The following is written for a support person, and the person going through the surgery so adapt as necessary.
Someone to listen; and if possible connect someone with lived experience of that surgery.
It's also worth highlighting that incredible pain does really weird things to the human brain and may cause unexpected behaviours. Absolutely keep on top of pain meds, even if pain isn't currently being experienced - surgical pain does return very quickly when pain killers wear off, and can have a lag time before analgesia kicks in again - meaning you're along for the ride on the pain train until the meds apply the brakes.
On that basis: don't ever discount professional psychological support. I have been downvoted for this before, though professional psychological support is just as essential as surgical care pre- and post-op. It is important to be able to vent to a person whose job is to have your best interests at the forefront, who is completely independent of others in your life, to offer guidance, support, and counselling.
I still strongly argue that psychological support should be mandatory because of how complex we, as a group of people, are. I get accused of gatekeeping because of this, though I know countless people (gender diverse and not) who have been able to properly help themselves because they kept seeing a counsellor/psychologist. Our minds are incredibly powerful organs - it makes sense to keep them regularly serviced too, just like your car's engine.
Nurses do get busy and sometimes things do get forgotten. It is very, very easy to become resentful though it's important to remember that none of it is personal - most nurses are incredible human beings. Just keep assertively, but kindly, advocating. 'Please' and 'Thank you' are incredibly powerful phrases. People are more likely to willing help people who are kind to them, it's just human nature.
Don't be embarrassed or precious. If something feels wrong, off, or painful - ask. It's better to address a little problem quickly, rather than let it spiral out into a huge problem that takes a long time, or more surgery, just because one was too embarrassed to ask.
There can be unexpected sources of pain - ironically not from the surgery itself: the catheter can cause uncomfortable pain once the bladder 'wakes up' after a few days. Apparently a catheterised bladder will enter a catatonic state for a while, so my surgeon said, and when the bladder does wake up it can lead to stabbing like pains for a while. This can be problematic whilst the catheter must remain in place as everything heals. A strong oral pain killer usually does the trick though.
::: spoiler Toileting/hygiene
Some of the pain medication is opioid-based (organic or synthetic, it doesn't matter), which means constipation will occur. Consult the surgeon and care team for advice, though try to cram as much fibre in as possible. Stool softeners may be recommended. The first bowel movement after surgery (which could be days after...) will be difficult and possibly painful. It is vitally important not to 'push' or 'strain' as that can result in injury and a possible emergency trip to the operating theatre.
Shower after each trip to the toilet to ensure the surgical site is kept clean. Nurses should be able to help and check that everything is clean. Keeping the surgical site clean is vital to prevent infection, which can lead to horrible or even life-threatening outcomes (sepsis is not to be fucked with).
:::
::: spoiler Medical procedures
Wound separation (stitches breaking) does happen, and can look catastrophic, but it is important to remember not to panic or get upset.
It will heal, surprisingly even large separations will close themselves eventually (with the right care) and it will eventually look normal.
Be sure to involve the surgeon and care team if it happens, it will be okay. It happened to me, it was horrific looking but has completely healed over and isn't even really noticeable.
:::
One last thing on 'looks' and illusions/'Instagram' expectations: don't get hung up on them. Vulvas and vaginas come in many millions of shapes, sizes, and colours (even multiple colours).
What might look catastrophic or horrific now, won't be what it looks like after healing has completed - which might take up to several years. Healing doesn't just include stopping bleeding, and closing wounds. Healing also includes skin resurfacing and reshaping as swelling dissipates, which takes a long time to properly settle. Swelling for me took a good 18-24 months to properly dissipate.
Be patient. Don't get upset after six months because 'it doesn't look right'. No one 'looks right'.
"The maximum age, as a general rule, is between 3 and 6 years away from the “Compulsory Retiring Age” for a specific role. It is encouraged that applicants conduct research pertaining to their role of interest."
So its role dependent for Australian Defence Forces, though is worth at least looking into.
Some countries, including Canada and Australia, will accept international applicants providing they meet certain criteria. Australia particularly offers pathways to citizenship too.
Your best point of reference is, without being facetious, the movie A Bug's Life.
You probably could with small enough woody materials, but at that size they'll incinerate pretty quickly unless the density of the woody material in your campfire was equivalent to that of real life to support similar fire behaviour.
Density generally doesn't scale with reduction in size, so what would usually be a solid tree log that burns slowly at 1:1 scale, would probably be equivalent to dry straw or grass blades at 1:200 scale.
(scale numbers spit-balled: no science behind them)
Historically, the only real parallel I can think of is the discovery of electricity, and then the mass deployment and use of electricity.
Both Westinghouse and Edison marketed the benefits and drawbacks, seemingly to create their own moats, but electricity and electricity distribution ultimately became a commodity that we all use as a tool.
LLMs[1] won't go away. However, I don't see these big 'AI' companies - OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI (shudder) - lasting another 5-10 years as their moats disappear through LLM commoditisation like electricity and electricity distribution.
We're already seeing this with DeepSeek, et al.
[1] I hate referring to them generically as 'AI'. The artificial intelligence field is so, so much bigger, more exciting, and I argue more beneficial to the world than The Tech Bros ejaculatory visions of world domination.
It's worth considering lateral transfer for those still willing to serve, and are looking for a chance to relocate.
Not sure about other countries, though Australia has a lateral transfer program for currently serving or recently separated personnel (within 3 years of separation from their local defence/military force), and offers a pathway to Australian citizenship.
I had wondered whether he was going to consider a presidential run, which this part leaves somewhat open:
About 18 months earlier, Walz was thrust into the national spotlight when Vice President Kamala Harris picked him as her running mate in the 2024 election. Walz had repeatedly said — even before 2024 — that he was considering a future presidential bid, but he had said he would rule out a 2028 run if he sought re-election as governor.
So he might be seriously considering a 2028 presidential run... Walz and Ocasio-Cortez anyone?
"Cognitive amplifier?" Bullshit. It demonstrably makes people who use it stupider and more prone to believing falsehoods.
Demonstrably proven, too.
EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity. Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use.
The dosage needed to cause a change in Alzheimer's would have a serious health risk of brain bleeding.
Do all of these drugs have this risk? It starts to line up when it was alleged Trump's team freaked out about Trump apparently having a 'mini-stroke' whilst meeting Putin (someone else in this thread), and when Trump was photographed earlier this year with a visible facial droop on his right side...
More likely OCR wasn't applied when saving the document. Either they forgot or didn't apply OCR to prevent Ctrl + F searches for particular words, which is trivially easy to undo if the document doesn't have security settings applied preventing it.
Here you go! Much cheaper in the long run too.
https://kegland.com.au/collections/sodastream-parts
And depending on her sense of humour, she might find comfort in leaning into it...
"Oh this scar? Pfft, you should see the other guy!"
All the best to you both! ❤️
Depends on how far along the journey is...
The following is written for a support person, and the person going through the surgery so adapt as necessary.
Someone to listen; and if possible connect someone with lived experience of that surgery.
It's also worth highlighting that incredible pain does really weird things to the human brain and may cause unexpected behaviours. Absolutely keep on top of pain meds, even if pain isn't currently being experienced - surgical pain does return very quickly when pain killers wear off, and can have a lag time before analgesia kicks in again - meaning you're along for the ride on the pain train until the meds apply the brakes.
On that basis: don't ever discount professional psychological support. I have been downvoted for this before, though professional psychological support is just as essential as surgical care pre- and post-op. It is important to be able to vent to a person whose job is to have your best interests at the forefront, who is completely independent of others in your life, to offer guidance, support, and counselling.
I still strongly argue that psychological support should be mandatory because of how complex we, as a group of people, are. I get accused of gatekeeping because of this, though I know countless people (gender diverse and not) who have been able to properly help themselves because they kept seeing a counsellor/psychologist. Our minds are incredibly powerful organs - it makes sense to keep them regularly serviced too, just like your car's engine.
Nurses do get busy and sometimes things do get forgotten. It is very, very easy to become resentful though it's important to remember that none of it is personal - most nurses are incredible human beings. Just keep assertively, but kindly, advocating. 'Please' and 'Thank you' are incredibly powerful phrases. People are more likely to willing help people who are kind to them, it's just human nature.
Don't be embarrassed or precious. If something feels wrong, off, or painful - ask. It's better to address a little problem quickly, rather than let it spiral out into a huge problem that takes a long time, or more surgery, just because one was too embarrassed to ask.
There can be unexpected sources of pain - ironically not from the surgery itself: the catheter can cause uncomfortable pain once the bladder 'wakes up' after a few days. Apparently a catheterised bladder will enter a catatonic state for a while, so my surgeon said, and when the bladder does wake up it can lead to stabbing like pains for a while. This can be problematic whilst the catheter must remain in place as everything heals. A strong oral pain killer usually does the trick though.
::: spoiler Toileting/hygiene Some of the pain medication is opioid-based (organic or synthetic, it doesn't matter), which means constipation will occur. Consult the surgeon and care team for advice, though try to cram as much fibre in as possible. Stool softeners may be recommended. The first bowel movement after surgery (which could be days after...) will be difficult and possibly painful. It is vitally important not to 'push' or 'strain' as that can result in injury and a possible emergency trip to the operating theatre.
Shower after each trip to the toilet to ensure the surgical site is kept clean. Nurses should be able to help and check that everything is clean. Keeping the surgical site clean is vital to prevent infection, which can lead to horrible or even life-threatening outcomes (sepsis is not to be fucked with). :::
::: spoiler Medical procedures Wound separation (stitches breaking) does happen, and can look catastrophic, but it is important to remember not to panic or get upset.
It will heal, surprisingly even large separations will close themselves eventually (with the right care) and it will eventually look normal.
Be sure to involve the surgeon and care team if it happens, it will be okay. It happened to me, it was horrific looking but has completely healed over and isn't even really noticeable. :::
One last thing on 'looks' and illusions/'Instagram' expectations: don't get hung up on them. Vulvas and vaginas come in many millions of shapes, sizes, and colours (even multiple colours).
What might look catastrophic or horrific now, won't be what it looks like after healing has completed - which might take up to several years. Healing doesn't just include stopping bleeding, and closing wounds. Healing also includes skin resurfacing and reshaping as swelling dissipates, which takes a long time to properly settle. Swelling for me took a good 18-24 months to properly dissipate.
Be patient. Don't get upset after six months because 'it doesn't look right'. No one 'looks right'.
You'd be surprised!
"The maximum age, as a general rule, is between 3 and 6 years away from the “Compulsory Retiring Age” for a specific role. It is encouraged that applicants conduct research pertaining to their role of interest."
So its role dependent for Australian Defence Forces, though is worth at least looking into.
Have you considered a lateral transfer?
Some countries, including Canada and Australia, will accept international applicants providing they meet certain criteria. Australia particularly offers pathways to citizenship too.
https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/military-life-cycle/lateral-recruits
Your best point of reference is, without being facetious, the movie A Bug's Life.
You probably could with small enough woody materials, but at that size they'll incinerate pretty quickly unless the density of the woody material in your campfire was equivalent to that of real life to support similar fire behaviour.
Density generally doesn't scale with reduction in size, so what would usually be a solid tree log that burns slowly at 1:1 scale, would probably be equivalent to dry straw or grass blades at 1:200 scale.
(scale numbers spit-balled: no science behind them)
I've been thinking about this a bit.
Historically, the only real parallel I can think of is the discovery of electricity, and then the mass deployment and use of electricity.
Both Westinghouse and Edison marketed the benefits and drawbacks, seemingly to create their own moats, but electricity and electricity distribution ultimately became a commodity that we all use as a tool.
LLMs[1] won't go away. However, I don't see these big 'AI' companies - OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI (shudder) - lasting another 5-10 years as their moats disappear through LLM commoditisation like electricity and electricity distribution.
We're already seeing this with DeepSeek, et al.
[1] I hate referring to them generically as 'AI'. The artificial intelligence field is so, so much bigger, more exciting, and I argue more beneficial to the world than The Tech Bros ejaculatory visions of world domination.
It's worth considering lateral transfer for those still willing to serve, and are looking for a chance to relocate.
Not sure about other countries, though Australia has a lateral transfer program for currently serving or recently separated personnel (within 3 years of separation from their local defence/military force), and offers a pathway to Australian citizenship.
https://www.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-10/OLRSHandbook.pdf
Australia is openly supportive of LGBTQ+ soldiers, too.
https://www.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-05/989-25-26-documents.pdf
The actual project page: https://hackaday.io/project/205190-open-source-plfm-radar-up-to-20km-range/details
I live in hope that his name is applied to one particular institution, poetic justice if any justice is to be served...
The Donald J. Trump Orange County Jail, Florida.
Turns out, it's a bit more complicated than I first understood...
Ted Cruz's mother, Elanor Elisabeth, was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Ted's father, Rafael Cruz, was born in Cuba.
So technically Ted Cruz could be considered a 'natural-born' U.S. citizen, unless the law is changed by Congress to define what 'natural-born' means.
Trump's Birther movement should have more to say about Ted Cruz, than it did over Barrack Obama... But we all know how that will play out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_eligibility_legislation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural-born-citizen_clause_(United_States)
He can't. Cruz was born in Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz
The article headline is confusing...
I had wondered whether he was going to consider a presidential run, which this part leaves somewhat open:
So he might be seriously considering a 2028 presidential run... Walz and Ocasio-Cortez anyone?
Demonstrably proven, too.
https://www.media.mit.edu/publications/your-brain-on-chatgpt/
One wonders whether he's thinking about a presidential run in 2028. He certainly has some experience in that department.
Good to know, thanks!
Do all of these drugs have this risk? It starts to line up when it was alleged Trump's team freaked out about Trump apparently having a 'mini-stroke' whilst meeting Putin (someone else in this thread), and when Trump was photographed earlier this year with a visible facial droop on his right side...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-facial-droop-9-11-002129721.html
Like an aromatic, moist, full-bodied fart in a hot, humid room.
More likely OCR wasn't applied when saving the document. Either they forgot or didn't apply OCR to prevent Ctrl + F searches for particular words, which is trivially easy to undo if the document doesn't have security settings applied preventing it.