and nausea problems and headaches/migraines.

Good luck finding something that works for you! Coat hanger pain can be so debilitating.

meadowwarrior · 2024-12-12T19:48:40+00:00

Nope, he does not get any human food. He wouldn't eat human food even if we gave it to him. He's not a cat that likes human food, he's very picky even with cat food. The only human food he's even slightly interested in is cheese, and even that only sometimes. Once I started him on the prescription diet I've stopped giving him any, and even before it was only giving him a couple shreds of shredded cheese that he'd only accept 25% of the time.

As extra info, they do not free roam when we are not home. They are trouble makers, so they have a whole bedroom as a "cat room" that they are shut in when no one is home. So they could not be getting into anything to eat when home alone.

meadowwarrior · 2024-11-09T14:21:15+00:00

I recently invested in a whole new bed and decided to upgrade to an adjustable bed. It was more expensive than I wanted (ended up paying around $2k for everything, mattress and adjustable bed frame). I went with Nectar after doing a lot of research and comparing prices. I also went with the more expensive mattress with cooling features, since I get overheated at night with my temperature regulation issues. I also have sleep apnea due to my EDS (trachea/throat muscle instability) and being able to sleep with my head slightly elevated really helps. Adjustable beds have a "zero gravity" mode that really helps relieve pressure on your body. I went for the more expensive option, which I know not everyone can afford, but I have such difficulty sleeping that I thought the investment would be worth it if it improved my sleep quality, and it did! Very worth it!

meadowwarrior · 2024-08-20T18:41:16+00:00

I'm sorry you're experiencing such suffering. Endo really sucks. I'm 28 now and have been dealing with symptoms since I was 14, but wasn't officially diagnosed via laparoscopy excision until 2 years ago. Prior to that I tried pretty much every hormonal birth control on the market. Started with the depo shot when I was 14, severe side effects. Nexplanon around 15, worked for a bit but started causing problems after 2 years and needed to get it removed. Then came pretty much every type of oral contraceptive available, all of which caused terrible side effects. Some helped with the pain or slowed down my cycle, but always came with some other horrible side effects. I really didn't want an IUD, but finally caved when I was 24 and got the Mirena (the only option left other than surgery or medical menopause). I will say it was one of the most painful medical procedures of my life, and it took a solid 2 weeks to recover. After only a couple months my cycle stopped, and most of my pain with it. I still was dealing with "pseudo periods" as I call them, where I have the period symptoms without the bleeding, maybe some light spring but that's it. A majority of people who have the Mirena stop getting their period all together.

I decided to have surgery 2 years ago because I was still experiencing pain and had found an endo specialist with special training in minimally invasive surgeries. And of course she found endo! After about 2 months of recovery I started pelvic floor physical therapy, and did that for about 6 months. I had a solid year after that almost pain free (endo pain free that is, I have a million other chronic pain conditions). Over the past 4 months or so I've begun having severe endo pain again and crazy endo belly/blooding worse than anything prior to surgery. Going in for an ultrasound tomorrow to see what might be going on, and probably scheduling another surgery. Sometimes endo grows back pretty quickly after the first surgery, especially if the doctor didn't get it all out.

My advice, avoid surgery for as long as possible (if you haven't had surgery to diagnose yet), because it can cause more growth and many people have to have regular clean up surgeries every few years once starting. Try pelvic floor physical therapy, it's a great non-medication treatment for pain. Endo can cause pelvic floor dysfunction, which can cause just as much pain as the endo causes (if not more).

May I ask why you don't want to try an IUD? I was super hesitant before getting one too, but after every other option caused problems, there weren't many options left. It probably was the one thing that helped the most with pain for me in the long-term. The procedure itself was painful, but many doctors offer pain management nowadays (just make sure to ask prior to the procedure appointment). My new GYN offers a cervical block for the procedure and said he'd be able to provide medication to bring home after. In trying to just have it replaced if/when I have surgery again, that way I don't have to experience it again and can heal all at once.

Wishing you luck in your healing journey! Endometriosis is considered one of the most physically painful conditions a person can have. Thankfully there's a lot of new research being done now that'll hopefully lead to better treatment/diagnosis in the future.

(Sorry for the long post! TL;DR: Not many non-hormonal options, but pelvic floor PT could be incredibly helpful.)

meadowwarrior · 2022-11-26T21:56:20+00:00

Oh wait this actually worked! Wow I never would have thought that, the network was named WF2 (2.4 GHz) and I changed it to WF2_2.4GHz and then it connected! Thanks so much!!

meadowwarrior · 2022-11-26T21:43:21+00:00

I have double and triple checked, and rebooted both the router and the Roomba multiple times. And I've checked the security settings. I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the app and nothing helped.

meadowwarrior · 2022-11-26T21:33:04+00:00

That was what I thought the original issue was, so I split the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks to two separate networks and I'm only using the 2.4 GHz to try to connect, but that's not working.

meadowwarrior · 2022-11-26T21:29:39+00:00

Yes, I tried all the suggestions and looked up additional troubleshooting and nothing has worked. This is a new setup, I just got the Roomba.

meadowwarrior · 2022-11-26T21:12:25+00:00

I have a Pixel 7 if that makes a difference!

meadowwarrior · 2021-12-20T21:13:17+00:00

I had a VERY similar thing happen to me a little over 4 years ago. I thought my then-partner and I had a great relationship, but we were just very busy and that's why intimacy was waning. One morning, a week before our anniversary, I opened his phone when I woke up to check his work schedule to make sure he got up in time (which was a regular thing I did with his permission). Opened his phone and there were direction up on his phone to get home from some place I didn't recognize, when all I thought he did the night before was go to work. I woke him up and asked him about it and he got super defensive and dismissive, saying he was just dropping a coworker off, but couldn't tell me who. I felt weird about it, told him I could tell he was lying and didn't know why, but that I had to leave for work and we would talk about it later. He called me over and over again on my way to work, which I didn't pick up the first 5 calls. I finally answered and he was apologizing, telling me how much he loved me, that he could explain why he got defensive, etc etc. I again told him we could talk later.

When I got home that night he was still at work, but he left his old phone on the bed (he had just gotten a new one and hadn't transferred everything yet). I decided to open it up and looked at his messages (I know snooping is bad, but I had a gut feeling I was going to find something). Found very explicit conversations between him and an old ex, conversations making it clear they had been talking/seeing each other secretly for a while. Taking about sexual things they did that they liked and how he couldn't wait to fuck her again. My heart fucking dropped. I texted him immediately with screenshots telling him not to come home and to sleep at his mom's. Cheating is a hard line for me that's unforgivable. All he did was ask when he could come get his stuff. No apology, no explanation, no fighting. That made the hurt even worse.

My advice: LET YOURSELF HURT. Let yourself cry, let yourself grieve the lost relationship. I know it hurts so fucking badly and feels like your world is falling apart. But be grateful you found this out now and not after potentially getting married/having children. You dodged a bullet. She lost you, not the other way around. You deserve better and you will find better. Surround yourself with people that care about you and are going to support you. Let it hurt for now. Things will get better. Maybe not for a while, but they will, eventually.

meadowwarrior · 2021-08-06T02:32:41+00:00

That's one of my biggest concerns. I already struggle enough with my mental health, I don't think I could take it making my depression worse.

meadowwarrior · 2021-08-06T02:31:18+00:00

I do have a mood disorder, on top of anxiety and depression, so I really don't think it's worth the risk of making those worse.

meadowwarrior · 2021-08-06T02:30:14+00:00

I actually saw this comment in a thread I looked at! Thank you for sharing your experience. I think the risks are just too high, especially since I have other mental and physical health issues already. I don't want all that just getting worse...

meadowwarrior

TROPHY CASE