#Chronic Abdominal Pain treatments

[medicaregate]

Chronic Abdominal Pain

Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) is one of the most common complaints seen in primary-care clinics, subspecialty, and gastroenterology clinics.

The diagnosis and management of chronic abdominal pain is often a difficult due to its wide causes and poor sensitivity of history and physical examination of the patients.

Chronic abdominal pain is defined as pain that lasts more than three months.

The leading causes of chronic abdominal pain are: –

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs).

Disorders of gut-brain interaction, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia (FD), and centrally mediated abdominal pain syndrome (CAPS).

In many patients, abdominal pain can be associated with: –

Constipation or diarrhea.

Bloating or a sensation of increased abdominal pressure with or without visible distention.

Heartburn, regurgitation, nausea, and chronic cough may be suggestive of GERD.

Patients presenting with epigastric pain, melena, or black, tarry stool, is a sign of an upper gastrointestinal bleed and may be a sign of peptic ulcer disease.

Hematochezia is more common in lower gastrointestinal bleeding and may occur in people who have abdominal pain due to ischemia or inflammation.

Hepatomegaly, clay-colored stools, scleral icterus and tea-colored urine are all signs of hepatobiliary or pancreatic pathology.

A thorough medical history and comprehensive physical examination are the first steps in the diagnostic evaluation of a patient with chronic abdominal pain.

The history should focus on eliciting the pain description, location, quality, intensity and radiation, as well as exacerbating and alleviating factors.

An in-depth review of systems should be performed to identify concomitant symptoms that may provide indications to the underlying diagnosis.

Antispasmodic medications are frequently used to treat the symptoms of abdominal pain.

Antispasmodic treatment comprises a wide variety of therapeutic classes with different mechanisms of action

The finding of an underlying cause will also influence how chronic abdominal pain is treated.

Standard medical management should be used to treat any identified causes.

Read more at: https://medicaregate.com/chronic-abdominal-pain-causes-symptoms-and-treatments/

[gastroenterologistinpunesblog]

https://www.drkalegastroclinic.com/understanding-chronic-muscular-abdominal-pain-causes-and-symptoms/

Stop the pain! Learn about chronic muscular abdominal pain from Dr. Vikrant Kale, a leading gastroenterologist. This informative blog post explores the root causes, common symptoms, and management strategies.

[orchres]

Hey besties! I'm sharing this fundraiser for Ray, who I know through my mutual aid circles. They've been unwell with pelvic and abdominal issues that have caused them a lot of chronic pain for a while, and it's taken a toll on them mentally and made them unable to work. The fundraiser is to cover the costs of tests, treatment, psychiatric care and secure them safe and stable housing as they're currently living in a mold infested apartment which has aggravated their poor health. Please pitch in if you can! The fundraiser is currently only at 10% of the goal. Thank you!

[promptsforyourwhumpfic]

The Grand A-Z List of Whump 1/3

This list contains ~290 items listed A to H

As always, I heavily encourage people to research topics thoroughly when writing as it is important to avoid stereotypes/misinformation. This list's intention is not to glorify/romanticise sensitive topics in any way.

This part one-of-three comprehensive lists of injuries, Illnesses and tropes - including those from the Whumptober 2023 trope vote!

All submissions are listed in italics, and those who wanted to be tagged will be included at the end. If you have any more submissions: please send them via DM/my ask box.

[I-Q] [R-Z] [NSFW List]

List below the cut:

#

"I don't need your help."

"I'm doing this to make you better"

"I'm fine, take care of them!"

“I’m Fine”

"Kill me instead"

"Let me in."

"Look at me."

"Should I know you?"

"Take me instead."

(No) Anaesthetic

A

A Good Ol' Sickfic

Abandoned

Abdominal Pain

Aching Wounds

Acne

Adrenaline Crash

Adrift (in space/at sea)

Agoraphobia

Airsickness

Alien abduction

Allergies

Alopecia

Ambulance Ride

Ambush

Amnesia/memory loss

Amputations

Anaemia

Anesthesia

Angina (Heart condition that causes pain)

Animal Attack/Bite

Ankle Sprain

Anthrax

Anxiety/Anxiety attack(s)

Aphasia

Appendicitis

Arrested

Arthritis

Asking for help

Asphyxiation

Assumed Dead

Asthma/Asthma Attack

Auctions

Autoimmune disease

Avalanches

B

Backache

Bad Caretakers

Bandaged Head

Banished

Barbed Wire

Bear trap

Beaten up by ex-friends

Beaten with blunt object (i.e, bat or pipe)

Beatings

Bedrest

Bedside Vigil/Hospital Vigil

Begging

Betrayed by close friend/team/family

Bites (Animal, Bug, Human….)

Biting

Black Eye

Blackmail

Bleeding Out

Bleeding Through

Bandages

Blindfolded

Blindness (this could be temporary or permanent)

Blisters

Blood Loss

Blood Poisoning

Bloodied Knuckles

Bloodstains/blood trail

Bloody handprints

Bloody nose

Blunt force trauma

Blurred vision

Body modification

Body Sharing

Body Switching

Bounty on their head

Brain Damage

Brainwashing

Breakdowns

Breathless

Bridal Carry

Broken Bones (Ribs, Arm, Leg)

Broken Nose

Broken Promises

Bronchitis

Bruises

Building Collapse

Bullet Removal

Bumpy roads jarring injuries

Buried Alive

Burning Building

Burns/Scalding

Busted kneecap

C

Cancer

Caning

Capgras syndrome/delusion (belief that someone close to/important to the person has been replaced by an imposter)

Capsulitis

Captivity

Captured

Car chases (and maybe a car crash)

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Cardiac Arrest

Caretaker has to “play nice” with whumper.

Caretaker has to hurt whumpee while undercover.

Caretaker sacrificing something dear to them to get something the whumpee needs.

Caretaker turned Whumpee

Caretaker-whumper who's a parental whumper. But their "love" is not real love. Or even right treatment.

Carsickness

Cataracts

Catatonia

Caught in a fire

Caught in an explosion

Cauterization

Cave In

Cavity

Celebrity whump (exploitation in the music/movie industries…)

Chaffing from ropes/handcuffs/shackles

Chained/Shackled

Checking for injuries

CHF - congestive heart failure

Chicken Pox

Chills

Chloroform

Choking

Chronic pain

Claustrophobia

Cleaning wounds alone

Cold/Flu,

Collapsed Lung

Collapsing (into someone’s arms is usually nice, bonus points for cradling their head as they lower the whumpee to the floor)

Collapsing after they win

Collapsing/Fainting/Passing Out

Collars

Coma

Comfort after a nightmare

Common cold

Completely betrayed by their own team

Complications

Concussion

Confusion

Constipation

Constricted Airways

COPD - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease makes breathing increasingly more difficult.

Corporal Punishment

Corset too tight and won’t unbutton

Coughing

Coughing Up Blood

CPR

Cramps

Crikes (intubation through neck)

Crush injury

Crying

Cuddle pile

Curses

Cuts/Grazes

Cutting off hair (more of an emotional hurt)

Cyanide poisoning

D

Damaged Larynx/Vocal Cords

De-aging

Deathbed Confessions (don’t have to actually die and stay dead, just the threat of dying)

Defeat

Defenestration (throwing out a window)

Dehydration

Deja Vu

Delirium (bonus points for this being drug/ fever induced)

Deluded whumper/thinking they’re helping the whumpee

Dengue Fever

Denial

Depression

Dermatitis

Diabetes (type 1 and 2)

Diarrhea

Diseases ('mystery' diseases are the best kind)

Dislocations

Disorientation

Disowned by Family

Displaced hip

Dissociation

Distress call

Dizziness

Dragged Away

Dream sequence

Driving to the hospital with a whumpee slumped barely-conscious in the seat of the car

Drowning

Drunkenness

E

Ear Infection

Edema (swelling from build up of fluid)

EKG

Electrical Burns

Electrical shock

Electrocution

Emergency field surgery

Emergency Surgery

Emotional angst

Emotional manipulation

Endometriosis

Enemy to Caretaker

Energy Drain

Environmental whump

ER

Execution

Exes reunited with one wanting a relationship and the other just wanting friendship.

Exhaustion

Experimentation

Exposure

Extreme Weather

Eye injury

F

Facing Phobias

Failed Escape

Failure to thrive

Fainting

Fainting (but also fainting aftermath) / Fainting due to lack of sleep, food, or overworking fainting from exhaustion

Falling

Falling for Caretaker/Whumpee/Whumper

Falling Through Ice

Fatigue/Exhaustion

Fever

Fibromyalgia (Chronic Pain)

Field medicine

Fighting (while injured)

Financial difficulty faced + how whumper might take advantage of that + how caretaker handles everything (well/badly)

Finding your loved one dead without explanation but thinking they’re still alive.

Fireman's carry

Flare ups

Flashbacks

Flinching away

Flu

Food Poisoning

Forced to... (Break out, Choose, Hurt, Kneel, Scream, Watch)

Forehead kisses

Forgotten by team

Foul-tasting medicine

Found family

Found unconscious

Fracture (Arm, Hyoid bone etc)

Freezing / cold whump

Friendly Fire

Frostbite

G

Gagged/Muzzled

Gangrene infection

Gaslighting

Gas (noxious, poisonous etc)

Gastritis

Glass (shards, debris etc)

Grief

Gunshot Wound

H

Hair Pulling/Cutting/Matting/Stroking

Hallucinations

Hanahaki

Handcuffs

Handgag

Hard ground

Haunted

Hay Fever

Head injuries/concussion

Head trauma

Headache/Migraine

Heart Palpitations

Heartburn

Heat Exhaustion

Heatstroke

Heavy metal poisoning

Held at gunpoint/knifepoint/weapon point

Hematohidrosis (Sweating blood)

Hemophilia/Hematophilia (Blood unable to clot)

Haemothorax

Hernia

Hidden Illness/Injury/Scar/Medical Issues

Hiding

High Blood Pressure

High Fever (like dangerously high)

High Pain Tolerence

Hit by a car

Home Sickness

Hospital Codes

Hostage Situation

House burnt down

Huddling for Warmth

Human Shield

Human Weapon

Hunger

Hungover

Hunted for Sport

Hurt no comfort

Hyperalgesia,

Hypermobility

Hyperventilating

Hypo/Hyperthermia

Hypo/Hyperthyroidism

Hypoglycemia

Hypotension/ Hypertension

Hypoxia

TAG LIST: Thank you very much to the following people for submitting ideas! (I apologise if some tags did not work, I'm not sure why tumblrs not letting me tag you!)

@I-eat-worlds | @greygullhaven | @letsgowhump | @cyberwhumper @firapolemos05 | @originaldeerhottub | @whumpilicious | @drawing-dinos82 | @carenrose | @stellarinuscronicles | @gottheseasonalblues | @marvelflame2010 | @sowhumpful | @avamcu | @courtneygacha | @lordofthewhumps | @autismmydearwatson | @kuddelmuddell | @the-most-handsome-ginger | @whirls-and-swirls | @painsandconfusion

[afusionoffandoms]

The symbol most associated with fibromyalgia is the butterfly, as well as the purple ribbon, since a butterfly despite being almost weightless can cause pain if it landed on a person with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (fibro) is a chronic and highly stigmatised condition that presents as pain throughout the body - often inconsistent both in strength and location as well as resistant to pain medication - along with a slew of other symptoms - mainly intense fatigue and cognitive dysfunction, in addition to headaches, abdominal pains and cramps, depression, insomnia and general hypersensitivity both to touch as well as the other senses.

These pains can be a draining inconvenience, or so crippling it robs the person of the ability to walk or function.

Due to lack of research, it's believed that anywhere between 2-6% of the population suffers from it.

Many people suffering from fibro will say they often wake up more tired and in more pain than they were in when they went to bed. Experts often describe it as the brain losing its ability filter out pains the human body constantly experiences throughout the day.

One thing known for certain is that it's triggered by stress. It can be something as simple as a bad divorce, or a surgery, or a bout of illness, to trauma (either microtrauma over time or one definitive event). Fibro patients will say it's as if their brain finally had enough and started striking. Unfortunately there's no going back once that happens, as there is no cure, and fibro is likely to progress and worsen over time.

It's an illness that can't be proven through samples or x-rays, but rather it's diagnosed when no other cause can be found, and all other treatments have proven unhelpful.

We have records dating all the way to ancient Greece about people whose symptoms today are assumed by experts to be caused by fibro, though it wasn't until the 1900s that the illness got its own name and field of study. That's about all it's gotten, however.

Unfortunately most people with the diagnosis are AFAB, which means the illness is subject to sexism and is often ignored in the medical field, resulting in little research and funding, little knowledge, and a lot of challenges for people suffering from it. Recent numbers suggest that the gender disproportion is far smaller than presumed, however, likely due to other factors such as social stigma keeping men from seeking help.

Interestingly there looks to be a large overlap between fibro symptoms and long covid, which has in recent years caught the interest of researchers, so it's likely that the world will understand the illness more in the future, which will hopefully help people with fibro sometime down the line.

If nothing else, it might finally be recognised as the life changing illness it is, for currently there are still doctors who claim it's not real, and refuse to diagnose and treat it, instead claiming people with fibro are just lazy and overly sensitive.

It's because of these things that global awareness days are so important.

Increasing awareness about this barely understood and largely unknown disease, makes life easier for those who suffer from fibromyalgia both directly through general knowledge and understanding from people around them, to a larger scale where funding and research is vital to perhaps one day find a medication or cure. Or at least find an indisputable way to diagnose it.

Please consider sharing this in order to help with just that. 💜 May your day be as painless as possible.

[warcrimesimulator]

A 33-year-old New Zealand woman who was accused of faking debilitating symptoms has died of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS).

Stephanie Aston, 33, passed away in her home in Auckland on 1 September, the New Zealand Herald reports.

Aston became an advocate for patients' rights after doctors refused to take her EDS symptoms seriously and blamed them on mental illness. She was just 25 when those symptoms began in October 2015. At the time, she did not know she had inherited the health condition.

EDS refers to a group of inherited disorders caused by gene mutations that weaken the connective tissues, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These tissues are responsible for many important functions, and they support the skin, bones, blood vessels, and other organs.

Symptoms of EDS include fragile, small blood vessels; loose joints; abnormal scar formation; abnormal wound healing; and soft, stretchy, velvety skin that bruises easily, per the NIH.

There are at least 13 different types of EDS, and the conditions range from mild to life-threatening. EDS is extremely rare: Only one in every 5,000 people have it. Patients with EDS can sometimes receive treatments that might help manage their symptoms—such as physical therapy—but there is no cure for the illness. People who live with EDS often have to restructure their lives to learn how to protect their joints and prevent injuries.

Aston sought medical help after her symptoms—which included severe migraines, abdominal pain, joint dislocations, easy bruising, iron deficiency, fainting, tachycardia, and multiple injuries—began in 2015, per the New Zealand Herald. She was referred to Auckland Hospital, where a doctor accused her of causing her own illness.

Because of his accusations, Aston was placed on psychiatric watch. She had to undergo rectal examinations and was accused of practising self-harming behaviours. She was suspected of faking fainting spells, fevers, and coughing fits, and there were also suggestions that her mother was physically harming her.

There was no basis for the doctor’s accusations that her illness was caused by psychiatric issues, Aston told the New Zealand Herald. “There was no evaluation prior to this, no psych consultation, nothing,” she said.

She eventually complained to the Auckland District Health Board and the Health and Disability Commissioner of New Zealand. “I feel like I have had my dignity stripped and my rights seriously breached,” she said.

Research suggests women are often much more likely to be misdiagnosed than men. A 2009 study of patients with heart disease symptoms found 31.3 per cent of middle-aged women “received a mental health condition as the most certain diagnosis”, compared to just 15.6 per cent of their male counterparts. Additionally, a 2020 study found that as many as 75.2 per cent of patients with endometriosis—a painful disorder that affects the tissue of the uterus—had been misdiagnosed after they started experiencing endometriosis symptoms. Among those women, nearly 50 per cent were told they had a “mental health problem”.

One reason women’s health conditions are often ignored or misdiagnosed could come down to where the research stands. A 2022 paper states that “females remain broadly under-represented in the medical literature, sex and gender are poorly reported and inadequately analysed in research, and misogynistic perceptions continue to permeate the narrative”. Women’s pain, in particular, is especially under-researched: 70 per cent of people with chronic pain are women, yet 80 per cent of available studies on pain have focused on men or male mice, per Harvard Health Publishing.

[thus-spoke-lo]

Pain Management // Trafalgar Law x afab!reader // NSFW/18+

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Series Masterlist // AO3 Link // Playlist

Chapter 1: A Thorough Examination

Chapter Summary: No longer able to deal with the chronic abdominal pain that's plagued you as long as you could remember, and having exhausted your available options for treatment aboard the Sunny, you suggest traveling with the Heart Pirates as a way to gain access to some of the best medical care in the New World. Your new captain is willing to give his all in helping determine the cause of your issues, and offers his help to treat you.

Chapter CW: afab!reader [no pronouns used]; descriptions of pelvic pain; menstruation mentions; reader receives a gynecological exam [pelvic/breast]; allusions to hysterectomy; slight medical/glove kink; slight praise kink

WC: 2.9k

A sudden flash. A deep, searing pain that cut through your insides.

You doubled over, the feeling of a phantom knife stabbing you near your core. The wrench in your hand fell, a loud clang ringing through the air, and you dropped to your knees on the floor as the air was punched out of your lungs.

“Hey, you alright?” Franky turned off the welder and lifted his goggles, a sudden worry settling into his expression.

“No, but I will be,” you grunted. “Just give me a minute.”

“Should I get Chopper?” he asked as he started to get up from his position on the ground.

“No, really, it’s alright.” The wave of misery was subsiding, leaving behind only a vague feeling of queasiness. “He can’t do anything for me.”

It was almost your entire adult life that you’d experienced these phantom pains, and you struggled to have anyone tell you the reason. It was most certainly tied to your monthly cycle, of that you were sure, but the way in which it incapacitated you mentally and physically was becoming more of an annoyance and a hindrance than anything else, rendering you disabled at the most inconvenient times.

Chopper had done the best he could since you’d joined the Strawhats some time ago, giving you pain medicine he formulated himself. But as time went on, and the pain pills could only dull the worst aches, Chopper conceded that perhaps, despite his training, he didn’t have the equipment or the specific experience needed to properly diagnose and treat you. As you lay in bed one night, biting your pillow with every shockwave in your abdomen, it occurred to you there may be a way to get help yet.

“So wait. You wanna leave and join the Heart Pirates?” Luffy asked, his eyebrows knitted in confusion as you told him your plan over breakfast. “But why?”

“Not leave as in forever. It’ll be like…an internship,” you said cheerfully.

“What’s that?” His head tilted slowly to the side, as if it would help him process your words more effectively.

“It’s a temporary assignment,” Nami clarified from her spot next to you at the table. “Not forever, just for a while to learn some things that can help us.”

“Ohh, I get it now.” The look on Luffy’s face said he absolutely did not get it, but you pressed on.

“It would be a great opportunity to learn how a submarine functions,” you continued, a smile plastered across your face. “Just think of how much I’d be able to help Franky if he needs to build any specialized vehicles for us!”

“Well as long as Traffy thinks it’s fine, I think it’s a great idea!” Luffy grinned in a way that said he still was not entirely clear on what exactly you were doing or why, but that he trusted your judgment.

As you packed your bags the following week, waiting for Law and his crew to meet you at the port, you wondered if you could even trust your judgment. Sure, it seemed that “Traffy” had been fairly easy to convince when it came to bringing you aboard (after all, what’s one more warm body and willing set of hands?), and sure, you were a pirate after all, and deception was perfectly in your wheelhouse, but was it worth the ruse?

You boarded the Polar Tang, waving goodbye to the captain you’d just lied to and nodding hello to your new captain who you’d also just lied to, and wondered if Law or his crew could smell the dishonesty on you. There was no need to wear your paranoia like a coat, you told yourself over and over as you were shown to your quarters—you were going to keep your head down for a while, learn the ins and outs of your new underwater home, and bide your time before knocking on your Captain’s door to beg for help.

----------

“Come in.”

You were surprised that Law even heard you knock; you had barely touched your knuckles to the door. “Captain? I was hoping I could possibly talk to you about something.”

“Everything okay?” he asked, eyes still on the papers in front of him as you pushed open the metal door.

Your eyes drifted towards the ceiling as you considered where to begin. “Not exactly.”

“Is it a problem with someone?”

“No!” You waved your hands frantically in front of you. “No, nothing like that at all, everyone has been so kind to me since I’ve been here.”

“That’s good to hear.” He set his pen down on his desk and turned his chair towards you, his daunting gaze settling on you. “So what brings you here, then?”

“It’s—it’s a medical issue.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, what seems to be the matter?”

“You see, I have this pain in my abdomen, like right here”—you gestured to a spot near the apex of your thighs, just off to the left—“and it comes and goes. But it’s been happening for, well, about as long as I can remember. Sometimes the pain is worse than other times.”

“I see.”

“Chopper gave me some pain medicine for it, but it only does so much, and I feel like either the medicine has stopped working, or whatever this is might be getting worse over time.”

He sat back in his chair and removed his hat for a moment, running his hands through his soot-black hair as he thought. “Did he ever do a pelvic exam?”

“Uh, no.” You shifted from one foot to the other before leaning against the door frame. “I don’t know that either of us really thought much about that.”

In truth, despite the fact that Chopper was never anything but professional with his medical care, having treated injuries and disorders you couldn’t even begin to imagine, you felt incredibly uncomfortable asking him to complete an internal pelvic exam. Sure, he was more than capable, and perhaps you could have found a way to make yourself feel at ease, but the concept of having one of your crewmates stick their fingers inside of you and root around, right before having to sit and stare at them across the dinner table, left a peculiar taste in your mouth.

Law laced his fingers behind his head and crossed one leg over the other. “Why don’t you come by the exam room tomorrow, let’s say same time, and we can do a little more…exploration?”

“Sure, sounds—sounds good,” you nodded, tripping over your words—you had felt yourself grow a little warm at the particular way he’d said exploration, drawing out the word in his low, rumbling voice. “I’ll see you then. Thank you, Captain.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, returning his stack of papers. “Let’s hope we can figure out what’s wrong. I’ll do everything I can to get you some relief.”

I certainly hope so, you thought to yourself.

----------

The exam hadn’t even started yet, and you were already deeply regretting asking Law for help.

You perched stiffly on the elevated table, paper crinkling under you, the undersides of your thighs sticking to the exposed bit of vinyl. You pulled and tugged at the thin cotton gown that had been left for you on the side chair (accompanied by a scrawled note, “I’ll give you ten minutes to change, don’t worry”), feeling like no matter how tightly you had tied the thin straps at the neck and waist into haphazard knots, you were still at risk of sudden exposure with even the most minute movements.

Not that it mattered, you reminded yourself—your captain was about to be knuckle-deep in your vagina in a moment, what did it matter if he caught a glimpse of your ass cheek or a peek of your pubic hair before he got started?

“Safe to come in?” a voice said from the other side of the door.

“Yep, I’m decent,” you responded. “Well, as decent as I can be.”

Law entered the room, flashing you a brief smile as he shut the door behind him and moved to the sink to wash his hands. “How are you doing today?”

“As okay as I can be, I guess.”

“Any pain right now?”

“Mm, not at the moment.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said as he fished two latex gloves out of a box on the counter. You watched with an inappropriate fascination as he put them on, slowly pulling them down over his long fingers, letting the band settle on his wrists with a light snap. There was no denying that many a wandering thought of yours had involved Law’s strong hands and slim fingers, and how they’d feel exploring every inch of you, every dip and curve of your body; this, however, was not the time for indulging in fantasy.

He walked over and stood before you, his slim hips almost touching your knees. “I’m going to start by giving you a breast exam, is that okay?”

You shrugged, trying to maintain some sense of detachment. “Sure.”

He pulled your gown down your shoulders, placing the fabric in your lap. He palpated your breasts with his warm, gloved hands, then moved two fingers in circles on various spots. As he moved one hand to the side of your body to feel under your arms for any abnormalities, his thumb brushed against your nipple, pebbled from the cool air of the room.

“Sorry, I know it’s a little cold in here,” Law smirked as he walked back over to the counter and quickly scribbled in a notebook. “Everything seems good there, no concerns.”

“Oh. That’s good.” You nervously smiled at him and lifted your gown back over your chest, crossing your arms tightly over you, trying to warm yourself and convince your traitorous nipples to relax. As you watched him with his back turned, you ruminated on the way his thumb had grazed you—it was so brief, but almost tender, in a way you could almost swear was intentional.

“Okay, I’m going to do a pelvic exam,” he said, sitting down on a wheeled stool and scooting it towards the end of the table. “Go ahead and lay back for me, and place your feet in the stirrups.”

You reclined onto the table, and fumbled at correctly placing your heels in the metal rings. Your knees drifted together as you felt the cool air of the room waft over your exposed vulva.

Law sighed. “You have to spread your legs for me if I’m going to examine you, you know.”

“Right, sorry,” you muttered as you let your thighs drift open. In the time you’d known Law, even before your new venture aboard his vessel, you’d thought on occasion what it would be like to have him command you to spread your legs; this, however, was certainly was not the way you’d had in mind.

“I’ll be gentle, I promise,” he said, the rumble in his voice vibrating your core.

Stop it, stop it, stop it, you chided yourself. Stop making this weird, he’s your doctor. You can have your stupid little crush later, when he’s not shoving a piece of plastic in you.

He inserted a speculum into your vagina and you felt yourself stretch with every little click-click-click as he adjusted it. “Doing okay?”

“So far, so good.” A tight smile stretched across your lips despite the fact you assumed he couldn’t see your face.

“You’re doing so well for me,” Law said, his voice low and reassuring.

You felt a perverse swell of arousal at his praise. You clenched your jaw and balled your hands into fists at your side—why now, why with a piece of plastic holding you open like a prized poultry being stuffed for dinner, did you have to let his voice make you feel any particular type of way?

“I’m going to put my fingers inside you now, okay?”

“Okay.” You exhaled slowly.

You stared at the ceiling as he slid two fingers inside of you and poked and prodded at your walls. The vague discomfort of the speculum and the probing of his fingertips certainly did well to erase the feelings of desire you had experienced moments earlier.

“I’m going to press on your abdomen, see if I can feel anything abnormal. Tell me if anything hurts.”

He pressed his two fingers up while he pushed his free hand down on different spots on your abdomen. When he reached one particular spot, you felt a searing pain rocket through your body, like a red-hot knife dragging through your insides.

“There!” you said through gritted teeth. “Pain! Right there!”

“Okay, okay. You’re okay.” He pulled his fingers out of you, and wheeled back to the counter. “You can sit up now.”

“So, what does that mean?” you asked as you gathered yourself, swinging your legs back over the side of the table and pressing on that tender spot in your abdomen, trying to soothe it and will it to calm.

“Well, it’s one of a couple of things, based on the way you reacted. I can’t exactly be sure without further research.”

“Isn’t there anything you could do in the meantime?”

“Well, I can give you some pain medication to ease your symptoms.”

“That’s it?” You scoffed, having heard that phrase so many times before. “But—but Chopper already did that, and it doesn’t help anymore. There’s nothing else you can do?”

He paused, twirling a pen between his long fingers as he thought for a moment. “Surgical intervention would be a possibility.”

“Okay, that’s fine then,” you quickly blurted, seeing relief on the horizon. “Just take out all the parts that are causing me problems.”

He sighed. “It’s not quite that simple.”

“I mean, it is, isn’t it? Couldn’t you use your devil fruit to just, you know, remove stuff?”

“Yes, possibly.” He scratched at his chin, and his gaze met yours. “But we don’t know exactly what’s causing the problem. I’d still have to open you up and have a look around first, and that might cause more issues than it would fix. And depending on what I find and what we have to take, you may also need hormone replacements, just to help you function correctly. And frankly, I don’t have access to those, not out here.”

You didn’t care that the desperation in your voice was nearly tangible. “Look, I’m sure I can make do without the hormones, I’ll just learn to deal with it. Captain, I’m serious, just take whatever is in me out of me if it’s going to be a problem. Please. I can’t do this anymore.”

He stood up and leaned his long body against the counter, and stared down at you. It was unnerving how vulnerable you felt, sitting nearly-naked on the vinyl table, thin fabric barely keeping you from being fully on display for him, angry tears beginning to bead at your lash-line, your face hot with frustration. The pain had gone on too long, and here was the only man you knew that could help you, trying to find ways to deny you the solution (albeit the least ideal one) to your troubles.

“Here’s what I’d suggest,” Law finally spoke after what felt like hours of silence, as he stared at you, barely blinking, running his tongue over his teeth. “I have an idea for an intervention that could help relieve some of your symptoms without having to resort to surgery just yet. If it works, then we’ll just continue treatment; if not, then we’ll consider opening you up and seeing what’s inside. Does that sound acceptable?”

“I guess so, sure.” It felt like you didn’t have much of a choice; you were at his mercy, and probably would have agreed to just about anything if it would bring you some relief.

“Good. Come by tomorrow, same time.” He paused. “And be prompt.”

“Of course, Captain.”

He handed you your pile of clothes from the chair across the room. “Take your time getting dressed, this room won’t be needed for a while.”

“Thanks,” you said, waving weakly at him as he walked out and closed the door.

You winced as you zipped your pants back up—all the poking and prodding left your insides tender, and a twinge of pain rocketed through your core. Maybe you just should have stuck to pain medicine, you thought to yourself as you re-hooked your bra, your mind still lingering on the way his thumb delicately brushed your nipple.

Maybe you just should have continued taking the pills Chopper gave you when things got especially bad, and kept your mouth shut, and stayed back on the Sunny, and maybe—maybe—found relief eventually from some gifted doctor on a faraway island one day, if you were lucky. But instead, here you were—miles under the ocean, trapped in a metal tube with the weight of your decision and the only doctor who might be able to help you find relief.

You shuffled back to your station to finish your day of work, wondering what sort of treatment Law had in mind.

[zoeykallus]

Hi there! I love your headcanons and I was wondering if I could make a personal request. Let me know if this is a no-go.

I have PMDD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, basically PMS [premenstrual syndrome] but 20x worse. It usually resolves upon the onset of the crimson wave. But not all the time.

I have been struggling really badly with the deep depression, insomnia, and self-image issues brought on by my disorder.

Do you think we can see how the Batch handles their fem reader S/O struggling with this disorder specifically? And maybe, if it's not too much, a part 2 with some of our favorite regs?

Thank you so much!

Aloha my dear!

Oh, this is a heavy hitter, I know where you are coming from. So many people out there have no idea how freaking much this can affect someone's life. PMS is already a hard thing to deal with, but PMDD brings it to yet another really shitty level. Don't worry, I got you 😊

The Bad Batch x Afab!Reader HCs - Struggling With PMDD

Warnings: Mention of PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) and its symptoms /Hurt/Comfort/Fluff

_______

AC: I'm using Techs Part first to introduce PMDD and its symptoms to those who might not know what it is. So don't be surprised about Tech's Part being longer than the others, there is a lot of information in there. So please read Tech's part, to understand what this is all about 😊

_______

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

_______

Tech

The first experiences he has with you in this context are frightening for him. Apart from the fact that you suddenly seem like a completely different person to him, he is really worried about you. But Tech wouldn't be Tech if he didn't get to the bottom of this.

It takes him a little while to find the right material.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a much more severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It may affect women of childbearing age. It’s a severe and chronic medical condition that needs attention and treatment. Lifestyle changes and sometimes medicines can help manage symptoms.

The exact cause of PMDD is not known. It may be an abnormal reaction to normal hormone changes that happen with each menstrual cycle. The hormone changes can cause a serotonin deficiency. Serotonin is a substance found naturally in the brain and intestines that narrows blood vessels and can affect mood and cause physical symptoms.

What are the risk factors for PMDD?

While any woman can develop PMDD, the following may be at increased risk:

Women with a family history of PMS or PMDD  

Women with a personal or family history of depression, postpartum depression, or other mood disorders

Other possible risk factors include lower education and cigarette smoking

Talk with your healthcare provider for more information.

"Healthcare provider?" he mumbles softly between reading, "As if any of us have such a thing"

Symptoms of PMDD appear during the week before menstruation and end within a few days after your period starts. These symptoms disrupt daily living tasks. Symptoms of PMDD are so severe that women have trouble functioning at home, at work, and in relationships during this time. This is markedly different than other times during the month.

There is a chart with symptoms and he worriedly starts to read it.

The following are the most common symptoms of PMDD:

Psychological symptoms

Irritability

Nervousness

Lack of control

Agitation

Anger

Insomnia

Difficulty in concentrating

Depression

Severe fatigue

Anxiety

Confusion

Forgetfulness

Poor self-image

Paranoia

Emotional sensitivity

Crying spells

Moodiness

Trouble sleeping

Fluid retention

Swelling of the ankles, hands, and feet

Periodic weight gain

Diminished urine output

Breast fullness and pain

Respiratory problems

Allergies

Infections

Eye complaints

Vision changes

Eye infection

Gastrointestinal symptoms

Abdominal cramps

Bloating

Constipation

Nausea

Vomiting

Pelvic heaviness or pressure

Backache

Skin problems

Acne

Skin inflammation with itching

Aggravation of other skin disorders, including cold sores

Neurologic and vascular symptoms

Headache

Dizziness

Fainting

Numbness, prickling, tingling, or heightened sensitivity of arms and/or legs

Easy bruising

Heart palpitations

Muscle spasms

Other

Decreased coordination

Painful menstruation

Diminished sex drive

Appetite changes

Food cravings

Hot flashes

His brows are drawn together critically. With a heavy sigh, he says quietly to himself, "Oh boy…"

Tech makes it his business to see that you are examined by a proper doctor, given appropriate medication, and change your diet. He sometimes seems stern and matter-of-fact, but only when he notices you neglecting yourself. Tech also pampers you to counteract the psychological symptoms, with picnics, massages and the like.

Don't worry too much, Tech's got your back. He won't give up on you.

Hunter

His senses already tell him what connections exist with your condition. But of course he is not a doctor and therefore informs himself accordingly without your knowledge, Tech helps him. What he learns frightens him, Hunter is really worried, and he makes it his mission to make this time, these symptoms, easier for you. Apart from making sure you always have the medication you need at hand, he is also much more attentive and caring than usual during this time.

You can let yourself go and not have to worry about anything, Hunter takes everything in hand and has it under control. He is especially gentle and forgiving with you during this time. You mean a lot to him, and he does his absolute best to help you.

He doesn't argue with you when you get your moods, if you want to be alone he respects that, but keeps an eye on you from a safe distance, just in case.

Echo

This sweet man really throws himself into the task of helping you. Whether it's getting your medications, preparing food, massages, and running relaxing baths, Echo has it all covered.

With him by your side, you will want for nothing during this difficult time. He is also not easily scared away, he is as patient as he is stubborn. You don't have to go to the doctor alone, Echo will accompany you.

He organizes your medication, your diet and everything else you need, if you want. If you don't, you must tell him clearly, because Echo will automatically see his task in taking care of everything.

Wrecker

He is warm, and lively. Contrary to the expectations of most, he is also very sensitive and attentive. Of course, he does not miss the fact that something is wrong with you. Of course, he is worried and wants to help.

Talk to him honestly, try not to withdraw, and you will have a steadfast supporter and caretaker in Wrecker. He likes to spoil you, make sure you are taken care of and have your medication.

Wrecker is happy to adapt to you, you just need to communicate with him and let him know what you need. Taking care of you is very easy for him, he likes to do that. Knowing that he can make things easier for you is also good for him in this situation. So confide in him, there is absolutely no reason to pretend in front of him.

Crosshair

He is a bit more complicated at first. Of course, you are incredibly important to him, and he also has a certain empathy, but he often stands in his own way when it comes to emotional, interpersonal things.

At first, he can't really deal with it at all and is looking for some distance at this time. But in a small conversation between brothers, in which Hunter makes it clear to him that his behavior sooner or later can seriously damage your relationship, Crosshair first informs himself more precisely about the existing problem. Finally, he approaches you with the knowledge he has gathered and tries to discuss with you what you can do together as a couple, what he can do as your partner to make the whole thing easier for you.

You talk about medications, doctor visits, relaxation techniques, and home remedies to combat some symptoms. It doesn't take long for the two of you to work out a certain routine that you can both manage and that he can use to help you get through this time okay.

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

@padawancat97

@agenteliix

@allsystemsblue

@palliateclaw

@either-madness-or-brilliance

@ortizshinkaroff

@andy-solo1

@hunterssecretrecipe

@heyitsaloy

@greaser-wolf

@extrahotpixels

@hated-by-me

@hunterxcrosshair

@malicemercy

@bebopsworld

@echos-girlfriend

@cpnt616

@dangraccoon

@jediknightjana

@pb-jellybeans

@antishadow2021

@sleepycreativewriter

@projectdreamwalker

@1vlouds

[inkmage13]

Happy disability pride month.

My posts have negative reach, but for anyone who is struggling with their medical conditions or still seeking diagnoses: it gets better.

This week I was asked to rate my pain on their stupid 1-10 scale and I said 3. Years ago when I was in pain with no diagnosis or treatment, I had said 8.

It took me four years of constant pain to get diagnosis and treatment for my chronic pain condition. It took my whole life to be diagnosed with HSD. After 10 years of abdominal pain, I am finally having surgery this month.

Even though it takes way too fucking long, you will get a diagnosis and treatment. Someday your pain will be lessened and you will get that medication or that surgery that will change your life.

It will get better. Don't give up hope.

[lesbianfeminists]

From heart disease to IUDs: How doctors dismiss women’s pain

Several studies support the claim that gender bias in medicine routinely leads to a denial of pain relief for female patients for a range of health conditions

One woman was told she was being “dramatic” when she pleaded for a brain scan after suffering months of headaches and pounding in her ears. It turned out she had a brain tumor. Another was ignored as she cried out in pain during a 33-hour labor. She was supposed to be getting pain medication through her epidural, but it had fallen out. Dozens of women complained of torturous pain as their vaginal walls were punctured during an egg retrieval process. They were told their pain was normal, but, in actuality, they were getting saline instead of anesthesia. These are just some of the stories of women who say their pain and suffering has been dismissed or misdiagnosed by doctors. Although these are anecdotal reports, a number of studies support the claim that women in pain often are not taken as seriously as men.

This year, the Journal of the American Heart Association reported that women who visited emergency departments with chest pain waited 29 percent longer than men to be evaluated for possible heart attacks. An analysis of 981 emergency room visits showed that women with acute abdominal pain were up to 25 percent less likely than their male counterparts to be treated with powerful opioid painkillers. Another study showed that middle-aged women with chest pain and other symptoms of heart disease were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness compared with men who had the same symptoms. “I was told I knew too much, that I was working too hard, that I was stressed out, that I was anxious,” said Ilene Ruhoy, a 53-year-old neurologist from Seattle, who had head pain and pounding in her ears. Despite having a medical degree, Ruhoy said she struggled to get doctors to order a brain scan. By the time she got it in 2015, a tennis ball-sized tumor was pushing her brain to one side. She needed surgery, but first, she rushed home, hugged her 11-year-old daughter and wrote her a letter to tell her goodbye.

Ruhoy did not die on the operating table, but her tumor had grown so large it could not be entirely removed. Now, she has several smaller tumors that require radiation treatment. She said many of her female patients have had experiences similar to hers. “They’re not validated with regards to their concerns; they’re gaslit; they’re not understood,” she said. “They feel like no one is listening to them.”

Doubts about women’s pain can affect treatment for a wide range of health issues, including heart problems, stroke, reproductive health, chronic illnesses, adolescent pain and physical pain, among other things, studies show. Research also suggests that women are more sensitive to pain than men and are more likely to express it, so their pain is often seen as an overreaction rather than a reality, said Roger Fillingim, director of the Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence at the University of Florida. Fillingim, who co-wrote a review article on sex differences in pain, said there are many possible explanations, including hormones, genetics and even social factors such as gender roles. Regardless, he said, “you treat the pain that the patient has, not the pain that you think the patient should have.”

Women say reproductive health complaints are commonly ignored

Women often cite pain bias around areas of reproductive health, including endometriosis, labor pain and insertion of an intrauterine device, or IUD. When Molly Hill made an appointment at a Connecticut clinic in 2017 to get an IUD, she said she was warned it would be uncomfortable, but she was not prepared for “horrific” pain. Hill, now 27 and living in San Francisco, recalled that during the procedure, she began crying in pain and shouted at the doctor to stop. “We’re almost done,” she said the doctor told her and continued the procedure. “It was full-body, electrifying, knife-stabbing pain,” she said. After it was done, she said she lay sobbing on the table in physical and emotional pain. “It felt violating, too, to have that pain that deep in your core where you feel the most vulnerable.”

Studies consistently show that women who have not experienced vaginal birth have much higher pain during IUD insertion compared with women who have given birth. A Swedish study found that among 224 women who had not given birth, 89 percent reported moderate or severe pain. One in six of the women said the pain was severe. Although numbing agents and local anesthetics are available, they are rarely used.

In some cases, women have sued physicians for ignoring their pain. Dozens of women sued Yale University claiming that during an egg harvesting procedure at its infertility clinic, they were supposed to be receiving the powerful painkiller fentanyl. But some women were getting only diluted pain medication or none at all, according to lawsuits filed in the state Superior Court in Connecticut. Later, the clinic discovered a nurse had been stealing vials of fentanyl and replacing the painkiller with saline solution. The nurse pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced for tampering with the drugs. One of the plaintiffs, Laura Czar, wrote about her experience for Elle magazine, describing it as “a horrible, gut-wrenching pain,” and told a doctor at the time, “I can feel everything you’re doing.” Despite her protests, the doctor continued. Yale said in a statement that it “deeply regrets” the women’s distress and has “reviewed its procedures and made changes to further oversight of pain control and controlled substances.”

Racial disparities in pain management

For Sharee Turpin, the pain of sickle-cell disease sometimes feels like tiny knives slicing her open. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that can cause suffering so severe, its attacks are called “pain crises.” But when Turpin, who is Black, experiences a pain crisis, the 34-year-old does not rush to the ER in Rochester, N.Y. Instead, she combs her hair, mists some perfume and slips on her “Sunday best” in hopes that the doctors and nurses won’t peg her as a drug seeker, she said. Sometimes, Turpin gets a care team that understands her pain. Other times, she is treated as a bother. “I’ve even been told ‘shut up’ by a nurse because I was screaming too loud while I was in pain,” she said.

Abundant research shows racial bias in pain treatment. A 2016 study found half of white medical students and residents held at least one false belief about biological differences between Blacks and Whites, and were more likely to underestimate Black patients’ pain. “The management of pain is one of the largest disparities that we see between Black people and White people in the American health-care system,” said Tina Sacks, an associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley and author of “Invisible Visits: Black Middle-Class Women in the American Healthcare System.”

Labeling women “hysterical” or blaming psychological causes

Research shows men in chronic pain tend to be regarded as “stoic” while women are more likely to be considered “emotional” and “hysterical” and accused of “fabricating the pain.” Carol Klay, a 68-year-old from Tampa, had endured years of chronic pain from arthritis, degenerative disk disease and spinal stenosis. During a hospital stay last year, her doctor noted in her medical record that she was crying “hysterically.” Klay said she was crying because she was unable to sit, stand or walk without agony, and the doctor had removed morphine from her cocktail of pain medications. She wonders whether the doctor “would have called me hysterical if I was a man,” she said. Tampa General Hospital said it could not discuss specific patients, but stated: “Patient treatment plans, including medication orders to reduce pain, are prescribed by multi-disciplinary clinical teams.” Research shows women’s physical pain is also often attributed to psychological causes.

Jan Maderios, a 72-year-old Air Force veteran from Chipley, Fla., said the trauma of having pain dismissed by doctors has stayed with her for years. She saw about a dozen doctors in the early 1970s for pelvic pain. When clinicians could not identify the cause of her pain, she was referred to a psychiatrist.

“You start to doubt yourself after so many medical experts tell you there’s nothing wrong with you,” she said. After a hysterectomy in 1976, Maderios learned that fibroid tumors in her uterus had been the source of her pain. She said learning her pain was real — and physical — “made all the difference in the world.”

Why women’s pain complaints often aren’t taken seriously

During a 33-hour labor with her first child in 2011, Anushay Hossain, 42, of D.C., opted for epidural pain relief but said she still felt it all — every contraction, every cramp and every dismissal of her pain by her medical team. The doctor reassured her that she was getting the maximum dosage of pain medication.

In fact, she wasn’t getting any at all. She said her epidural had slipped out. By the time the error was caught, she was shaking uncontrollably and in need of an emergency Caesarean section, she said. “There’s a pain gap, but there’s also a credibility gap,” said Hossain, author of “The Pain Gap: How Sexism and Racism in Healthcare Kill Women.” “Women are not believed about their bodies —period.”

This pain gap may stem, in part, from the fact that women have historically been excluded from medical research. It wasn’t until 2016 that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) required sex to be considered as a biological variable in most studies it funded. “We’re making progress,” said David Thomas, special adviser to the director of NIH’s Office of Research on Women’s Health. “But we do have a long way to go because there’s this whole institutional approach to doing research — pain and beyond — where it tends to be male-focused.”

Nearly 95 percent of U.S. medical school students said instruction on sex and gender differences in medicine should be included in curriculums, according to a 2015 survey. But only 43 percent said their curriculum had helped them understand those differences and only 34.5 percent said they felt prepared to manage them in a health-care setting.

“It is changing, but it’s changing very slowly,” said Janice Werbinski, immediate past president of the American Medical Women’s Association and chair of the mentorship committee of the association’s Sex and Gender Health Collaborative.

How women can advocate for better pain care

It took decades to solve the mystery of Maureen Woods’s chronic pain. Woods, 64, of Myersville, Md., started having joint pain in her teens and, over the years, told dozens of doctors her pain was “debilitating,” she said. Some told her it was all in her head. In 2017, she was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder often causing loose joints, dislocations and chronic pain. She said women who are not being heard should keep advocating for themselves. “You have to go with your gut — something is wrong and I need to find a doctor who can figure it out,” she said. Marjorie Jenkins, dean of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, urged women against feeling pressured to accept an “everything is normal” non-diagnosis. “If your provider does not appear to be listening to you or believing what you’re saying, then you need a new provider,” Jenkins said. “You are the client, you are the customer and you are the owner of your health.”

Women can also take a family member, friend or other support person who can corroborate their stories, said Alyson McGregor, an emergency medicine professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville and author of the book “Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health and What We Can Do About It.” Particularly in emergency departments, she said, there can be an inherent bias. “There’s this assumption that women are emotional and they’re anxious and that that’s the main issue,” she said.

[cartoonscientist]

really close to making a Your Fave Has Digestive Illness sideblog because maybe society would call me "insane" or "literally the joker" but I think people who live with crippling, white knuckle abdominal pain day to day deserve one positivity blog that isn't weirdly mean-spirited and self consciously ironic about making shit jokes, just as a treat

bc like idk I'm kind of getting sick of the vibe online that people whose chronic illness involves vomit or bathroom stuff have to constantly make fun of themselves in order to be palatable to able-bodied people

maybe I don't think my health problems are hilarious! maybe I think it's fucked up that I know exactly what coffee ground puke looks like because I've had to identify it and seek medical treatment multiple times. maybe it impacts my self esteem sometimes that I sometimes have to wear incontinence aids as a young adult. maybe I'm sick of doctors abusing and neglecting me and not taking me seriously because they mentally connect my symptoms with obese and elderly people and their contempt for those populations spills over onto me and I want like a cute hurt/comfort fic or silly meme once in a while that isn't reminding me that everyone thinks of my pain as a joke.

but yeah it would have tags for GERD, IBS, gastroparesis, ulcers, etc. and possibly eating/feeding disorders since our communities seem to overlap a lot

(ALSO I feel like if you've had doctors put a camera into your body for like an hour you have the license to define your illness experience however you want, but that's just me)

[wishful-seeker]

The only doctors that have my respect are ones that continue treatment even if they don't know why it works.

For example i have chronic nausea and vomiting. I throw up everyday, multiple times a day. My stomach doctor has no idea why and nausea meds DO NOT TOUCH IT. Went to the er for it and they gave me meds that coat my stomach. Its used for stomach ulcers, but for some reason it stopped my nausea and vomiting completely. Its resolved now as long as i take this.

I tell my stomach doctor this and he makes it a regular prescription of mine. He says he doesn't know why its helping but he "will never stop trying to make me better." (🥺) and if it works thats all that matters.

I also told him about the dietitian that tried to make me diet without ever seeing or speaking to me during a time where if i followed their advice id be in the hospital because i was constantly vomiting and they told me to eat LESS. When i called the dietitian to file a complaint for putting me in danger they lied and said my stomach doctor told me to diet, even though in the past he has specifically told me not to diet because of my issues, and i have physical proof it wasn't him. They then started denying my calls. Told all of this to my stomach doctor and he said he would personally call them and tell them not to do that ever again.

He says hes sorry he's been unable to help my health very much, but he says its not from a lack of trying, this is when he said the quote above about never giving up on me. This leads me to talk about how most doctors treat me horribly, and i've come to seriously hate every doctor i know besides him and my pain doctor. Ive had countless doctors see me once or twice, not know what to do, than refuse to ever see me again and give me no referls or guide for what to do next. I explain that when doctors don't know how to fix me, they get angry AT ME and are incredibly rude to me. I also told him that the urologist literally said he didn't care i was vomiting everyday. Stomach doc thinks all of this is horrible and a ridiculous way to treat a patient. Says something like "doctors are weirdos, when we can't figure out whats wrong it frustrates us, but thats no reason to treat you this way."

I've known this doc since i was 14, he removed my gallbladder after 2 years of undiagnosed severe abdominal pain and i figured out what was wrong. And this dude treats me like fucking FAMILY. When he comes into the room he shakes my dads and, and instead of shaking my hand he gently puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a little squeeze. When he went to leave the room he shook my dads hand, i held out my hand for a handshake, which he gave, but he was aiming to give me a hug! And he gave me one!

Lastly, i have a heat sock i have to bring everywhere. Its rice in a sock that i heat in the microwave. I literally need it on my knees 24/7. Because of this is gets a little burnt and what used to be a white sock is now a very dirty looking brown. Its not actually dirty but it looks gross. Doc says something like "i know what to get you for your birthday! A new sock, because that one is gross." Lmaoooo

I really love this dude and you will probably never hear me say that about another doctor ever.

He listens to me, respects me, and ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT ME. I have never met a doctor that genuinely cared for me as a person, not a patient. My pain doctor cares, but he doesn't know me well or treat me like im his niece or something. This dude legit treats me like a member of his family, which i can tell you thats every disabled persons dream: a doctor who actually cares about them.

This dude is the goat.

[cannabiscomrade]

great allergy post btw!!

I think its easy to say good allergies aren’t that bad because they’re avoidable and the symptoms aren’t really chronic in the same sense that typical disabilities are. But my god the social effects! Having to bring your own food everywhere and be mindful about traveling and plane rides constantly is really draining after a while, especially with very common allergens like gluten or meat or egg. Like it’s crazy to me that most people can just eat whatever (like random food trucks in particular because damn I wish) because I’ve never gotten to do that

also the comorbidities! asthma alone accounts for a long term impact of allergen exposure.

people do not care to understand the severity of anaphylaxis and I've even been in first aid trainings where all they did was pass the Epi-Pen trainer around. a certain popular public charter [R.E.D.A.C.T.E.D] doesn't even mandate allergy certification through the first aid/cpr provider they choose. (a majority of first aid/cpr courses I've taken are phenomenal with allergy training fwiw)

ANYWAYS here are the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and what to do if you or someone is experiencing them!

If you or someone you know is experiencing anaphylaxis, call emergency services immediately. Do not delay care. If you're unsure, call anyways. Symptoms can be rapid or within 2 hours of exposure.

Do not delay care after administering epinephrine (Epi-Pen, Adrenaclick, Auvi-Q, etc), it is only temporary, hospital care is necessary.

Do not assume that someone with an allergy has an epinephrine injector, especially in places where you have to pay for healthcare.

If someone goes unresponsive and is not breathing during an allergic reaction, start CPR (adult | child+infant) immediately.

Image description: an infographic from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team titled "SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ANAPHYLAXIS"

Anaphylaxis (an-a-fi-LAK-sis) is a serious allergic reaction that comes on quickly and has the potential to become life-threatening. The most common anaphylactic reactions are to foods, venom, medications, and latex. Anaphylaxis signs and symptoms that may occur alone or in any combination after exposure to an allergen include:

MOUTH: itching, tingling, swelling of the lips/tongue/palate (roof of the mouth)

THROAT: hoarseness, tightening of throat, difficulty swallowing, hacking cough, stridor (a loud, high-pitched sound when breathing in)

LUNGS: shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest pain, tightness

GUT: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

CNS/BRAIN: anxiety, panic, sense of doom

EYES/NOSE: runny nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, watery red eyes, itchy eyes, swollen eyes SKIN: hives or other rash, redness/flushing, itching, swelling

CIRCULATION/HEART: chest pain, low blood pressure, weak pulse, shock, pale blue color, dizziness or fainting, lethargy (lack of energy)

Symptoms involving the throat, lungs, and circulation/heart are marked with asterisks, indicating immediate and potential life-threatening symptoms.

Consult with a board-certified allergist for an accurate diagnosis and management plan.

Although the majority of individuals experiencing anaphylaxis have skin symptoms, some of the most severe cases have no rash, hives, swelling

EPINEPHRINE is the first-line of treatment for anaphylaxis Antihistamines, inhalers, & other treatments should only be used as secondary treatment. Always carry two epinephrine auto-injectors at all times.

When you, or someone you know, begin to experience symptoms, CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY!

FAACT Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team

AWARENESS • ADVOCACY • EDUCATION www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org

(513) 342-1293 Fax (513) 342-1239

P.O. Box 511 West Chester, OH 45071 info@FoodAllergyAwareness.org

[end ID]

[courtana]

Today is my birthday!

In honor of my birthday, please consider donating to Gaza Wound Care!

Here is a description pulled from Gaza Wound Care's GFM page!

Hi everyone ,we are a group of doctors work here in the middle of Gaza ( An Nusirat) in our medical tents , we provide a medical treatment to homeless people whose lost there house in this terrible war including at least 400 child and 450 pregnant woman , camping now in a simple , we provide treatment for the displaced and war-wounded despite the scarcity of medical supplies and medicines. Since we was born, we have witnessed 8 wars and seen a lot of suffering and fear, the suffering of refugees and displaced people, and those who fought the war and lost a lot, so we decided to work in a refugee shelter and help people. Any contribution, regardless of its size, will have a major role in saving the life of a sick or injured person. Every contribution will make a big difference in saving the life of a sick child, saving the life of a woman, and saving the life of an elderly person suffering from chronic diseases. So, out of kindness and humanity, and not just a request, we hope for your help. This financial assistance is not only material, but is a vital path that enables us to continue providing services and restore normal life in these difficult times.

Here is a video of Dr. Ibrahim and Dr. Mahmoud in Gaza introducing themselves:

One of their recent campaign was an lice awareness and treatment campaign:

Their latest campaign has been to address the spread of yellowing of the eye, abdominal pain and diarrhea among the displaced in Gaza.

From this point of view, we carried out an awareness campaign for mothers In the camp and providing advice and instructions to prevent spreading more broadly and to reduce risks, and doctors have assured people that the main reason for the spread of the disease is the lack of hygiene in the public bathrooms and contaminated food and drinks,and that is why we distributed detergents to the bathrooms in the camps and we told the people In the camp that we will provide them with detergents, periodically and almost continuously, in the camp from time to time.

One of their colleagues, Dr. Loay, is asking for support for his family through GoFundMe donations, too. He's very low in funds, having only received 25 donations so far:

[maaarine]

Getting past ‘it’s IBS’ (Xi Chen, Aeon, June 04 2024)

"In the late 1980s, aged 12, Taryn was taken to her doctor’s office with cramping, bloating, and constipation after eating, and was told that she had ‘a nervous stomach’.

As a white girl growing up in New Jersey, she met a stereotype, and when initial bloodwork and imaging was negative for evidence of a ‘real’, or organic disease in her gut, one of Taryn’s doctors began writing in her charts that she had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a misdiagnosis that would follow Taryn for life.

At the time, IBS was considered by many to be a medically unexplained and therefore controversial illness, keeping company with conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

As a result, it carried the stigma of being a psychosomatic illness, caused primarily by stress and anxiety, and Taryn was sent home with prescriptions for diet and exercise. (…)

Today, unlike in the 1990s, it is well established that conditions like IBS, collectively known as disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs), are real diseases that disrupt the communication between the nervous system of the brain and spine, and the nervous system of the intestines.

First mentioned in the book The Irritable Gut (1979) by the gastroenterologist W Grant Thompson, the conditions were labelled ‘functional’ disorders – characterised not by structural damage to the hardware of the gut, but by a glitch in its ‘software’, in other words, its nervous system, charged with processing, receiving or relaying information coming in or going out.

Software is not as easily observed as hardware, however, and much of academic medicine views the mind and the body as two separate and distinct entities, a viewpoint called mind-body dualism.

Over time, and despite the more nuanced meaning intended by Thompson, the term ‘functional’ became associated exclusively with disorders of the mind.

This is part of the reason why there is still stigma against conditions like IBS, and why attempts to establish diagnostic criteria for IBS in particular suffered from vagueness. (…)

When academics read that IBS patients have higher rates of anxiety and depression, or that antidepressants are a treatment for IBS, many assume that this is because psychiatric symptoms cause symptoms of IBS without considering the inverse, that chronic undiagnosed abdominal pain predisposes patients to having mood disorders.

The real reason these drugs are effective, however, is that, in utero, the precursor cells for our gut and our brain actually share the same nervous system, and only later separate in embryonic development.

As a result, the two nervous systems utilise the same neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, to send messages between neurons.

This is why we sometimes feel butterflies in our stomach when we’re nervous, and why stress and anxiety often worsen symptoms of IBS, but do not necessarily cause it.

As Brown’s quote above implies, the stereotype of the anxious patient in pain applies not only to IBS but all patients who present to clinics with vague abdominal distress (including those with non-gastrointestinal conditions like endometriosis, who experience delayed diagnosis because providers take women’s pain less seriously than men’s).

A classic example is peptic ulcer disease, a cause of severe abdominal pain that for decades was denounced as a psychosomatic illness until Barry Marshall and Robin Warren discovered in 1983 that it was caused by a species of bacteria.

Before their findings, peptic ulcers were managed with diet and, frequently, surgery, when what patients needed were antibiotics. (…)

In my opinion, the root of the problem is medical education itself.

Unless a medical trainee becomes a gastroenterologist, it is unlikely that they will receive any specialised education in IBS, let alone the history of IBS research proving it to be an organic condition, despite 40 per cent of the general population having functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Partly, this is because a majority of medical education in countries including the US, the UK and Canada takes place in academic centres associated with hospitals, where medical students will probably never encounter a patient for whom their IBS symptoms are the primary reason for them appearing in the emergency room, and especially not for their admission to the hospital itself.

As a consequence, medical students also don’t get their knowledge of IBS tested by board examinations.

This speaks to the fact that, echoing Osler, IBS generally doesn’t kill patients, and our current healthcare system values measures of mortality and cure in response to acute complaints more than quality of life and the management of suffering from chronic issues such as IBS.

The same could be said about long COVID (which, to this day, is sometimes challenged as illegitimate) and chronic fatigue syndrome, where sufferers are often sent off to a psychiatrist for care.

The thinking is that these ongoing problems, where there is no mainstream route for testing and treatment, are not as important for medical students to know about compared with, say, a patient crashing after a cardiac arrest, even though most of the global disease burden across the developed and the developing world is caused by chronic, not acute, illness. (…)

These demographic patterns don’t explain who really has the disease – they just reveal medical and social bias and entrenched stereotypes: women are perceived as hysterical and diagnosis-seeking, while men are stoic and avoidant, for instance; or white women are thought to tolerate less pain than people of colour.

None of this, in reality, is true – but it is part of the reason why so many patients assume that what they suffer from won’t be justified by the presence of organic disease and therefore doesn’t warrant a doctor’s visit in the first place.

Such patients, treated so poorly within the medical mainstream, now have a community and identity of their own in the Wild West of alternative medicine that flourishes online.

Such groups, seeking to empower themselves and especially hoping to get well, today stand at loggerheads with the practices and physicians they have left behind.

Some accuse their former doctors of gaslighting them, and they deserve to be heard.

Much of what I have discussed regarding misdiagnoses of IBS assumes that healthcare providers, even when in error, always have good intentions and are sincere about using the diagnosis to clarify the patient’s medical case.

There were several elements of Taryn’s story, however, and in my own experiences of how DGBIs are taught in medical school, that make it difficult for me to believe that this assumption holds in most doctor visits.

Although one could argue that the blasé diagnoses of IBS and disordered eating for Taryn could be down to simple carelessness and negligence, honest errors, or someone being ‘just a bad doctor’, it’s obvious to me that a pattern was developing with Taryn’s interactions with different providers who weren’t taking her lived experience itself seriously, just as I had stopped taking my own experiences seriously.

What holds our stories together, I believe, is this phenomenon where both of our perceptions of our own ability to know what’s true or not were put into question."

[whydidoth]

Thinking about one of those soulmate aus where the pair experiences each other's pain from a medical perspective and how much that would screw up diagnosis and seeking treatment to begin with. Like, if you suddenly start having acute abdominal pain, would you bother going to the ER or would you just assume your soulmate got stabbed in the gut? And people who do genuinely have chronic pain syndromes that lack really obvious outward indicators would be even more likely to be dismissed by doctors because why order a panel to see if there's inflammation in the joints of a young person when occam's razor would suggest it's something the soulmate is experiencing. Would doctors opt to prescribe painkillers that are more associated with neurological/nerve pain like gabapentin since there's no actual injury for normal NSAIDS or acetaminophen to treat? Or would they be even less likely to treat pain since an allonormative perspective might fetishize experiencing pain as a way to be connected to their apparent fated love?