#About gastrointestinal bleeding

[chicago-geniza]

Well, it's that time again, folks. Shitting Blood Sunday :)

[wiisagi-maiingan]

I know that ibuprofen is like. A meme now (at least in my disability and chronic pain circles) but please remember that OTC pain killers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are still medications and there can be severe consequences if you take them too often or exceed the recommended doses.

Acetaminophen overdose is known specifically for liver damage and potential liver failure. Ibuprofen overdose can cause stomach ulcers, gastrointestinal distress and bleeding, high blood pressure, heart failure, and strokes.

These medications aren't something to be afraid of, but you need to be aware of how to use them properly and that includes following the recommended dosage closely and not using them more than necessary. Ibuprofen especially should not be taken for more than a few days in a row. Always check reactions to other medications too; one of the most common causes of acetaminophen overdose is people taking acetaminophen with cold or flu medication that also contains it. If you take ibuprofen and acetaminophen together, like many people do, it's incredibly important to limit how often you do that and pay close attention to how much of each you're taking.

If you're using OTC pain killers to handle chronic pain, speak to a doctor if possible about alternatives. If that ISN'T possible, and I am aware it's not for many many people, please just be careful and don't put yourself into liver failure or a stroke to try getting rid of a migraine.

[nightmaretour]

I hate to do this, and it's a long shot I know, but things are getting desperate and it seems like I'm going to be waiting WAY longer than I should be for something that's fairly urgent.

I'm a disabled trans man living in the UK. Recently I was found to have severe anemia, and came up with my FIT test (gastrointestinal cancer screening) a few months ago, and was referred for a colonoscopy to find out the cause, since it looks like I'm having a slow but constant bleed through my GI tract. However, my referral has been awaiting review for over three months now. I'm not even on the waiting list, I'm waiting for someone to decide if I need to be on the waiting list. Since then I've started having GI symptoms such as pain, intermittent loss of appetite, etc. as well as my anemia worsening significantly.

This is of course pretty urgent, but it looks like I'll be waiting months longer once I finally get on the waiting list too. I really have no choice but to get it done through a private hospital, because of the time sensitive nature of, you know, potentially having cancer. I managed to put some money away out of the backpay I got from PIP, but it's not enough.

[ID: A screenshot of an email that's says:

Dear Mr (name blocked out in red),

Thank you for your website inquiry. For your information, the cost of an initial consultation with one of our consultant gastroenterologists is £280."

It then lists the names of 3 doctors as links, all blocked out in red. The email continues,

"The guide price for a colonoscopy is £2,339. For further information, including appointment availability, please don't hesitate to contact the medical secretaries (followed by three names redacted in red) directly on (phone number redacted in red) or call the private patient team on (phone number redacted in red). End ID]

Currently I have around £1,400 stashed away from PIP backpay I got after they royally fucked things up (however I may need to dip into this at points if I find myself struggling). Together the consultation plus the colonoscopy will cost £2,619, which leaves me about £1220 behind. I know I'm most likely not going to get that much from this, but I honestly have no choice but to try my luck here. I really don't know what else I can do.

I really don't like asking for money from people for nothing, but I have a Ko-fi store where I sell handmade screen printed patches, and I'll be adding more designs to it over the coming weeks when I have the time and energy to make new screens. I'm also offering commissions for custom band patches! (Due to Kofi's TOS I can't officially offer patches for bands without their permission.). Below are a few examples of my work:

[ID: 5 images of patches printed in white on black fabric, all sewn onto a worn looking black denim jacket. All are sewn on roughly in red floss, aside from the last one. The first says "only dates I want are tour dates". The words "dates" and "tour dates" are larger than the other text. All of the letter As are replaced with spade symbols. The second is the logo of the band Cop/Out, which is the band name with rough, jagged edges. The third is the logo for The Prodigy, which is the band name in sharp. Zig-zagging letters. The fourth is the logo for the band Subhumans, a stylised skull shouting into a microphone. The fourth is the horizontal silhouette of a crutch. With the words "Talk shit" above it and "get hit" below it. Unlike the rest it is sewn on in black, and the edge of an embroidered back patch is visible just above it. End ID]

I know a lot of people aren't doing well financially right now, and that there are people in far, far more dire situations who probably need your help far more than I do, but I would appreciate any purchases of patches or help you can offer so, so much. Even just sharing the post would be enormously appreciated.

Current progress:

£115/£1220

And of course as pet tax, here's Cynder :)

[ID: A photo of a female wild type leopard gecko laying spread out on a smooth rounded rock in a glass fronted tank. Her head is sideways and raised, looking at the camera with one eye. She looks relaxed and curious. Behind her a large piece of thick tree bark and a plastic cave can be seen. End ID]

[greenwitchcrafts]

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Known as: Allheal, angel flower, arrowroot, bloodwort, cammok, carpenter's weed, death flower, devil's mustard, Devil's nettle, eerie, field hops, gearwe, green arrow, herbe militaris, hundred leaved grass, knight's milfoil, noble yarrow, nosebleed plant, plumajilo, seven year's love, snake's grass, soldiers thousand seal., squirrel tail, stanch grass, tansy, thousand-leaf, thousand weed, woundwort, yarrowway & yerw

Related plants: Is a member of the daisy family Asteraceae that consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within it such as chamomile, coneflowers, dahlia, daisy, dandelion, goldenrod, lettuce, marigold, mugwort & sunflower

Parts used: Leaves & flowers

Habitat and Cultivation: This hardy plant is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe & North America

Plant type: Perennial

Region: 3-9

Harvest: Harvest yarrow when the blooms only when they have fully opened. It should be cut right above the leaf node to encourage the plant to potentially flower again. Many choose to harvest the flowers in the late morning when the dew has dried before so that the plant is not stressed by the extreme heat. Hot, dry spells right before bloom seems to be ideal for producing the most fragrant leaves.

Growing tips: Plant in an area that receives full sun to encourage compact growth and many flowers about 1-2 feet apart. In partial sun or shade, yarrow tends to grow leggy. Yarrow performs best in well-drained soil. It thrives in hot, dry conditions; it will not tolerate constantly wet soil. Loamy soil is recommended, but yarrow can also be grown in clay soil as long as it does not always stay saturated with water. While this plant is technically considered invasive only in noncultivated settings, common yarrow still needs to be planted in an area where you don't mind proliferation. 

Medicinal information: Yarrow has a history of being used for fever, common cold, hay fever, absence of menstruation, dysentery, diarrhea, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) tract discomfort, and to induce sweating. Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache. Yarrow is applied to the skin to stop bleeding from hemorrhoids; for wounds; and as a sitz bath for painful, lower pelvic, cramp-like conditions in women. Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache.

Cautions: Yarrow is commonly consumed in foods, but yarrow products that contain a chemical called thujone might not be safe because it is poisonous in large doses. Yarrow is not recommended for use during pregnancy or chestfeeding as it causes risks of miscarriage. Yarrow might slow blood clotting. In theory, taking yarrow might increase the risk of bleeding in people with bleeding disorders. In some people, it also might cause skin irritation & is toxic to cats & dogs.

Magickal properties

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Air & Water

Deities: Achilles, Aphrodite, Cernunnos, Faeries, Oshun & Yemaya

Magickal uses:

• Add the flowers to a satchet or dream pillow to encourage prophetic dreams

• Hang a bundle above your bed on your honeymoon night to ensure lasting love for 7 years

• Place across your thresholds or plant near doorwaysto prevent negative energies & influences from entering your home

• Burn as an incense before or during divination to increase psychic abilities

• Wear as an amulet to attract love, friendships & give courage

• Place yarrow under your pillow & if you dreamt of your love, it was a positive omen. If you had a bad dream, or dreamt of other people, it wasn’t

• Combine with mugwort as tea to drink before divination to increase psychic powers

• Put near yourself while practicing divination to increase your psychic abilities

• In spells, use to re-establish contact with long-lost friends or relatives & attract their attention

• Braid into your hair to tap into inner wisdom

• The I-Ching divination was originally performed with dried yarrow stems

• Wash crystals& crystal balls with a yarrow rinse to bring about clarity of vision

• Drink yarrow tea & a cinnamon stick to  release hidden truths

• Place on a coffin or grave to help the spirit cross over/ let go

•For powerful protection, pick yarrow flowers and charge them in the sun. Once charged, take the flowers and sprinkle them outside your home to prevent negative influences and energies away from entering your home

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic by John Michael Greer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz

A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl

The Herbal Alchemist Handbook by Karen Harrison

The Book of Flower Spells by Cheralyn Darcey

[circuslollipop]

vampires can be excellent metaphors for a lot of things but one thing i've never seen discussed is a very surprisingly straightforward one and that is a metaphor for having special dietary needs. and i mean. they literally do!! they need blood! in some cases specifically human blood, and in some cases they literally cannot eat anything else!

and sometimes i think about that, about existing as someone with special dietary needs. for me, it's a combo of sensory issues due to autism as well as lactose intolerance and gastrointestinal problems, probably also due to autism. it means that while i am learning to try new things every now and then, the list of foods i can and will eat is quite limited. and for other people, it can be numerous other causes, both medical issues/disabilities or personal beliefs (i'm going at this from a disability angle because that's where my personal experience comes from).

and oh boy. the absolute vitriol i've seen thrown towards so-called "picky eaters". i've gotten open stares as a kid when i do something weird like take the cheese off my pizza before eating it, and even grown-ups just would not leave me alone about it! and later, i've felt like an absolute burden when i would say something like hey, there's nothing at this restaurant i can really eat; can we get something else? and while they eventually said yes the annoyance was palpable! like i've gotten reactions to voicing dietary needs that basically amounted to did you just ask if you could drink my blood?

idk, man. vampires and something about having dietary needs and being made to feel like a monster bleeding people dry because of it. other people may not feel the same but i can certainly relate. i feel like something could be done with this.

[hussyknee]

I'm so fucking mad.

Yesterday I took 50mg of Atomoxetine (Strattera) out of sheer frustration instead of my prescribed 30mg which was doing nothing.

And then...I was like "get up" and I would get up. "Go find the electricity bill" and went and found the electricity bill. "Sort through all the mail and organise it" and just. Fucking. Did it. No getting stuck for half an hour and spiralling in anxiety because my executive commands weren't going through.

I went to the hospital and begged those fuckers to increase my dosage and spent half an hour trying to convince them that this is clearly my ADHD symptoms being exacerbated by anxiety that's fucking me up. They refused, said "Oh, but anyone would find it difficult to function in your situation", and increased my Venlafaxine (Effexor) instead, although that fuckin plateaus any further than the dosage I already take. My primary doc knows this, but I have better luck catching Bigfoot than her at NHSL anymore so I keep having to tussle with the junior dipshits.

Granted I seem to have overshot a bit, because I spent a while vibrating into the fifth dimension. Felt like I'd had six cups of coffee and needed to do three things at once. Perhaps I should have attempted 40mg first. But 50mg very much did catapult me out of this neverending rut.

WEEKS OF BEING TRAPPED BY THE STATIC IN MY BRAIN LIKE A ROOMBA ON A RUG. I couldn't get out of bed, eat on time, shower, make my bed, do my laundry, go to bed. The simplest fucking tasks like pushing a boulder uphill with a stick. Sitting on the bed doomscrolling and tearing the soles of my feet into strips so bloody that it hurt to walk. I don't pick at my feet anymore! Didn't even realize I hadn't until the end of yesterday. This is the first time I've stopped in months. I stock up on band-aids and keep them next to my bed because I usually bleed in about three places within a day. And I pick the scabs off the still-healing wounds. All stopped by 20mg more of Strattera!!!

In other medication fuckery, I stopped the anti-inflammatory meds I was taking for my back because 1) the total cost of my meds was getting insane and 2) I haven't been in pain the last two months. I looked up whether there were side effects for long-term use of NSAIDs and found that using any of them with Venlafaxine increases the chance of gastrointestinal bleeding?? The way I've been having all this time?? Was my rheumatologist ever gonna tell me?? I'm just so used to flares, so fogged in my head and so relatively pain-free that I didn't especially note it. Turns out– the only reason I haven't been in pain is because I was taking the fucking anti-inflammatories. Imagine that! So I can either take Venlafaxine (which I cherish like a child regardless of the wrath-of-God withdrawal any time I miss a single dose) or I can take NSAIDs??

*googles anti-inflammatory meds other than NSAIDs*

Internet: "eat pineapple idk. have you tried tumeric?"

I hate my life.

[columboscreens]

I hope it isnt rude or presumptuous of me to barge in and vent, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on Columbos family. I just finished "no time to die" and I can't get over how bad that episode was. Maybe its me and my headcanons getting in the way but No Way is he from a family of cops. And not a single one of them sounds like they're Italian or new yorkers the blasphemy! To me that mans from an Jewish immigrant family, and proud of it.

combined with:

yeah the whole "family of cops" thing in no time to die came off as cheesy, contrived 90s copaganda, so i just kind of ignore it. it's hardly canon, so feel free to do the same! i picture columbo with a big, loud, italian family myself, in which he's just about the only cop.

I will say though, i actually totally agree that he comes off as more jewish than not. columbo is, in canon, a good little italian boy married to a catholic woman, so the natural assumption is that he, too, is catholic. but peter falk was a very organic, naturalistic actor--as a student of sanford meisner, his primary acting imperative was to live and behave truthfully to the self under imaginary circumstances. so for someone who was barely religious himself in the way "cultural jews" tend to be...

what i'd pay to hear the words "had the fuckin bar mitzvah'" come out of that man's mouth

...to me, falk's "truthful self" is just so jewish to his core that, because he puts so much of himself into the character, it bleeds clean through to columbo, and we get all these jewish mannerisms out of the supposed catholic! (jews, of course, have a rich and historic presence in italy, so there's no preclusion on that front.)

once you notice the little things, you can't stop. his phrasings, his gestures, the ways he interacts with others, his boiled eggs, his gastrointestinal sensitivity, even his sense of humor.

chag pesach sameach

there are, of course, more substantial pieces of evidence than ordering chinese food for his extended family or needing an antacid every time he eats too quickly. i'm not jewish myself, but i grew up in a very jewish neighborhood, had more jewish than gentile friends growing up, and my partner of seven years is jewish. to me, what really codes columbo as a jewish man is how well he embodies many aspects of specifically jewish ethos.

being honorable, sensitive, and humble, he's the ideal mensch. one tenet strongly prioritized in judaism is tzedek, or one's ethical obligation to righteousness, equity, and compassion. he is both moved by suffering and tenaciously committed to justice.

jews hold the deepest respect for both religious and civil law, and you will note that columbo is neither an outsider nor a vigilante--he is a sanctioned agent of the legal system respecting and following the process of the law in his pursuit of murderers. he functions within it, sometimes in spite of it, but not outside of it. when he gets creative, he toes, but never quite crosses the line.

he thinks for himself and thus has a strong moral compass; he treats everyone with kindness and empathizes readily with individual struggle. he is patient, courageous, and clever--all particularly valued qualities in judaism.

(rakish semitic looks aside)

paramount is columbo's intellectual curiosity, love of learning, and propensity to question, which is, too, seen as fundamental to a faith built entirely on asking questions. whether he's gently yet methodically poking holes in a suspect's alibi or wondering how much a random stranger paid for his shoes, he never has a shortage of them. he's a little guy bursting with chutzpah, perfectly at home both asking a prime suspect if he can have a closer look at his hand, and God Himself to spare sodom and gomorrah if he can only find a few good people...

if you really needed any further evidence that he's God's Chosen...

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

I know this is hard to read, but people need to understand what is happening to the Palestinians who are still alive...and the absolute horror of human beings that Biden and Netanyahu are.

Beginning Stages The extent, type and timeline of damage you experience depends on how much you currently weigh, whether you eat insufficient food or nothing at all, your age, medical condition and many other factors. Generally, during the beginning stages, fatigue, dizziness, dry or scaly skin, and weakness occur, along with intense hunger. Your body is responding to the lack of food, which it needs for energy, by signaling your brain to do something about it. Cognitive Function Starvation causes a decrease in mental function. Like every other part of your body, your brain needs nutrients and energy to function properly. Infants who starve might never develop proper brain function. People over the ages of 2 or 3 might experience temporary poor cognitive function, but recover once they receive nourishment. Your mood likely will change as you become preoccupied by thoughts of food. You also might feel anxious, irritable, angry, withdrawn and depressed. Middle Stages Your lack of nutrition might lead to gastrointestinal disturbances, feeling cold, hypersensitivity to noise or light, water retention and decreased libido. Your immune system won't be able to produce sufficient antibodies to fight infection, so you'll get sick more often. Your gums might swell and bleed. Metabolism decreases as your body tries to conserve as much energy as possible. Weight loss occurs as your body depletes your fat stores, then begins to burn other tissues, such as muscle. These changes are reversible with proper nutrition. Final Stages Eventually, your failure to get sufficient nutrients will lead to permanent damage. Teeth decay, and bones weaken due to insufficient calcium. Your hair will fall out. Organs begin to shut down due to the lack of energy and nutrients necessary for maintenance. Heart muscles weaken, and the end result is complete system failure, or death.

When Biden built his PR stunt pier, knowing full well it was inefficient and couldn't reach many people, his goal wasn't just to look good to anyone only paying attention on the surface...his goal was to give some people just enough food to prolong their suffering, but not enough to return them to anywhere near healthy.

[despairing-disaster]

Y'know, this may be me jumping the gun, but on the subject of the mv.... while I'm not super familiar with the song used, afaik it uses drunkenness as a metaphor for something, right? And we know Ellie is dead and Charles has a fear of blood, right?

But what if the metaphor was played straight? (trigger warnings in tags)

A consequence of chronic alcohol abuse is gastrointestinal bleeding and potentially vomiting blood. This can happen incidentally, and I have actually (unfortunately) seen this happen and the person wind up completely okay (minus the other problems they had going on that were also related), but it can also kill. If an artery or vein bursts in the stomach or esophagus, generally speaking, bleeding will be profuse and potentially lethal enough to kill in minutes depending on certain factors. I've heard some utterly gruesome horror stories about this and multiple anecdotes from medical professionals or people who have witnessed this type of extreme hematemesis that the sheer volume of blood and speed at which it is expelled from the body was genuinely traumatic to witness.

And while I'm not saying this is definitively what happened or this is what this is about, maybe this MV is offering some insight into how Ellie died and how Charles developed his fear of blood. If a young Charles witnessed his brother dead or actively dying from extreme blood loss caused by substance abuse related issues, it would have probably been enough to traumatize him and it would have been very possible for Ellie to have not made it to a hospital in time. It also may be why Charles is so over-focused on his studies or why, as it is implied in some dialogue between him and Teruko in the second chapter, his parents may have pushed him in this direction. They didn't want him to end up like his brother, and alcoholism is something that can tend to run in families.

[npcdeath]

i feel like maybe some of my fellow chronic pain girlies might not know this so about the absolute standard otc painkillers ibuprofen and paracetamol / acetaminophen:

ibuprofen and other NSAIDs, if taken on a chronic basis (medically defined as more than 3 times a week for more than three months) significantly increase your chances of developing chronic kidney disease, proportional to how much and how often you take it. these risks actually increase when combined with paracetamol / acetaminophen - if you absolutely have to take them regularly, maybe choose one or the other - i would recommend the one that isnt ibuprofen, because the other side effect of long term NSAID use is increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and intestinal perforation. idk if you know this but bleeding on the inside is even worse than bleeding on the outside. on account of the fact that you cant see it and you might not figure out its happening until its too late. my source on that one is straight from the doctors mouth during an emergency room potential-internal-bleeding visit.

as for paracetamol, you also cant take that too regularly. read the box for real bc overuse will ruin your liver. pain management is already tough but if youre on otc pain meds for it then its probably not as bad as how badly organ damage would hurt. personally im on a weed + occasional paracetamol with codeine routine and ive quit drinking bc im pretty sure ive put my liver through enough already, but i wont pretend thats perfect either bc its not like chronic weed smoking is free of consequences. when theres no perfect option its just important to know the risks and choose the ones you can afford to take imo

[scleroticstatue]

FAQ: Diet

What the actual hell?

I was desperate. I was frequently experiencing gastrointestinal distress, ulcers, and food-poisoning-like symptoms. While I did experience horrible ulcers for the majority of my life, the last few years had significantly progressed to the point where I couldn't eat any food that I didn't make without feeling some stomach problem — no restaurants, no fast food, no church potlucks, no dinner dates.

Do you know the cause?

Some of it was a food allergy to meat and meat byproducts, some genetic predisposition, and some was an h. pylori bacterial infection. There were other factors, but those are the three big ones.

What did the doctors say?

Unfortunately, the only thing the doctors could help with was the h. pylori, and the only way they could do that was antibiotics. Since I am allergic to amoxicillin-based antibiotics and since my family has historically very bad reactions to antibiotics, that was not an option, nor would it solve my meat allergies or genetics.

So what did you do?

I spent six months off of sugar and another three free of yeast (which inhibits bacterial growth) with a limited selection of food intended to grow my microbiome, then spent a week and a half on only probiotic food — yogurt, flax, kombucha, and kefir, as well as grapefruit peel powder for the last few days. After that, I did a total fast (no food or water) for two days, no food for three more days, and then slowly started adding juice and flax and then other foods back in over the month or so (to avoid shocking my system). During the fasting period, I also was doing manual lymph drainage, taking karanja seeds, and I routinely used a sauna throughout this whole experience that made it easier and faster.

You went for two days without drinking and five days without eating anything???

Yes. And I kept working my manual labor job. However, I am experienced at fasting; I do a total fast for 24 hours once a month and fast sunrise to sunset once a week. And because of my gastrointestinal distress, not eating for a day or two had become pretty routine for me.

Okay, what about the karanja seeds? Google says they're toxic to humans!

Did everything go like you expected?

Google AI is wrong. They are toxic to fish and a few other animals. However, in a study done with rats, researchers found they showed no signs of liver damage but what they did find is the oil in them could heal ulcers caused by stress and chemical damage at extraordinarily high rates.

More or less. Some things were better — I honestly expected to hate yogurt by the end of that phase — some were worse — I am now, for unknowable reasons, significantly worse at drinking water. I also became kinda manic bipolar while I was fasting and my nerves were so much more sensitive. 10/10 did not like it. Never want to do it again.

Did it turn out like you were hoping?

Will you do it again?

Wellllll....... Yes. And no. I feel much better and I can eat out without worrying and I'm not allergic to meat anymore. Buuuuut most meat still tastes nasty as all get out and I won't be eating it much.

Pictured for reference: goat biryani which I will never be eating again.

No. I will probably do a probiotic cleanse with yogurt and kombucha every year or two, just to keep my microbiome well-fed, but I will never do the total fasting ever again. Probably.

Do you recommend that anyone else do it?

How desperate are you? "I can't eat a lettuce and tomato salad" kind of desperate? "I ate tater tots and threw up" kind of desperate? "I'm surviving off pancakes and dollar store cheese dip because that's the only thing that doesn't make me bleed internally but oops I just found out the cheese dip is making me depressed" kind of desperate? You must be desperate to do what I did. And you are probably not.

[blundrdskiesnburninlands]

Title: The Enigma of Death Angel Mushroom

Greetings, my favoured companions,

Allow me, to introduce to you the realm of ethereal beings cloaked in beauty yet veiled in peril, the allure of Death Angel Mushroom, which captivated my attention and interest.

Quite a name, isn’t it? It dances upon the tongue and lurks with dangers that take hold of oneself silently. A white beauty with a sweet smell and taste, straight out of a fairyland, these beautiful

Amanita mushrooms are responsible for bringing deaths and pain to humans worldwide.

Behold the majesty of the Amanita family, with over 900 species, among which these Death Angel mushrooms and Death Cap mushrooms are part of the nine species that produce amatoxins, a family of deadly and potent toxic compounds. For those science guys and girls, it consists of eight amino acids arranged in a ring structure, called cyclic octapeptides.

Habitat and Manifestation

One might find these mushrooms in oak-hardwood forests and growing in a bunch or singly, under the shade of the tree. Pristine whiteness, delicately smooth with a convex cap ranging from 5-10 cm in diameter with white pores and a smooth skirt-like ring and stem, basking in the ephemeral glow of sunlight for a few hours each day. While maintaining the fairyland aesthetic, they appear and proliferate in springs and summer and soon die in autumn and winter, concealing a lethal secret.

Amatoxin, a lovely yet nefarious agent of destruction, having three henchmen,- Alpha, Beta and Gamma amanitin, plays a very twisted and simple dance of death. It blocks a key enzyme called RNA polymerase II which is crucial for making mRNA, basically instructing cells to produce proteins. Without mRNA, cells can’t make proteins which are essential for various functions and most of all survival of the cells. Without the proteins, the cells start to die, especially the liver and kidneys which are targeted organs, working hard to process toxins and maintaining body functions.

Symphonic Suffering

A symphony of symptoms unfolds, 6-12 hours after ingestion. A tumultuous attack on the stomach and intestines, very similar and often mistaken as normal mushroom poisoning, followed by profuse diarrhoea and vomiting. Ideally, this would be the right time to seek immediate medical attention but often ideocracy and human incompetency disguised as overconfidence gets in the way and these symptoms get overlooked, misplacing the key to salvation.

This initial phase affecting the gastrointestinal tract may soon end in a few hours causing a feeling of relief or creating a fake recovery period. But here’s the catch, dear acquaintances, these toxins crawl about one’s body causing slow and steady damage while under the pretence of low blood pressure. For a few days, one shall live but all one feels is that the mushroom poisoning is all done and in the past.

And as soon as that fake realization sets in, the second attack or phase starts, within mere days. One will greet kidney and liver failure, bleeding disorders and eventual brain dysfunction occurs, which is when toxins have been successful in damaging the vital organs and will eventually lead the path to coma and sweet death.

Salvation

While all hope would be lost after the second stage, hospital or emergency room should be the first choice of treatment which prevent severe symptoms and organ damage with intensive care

if one feels they have ingested death angel mushroom or something similar. And know this, dear acquaintances, it might prove beneficial for you someday, that a general antidote for such poisons is activated charcoal, taken by mouth. It plays a simple yet crucial role in preventing the absorption of any poison in the stomach or intestines. Mix it with a laxative and the poison’s excretion will be faster and the unavoidable can be kept at bay, at least for today.

Dehydration is something which could severely aid this agent of death, by impacting your blood pressure and de-accelerating one’s body to a dangerous condition. Electrolytes and fluids will be prescribed to restore hydration if timed correctly.

A famous antidote for mushroom poisoning is Silibinin or Silybin, cultivated to inhibit the uptake of amatoxins by liver cells, reducing liver damage and enhancing the elimination of toxins from the body. One can find it available in both oral supplement and intravenous formulations, the latter is usually preferred. Other drugs like NAC, is also used with or without, depending on the availability of the former.

When all hope is lost, Haemodialysis is what one is left with, if one’s too late for the above-mentioned antidotes. Mainly to remove toxins and waste products from one’s blood if the kidneys have eventually failed, Haemodialysis is the last treatment to be done as a treatment for amatoxin poisoning.

A final note

Beneath the forest canopy, the death angel mushroom hides its lethal secret amidst the innocent guise of the button mushroom. Its pristine appearance might make it look like a healthier and prettier version of the button mushroom and an easy choice to be handpicked. A nice amount of death angel mushroom is toxic enough to kill a person within a few days of ingestion, the symptoms slowly but surely show up and can be deadly without quick medical help.

Such a delicate beauty can show the fragility of life and the resilience of the human spirit if any. Tread lightly in the realm of nature’s dark embrace, cause the allure of darkness and death doesn’t let go of one’s hand after a sweet interaction with this botanical odyssey.

Till next time…

.

.

.

.

References-

*The images attached are not my own, explored from Pinterest

Sources vary, yet are reliable tbh I forgot to note them down as I wrote this... WebMD, Clinical Toxicology, Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora etc*

[painisntn33ded]

do y'all got comfort bones? Like bones you will obsessively touch, to calm yourselves down or for whatever reason? Because i do and they're my collarbones and I'm still pissed about breaking my left collarbone when I was 18 and having to get surgery so not only is there a big fucking scar over it now but all the skin is also completely numb because my nerves never healed after the surgery and the plate they put it makes it really bumpy and weird.

Anyway the lesson of the day is, if your gastrointestinal tract is bleeding for months and your doctor is incompetent make them check your red blood cells or you might faint and break something.

[thatchronicfeeling]

To the people who said that they wished they could ‘stay at home all day’ like me, or who said ‘maybe if you just pushed yourself’ or that I’d be better if I just tried harder... ...let me tell you about the past week. Among other things, I’ve had to deal with: - a tonsil stone

- oral thrush (yeast infection)

- medication for the thrush that contains alcohol (to which I have had severe allergic reactions; the only med options both contained alcohol)

- this other medication-related chaos

- a gastrointestinal bleed caused by an interaction between two further medications

- saving myself from hospitalisation and, let’s be real, death (immunocompromised person who probably wouldn’t survive contracting Covid in hospital) by working out the above interaction by myself, taking matters into my own hands and switching up the way I took my meds

- attempting to discuss the interaction with 3 medical professionals, who all told me it was impossible because it wasn’t listed in the BNF  (one finally listened to my logic, based on medication A working to alter stomach pH and that preventing the absorption of medication B. They said ‘oh...yeah, that makes sense, there could well be an interaction’)

- being bedbound with chronic illnesses that have the disability equivalent of congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and late-stage AIDS* Don’t ever fucking tell disabled people that they should ‘try harder’ or that they ‘have it easy’. You have no idea what other folk are dealing with. *POTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome) and ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). These comparisons are noted in medical literature and I do not make them lightly. Because of the medical neglect of my chronic illnesses, it has taken me a very long time to begin to understand the level of disability I’ve been dealing with for over 14 years. I am damn well going to assert it now. Just to add, I am a disabled bisexual woman who has no time for the stigma around disability and chronic illness, and that includes HIV and AIDS.

[whumpy-daydreams]

Types of surgery

Masterlist

So... you want to know about surgery. Well buckle in folks because this is just the first in an eleven part series. Enough of the humour though let's get medical. I've split this into 'categories', or how soon do you need this; and 'specialties', or what needs fixing

Categories of surgery

Elective - this is planned ahead of time, and isn't very time sensitive. also the majority of surgeries

Expedited - not life threatening but should be done asap. Includes tendon and nerve injures, some minor bone fixes, some stents and eye stuff

Urgent - needs to be done within a few hours to prevent loss of function/life. Fixing badly broken bones, perforated bowels, eye injuries, D&C (dilation and curetting)

Emergency - needs to be done immediately with threat to life or organs/limbs. Haemorrhage (loads of bleeding internally or externally), burst appendix, ruptured cancers, emergency c-sections

This is not a complete list of surgeries, and amputation can be any of these categories

There may also be extra categories at different hospitals that specify actual times. Emergency c-sections have time limits, with the most urgent needing to be started within an hour.

Surgical Specialties

Breast - pretty obvious, it's boob surgery and it's harder than you think (part of general surgery)

Cardiothoracic - treats the heart, lungs and airway, usually long surgeries with lots of equipment

Ear, nose, throat (ENT) - think tonsils, think deviated septum. I hate it. It smells bad.

Endocrine - if it's got gland in the name you're good. Think thyroid, pancreas, adrenal etc. (part of general surgery)

Gastrointestinal - deals with the stomach, intestines, colon, and rectum (part of general surgery)

Gynecology and obstetrics - treats the uterus and related reproductive organs (no penises here sorry). It can smell a little bad but not as bad as ENT

Neurosurgery - zombies love it but they got their medical licence revoked. Yep it's brain time baby (and the spinal cord but who cares about that). Known for being difficult and long

Oral and maxillofacial (maxfax) - mouth and face (not to be confused with plastic surgery, though they get involved), bones, teeth and soft tissue of the face as long as it's not ear, nose or throat.

Other general stuff - kidneys, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and random things in the abdomen

Plastic - reconstructing things. It's not always cosmetic, they make a big difference to trauma patients and also do cleft palate. Absolute perfectionists so prepare to be there for ages

Trauma and orthopaedic - bones and joints like fixing broken bones, carpal tunnels, and joint replacements. This is my favourite speciality because I think the surgeons are funnier and I like hammers

Urology - all the penises! And testicles and related reproductive system. Usually amab patients but they do treat afab patients too - everyone has a bladder

Vascular - blood tubes and lymphatic system (don't ask me to explain it please I beg you), can be really long surgeries and is usually done under a microscope

And I'm done (for now)

[sillylandmagic]

content warning: post about menstrual cycle, nothing detailed.

The worst part of month is period. Really heavy flow, really painful cramps, nauseous, gastrointestinal issues, have pcos makes it worse.

Feel gross every since barely 11 had same issues and always bleed through pants/shorts, no matter what. Have very difficult time regularly changing pads, and all underwear have stains on, embarrassing.

And. Already have hard time with toileting and hygiene, in a way that I don’t really wipe enough and also can’t tell when need to go to the bathroom. So, period make it even worse, hard time knowing when have to change stuff and how much to wipe and keeping everything clean. Birth control helps a lot but still not enough.

Just, hate it hate it hate it. Want to lay in bed all day this weekend.