Q: Once you are lying flat on the bed, hold your neck very still. Slide the thin, back panel of the brace under your neck in its original position. It should be centered right in the middle of the space underneath your neck. Undo the side straps of the collar. Move the brace along your chest, so that it stays flat. Keep going until the top portion of the brace touches your chin and cups it.  Positioning the top of the brace based on your chin helps to make sure that the device is centered and not slanted to the side. If the location of the brace against your neck and chin doesn’t feel right, pull it back and try again. When the 2 pieces of the brace are in position, it is time to attach them together. Grab a single strap and fasten it at the same level of tension that it was previously. Continue with each of the straps until your brace is fully reattached. If you don’t remember exactly how tight each strap was pulled, give it your best guess. You can always lay back down and readjust the brace if you need to. Sit on a firm chair. Position the back piece of the brace in the center of your neck. Connect the back straps just slightly to the front brace piece. Tighten a single strap at a time until the brace is back to the correct position and is comfortable against your neck.
A: Place the back panel underneath your neck. Slide the top section of the brace along your chest. Secure the brace’s Velcro straps. Replace the brace when sitting if your doctor says it’s okay.

Q: This hopper recipe uses either toddy, an alcoholic palm wine, or baking soda. While toddy is more traditional and adds a special flavor, both methods involve fermenting the batter overnight, producing a noticeably different flavor than the faster yeast method. . You can use any variety of rice for this recipe. Since you need to start making these hoppers the day before, you could make a pot of rice for dinner that day and save a handful (or two large spoonfuls) in a closed container in the fridge. Use 1.5 cups of rice (350 mL).While you may be used to rice that doesn't require soaking, this recipe calls for blending the rice with other ingredients, so you'll need to soak it until it is soft enough to grind or put in a food processor. Strain the soaked rice through a mesh or cloth to drain the water, leaving softened but uncooked rice. This will take a lot of work by hand, so use a blender or food processor if you have one. Blend the uncooked rice along with the grated coconut and cooked rice to a smooth or nearly smooth batter. A slightly coarse or grainy texture is fine. Add water little by little to the batter if it looks dry or you're having trouble grinding it. Stir the batter together to get a wetter, thinner mixture. Use a cooking pot or other cooking container. You'll cook this mixture and use it to start the batter fermenting, which adds air and flavor to the hoppers. Stir the batter water mixture vigorously as you heat it at a low temperature. It should continue to thicken until it is gelatinous and transparent. Remove the mixture from heat and let it sit until it reaches room temperature. Stir together thoroughly until there are no lumps. Add a little bit of water as you go if the mixture is too dry to stir. Use a large bowl with plenty of space for the batter to expand. Cover the batter mixture with a cloth or lid and let it sit at room temperature. Often, people will leave it overnight and make hoppers for breakfast in the morning. The batter should nearly double in size, and appear bubbly. Once the batter is ready, add 1 tsp (5 mL) salt and 2 tsp (10 mL) sugar, or according to taste. Add either 1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) baking soda or a splash of toddy, also known as palm wine. Toddy has a strong flavor, so you may want to start with as little as 1 tsp (5 mL) and increase the amount if the first hopper doesn't have a distinct sour flavor. Toddy is alcoholic, but the small amount used in this recipe should not affect sobriety. The batter should be thinner than American pancake batter. Add water or coconut milk until it is thin enough to easily swirl round the pan, but thick enough to stay together and not become entirely liquid. Stir or blend until there are no lumps. Use a cloth or paper towel to rub a small amount of oil across a hopper pan, wok, or skillet to lightly grease it. Heat for a couple minutes over medium heat; the pan doesn't need to get too hot. Small pans with wide, sloping sides work best. Depending on the size of your pan, you'll need about 1/4–1/2 cups of batter (60–120 mL). Tilt the pan and run the batter along the edges in a circle once or twice. A thin layer should be left along the sides, with a thicker center at the base of the pan. Keep an eye on the hopper. It is ready when the edges are brown and the center is soft but not runny. It may be cooked a minute or two longer if you want the center to be crisp, but many prefer to eat it with a white center. Use a spatula to transfer it to a plate once it's done. Grease the pan between hoppers and check on the hopper frequently during cooking times. Because the pan will heat up as you keep cooking, later hoppers may cook in shorter times. Turn off the heat for a minute or two if the hoppers burn or stick to the pan.
A:
Start this method the previous day. Cook a handful of rice Soak the uncooked rice in water for at least 4 hours. Drain out the water from the soaked rice. Grind the strained rice, cooked rice, and 3/4 cup (180 mL) grated coconut together. Mix 1/4 cup (60 mL) batter with 3/4 (180 mL) water. Heat the new mixture until thick, then let cool. Mix the cooked and raw batters together. Cover and let sit for 8 hours. Add remaining ingredients to the batter. Dilute the batter until it is easily poured. Grease and heat a pan over medium heat. Use a ladle to add enough batter to coat your pan. Cover with a lid and cook 2–4 minutes. Cook remaining hoppers the same way.