#Colon inflammation

[little-eye-guy]

kind of messed up that everything is connected. my colon has ulcers which means i also have arthritis and psoriasis. i simply think that should not happen

[svasthvida]

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[david-ojcius]

Free article: A subset of NLRs function to mitigate overzealous pro-inflammatory signaling produced by NF-κB activation. Under normal pathophysiologic conditions, proper signaling by these NLRs protect against potential autoimmune responses. These NLRs associate with several different proteins within both the canonical and noncanonical NF-κB signaling pathways to either prevent activation of the pathway or inhibit signal transduction. Inhibition of the NF-κB pathways ultimately dampens the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activation of other downstream pro-inflammatory signaling mechanisms. Dysregulation of these NLRs, including NLRC3, NLRX1, and NLRP12, have been reported in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer patients, suggesting the potential of these NLRs as biomarkers for disease detection. Mouse models deficient in these NLRs also have increased susceptibility to colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer. While current standard of care for IBD patients and FDA-approved therapeutics function to remedy symptoms associated with IBD and chronic inflammation, these negative regulatory NLRs have yet to be explored as potential drug targets. In this review, we describe a comprehensive overview of recent studies that have evaluated the role of NLRC3, NLRX1, and NLRP12 in IBD and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hi, sorry to bother and sorry if this is too much, but I was wondering if you had anything to help write a character dying of an infected gunshot wound? Love ur acc btw 💓

Writing Notes: Infected Gunshot Wound

It will take some time for a gunshot wound to heal.

The length of time depends on the person's health and how serious the wound is.

The bullet may have broken a bone or caused a lot of damage to muscles, organs, or nerves.

The bullet may also have been left in the body because getting it out would have caused the person more harm.

Some signs of infection:

Redness or swelling around the wound

A lot of blood or pus coming from the wound

Foul odor

Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or as directed by provider

It's normal to feel some stress and anxiety after a traumatic event like a gunshot wound. You may write about your character feeling anxious, angry, or depressed or having trouble sleeping or focusing. The following may also occur.

Wound continues to bleed even after putting direct pressure on it

For chest, back, or abdomen wounds:

Shortness of breath

Painful breathing

Back or abdomen pain that gets worse

Weakness

Dizziness or fainting

Redness, swelling, or fluid leaking from your wound that gets worse

Pain that gets worse

Symptoms that don’t get better, or get worse

New symptoms

Signs of Wound Infection

Pus: Medical professionals manage healthy drainage with regular dressings. But cloudy, yellowish drainage or purulent discharge with a pungent or foul odor accompanied with swelling and elevated pain is a sign of an infected wound.

Pimple: When a pimple-like crust forms on an injury, it indicates an infection. This pimple increases in size over time.

Soft Scab: While it is normal to have slightly pink or reddish skin around the injury, a scab that constantly increases in size over time could indicate an infection.

Red Area: In the initial stages, wounds appear red due to the natural healing process. But if the red area around the injured site continues to increase even after 4-5 days of an injury, it is a telltale sign of an infected wound.

Red Streak: If a red streak starts forming from the injured site towards the heart, it could be lymphangitis (inflammation of the lymphatic system). This underlying infection requires immediate medical attention.

More Pain: Normally, the pain subsides a few days after an injury or wound. Long-lasting or elevated pain even after a few days is a symptom of an infected site.

More Swelling: Similar to redness around the wound, swelling in the affected area indicates that the body’s immune system is working. But if the swelling continues even after 3-5 days, with no signs of it reducing, it indicates an infection.

Swollen Node: Generally, swollen lymph nodes indicate that a body’s immune system is fighting an illness. But the formation of a large and tender node near the injured site could be a sign of an infected wound.

Fever: After an injury or surgery, it is normal for a patient to run a low-grade fever. However, persistent high-grade fever coupled with decreased appetite and body ache is a sign of infection.

An intermediate velocity (muzzle velocity 350-650 meters per second or 1,200-2,000 feet per second) and a high velocity (muzzle velocity >600 meters per second or >2,000 feet per second) gun shot wounds are more likely to have a high risk of infection.

It has been found that gunshot wounds to the abdomen with associated colonic injuries had a worse outcome with an increased risk of developing wound infections.

Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection. A serious, life-threatening condition. It needs treatment right away to keep it from destroying skin, muscle, and other soft tissues.

The word necrotizing comes from the Greek word "nekros."

It means "corpse" or "dead."

A necrotizing infection causes patches of tissue to die.

These infections are the result of bacteria invading the skin or the tissues under the skin. If untreated, they can cause death in hours.

Fortunately, such infections are very rare. They can quickly spread from the original infection site. So it's important to know the symptoms.

The most common symptoms of a necrotizing soft tissue infection:

Pain that hurts more than you think it should, based on the size of the wound or sore

A wound with a fever (higher than 100.4°F or 38°C) and a rapid heartbeat. This is usually more than 100 beats a minute.

Pain that extends past the edge of the wound or visible infection

Pain, warmth, skin redness, or swelling at a wound, especially if the redness is spreading rapidly and if areas are turning bluish or black

Skin blisters, sometimes with a "crackling" sensation under the skin

Pain from a skin wound that also has signs of a more severe infection, such as chills and fever

Grayish, smelly liquid draining from the wound

A small sore or pus-filled bump that is unusually painful to the touch

An area around the sore that is hot to the touch

A hard time thinking clearly, especially along with one of the other symptoms noted

A lot of sweating, especially with one of the other symptoms noted

Areas of skin at or near a wound that feel numb

A sore that is getting worse quickly, especially if you:

Are obese

Have diabetes

Have a weak immune system from using a steroid regularly

Are on chemotherapy for cancer

Are on dialysis

Have peripheral artery disease

Drink a lot of alcohol

Have poorly controlled HIV/AIDS

People with some of these symptoms are surprised to learn that they have a necrotizing soft tissue infection.

That's because it may not seem to be very severe at first.

But these infections can get worse quickly if they are not aggressively treated.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Here's another reference that includes some mechanisms at work with gunshots. And more information on wounds.

Thanks for this request, this was quite interesting for me to look up—no apologies needed! And thank you for your lovely words, hope this helps with your writing <3

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

Not exactly new news (published in June) but something that's important and a bit underdiscussed.

By Devika Rao

Rare types of cancer are showing up in higher numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic. Doctors suspect that the virus itself may be contributing to the higher cancer rates, despite a solid connection not yet being established. The pandemic may have permanently altered the bodies of those infected, making them more susceptible to cancer. Those affected include people who were otherwise previously healthy.

What do cancer trends look like? Doctors have identified a marked increase in late-stage rarer cancers in people who had otherwise been healthy. Lung, blood and colon cancer, especially, have been rising in younger people. Specifically, medical experts have observed a rise in new cancer patients, multiple patients with multiple cancers, couples and siblings developing cancer within months of each other and cancer patients relapsing after years of remission.

The trend has been particularly noticeable since the Covid-19 pandemic. "This is an observation that has piqued the researchers' and clinicians' interest, that, is there an association with Covid, especially long Covid and cancer?" Dr. Suraj Saggar, chief of infectious disease at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey, said to Fox 5 New York.

Cancer is caused by errors in genetic code within cells. "The human body is made up of trillions of cells in a constant state of growth, repair and death," said The Washington Post. "Most of the time, cells with damaged DNA fix themselves, or simply disappear. Sometimes, they start collecting mistakes in their genetic code and rampage out of control into tumors."

What is more alarming is the prevalence of people suffering from more than one type of cancer. "Having multiple forms of cancer at the same time has also become more prevalent. Cancers typically start in one part of the body and spread," the Post said. "It's rare for discrete cancers to begin in different parts of the body during a short window."

What could be causing the rise? Some scientists posit that the Covid virus itself could be contributing to the higher numbers of cancer diagnoses, especially for those who are suffering from long Covid. "The idea that some viruses can cause or accelerate cancer is hardly new," said the Post. "Scientists have recognized this possibility since the 1960s, and today, researchers estimate 15% to 20% of all cancers worldwide originate from infectious agents such as HPV, Epstein-Barr and hepatitis B."

Because "infection with SARS-CoV-2 occurs in several organs either directly or indirectly, it is expected that cancer stem cells may develop in multiple organs," said a 2023 study published in the journal Biochimie. Lung, colorectal, pancreatic and oral cancer could particularly be exacerbated.

While not officially confirmed, the virus is said to cause full-body inflammation. "Inflammation triggers many genetic changes in a genome that can create a propensity of developing cancer in certain individuals," Dr. Kashyap Patel, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates, said to News Nation. "We are completely under-investigating this virus," Douglas C. Wallace, a geneticist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said to the Post. "The effects of repeatedly getting this throughout our lives is going to be much more significant than people are thinking."

mentioned study: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10202899/?s=09

[snowberrydream]

Stoma gave Käärijä a new life - english translation of an  interview for Finnilco ry 8.5.2023

Translator’s note:

If you’ve been wondering about that scar on Finland’s favorite green boi’s belly …this is about that. (Because why be cha cha cha when you can be sad sad sad and read about how he was like a week away from death at one point in his life. Though I guess it kinda fits the post-ESC depression, really)

Okay, now some actual notes about the text. So, Finnilco is a Finnish organisation for patients with stomas and the like, so the interview talks a lot about medical stuff and is clearly geared towards people with similar health issues. It might not be as ”entertaining” as all the other stuff you might’ve seen about him recently, but I recommend reading it anyways, as I feel it gives a lot of insight to who Käärijä is as a person. It hasn’t always been just crazy and party for him.

There is a lot of medical vocabulary in this, and I’ve done some intense googling and wikipedia-ing to figure out what the correct terms are, but I can only hope they are right. Trying to understand whether things are synonymous with each other or completely different things is kinda hard when you have zero knowledge about the subject. I deeply apologize for any mistakes that might occur.

I’ve also done some minor tweaks to the text (like cut down on repeating his last name in nearly every sentence) for the sake of easier reading, as the style of it is quite academic and ”dry”, but overall I’ve kept as close to the original as I could.

link to the original finnish interview:https://www.finnilco.fi/post/avanne-antoi-k%C3%A4%C3%A4rij%C3%A4lle-uuden-el%C3%A4m%C3%A4n

***

Jere Pöyhönen, known by his artist name Käärijä, is the finnish representative in the Eurovision 2023 Song Contest. The artist, known for his style and energetic live-performances, had his youth shadowed by serious health issues, to which he even almost lost his life.

By his own words Pöyhönen is still just a normal guy. Vantaa-born Pöyhönen was diagnosed with colitis ulcerosa, a type of imflammatory bowel disease, when he was young. As the disease got worse, he had to eventually have an emergency surgery, where he got a temporary stoma. Later the stoma was removed and replaced with a J-pouch (ileo-anal pouch), a reservoir pouch formed from the end of his small intestine.  Currently in good health, he wants to be open about his disease so that he could offer peer support to others battling with the same issues.

- I am truly fine with this, I am not ashamed about it, on the contrary, I want to tell about this to everyone. I hope that by sharing my experience I could help someone else, Pöyhönen says with a smile.

Symptoms lead to an emergency operation

When Pöyhönen was at ninth grade, he was diagnosed with rectal inflammation. The inflammation was treated with suppository and oral medication, and it got better. When he was 18, the symptoms returned. For a year he was on an elimination diet that kept the inflammation under control, but eventually his condition got worse again, and in the end his entire colon got inflamed. Several treatments were attempted, but none worked. At the worst point Pöyhönen weighed only 49 kg, and his hemoglobin was swaying between 54-56.

- I was still somewhat right in the head, though I was feeling dizzy and kept bumping into bathroom doors. It was quite a rough time in every way, he reminisces. He defecated blood multiple times a day and was practically bedridden, his parents had to feed him. But nothing seemed to help. Pöyhönen remembers how his mother was crying by his bedside. Back then he had blood tests done regularly to control his condition, and after one time he got a call and was told that his hemoglobin was so low that he needed to be treated urgently. After the call his dad went to start the car and drove him straight to the hospital.

At the hospital, an emergency surgery awaited. While waiting for his turn he wondered about what would happen to him in the surgery, afraid that he’d need a stoma. At the same time he thought that the most important thing was to stay alive.

- Do whatever you have to, as long as I’ll get better, he remembers thinking before going in. A stoma had been suggested to him already before, but until then he hadn’t been able to accept it and had tried to manage by other means. Afterwards he has been thinking that the fear was due to the issue being so unknown. He didn’t know much about stomas and had never seen anyone with one.

- It was a tough spot. I wondered how the stoma would affect my life and me as a person. How would I look like, what would happen to my sexuality. Those kind of things scared me the most about it, he recalls.

Life as a young person with a stoma

The first thing he did after waking from the surgery was feeling his stomach and the collection bag.

- It was a weird feeling, confusing. But at the same time I felt just immense calmness. The root of the problem, the inflamed colon had been removed entirely. Confusion soon turned into acceptance.

- I wasn’t sad about it for that long, on the contrary. When it sank in that I was still alive, the stoma felt like a pretty small thing, considering everything. It was a happy thing that I had it.

Despite feeling thankful about the stoma, it was still a shock at the beginning.

- When I was taken to get a shower for the first time and I saw it, I nearly fainted, he laughs.

The emergency surgery was lifesaving for Pöyhönen. if it hadn’t been done, the inflammation could’ve spread from his bowel to the rest of the body within weeks, or even days. So Pöyhönen came really close to death, but thanks to the stoma he got to continue living.

– Getting the stoma gave me a second chance. A chance that not everyone gets to have. But if they get it, they should take the offer with a smile.

Pöyhönen tells that he got used to living with the stoma quite quickly. But it required him to adjust his own attitude – he had to accept the situation as it was. Luckily he was able to enjoy life even with the stoma

- When I had it, I did all the same stuff as other people. I did sports, went to restaurants, I truly lived a really ordinary life.

Of course he faced also some difficult times. At the time 18 years old Pöyhönen was in a relationship, and he tells that at first things relating to sexuality felt difficult.

- It was indeed nerve-racking. Overall, you are only starting to try out stuff at that age, and then there is the stoma on top of it all.

But one thing was clear for him already at the time: 

- If the other party in the relationship doesn’t accept your situation or the stoma, then that person isn’t worthy of you.

From stoma to J-pouch

Pöyhönen lived with the stoma for five months until it was replaced with a j-pouch. In the beginning the pouch got clogged, but he didn’t tell about it right away. He was fed up with spending his time in a hospital and wanted to live a normal life. When he finally told about the clogging, the issue was fixed and the difficulties eased.

- I’ve done all the normal stuff. I’ve travelled around the world, done and eaten the same things as everyone else. 

Pöyhönen has had the j-pouch for almost eight years now. He hasn’t had any serious complications, but occasionally there’s been some milder issues.

- Sometimes there’s been minor inflammation or bleeding. Once I went to have an endoscopy after there was more blood and I got frightened. Old fears about how things were in the past rose to the surface, Pöyhönen tells.

Overall he is feeling positive about everything.

– At the moment I’m really contented with my situation, and I wouldn’t change anything. I wouldn’t even want that colon back, as this all has become a part of my identity, he says.

 Music as a part of life

Music has always meant a lot for Jere Pöyhönen. Yet it wasn’t always obvious that it would turn into a career.

While spending his time in hospitals, listening to music comforted him and gave him hope. Laying in a hospital bed with an IV drip next to him, Pöyhönen also wrote his own songs. If other patients wondered about his doings, he simply answered that he was making music.

During his time in hospital he realized that life might be short. He decided that if he’d be alive and healthy again after the emergency surgery, he’d go and try doing music for real and with everything he had. Of course, at the time he had no idea how far that decision would eventually bring him.

- My values became clearer there in the hospital. I realized what are the things I love and what is truly important for me. One of those things is music, and doing that was what I set my mind on to. 

Pöyhönen tells that he especially enjoys doing live shows, because then he gets to entertain people. He feels he is at his best while performing.

Daily life of an artist

Nowadays health issues don’t cause much trouble in Pöyhönen’s everyday life as an artist, but he still needs to take good care of his body. At gigs he must pay extra attention to what he drinks and eats, when and how much. He is sweating a lot while performing on stage, and to balance that he drinks salt/mineral water. The excitement also affects his bodily functions, and during stressful moments he’ll need to use the bathroom more often. But he tells that he doesn’t really get nervous about doing gigs anymore. 

However, the approaching Eurovision song contest is a kind of gig he has never experienced before. The event is big and the place as well as the proceedings are all new to him. Despite all that, Pöyhönen seems trustful.

- I don’t know how it is going to be like in there, but I don’t think I’ll have any problems. His confidence relies both on his general attitude and that over the years he has learned to know the way his body functions quite precisely. He knows when his energy levels are getting low and when he needs to drink or eat.

 Family’s support has been important

When Pöyhönen was sick, the support from his family was what helped him to keep going. Thanks to his family he has always felt valued and loved.

– The contribution from my parents has been enormous. I will never be able to repay their efforts, other than by being alive.

Pöyhönen tells how his parents gave him their full support while he was sick.

- When I first got diagnosed with the rectal inflammation, they wanted to figure out what could cause it right away. They delved deep into the matter, made phone calls and searched for information from the internet.

His parents drove him to his tests and put their time and money into finding out what was going on. The financial support made it possible that he could have all the different tests done despite them costing a lot.

 Stories from peers bring hope

Though his family and friends have been there for him, they haven’t been able to offer him peer support. When he was sick, Pöyhönen did sometimes feel very alone with his issue.

- I didn’t know anyone else in a similar situation as myself. I didn’t get to talk face to face with peers, he says. He did search for peer stories from internet, but people online were usually anonymous, and though he gained information through it, he was longing for human connection and faces to relate to. Lucky for him, an acquaintance of his was in the hospital at the same time as him due to a similar issue. They became friends and messaged daily through Facebook, asking each other about the number of times they went to bathroom and the like.

 Pöyhönen says that those kind of discussions with a peer were a big help. It was important to hear that someone else was experiencing similar things as him. An ice hockey player Teemu Ramstedt gave him another face to relate to.

– It gave me lot of faith to see someone else with the same stuff going on as me. That an athlete, a hockey player, had been dealing with the same issues, he tells.

Attitude and dreams helping to go forward

While being sick Pöyhönen gained strength from daydreaming and steering his thoughts towards future.

- I kept thinking that at some point I’ll have good moments with my family and friends again. That one day I’ll be healthy and able to feel happy about everything. In the end it was quite simple things that helped, and also humor helped to get through it all. 

Pöyhönen tells that he has been a joker since he was young, and when he was unwell, he also used humor to deal with the difficult things. But there was also something else hidden underneath the jokes.

- Maybe all the joking was also a survival tactic. A way to escape from it all. In the beginning I didn’t want to accept the reality, even though I tried to convince myself that I had done so. 

Pöyhönen tells that the songs he used to listen to while in hospital were difficult to listen to after he got out of there. Also some familiar places would bring up old memories in an unpleasant way.

But in the end, time heals, and years later those same songs are back on his regular playlist. Now they just uplift his mood and push him forward.

 It’s worth it to open up

When Pöyhönen was sick, he didn’t always tell about his symptoms to his parents or the hospital staff right away. One reason that he mentions was shame. At first he himself didn’t want to believe it to be real when he first saw blood down in the toilet.

- But when it happened again, I realized that this might not be something that would just go away. That it might be something more serious that should be taken care of, he recalls.

And to his younger self, or someone else in a similar situation he would give the advice that you should be open about your problems. He also encourages to try and find some peer support, as he himself was left without it for the most part. Though the bit he did get was a big relieving factor..

– When a person suffers from an illness, the most important thing really is that you are mentally in a good condition. If you are feeling down, the healing process will be really hard, he points out.

At the moment he dreams about that he and the people closest to him would stay as healthy as possible. He wishes that he would get to do things he enjoys in his life and to spend time with the people that are important to him. 

To the readers of Finnilco he sends the following message:

– Go forward with humility, but don’t be too meek either. Love yourself, your body and mind. Be well, and if problems arise, react to them right away. Enjoy life and do things that make you happy.

***

[themostefficientwaywithwater]

In Scarlet and Violet, the only thing they tell you about what happened to Arven's mabostiff is that he got severely wounded by a paradox pokémon and that's why his health declined. But we never see an open wound on him, and I always found it strange that pokemon centers can't heal such an injury.

So here's my headcanon: the cause of mabostiff sickness wasn't the injury he received from a paradox, but an infection.

Paradoxes are pokémon from the far, far, far past/future, a period of time with organisms entiretly different that the ones in the current time. That includes pokémon... but also includes microorganisms. Paradoxes sent to the present carry bacteria that are entiretly different to the ones we have, to the ones we made antibiotics for, to the ones we've adapted to. Pokemon from the present thus have no defenses and no drugs that can combat an infection caused by those pathogens. So the consequences of being infected by a past/future pathogen are way, way more dire than catching a common cold or a food intoxication. This was actually used as biological warfare in the past, by colonizers sending contaminated material to insulated societies: because they didn't had contact with the bacteria, they had no defenses to them so they either died or got so sick they had no chance against their conquerors.

So, Mabostiff was hurt by a carrier of a foreign pathogen that modern medicine cannot combat. His only defense is his own innate immune response, which includes inflammation, which is a strong response intended to destroy any pathogen that manages to break through your body natural barriers... but can also prove fatal to the affected, as the increase in body temperature denaturalizes the protein of both pathogens and host. It's, basically, like trying to get rid of a plague of cockroaches by setting your house on fire and then praying that the house lasts more than the cockroaches.

I don't think that herba mystica actually *cured* him, but they certainly did help. Herba mystica seem to be related to Terapagos' crystals, as they only grow in Area Zero or other locations with tera crystals (like crystal caverns in Paldea, Kitakami and BB's Terarium), and the professor confirms that these crystals enhace both machines and living beings. This is why titan pokémon and the loyal tree get stronger after eating herba mystica and mochis respectively (mochis are made with "special herbs", and have the same effect as when titans ate herba mystica, so it's reasonable to think they're it's main ingredient). The herba mystica strengthened Mabostiff the same; it's just, that new strength was used to *survive* it's own immune response, to hang a little bit longer, until it's body finally got rid of the pathogen. This also explains why Mabostiff got into shape right after being cured, instead of spending a few days/weeks recovering: the power of the herba mystica allowed him to survive his infection with minimum damage, and to heal faster.

I guess technically it wasn't necessary that Mabostiff ate all the different herba mystica, that was just misinformation Arven had read (just like spicy herba mystica being able to make you "flush toxins through sweat", that's not how sweat works!), and it can be proven since there's a sixth one (umami?) that Amarys gives you after the indigo disc plot, one that Mabostiff didn't eat, yet he recovered still. It's just a coincidence that each of the titans guarded different flavors (and also a way for the game to teach you about them). Mabostiff just needed to consistently eat them, until his infection was fully gone.

So, TLDR: Arven's mabostiff illness wasn't just because he was injured by a paradox pokemon, but because that wound got infected by a pathogen from the past/future. He got so sick because he had no specific defenses against it, and no cure had been invented yet. Herba mystica didn't cure him, they just enhaced his organism so it could resist a prolongued inespecific immune response, buying him time until his body finally eliminated the pathogens.

[darkmaga-returns]

Story at-a-glance

Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced when gut bacteria ferment dietary fiber, serves as both an energy source for colon cells and an important signaling molecule for immune regulation

By inhibiting histone deacetylases (HDAC) and suppressing the NF-κB pathway, butyrate acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, helping prevent chronic inflammation that contributes to various diseases

Butyrate promotes regulatory T cell development while modulating other immune cells, helping maintain immune tolerance and preventing autoimmune responses while supporting balanced immune function

Butyrate plays a significant role in managing chronic diseases like IBD, multiple sclerosis and Type 2 diabetes by reducing inflammation and supporting gut barrier function

Emerging research suggests that butyrate influences brain health by modulating the gut-brain axis; it reduces neuroinflammation and supports cognitive function, and plays a supporting role in the prevention of neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease and depression

[sicktember]

Hi! I was hoping for clarification on prompt 5 rouge organ! I was guessing it to be swelling/inflammation but I'm unsure

At first I thought it said Rouge organ and was super excited to try to write something like that. It's funny to imagine the organs gaining freewill and trying to escape

Thank you!

It appears that we have misspelled Rogue for Rouge. Because we are human, and autocorrect was utterly useless in this situation. 😬 We will get that fixed.

You've got a great idea going on there! Haha! We love it and it's right in line with what we actually meant!

But in case anyone needs a clarification on what a Rouge Rogue Organ is:

Several organs in the body are considered non-essential. If they become chronically inflamed or damaged they can be removed without causing major hardships on bodily function. We listed a few beside the prompt but there are others: Adnoids, appendix, gall bladder, reproductive organs, one kidney, part of the liver, the spleen, tonsils, and for a stretch- wisdom teeth.

There are other organs you can live without but they would require some medical intervention to replace their function. Like the colon or stomach.

When we chose the prompt Rouge Rogue Organ, what we had in mind was a sick character suffering illness, not because of germs but because one of their own organs had turned against them!

But, as always, feel free to stretch the prompt as far as you'd like! A fic from the Organ's POV sounds fantastic. Reminds us of the Awkward Yeti comics!

[buttfrovski]

pikn eye

Conjunctivitis occurs when the conjunctiva becomes inflamed due to an infection or an irritant. As a result of this inflammation, the blood vessels in the conjunctiva dilate, causing redness or hyperemia, and the conjunctiva can also become swollen.

The inflammation affects the entire conjunctiva, and depending on the cause, discharge may also be present. Bacterial conjunctivitis occurs when the eye's surface tissues are colonized by normal flora like Staphylococci sp., Streptococci, and Corynebacteria. The epithelial covering of the conjunctiva is the primary defense mechanism against infection, and any disruption in this barrier can lead to infection.[39] Secondary defense mechanisms include immune reactions carried out by the tear film immunoglobulins and lysozyme, conjunctival vasculature, and the rinsing action of blinking and lacrimation.

[angelacademy]

Clear skin is more than just skincare: Gut Health

(A science based read)

What you eat is shown through your skin and on body. If your constantly shoving junk down your throat, junk is what will be shown on you. Essentially what you eat is what you are.

Eat bad -> bad skin

Eat good -> good skin

If your constantly breaking out and you feel icky. You need to figure out what is up with your gut health.

Research suggests many skin disorders are linked to an altered or unbalanced gut microbiome.

“When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases.”

“13 Several dermatologic conditions, such as acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea are linked with intestinal dysbiosis. 223 Many studies have associated gastrointestinal health with skin homeostasis and allostasis, and there is evidence of a bidirectional interaction between the gut and the skin.”

Diet, drugs and other consumed substances affect skin through gut microbiome:

“Several studies have related the diversity and pathogenicity of the gut microbiome to skin disorders, which can be significantly altered by long-term dietary patterns. 43,105–107 Diet can affect the skin condition both positively and negatively through alteration of the gut microbiome, indicating that there is a relationship between the skin and the gut. 16 Not only diet, but also many synthetic and natural products consumed by humans as drugs can provide direct and indirect evidence on the connection between gut microbiome and skin.”

High and low fat diet:

“In the gut, a diet high in industrial trans-fatty acids increases the number of harmful microbes (such as Desulfovibrionaceae and Proteobacteria) while suppressing populations of advantageous microorganisms (e.g. members of Bacteroidetes, Lachnospiraceae, and Bacteroidales). 121 Refined and hydrogenated oils (e.g., soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola, corn, and vegetable oils) can cause inflammation in the gut, which then manifests on the skin.”

Industrially produced trans fat can be found in margarine, vegetable shortening, Vanaspati ghee, fried foods, and baked goods such as crackers, biscuits and pies. Baked and fried street and restaurant foods often contain industrially produced trans fat.

Prebiotics:

“133,134 Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, inulin, polydextrose, lactulose, sorbitol, and xylitol are a promising group of compounds that modulate the gut microbiome and can also provide skin benefits.”

“The effect of prebiotics on the skin condition is also obvious. For example, a Lactobacillus extract helps to reduce the size of acne lesions as well as inflammation by reducing skin erythema, improving skin barrier function and lowering the microbial counts on skin.”

types of prebiotics include:

Chicory root

Garlic

Onion

Dandelion greens

Apples

Bananas

Jerusalem artichoke

Asparagus

Probiotics:

“Probiotics can prevent gut colonization by pathogens and support anti-inflammatory responses by producing metabolites with anti-inflammatory properties. The most common probiotic microbes currently in use belong to the genera Bacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Escherichia, Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, and Streptococcus. 143,144 Several beneficial effects of probiotic consumption have been demonstrated on many dermatological conditions, thus proving the existence of the gut-skin axis.”

Common types of probiotics include:

Lactobacillus: This is a common probiotic found in fermented foods, such as yogurt.

Bifidobacterium: This probiotic is found in some dairy products and helps with the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Saccharomyces boulardii: This is a type of yeast found in many probiotics. You can find these probiotics and more in supplements and select foods.

Yogurt

Buttermilk

Cottage cheese

Miso soup

Sauerkraut

Kefir

Kimchi

Tempeh

Protein:

“The proteins from animal-based food sources may have better effects on gut microbiota compared to plant-based food sources due to the higher protein digestibility of animal proteins and the fact that the digestion of plant proteins may be limited by the presence of antinutritional factors found in plants [67]. Animal proteins have more balanced essential amino acids than plant proteins [68,69] and are thus considered higher quality protein.”

“Dairy and meat protein intake at a recommended level increased the abundance of the genus Lactobacillus and maintained a more balanced composition of gut microbiota compared to soy protein, which is beneficial to the host [25,26,28].”

“Your body makes lots of different peptides, each of which has a different role. Scientists can also make synthetic peptides in the lab. Companies have been adding peptides to skin care products for decades.”

High protein foods:

Salmon

Chicken breast

Tuna

Red split lentils

Tofu

Greek yogurt

Fibre:

“Dietary fibre is comprised of plant-based carbohydrates that cannot be metabolised by digestive enzymes encoded in the human genome, such as amylase. Instead, fibre can only be metabolized by certain species of gut microbiota through anaerobic fermentation, with the main product of this reaction being SCFAs.”

“Dietary fibre is a carbohydrate in plant foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes, which have been dominant in human diets for millions of years. From the Paleolithic era, when the hunter-gatherers mainly ate fruit and wild grains, to the agricultural era, when crops began to be cultivated, the ancients consumed more than 100 g of various digestible and indigestible dietary fibre from plants per day [1,2].”

Fibre rich foods:

Chia seeds

Lentils

Broccoli

Avacado

Carrots

Red kidney beans

Raspberries

XOXO

[eternal--returned]

I just woke up to my second day out of the hospital. I went in to the ER with an ulcer flare that had drained my blood and made me weak on 11/6. For 11 days I laid in the hospital bed waiting to see if steroids would get the flare under control. In those days there was zero progress. Eventually they would place a feeding tube down my nose into my stomach. I had it in for three days before I had a vomiting fit and the tube came up with everything else. The 11 days were horrifying in the lack of improvement. I was slowly wasting away in the hopes that the inflammation would finally stop, but since I had lost so much weight and blood and strength we opted finally for surgery. The surgery would be life changing in many ways. They were going to cut me open using the same incision spot I had in February of this same year. That spot had healed so well and I was so proud of it. I was nervous about how the surgery would change parts of my life. They were removing my colon and placing an ileostomy and I would have to wear an ostomy bag that would hang from the right side of my abdomen for an unknown period of time and would some day be reversible. Thinking how that would change what I wear and ideas about what it would be like and how different taking care of that new appendage would be. I also knew the surgery would mean that I very likely will not have to deal with ulcer flares again because the source of it all would be eliminated. I would also eliminate my very rising chances of getting colon cancer at some future point.

The day of surgery brought at least SOMETHING - finally something different to try and to do. As I was wheeled down to the ER in the early afternoon, they were still working on getting the OR ready. I was set in my bed outside against the wall. With a few moments to myself I closed my eyes and felt strongly how much better I was about to feel. It was such a clear certainty that I was immediately buoyed up and I happily greeted all that would be working on me telling them how grateful I felt for how good they were about to make me feel. It brought in good energy and everyone smiled and seemed pleased and excited to get going.

After surgery I did feel immediately better. I knew progress would happen now. But I didn't have any clue that the next couple weeks would try me and break me past limits I had inside myself.

The first problem after surgery was that I just . . . couldn't pee. The simplest thing in the world. Apparently it's a very common occurrence for men post that particular surgery. I was told that if I couldn't pee in 6 hours that they had to ultrasound my bladder to check the fluid level and if I was above a very small amount they would have to cath me. I woke up from surgery with a full catheter installed during surgery. Hurt like a motherfucker when they pulled it out that same day. So my urethra already looks and feels all the way inside scraped and sore and dry. I did NOT want to be cathed again. It terrified me. It felt like such an invasion. I stared to obsess about peeing. I would try to calm myself: to relax my pelvis in different ways, patting my chest with my hand, thinking about being calm and outside in the sunshine, and music. Feel the Flow became the mantra I would repeat over and over in my mind. Then suddenly in a brilliant and funny and just really tender mercy . . . I thought of the song Orinoco Flow by Enya. I was like - omg, I have to make a Pee playlist and that will help me relax and get the message through my body to let it flow man - sail away sail away sail away. I got my playlist made. It ended up being about 3 hours of Enya and like that Return to Innocence song and one of those Gladiator songs and that Adiemus song. That playlist became so important. Enya became so important. I had my nice speaker on with Enya filling the room the whole rest of my stay. The whole time. My spotify stats for the year just got destroyed. I hadn't thought about Enya or listened to her music since high school. I think I had two of her albums, maybe three. I would fall to sleep to them all the time. But I hadn't listened to her in 25 years and suddenly it's all I wanted.

I couldn't pee though. Cathed. So unpleasant and I was getting near to breaking. I was a shaky mess and it took great effort to talk in a voice that sounded so fucking weak and weary. I was frayed. I was also on the clock. 6 hours until they would come check again, and if there was too much fluid, a cathening was coming.

I couldn't calm myself. The Enya stuff was helping, but I could think of nothing else but that soon I would be cathed again if I couldn't pee. I came up with a plan with my nurse. I told her to give me a 20 minute warning before she brought in the ultrasound machine so I could just go try one final time. No luck. No pee. The pleading I did there in that bathroom. I was begging any and every god and ancestor and good feeling in the world to just let me pee. The end of my penis was starting to look so sad and worn. I knew I would break if they cathed me again.

After the second cath I was talking to my nurse. Nurses are absolute angels. What a hard job. What amazingly caring and nurturing people. I had some of the most amazing discussions with my nurses over the three weeks I was there. So my nurse comes in and I'm so obviously just a shaken and terrified mess. She's like - talk to me. I told her I couldn't get cathed again. I was surprised at how I'd lost control of myself when they did it the second time. She told me that if I couldn't pee in the 6 hours that they would have to just go with installing a full cath because cathing me too many times was becoming it's own problem. Freaked me out. She told me I had to figure out some way to acceptance - that it would help me if I could. Help to at least calm me down and steel myself. I spent that 6 hours with the same mantra of feel the flow. I would imagine rivers, water moving, trying to make myself feel like water. I kept trying to move my pelvis in different ways. I couldn't feel a lot of what was even happening down in that area because I was on some pretty powerful pain meds, so it was difficult to figure out what magic button to push, which muscles to constrict or relax. I was moving blind, pleading with my body to release. Suddenly my 20 minute warning came. Back to the bathroom. It took 19 minutes of that 20, but finally, one of the greatest reliefs of my entire existence...I peed! OMG I PEED! I celebrated like it was the greatest achievement I would ever have. Relief flooded me. No full catheter. I called my nurse in immediately and was in tears as I told her and we celebrated together. It was such a good pee party.

My second problem after surgery is that my veins were failing. I was still so dehydrated. There's a saline shortage in America right now. Usually I'd have been on a continuous saline drip via IV my entire stay. I only ever got 2 bags of it and only when it was the most dire. So . . . no fluid in the veins, veins thus were plain worn out. When they would inject anything into my IVs (there were all sorts of medications that were being flushed in all through the day) it would hurt. They had to go so slowly. But I had to get a blood transfusion. My red cell count had dipped past the point they were comfortable with, so we had to get that blood in. And it had to come in at a relatively high speed because it would eventually get too warm. I was very concerned that it would hurt my arm, because just two days earlier they tried an infusion of iron. It was that infusion that ruined the vein on my left arm. We get the blood started and I can tell immediately that eventually it will hurt. I just wanted to see how long I could bear it - hopefully I could just fight through it. Unfortunately that was not to be the case. It began to ache and then burn. I told them we had to stop. I'd had another IV placed in my right arm by the super special ultrasound tech phlebotomist (by the way, my favorite person in the world to have be good at their job is whatever phlebotomist is sticking me). The issue is that it just never really worked. We would use it for small injections, but it just didn't sit right. But we tried it. We get the right side hooked up to the machine and I'm waiting praying that the pain will be bearable enough to get the rest in. But the machine didn't like something about the situation and would refuse to send the drip down.

Shit. Faced with yet another IV placement. I called my nurse in and talked her through my thoughts. I was terrified. She told me they would get the ultrasound tech and that they would get it. She was so confident. I told her we had done that though already on the right arm and that particular IV NEVER worked. So why would it work this time? I told her I'd lost faith in my veins. They were failing. If the last ultrasound stick didn't work, why should I believe it will this time? She was so good to give me the space to talk through all this. She stayed so calm and nonjudgmental. And when I'd gotten my anxieties out, she just said you're gonna have to trust that this is going to work because it's what you need to get better. You know you need this blood, and you know that we have to get that IV placed to make that happen. I did know it. Of course I did. And of course I would tell them to do it and I just focused on being positive and having faith that it would work. I was plagued by concern about if I could maintain my composure during the process. I prayed that they would find a good vein quickly without much digging.

My nurse knew me so well by that point that she came in very prepared. She brought with her the ultrasound tech, and with brilliant foresight, another nurse whose only job was to hold my hand and give me encouragement through the process. It shouldn't be a big deal, right? But again - I'd been there so long. Through so many terrible things that were all so invasive. I was a withered, weak, shaking human who had reached breaking, and I was on the verge of breaking yet again.

And boy did I break. The ultrasound tech started in my left arm. She looked around for awhile. Finally found a spot she seemed confident with. My two nurses had my hands and were saying nice things to me, trying to keep my mind occupied. Tech goes for the stick and . . . keeps digging and digging at my jumping vein. I lost it. Just completely lost myself. I never have heard the sounds I made come out of me before. The uncontrollable moaning and crying from the depths of whatever sorrow that exists inside me that had been pent up over 45 years. My body contorted outside my control. I finally was able to at least get my back back against the bed. Both nurses were using their full weight to hold me down. I wailed. I wailed like a three month old baby wails, with a voice of a 45 year old man. It was a terrible, horrifying sound. I could hardly believe I could cry like that.

The tech had given up on the left arm at my pleading. So she moved to the right. My two nurses were trying to get me to breathe. I was heaving. My chest. Heaving as I cried. I couldn't gain control. But I focused on breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth they said. I was on the verge of hyperventilating because of the huge gulps of air I would bring in. There was so much violence being reacted to by my physical body. I just kept breathing. In through the nose out through the mouth. It was something I could latch on to and focus on. The tech was underway on the right arm. Digging at a jumping vein, but I could tell she was close. I just kept listening to the nurses about breathing. Suddenly I felt the click. Connection. They quickly got the blood going while my two angel nurses tried to calm me. I was still uncontrollably crying, but breathing better. They suddenly asked about music. What's your favorite band? I blurted out Spoon. They laughed. I told them to grab my phone and I played Wild by Spoon - a song which had been one of those hugely inspiration songs I listened to a number of times on my knees in the shower to pump myself up after my previous surgery. And the world, still so wild, called to me / I was lost, I'd been kept on my knees. I would sing that with such conviction in the shower on my knees. The world was certainly calling me and I wanted back at it's wildness badly. The song helped. It played twice. By the second time I was just able to moan sing the chorus. It felt good. I knew I needed to change to Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space. I told them to get me my phone. I get it going, turn it all the way up, and let the song wash over me as I continued to whimper as I slowly steadied my breathing. By the time the song started for the third time, I was ready to moan sing along. I sang over and over and over and over again the words All I want in life's a little bit of love / To take the pain away / Getting strong today / A giant step each day. I just kept singing. And they were so kind to let me. Over and over in a round. Finally after about 20 minutes I was breathing pretty normally. But it had broken me. I didn't know I could so completely lose control of myself. I was so shocked at the depth, at the tenor, the terror and suffering that were in those noises I had made.

I feel so good today. What felt like being in a torture camp for three weeks is over. I am whole and well. I literally and figuratively had dead parts of me cut away. Now I am left with a living whole. My body will heal from the damage done and because of how I broke, in that breaking were worlds and walls I had built up that needed to come down. The process and amount of pain it took to make that breakdown happen was so amazing to watch unfold. I now have the opportunity to rebuild in a healthier way. Healing is coming fast. I'm so proud of my body. Of the enormity that it can contain and hold. I'm so grateful for the miracle of it. I will do such a better job of showing that love to my body.

[darkmaga-returns]

Story at-a-glance

Rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer is linked to changes in the gut microbiome, with specific bacterial strains producing mutagenic chemicals that contribute to cancer risk

Global studies are underway to identify mutational signatures associated with gut bacteria. This highlights the significant role of dysbiosis in colorectal carcinogenesis

Understanding the influence of gut bacteria on cancer development could lead to innovative therapeutic strategies and offer new avenues for prevention and treatment

Research has identified a subtype of E. coli producing colibactin, a mutagen associated with cancer. This suggests that early exposure increases the risk of developing cancer at a younger age

Dysbiosis, characterized by an imbalance in gut microbiota, is linked to colorectal cancer through mechanisms like genotoxicity, inflammation and oxidative stress, with specific bacteria such as Streptococcus bovis and Fusobacterium spp. playing a central role

[killacharacterbingo]

Appendicitis

Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, a small portrusion at the end of the colon, on the right side of the abdomen. Symptoms start off small, but as the inflammation worsens so do the pain and the rest of the symptoms (such as nausea and vomiting.)

If untreated, appendicitis can cause death, or another slew of complications which may result in it.