Good news... Though it won't do you much good this season you can get a professional soil test for free in NC. Well, your tax dollars pay for it. These are some high-end professional tests that will tell you exactly what's going on with your soil. If you choose to use this service (it's VERY worth the effort) try to have your soil samples in before October/November for quick turnaround because the lab gets SWAMPED with requests over the winter. The final report will pretty much tell you where you stand with your soil quality and what you need to amend it with nutrient-wise. Here is a link that might be useful: Soil Test Forms & Information

barco, I finally got thru to your link - it was worth the wait. I'm wondering - how come you're sold on ozone rather than UV? Seems like a combo SWG/UV might be better? Also, I thought you were talking before about SWG/ozone combined but now you seem to be just ozone? Would you mind sharing your thinking that got you to this point? (I agree with you about the metals, btw. To hype them as if they are benign is irresponsible. Copper is the most common one - The standard American diet already has an overbalance of copper & the symptoms are there -- and if you've ever bought copper to treat plant disease like fireblight, the warnings about not letting it get into the water supply make you want to just forget about it) dlzc, I'm sorry for your difficulties. I looked back over the thread trying to figure out what was making you so antagonistic & I guess it was my swipe at your M.O. following your dismissal of my "scare story". It sounded like an unwarranted sneer with nothing to back it up so I figured you must be pitching something. I was not sobbing in your beer, but trying to explain to you that I have no agenda other than my family's health. I apologize for whatever misunderstanding occurred - I just don't have the time or energy for this. lindamarie, I hope this hasn't messed up your thread. It sounds like we are asking the same questions. I do not have a pool yet, but am planning on a build probably at the end of next year. (And we're in the process of setting up a generic Intex pool so that we can get a better feel for the chemistry & make sure we want to have a permanent pool) My younger sister (31yo) is about to undergo an operation to remove a grapefruit size cyst from her abdomen - looks benign so far, thankfully. She swam competitively during high school. All of the pools in her school district were indoors & chlorinated. I can't help but wonder, you know? The devil you don't know can be worse than the devil you do know so we're trying to find the path of least risk - known or potential. Haven't been able to find much outside of the EPA here in the US so I'm trying to get a look at what Europe & Australia have been doing since they have apparently been doing a lot more with the alternative sanitizers in their pools. One point that keeps getting mentioned consistently is to minimize the organic matter that enters the pool as that is what oxidizes into DBP's - so showering before entering the pool will actually minimize the chemicals & toxicity. Someone needs to explain that in some way that kids can understand because when I was a kid, I hated those pool showers (they were always so cold) and couldn't for the life of me figure out why you had to get wet to get into the pool, LOL!

3katz - We expect him to have the procedure in December (fingers crossed!). DH really wants to get this done so he can move on. Also, we have met our yearly out of pocket maximum so if we can get it done in 2018 it will save us quite a lot. Mdln – DH finally watched those videos and agrees they answered a lot of questions we had. Not that our Dr. isn’t informative, we just didn’t know what questions to ask. You don’t know what you don’t know, right? MandyAnn – It’s nice to see another KC’r on the forum. I am sorry to hear about your daughter’s heart issues. I can’t even imagine open heart surgery on someone so tiny. Children’s Mercy has a great reputation and I’m glad to hear the surgery was a success. Eleven is a fun age, isn't it? MissMyGardens – Thanks for the encouragement. I try to be vigilant but am also conscience to not be a pest to the Drs & nurses. They are good – it’s just that they do it every day so I don’t think they understand the other side. Roarah! – I have been following your progress on the other thread. I was thrilled to hear you had your surgery were then healthy enough to drive back home to be with your family. I’m really wowed at your recovery and so happy for you. I know you feel like the road is long but you are already making great strides. Thank you for sharing. You’re story gives me comfort for DH’s upcoming procedure. Being awake for it sounds a little unnerving, though. And as for insurance, my hospital offered to do the procedure for $35,000 if I paid cash. Luckily insurance should pay but, honestly, I would be OK paying if it meant DH would be healthy. He is my BFF. PinkMtn – I’m glad to hear your DH’s hip surgery went well. That’s a major surgery and, if I remember correctly, requires all hands on deck for the recovery piece of it. When DH had his stoke in January we found out the hard way not all doctors are created equally. I’ve since researched this procedure to its limits (and my own) and am comfortable using the University of Kansas Medical Center. Again, GW to the rescue. I started this thread very unsure about our situation. Today, I feel confident and mentally prepared for whatever comes our way. Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Spouse has had it for >20 years. He complains a lot about it. He was in a band for years. Likely where he picked it up. He enjoys an air filter running at night to give his ears something else to focus on. He finds that helpful. Silence is hard for him as he notices the ringing in his ears too much. I have it as well. I was not in a band. Just the way life worked out. I find that when my thryoid levels are moving around; up or down, the tinnitis intensifies to where it gets very bothersome even with ongoing normal life noise happening. It becomes like the roar of a jet engine instead of just bothersome. It's my tip off that I need to have labs done to see which way to adjust medication. Weird, huh? Just mentioning because we don't realize how 'this' affects 'that' some times.