Posts by Zachary Booth3

Morgan Stewart50 said:I suppose how much you pay them is also a matter of perspective! But honestly, for the amount of money you're actually handing over to them, you end up with something that is just incredibly, incredibly, incredibly good!

So, basically, we have completely opposite ideas about what counts as top-tier or "incredibly good."☕

Dear Ed,

I am so incredibly sorry to hear about your mom passing.

I know exactly what kind of emotions you're dealing with right now, and I truly hope you find the strength to get through this—you’re going to need it.

Just make sure the whole family sticks together; that’s what really helps.

Justin Martinez3 said:Who knows—maybe that woman in the photo thought I was asking just so she could mess with me, since I look like I’m barely fourteen or fifteen. Zachary Booth3, any idea what the per-chair rates are looking like, or what it costs to just rent out one of the other studios over at the Navy base?

Look, generally speaking, prices at most restaurants or hotels run about $25-$35 per person. However, it's hard to give a straight answer because every venue offers different packages to newlyweds. For example, you can choose to have everything provided by them, or just their food while you bring your own drinks, or even bring your own catering and have them handle the cooking (which happens quite a bit, especially out in the Midwest). You’ve got buffet options, dessert packages, custom menus, and so on. There are honestly so many variables today that it's best to visit a few places from your shortlist to see what they actually offer.
As for the Midwest Grand Hotel, I don't know off the top of my head, but a colleague of mine just got married there, so I'll ask her.😉

rustyscout3 said:Well, there isn't actually a hall by that name because the venue is called Ten, not Zen.
And where are you coming from, and why specifically Memphis? You have options over by the Admiral of the Navy area.

Look, you've got plenty of other halls and restaurants too, not just the Admiral.

Diana, I'm pulling for you. I hope things turn around soon.

To all the other brave souls out there, I'm rooting for you too. Stay strong through the fight.

I don't post here much, but I'm thinking of you all. I read everything and I'm praying for everyone's recovery.

If anyone needs anything at all, don't hesitate to reach out.

rapidseal49, I am truly sorry for your loss.

quietpilot87, my sincere condolences. I wish you and your family strength for what lies ahead. You’re going to need it.🙂

boldcrane143 said:I suggest looking into Krizmanic photography out of Indianapolis. Their recent portfolio is quite impressive, and honestly, they caught me by surprise; their work is top-tier without being overpriced.

"Top-tier" is a pretty subjective term. There are plenty, plenty, plenty of better photographers out there.

Flaxseeds are excellent for digestion; you can pick them up almost anywhere—like at a CVS or Walgreens. You can toss them into any dish, but I think the best way is to stir a few teaspoons into some yogurt, let it sit for an hour or two to swell up, and then eat it. You could also add a little to soup, or whatever... they even sell ground flax, which isn't bad either—maybe even better since it won't stick to the roof of your mouth.

I also know that eating fruit yogurt on an empty stomach is great for digestion too..

Pears and prunes are also excellent, but that’s already been mentioned..
If I remember anything else, I'll write it down.

Yeah, right. It’s just that easy to go out and change an entire city, the hospital system, your whole life, and everything else overnight... I'm just not sure where exactly that happens.

Maria Jones40 said:Yeah, there's constant bashing of doctors and medical staff here. Not just now, but it’s happened plenty of times before—outright lies being told, calls for confrontations with physicians, and just generally uncivil behavior. That’s absolutely not okay. And you're actually advising this lady to be aggressive too.
I thought this forum was meant to provide psychological support for patients and their families, not serve as a place to "flaunt medical knowledge" or smear the profession and the people trying to help you in every way possible.

I wrote a massive response to what you said, but it got deleted, so I'll just redo it here, but shorter... basically... here's the deal...

It is definitely not true that people are constantly bashing doctors or advocating for it. What's actually happening is that people are forced to ask questions, investigate, and demand things they have a right to know about, yet no one guides them through it. When they do ask, they get dismissed or mocked. It isn't "uncivilized" to demand an explanation; most of us aren't doctors and don't deal with medical jargon every single day.
It’s pathetic that patients have to fight just to get information about their condition, treatment options, medications, side effects, and so many other things...

And as for gross lies, there's no such thing here. People are simply recounting their own experiences, and unfortunately, those experiences are all real. Do you honestly think we all came here, while fighting for our own lives or the lives of our loved ones, just to make things up? 🙄 Give me a break. The problem is that every story shared here is true, sadly. Everything we write about, everything we face, and everything we struggle against is real.

You can't even imagine what my family went through while my father was sick, or what many people here are going through right now. I don't even have the strength to recount everything we endured. And I'm not writing this out of bitterness or rage because my father lost his battle with illness—that's a different topic entirely. I'm writing this out of the frustration and grief of having to fight daily against doctors and hospital staff while simultaneously fighting for his life. Don't even get me started on the lack of a kind word, the lack of understanding, or basic decency. We are in a hospital, not at some DMV where being brushed off is considered normal.

At the end of the day, not everyone is the same—not all professors, merchants, or conductors are the same either. So, I am not generalizing. I am writing about MY experience, just like everyone else writes about THEIR experience. Unfortunately, that might look like an attack sometimes, but it's just us recounting what we survived.

frozencobra25, I am truly sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences on the passing of your father.

darkraven17 said:Hey everyone!
I’m curious if anyone here has actually used sunflowers as the main centerpiece for their wedding...
My bridal party is obsessed with this gold-yellow vibe that reminds me of the Midwest... Since we’re planning an autumn wedding—probably sometime in September or October—I’m wondering is it even possible to get my hands on enough sunflowers then? I’m going to need them in massive quantities, so if anyone has any tips, hacks, or solid ideas regarding this, please hit me up!
On top of that, I want to lean hard into those rustic, autumnal vibes with things like zucchini, pomegranates, corn, wheat stalks, quince, pumpkins, apples, dried leaves, wildflowers... but the sunflower would be the star of the show...
The bouquet would be all sunflowers too... plus the invites, thank-you notes, confetti, and boutonnieres will all follow that gold-yellow theme using tiny artificial sunflowers and sprigs of wheat...
What do you guys think? Thoughts?

I think it's a great idea!👍👍
I'll look into it and send you a PM.

Melissa Kim45 said:My mom fought so hard for so long. She was a winner in her own way, and a huge one at that.

She passed away this morning.

Thank you all. I love you guys. Keep fighting for us—stay brave and give it everything you've got.

I'll check back in later with more details.

Dear Melissa Kim45,

I am so incredibly sorry for the loss of your mother. Like her, you are a fighter, and she was truly blessed to have a daughter like you.
Wishing you strength and courage during this time. 🙂

I just finished reading an interview in the latest issue of Doctor at Home featuring Nancy Pelosi; she also dealt with a brain tumor...
It honestly warms my heart to see people fighting through illnesses and recovering, and I hope to see even more success stories like this.

P.S. I’m currently working on gathering signatures for an association petition, and the response has been incredible. People are genuinely interested—there are so many who are struggling against our healthcare system or paying massive amounts out-of-pocket for various medications, and they're eager to contribute to something that could actually drive major changes in our medical landscape.

Honestly, I’d love to hear a firsthand account from someone who actually beat cancer. I know there was that one news anchor over at ABC who supposedly recovered.
My dad dealt with a brain tumor, and after eight years, it came back. Unfortunately, the recurrence was just too much for him.
I think the location and type of the tumor are everything when you're talking about a brain cancer recovery. Even if it's technically benign, if it’s sitting right on a nerve or in a bad spot, things get incredibly difficult very fast.

I can't stand those "it's all in your head" or "you caused this yourself" statements. Look, I agree that lifestyle and diet play a role in overall health, but when it comes to a brain tumor? I don't see how a person is "responsible" for that.

Furthermore, I am a firm believer in alternative medicine. We spent months putting my dad on a macrobiotic diet and using Rife's generator along with countless other holistic methods to try and help him. In the end, it didn't work out the way we prayed it would... but I still believe we shouldn't be ruling out either approach.

Melissa Kim45, my dad dealt with pressure sores twice. The first time, about nine years ago, it was horrific. He developed one on his tailbone while he was in a coma at the hospital, and it went so deep you could actually see the bone. It eventually improved, but now, near the end, he’s dealing with them again.
Everything was fine while he was home because we had a specialized mattress and those little pads you put under the arms or legs to help him shift around constantly. But once he went to the hospital for radiation treatments, everything went downhill fast.
We kept begging the nurses to turn him from side to side more often. We knew his skin was paper-thin, he was bedridden, and his previous sores made him even more vulnerable. They just brushed us off every single time, telling us they were turning him and that we shouldn't butt into their business.
Then he got another sore, and when my mom and I first noticed the wounds, we absolutely lost it. It looked exactly like what you described—like a blister leaking fluid, except it spreads incredibly fast.
Since the hospital didn't have any decent pressure ulcer patches, we rushed out and bought every cream and bandage imaginable. Honestly, though? It’s incredibly hard to heal these things, especially when they start popping up in multiple spots.
My dad ended up getting one on his ear too... damn hospital and their staff....

In any case, you're doing the right thing by tucking rolled towels between her legs and under her elbows, and keeping her moving...

We also used this specific cream (I can't recall the exact name) that we applied in thick layers to all his high-risk areas as a preventative measure. The pharmacist told us it was a good idea to apply it everywhere prone to sores—shoulders, hips, elbows, backside, back, etc. The cream starts with a B, maybe check at a pharmacy; they'll know. It's very thick and comes in a gray box... (not much help from me, huh?)

Best to everyone...

dustyranger11 said:My dad passed away today. His suffering is finally over.
Thanks to everyone here who helped me out through this forum.
I still have some Ensure and Prosure left, so let me know if anyone needs them.
Now I'm just facing this emptiness and the heavy days ahead without him.

dustyranger11, my deepest condolences. Wishing you strength for whatever comes next.🙂

It’s been exactly four months since my dad passed...

Maria Ramirez4 said:Alright, here’s how it goes...
One day, my partner and I found ourselves over at VK. Since we were already in the area, I figured I might as well try on some wedding dresses just to see what's out there—to figure out what actually looks good and what doesn't. So, we walked into... Stephanie Everything's empty. Not a soul in sight. You look left, you look right, just scanning the void to see if anything actually exists out here. Maybe. About 50 wedding dresses and a few formal gowns laid out. Then, barely two minutes later, she walks in. You can practically read it on her face:Just when I thought things couldn't get any more exhausting, you guys show up.We said hello and I asked if we needed to book a tasting ahead of time. She told us no. Then she goes, "Do you have a wedding date set yet?" We just looked at each other and laughed. We told her we had a rough idea, but nothing official. She says:Then no. You won't dare try anything.I told her straight up: I’m not putting down a deposit or making a reservation right now. I don't want to snatch a slot from some other bride who actually has her act together. I just wanted to try things on, see what works, and get a feel for their inventory. She gave me this "I can't, let me ask my manager, but probably not" routine. Honestly, when she said that, I was ready to turn around and walk out right then and there. My husband, being the saint he is, just sat down and suggested we wait since we were already there. Then she comes back with a kicker: apparently, I can't even try anything on because we don't have a wedding date set yet. At that point, I just pivoted toward the door. No goodbye, no thank you—why bother? My husband tried to play it cool, acting like it was no big deal, but I was done. She actually had the nerve to suggest I "look through the catalogs." I looked her dead in the eye and told her I wasn't interested because I already have more than that sitting in my house, and then I stormed out. I was absolutely livid.
I’m no businessman, but common sense tells me you actually have to attract customers if you want to move inventory. Instead, she’s just driving people away with that attitude. She didn't even bother to pull a single wedding dress out of the closet to show what she's got. Nothing. It’s like she thinks she owns the last bridal boutique in America and we should all just be grateful she’s letting us look at her. Never. I’m done with them. I wouldn't give them another dime, and I have zero intention of ever stepping foot back in that lounge. I haven't encountered that level of rudeness and arrogance in a long time.
Well, at least now I know. Consider this my lesson learned.

That’s strange, because I have to share my experience, which was the exact opposite.
I actually bought my wedding dress there. I went in once just to browse dresses and evening wear, and both the manager and the staff were incredibly kind and showed me everything (even though I just came in with my mom to look, we didn't have a date yet). Later on, I was walking past the shop, saw a dress in the window, and knew instantly it was "the one." I went back in to ask about it. They asked if I had a date, and I told them it would likely be in September or October. We hadn't finalized anything with my husband yet (that was last year), but they told me they would hold the dress for me regardless of when the wedding was, as long as I gave them the exact date once we knew. Which is exactly what I did a few weeks ago once we settled on the date.
I had a completely positive experience, so I'm really sorry you had such a bad one.
p.s. From what I know, they have a huge selection of dresses downstairs too.

Hi everyone,
It’s tough reading all this bad news, but I truly believe these are just temporary hurdles and things have to get better eventually.
Kimberly Green23, we went through the exact same nightmare with diapers. They bounced us from one specialist to another constantly; it felt like a game of telephone most of the time when it came to getting them approved. Basically, even for Dad, we couldn't get anything without a neurologist's recommendation. I don't have the specifics right now, but I'll ask Mom and let you know. I know the whole process takes forever because everything has to go through a Medicare commission first, and that drags on. Because of that, we ended up having to buy them ourselves.

We currently have some MultiForm extra Premium adult incontinence pads—12 packs of 30. If anyone needs them, shoot me a PM.