Posts by feralwolf24

Look, Susan Harris4, I could tell right away you were either a civil engineer or a mechanical engineer. I don't work on water supply systems myself, but I’ve been working in water treatment technology long enough alongside a guy—my boss—who I’m sure your professor would respect and value quite highly because he really knows his stuff. What I’m telling you comes from the chemistry side of things. How exactly a water main gets disinfected isn't my area, though I'm certain it happens. My point is, once you start using that pipeline for transport, it isn't going to stay sterile forever. That's the whole issue. I'm not trying to step on your toes professionally, so I'm not sure why you feel the need to lecture me on mine.

Susan Harris4 said:You clearly haven't a clue what you're talking about, so keep rambling... 😁 it's the classic behavior of a wannabe scientist. Why don't you actually go study how a US municipal water supply system functions before you try lecturing me again? 😉😉

Oh, my dear Angel :-))), I am so sorry if I shattered your little illusion regarding water and the municipal supply system. If that’s enough to get under your skin, by all means, keep believing you have all the answers. That's basically how this whole country runs anyway—just packed with "experts" in every single field, all steering us blindly toward whatever comes next, led by these great professionals.

Tyler Morgan3 said:I haven't a clue what the smaller water treatment plants are running, because honestly, it all comes down to volume and flow rates. On the massive municipal systems, they just use chlorine and its compounds, and frankly, it works fine. As for ozone? For our specific water, it’s basically overkill and a waste of money. Iron levels are tiny, so it usually just settles in the pipes (you see that sediment flushing out at the hydrants every once in a while). And arsenic? It's practically non-existent. Besides, As 3+ is super unstable anyway and flips to As 6+ pretty fast (thank God, because As 3+ is way more dangerous and toxic!). The real kicker, as far as I know, is that ozone doesn't actually kill off organic molecules entirely; it just shreds them into smaller fragments that hang out in the groundwater, settle, or react, so you're basically just spinning your wheels. Luckily, the American groundwater acts like a perfect natural filter, and we really need to protect it because the quality of our tap water depends entirely on keeping that underground stuff clean. We've got some of the healthiest water in the Western world (second only to Vienna) and we get it with hardly any processing at all!👍 The real question is whether we actually realize how lucky we are and if we even care enough to protect the treasure we've got!🙂

Yeah, chlorine is definitely used—specifically sodium hypochlorite, which at 13% active chlorine is a pretty intense concentration. Around here, we don't really use ozone for basic disinfection; it’s mostly reserved for oxidation if the system is dealing with arsenic, iron, or organic matter. Potassium permanganate is also used for that same purpose. In the Midwest, the most common groundwater profile involves iron, manganese, and ammonia paired with organic matter, plus arsenic specifically tied to arsenite soil. You can strip those out quite easily and efficiently using biological sand filters (though you'll see plenty of people selling "special" catalytic mixtures that are basically just a tax on fools). Since iron comes from underground where oxygen levels are zero, it shows up as 2+, which makes it a pain to remove. We have to oxidize it to 3+ so it becomes bulky, forms hydroxides, and settles out either in sedimentation tanks or on the biofilter—which is why we usually put anthracite at the top of the filter. Iron oxidizes pretty easily just by being exposed to air. If there's arsenic present, you need a stronger oxidizing agent than just oxygen, like KMnO4 or O3. The ratio and makeup of arsenic vary wildly depending on the well. (By the way, you had a little typo there—you wrote 6+, but arsenic is inorganic and exists as 3+ or 5+). Removing As 3+ is nearly impossible; as you mentioned, it's much worse than 5+. Ion exchange, adsorption, coagulation, and flocculation just don't work on it, and nanofiltration membranes are way too expensive to use just for that. Ultrafiltration is a cheaper alternative, but it only works if you can get the arsenic into its 5+ form first. Manganese and ammonia are handled biologically, which is actually very effective and inexpensive. Iron concentrations can get pretty high, and you definitely don't want iron, manganese, or any other metals settling in the pipes. Those deposits create perfect breeding grounds for microbes, and once oxygen-rich water flows through them, you've got a party. Of course, to prevent that kind of buildup, you absolutely need residual chlorine to make it all the way to the end of the line and reach the last consumer in town. Regarding organic matter, it's true that it breaks down into H2O and CO2, but honestly, you're right—most of it just ends up as shorter chains. That's where chlorine gets tricky. When it reacts with organic compounds, it can create some pretty nasty byproducts called trihalomethanes (everyone knows chloroform). They're especially unpleasant because, even though they evaporate easily, they diffuse through the skin quite readily. This means you actually get the highest exposure when showering with that water. We dealt with a similar issue in a small town outside of Chicago due to high organic matter, but they've since fixed it.

My arm is killing me, but look, there’s a lot of complex interplay and dependency involved here. It isn't just a simple fix. You really have to understand the exact makeup of the water and its chemistry—which reactions have a stronger affinity, the specific order in which they occur, and all that good stuff.

And regarding that last point you made, it’s honestly pretty sad how many people around us are completely oblivious to it. :-((

Susan Harris4 said:That’s right, you add the granules. And honestly, there isn't any John, Harold, or Solomon to be found around here either. 😁 Don't we all know that there are automated stations out there specifically designed to inject chlorine?
I am going to say this one more time because clearly, there is some fundamental misunderstanding happening here: residual chlorine is not used to disinfect pipes or tubing. Once you detect residual chlorine, it serves as a signal that the disinfection process is already complete and adding more is entirely unnecessary. Is it really that difficult to grasp? Before any piping is ever put into service, it undergoes a rigorous disinfection using 20 to 30 milligrams of chlorine, held for a full 24 hours, followed by a thorough cleaning before the lines are finally connected to the main water grid.
If you happen to be sitting on some secret, magic-bullet method for the water disinfection process that hasn't even crossed the radar of the industry experts yet, please, do me a favor and share it? My professor and I are all ears, and we would be more than happy to turn that little bit of insider knowledge into a serious payday. 😉😉😉

Give my best to the professor :-))) Tell him you guys must have some kind of deal going on with those Japanese robotics companies then :-))) Otherwise, they'll be out there using shovels to toss it in whenever John isn't looking :-))) Seriously though, standard dosing stations can only handle liquid, not solids. Unless someone is out there with a shovel (which is slow) or a spoon (small amounts, but still), it won't work. It takes a good month for that stuff to dissolve, and let me tell you, it’s a real pain when it melts too slowly.
As for those pounds of residual chlorine you mentioned... what can I say? :-)) Anyway, give your prof a big hug for me :-)))

Tyler Morgan3 said:Look, there isn't just one way to disinfect stuff. Different methods hit different microbes or contaminants differently. Chlorine—specifically chlorine dioxide—is hands down the most effective and safest bet. You add enough so that once the job is done, you’re left with a tiny bit of residual free chlorine. That leftover trace is actually proof the water is totally safe to drink; it stays in the system to keep things clean in home plumbing where old, crappy pipes usually cause issues. Ozone? That's mostly for breaking down small organic molecules that charcoal filters can't grab, and it's really meant for low volumes or specific flow rates. For a massive place like New York City, it’s totally unnecessary and a waste of cash. As for those chlorine tablets or granules you see? That's basically Isosan, which you can pick up at a pharmacy for private wells or backyard cisterns. With that stuff, you have to be precise with the dosage based on how much water is in your tank. It is absolutely NOT what they use for municipal water systems! And UV disinfection? Not practical for huge amounts of water like a city's main supply. You'd have to overhaul the entire reservoir area and the city grid, which would send your water bill through the roof. In New York City, the water gets disinfected effectively, and they use other treatments depending on where the water comes from. The amount of residual chlorine is strictly regulated by federal laws and health standards (just Google the EPA guidelines in The New York Times if you don't believe me!). They measure it right on-site, so there's zero chance of it being too high or tasting weird. I'm curious though, where exactly are people seeing this "milky" water, and what is the health inspector saying about it? If you're genuinely worried about your tap, just pay for a professional lab test at your own house. You get to pick exactly which parameters they test for. And for all the skeptics who still insist the water isn't clean? Go ahead, head to the grocery store and choose from the endless aisles of bottled water. Or go buy one of those activated carbon filters and convince yourself there's something in the water that needs removing... just don't forget to change those filters constantly (even more often than the manual says), otherwise, you'll just end up testing the gunk that's been SITTING in the filter itself!

Thanks, Tyler Morgan3. Just a tiny correction here. Chlorine dioxide has some great marketing behind it, but you don't see it used everywhere. A lot of plants tried switching over, but it didn't really stick; many went back to standard chlorine or hypochlorite (which just turns back into chlorine anyway through disproportionation). The main reason people move away from chlorine dioxide so fast is how quickly it breaks down and the byproducts it leaves behind, like chlorates.
Regarding ozone, it's commonly used for oxidation. Around here, we mostly use it to get rid of iron or to oxidize Arsen to make it easier to remove, since you can't pull out Arsen in its 3+ form. A lot of places still use permanganate instead of ozone for that. Ozone is actually perfect for drinking water plants dealing with high organic matter, like humic or fulvic acids, because even small doses can help break those down. We have to be pretty careful with dosing since it's so unstable (we stay under 3 mg/L O3 here), especially since studies on how it affects water chemistry aren't fully settled yet.

Timothy Vaughn44 said:I’d love to know where you went to school (if you even did go!) 😁...because I'm struggling to see how yellow-green chlorine gas has anything to do with those little micro-bubbles evaporating from the water. The water looks milky because of the air bubbles, not because of whatever happens inside them.
->"Milky water refers to the cloudy appearance of tap water, which happens when tiny air bubbles are present."
And please, tell me, have you ever actually seen gaseous chlorine in person?..
If it's impossible to use ozone for municipal water, then I'm dying to know how they manage to pull it off in other developed countries. 🤔
Ozone might be a concern if you're putting it directly into your mouth (I think I heard something about that in dental studies once), but otherwise, it's unstable and just breaks down into oxygen, so I don't really see it being a huge danger...though I'm not an expert so I won't get bogged down in that debate. UV is definitely the safest route, but I'm just not sure how scalable it is for a massive city water grid...maybe in a hundred years, if we're lucky enough to still be around, we'll finally have the budget for it. 😁

I don't have a college degree. Especially not in chemical engineering or tech. And I definitely haven't spent seven years designing industrial water purification systems :-))) Oh, and I've never actually seen pure chlorine in person, let alone made it myself :-))).
By the way, those "microbubbles" you mentioned... I assume they come from chlorine granules? They're white, after all :-))). Surely they have nothing to do with air, water stability, or anything like that?

Susan Harris4 said:What kind of nonsense are you talking about? 😁😁 Sure, chlorine gas is a yellowish-green gas, but when we disinfect water, we use solid granules, which are white!
Lol, residual chlorine acts as a secondary line of defense for disinfection—who on earth told you otherwise? Haha! Seeing residual chlorine is actually a sign that they should stop adding more granules, meaning there is enough chlorine in the water to have already wiped out all the existing coliform bacteria. And that whole argument about the taps is nothing short of ridiculous. 😁😁

:-))))))). Sure, obviously. Granules :-))) And at every treatment plant, you just find Joe standing there with a shovel, tossing in handfuls of granules :-))))

Timothy Vaughn44 said:I’m talking about chlorine here, though if you’re under the impression that those white flakes floating in the water are just limescale evaporating away, then I might have slightly misread our conversation! 😕Honestly, I’d just go back and re-read whatever source taught you that in the first place... because if you think those little bubbles rising up are just air, you might be mistaken. It could easily be chlorine, and there's really no way to tell for sure just by looking. Some of it stays trapped in the water anyway. Look, I’m not trying to jump to any conclusions about what you know or don't know, but I haven't seen anything written anywhere that supports what you're saying.Hey there! Just popping in to say hello.It’s just pure logic, really... and honestly, I actually learned all about the chlorine in our water and how its organic compounds can turn into carcinogens once they're inside the body from my microbiology professor back in college! ☕
Whether we're talking about a tiny trace or a massive amount, honestly, it doesn't even matter that much... any concentration at all is enough to trigger cancer. one So, I was just thinking about that one specific molecule that managed to mess with our DNA—you know, the kind of thing where our bodies just completely missed the chance to step in and fix the damage before it caused trouble. It’s a little humbling, honestly, realizing how much can slip past our internal repair crews without us even noticing!

Hey, I really hope you don't think that white residue evaporating is actually chlorine. I also hope your microbiology professor mentioned that chlorine is actually a yellow gas.

Also, UV disinfection or ozone treatment (there's plenty to say about the dangers of ozone, too) isn't free, which is why it isn't used everywhere. The whole point of a municipal water system isn't just to disinfect the water at one single station; it's to add a disinfectant that stays in the residual supply and works its way through the entire pipe network. That's how we ensure the water coming out of your tap doesn't get contaminated along the way. Sure, chlorine isn't a perfect solution, but right now, it's the most practical option we have.

Dear Dina, I’m so sorry I never mentioned how much I truly enjoy reading your posts. I've always been keeping an eye out to see if you'd check in, and I really wanted to tell you how much I admire your strength—I honestly feel like I could learn a lot from you. I felt bad because every time I sat down to write this, everything I came up with sounded silly or just wasn't quite right. It never felt good enough to capture what I actually meant. Even now, it doesn't feel quite like I want it to...
My deepest condolences to your family and friends, and to you, Dina, a huge thank you!!!!

Hey? Any news? Just check in so we know you're doing okay

Look, if you’re dealing with an emergency, gastroenterologists—even in private practice—will see you the same day or at least the next. Don't sit around waiting. Even if you're hoping it's nothing, living in constant pain and fear of what you might eat next isn't exactly a great way to live. Please, if you haven't rushed out the door yet, just go. We're often taught that neglecting our health is some kind of noble, selfless, or brave thing, but honestly? It’s just reckless and selfish. The people who love you could lose you because of these delays, or they could be stuck caring for you for a long time. It’s pretty unfair to put that on them. Also, let's be real: forums aren't for getting diagnoses. That job belongs to doctors, who have years of training, specialized equipment, and entire medical teams behind them. Don't expect anyone here to give you a smarter answer than a pro just by reading a few lines of text. This place is for sharing what happened, describing symptoms, or checking if someone else went through something similar so you feel less alone. You can find support here, sure, and maybe even some well-meaning but misguided advice, but actual diagnoses come from professionals with much better labs and expertise than we have here. :-)
Good luck!!!
Get to a doctor and start taking care of yourself. Being responsible for your own health is how you show you care about your loved ones, too.

Way to go, ladies! Honestly, watching the show made me so proud to be part of this association. Even though I’m not exactly out there doing the heavy lifting just yet, I’m just really happy to be on the team!

I wanted to share this to hopefully encourage you a bit regarding Dr. Juretić. When it comes to his bedside manner, he’s honestly a disaster. I won't sugarcoat it—when we saw him, it was the same old story: just mumbling into his mustache, barely saying anything, and giving answers that felt more like dodging questions than actually answering them. At one point, he stepped away to consult with someone else and came back telling me my husband didn't even need chemo. I started feeling a little relieved, but then, right in front of my husband, he waved his finger at me and clarified—for the first time clearly—that "not needing chemo" doesn't mean everything is fine. He basically said the cancer could just come back tomorrow and that chemo wouldn't have helped much anyway, so there wasn't really any reason to celebrate. And he said all of this right in front of my husband. Honestly, I felt like throwing him out a third-story window! I stayed quiet because I was terrified of what he might snap back at me, especially doing it in front of my husband. The next time we went, he just grabbed the lab results and transcribed them. He didn't even invite my dear husband into the room or ask how he was doing. I actually caught him in the hallway while he was handing over the paperwork; I mentioned my husband was having lower abdominal pain, and he just brushed it off with some quick suggestion for stomach tablets. When I corrected him and said it was near the navel, not the stomach, he just dismissed it like it was nothing. To top it all off, I look at the report and it says the patient is "feeling subjective well"?! How on earth did he assess that? Like I said, he barely spoke a word to us. Maybe he judged by our scent or something?
All in all, through some weird coincidence, I've met a few people who work at Mayo Clinic, and they all swear by him. They say that if he isn't the best oncologist in the country, he's definitely one of the best—even if it didn't feel that way from my perspective. Of course, I'm not an expert, so I can't question his medical knowledge or expertise, but as far as the human element goes, he's well below zero.
Hang in there!

When did all this happen with your dad? How is he doing now? Are there any lingering side effects, like getting headaches whenever the weather changes or something?
Huge cheers for your mom!!! She’s a total rockstar!! There’s actually a story linked on one of those news forums by that Feral writer (here’s the link to the story :-) ). There is so much truth in there. I read the text and found myself laughing and crying at the same time. It’s just so vivid and beautifully written.
As for my dear husband, it's been 1.5 years already. He deals with terrible headaches, his jaw locks up, he gets nasty rashes, and skin breakouts. He hears things that were never even said; he twists everything people tell him... He has zero interest in getting better or recovering, so he hides things and stuffs himself with whatever he can find—it usually ends with him chewing gum so much that he gives himself such bad acid reflux that it's a total disaster. It’s almost like he’s trying to make sure the illness comes back. We went everywhere we could, whenever he'd let us, including seeing a psychiatrist who diagnosed him with an anxiety disorder, avoidance, denial, and emotional withdrawal... all sorts of stuff, but they didn't really take any next steps, just acted like everything was fine. He was never much of a talker and struggles to express himself, but now that’s the biggest hurdle to actually making progress.
Yeah, we managed to get through it, mostly by accident, though I lost the baby on January 21st, exactly one year after my husband was discharged from the hospital :-). We’re at least being vocal about it now, because I finally had the freedom to push back and cause a bit of a scene since it was my health on the line. We managed to get most of the tests done, and aside from the mycoplasma (which is why we lost the baby—I actually had to practically threaten my gynecologist just to get the referral for the swab, and she ended up yelling at me in front of the whole clinic), we also got clarity on why the chances of a embolism are low and shrinking. It turns out my husband has one significantly smaller testicle, and it’s not something he was born with; it's shrinking over time, which means it isn't functioning for production. He's also considered a high risk for testicular cancer, so we were told we have to watch it closely, and if it starts receding into the abdomen, it has to be surgically removed.
All in all, we’ve got a lot going on in our lives (I lost my grandma, grandpa, and a neighbor recently... plus I have a wild husband I can never see eye-to-eye with), but there are good things too :-), the house is full of pets and there's constant chaos and noise :-))). We took in a puppy from our late neighbor who had two dogs; he was too small to stay there, so now we have a little whirlwind in the house. He’s just a pile of shoes everywhere, tearing up tiles and chewing on chairs and tables... he's a total handful. It's been a long time since I've had a puppy to look after, so at least I'm genuinely laughing again :-))))
Big hugs to everyone!!!
slyseal28—HANG IN THERE!!!!! If you need anything at all, just say the word—we'll shout it from the rooftops together!!!!

hiddentiger80 :-)) big hello to you!!!!
How have you been? It feels like it’s been forever since I last heard from you—unless I just missed something on my feed :-)) Hope everything is going well!

Lindsay, hang in there!
My heart goes out to you.

Look, I get it—a gastroscopy isn't exactly a fun time. But honestly? It’s way faster than sitting in a dentist's chair getting a massive filling done. The payoff is worth it because you actually get a pinpoint accurate diagnosis. You fix the issue, and then you can just go back to living your life like nothing ever happened. And let’s be real: vomiting blood definitely isn't just from having too many beers. Don't kid yourself about that. Just look at it this way: thank God that one beer acted as a wake-up call before things turned into a total disaster. You just have to grit your teeth and power through those two or three minutes. Everything is going to be fine! Is it uncomfortable? Sure. So what? A gynecological exam is awkward and uncomfortable, and sometimes even painful, but women get them done regularly—at least once a year for a check-up. Same goes for men with urology exams. It’s much better to be smart about it than to deal with a crisis later... you know how it is. Keep your chin up and stay positive!

Just a quick heads-up for anyone heading to Rib to get their markers checked—don't go knocking on the old door! The Lab has moved to a different building, right behind that green one they used to be in. Also, you MUST book an appointment in advance for these tests now. You can't just show up with a referral for markers anymore; you really need to reserve a time slot beforehand. The Lab stays open until 10:00, and then they take a thirty-minute lunch break. Hopefully, this helps someone get there at the right time! :-)))
Good luck!!!

Look, I know that gallbladder pain can radiate right up toward the shoulder blade. Given where it sits on the left side, it makes sense. Maybe it’s worth paying a little closer attention to that specific spot? Perhaps you could schedule another ultrasound, or just ask the doctor to spend a bit more time focusing on that area. I don't know, maybe I'm just talking nonsense here, but issues there can cause bone pain—or at least that deep, achy feeling in your bones, kind of like when you have the flu.
Just keep that in mind. I'm definitely a layman, so I might be heading down the completely wrong path here! :-)
Good luck with everything. My advice? Take this info and head straight to a solid internist. I think they have some great ones over at the Black Panther Party clinic, or somewhere similar—most of those specialists are brothers from the Midwest, if I remember correctly.
Hang in there. Hopefully, you can find the root cause soon so you can get back to enjoying life. :-)

wickedangel, our poor luck :-(((
Hang in there, everyone!!!