#Health info

[mental-mona]

[creatrix-codex]

Sex Shouldn't Hurt (not even the first time)

Vaginas are pretty cool. At rest, the walls sit lightly closed, and the depth is pretty short. There is a little natural moisture, but not much. But arouse her, and she begins to open, lengthen, and lubricate.

Pain during sex, like all pain, is an indication that something is wrong. The easiest explanation is that you aren't fully aroused. Arousal isn't instantaneous. It takes time. Bartholin's glands are the primary source of a woman's lubrication, but they're on the outside of the vagina, and the vagina itself makes minimal moisture. And again, the vagina isn't just some open gaping hole ready for penetration at all times.

Fluid alone is not indicative of arousal occurring at all, and it isn't indicative of the level of arousal. It doesn't mean you're "ready". Some women, like me, are just really well hydrated and we, eh.... overproduce. Oftentimes a woman's body will turn on the sprinklers at the first sign that penetration is possible simply because it will help protect her vagina from damage.

I was very fortunate that when I had sex for the first time, I had a more experienced partner. While I thought "spread legs + shove in" was what was supposed to happen, he knew better. Because he was actually willing to wait and prepare me, my first sexual experience was completely painless.

Lack of arousal isn't the only reason for pain during sex. There are a number of medical reasons for dyspareunia - pain during sex. Vagina atrophy (when the muscles lose tone and therefore have more difficulty adjusting) isn't uncommon. It can come from other medical conditions, or just from not having sex in a long time.

Vaginismus is a condition that causes your vagina to tense up automatically. It can be caused by generalized fear and anxiety, trauma such as sexual assault, STIs, chronic conditions like endometriosis, yeast infections, fear of pregnancy, or nerve damage. It can also be an early indicator of menopause.

If you experience severe or recurring pain during sex, it's more likely to be medical. Please speak to a competent medical provider as soon as possible because there are options to alleviate it, and it's probably a sign of something more major going on.

If you experience pain or discomfort during sex due to a lack of arousal, please speak to a competent sexual partner as soon as possible because you deserve enjoyable sex. I'm being glib, but keep in mind that most sexual partners you have don't want to hurt you and don't want to be bad at sex. Say something. If they think you're into it, why would they change? You can give them the opportunity to improve. It can even be mutually enjoyable to coach your partner in what you like.

[laxsland]

Reblogging again because this is VITALLY important!

Just in case

[icarusinfreefall]

reminder that adhd medication isn't a luxury or preference, but a lifesaving medication. a 10 year long study in the usa showed that, when properly medicated, the rate of car crashes people with adhd get into goes down significantly--men's rate drops by 38%, and women's by 42%. the med shortage, denial of meds by doctors, rising prices, and the "war on drugs" has killed--with such a car dependent society, not driving frequently isn't an option, which means we need better healthcare and need it now.

https://shorturl.at/8VD8B

edit because i forgot to explain: short link is to an article by the washington post, it should be free to read

[mental-mona]

Warning: super long article. Very comprehensive, though.

[johnlennonirl]

Here I am, posting something similar like the fibro post... this one goes out to my psychotic folks🫶

[jeclrs]

so I knew a little bit about this cuz of exploring whether or not collagen supplements are good for people with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.

They're not, for the exact same reasons. Digested collagen isn't gonna magically build itself into good collagen, especially in a body that doesn't know how to make good collagen to begin with.

Obsessed with him

[townflex]

Medical professional Suspended for Leaking Kuami Eugene's Health Info

It is alleged that Amina Haroun, a medical professional who disclosed Kuami Eugene‘s medical records on social media, has been suspended. On Sunday, March 17, 2024, Kuami Eugene was hurt when his vehicle collided with a tipper truck. The collision happened at CP in Accra, near the DSTV office and heading towards the Dzowulu traffic light. He was brought to the hospital at UGMC. In a social…

[dandelionsresilience]

Just in case Trump wins:

right after Trump was elected in 2016, suicidality skyrocketed. If you’re considering suicide in the wake of the election this year, at least wait until after it’s absolutely certain that he’s won - after every vote has been counted, every state certified, and maybe even after he’s been sworn in (IF he wins), just to make sure he doesn’t go to prison instead. Watch the results come in live here, but don’t obsess or let them sway your vote. (To be clear, I don’t want a single person to commit suicide over the election results, no matter what. But I know from experience that “don’t do it” is thoroughly unhelpful, so instead I’m saying at least wait.)

if you’re considering suicide because you fear worsening material conditions, you might think a hotline can’t help with that. and it’s true that they can’t change legislation or promise you’ll be safe. but it’s worth double checking whether what you’re actually hurting from is in fact unfixable. right now, just getting through the emotions can help you regain a more objective view of the situation, and then you can work on surviving it. plus, when something bad happens, we tend to vastly overestimate how bad it will seem in the future, no matter how bad it actually is.

In my experience, it might take a few tries before you find a hotline that picks up, either because they’re so busy, or they’re closed at that time, or they simply don’t serve your location or demographic, so under the thingy I’ve listed more than just the same handful that tend to show up on other websites. Even if you’re not actively suicidal, you can talk to them about your hard feelings, ask for material resources, or just vent to a compassionate listener.

FIND HELP

HopeLine - call/text: 877-235-4525

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - call/text: 988 | chat

Crisis Text Line - text HOME to 741741 | chat

help getting out of the military

for underrepresented adults:

Thrive Lifeline - text THRIVE to 313-662-8209

for pre-teens, teens, and young adults:

Your Life Your Voice - call: 800-488-3000 | text VOICE to 20121 | email

for teens (limited hours):

Teen Line - call: 800-852-8336 | text TEEN to 839863 | email

for trans and questioning people:

Trans Lifeline - call: 1-877-565-8860

for people with substance dependency:

Never Use Alone Overdose Prevention Hotline - call: 877-696-1996

for BIPOC (“with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme Lens”):

BlackLine - call: 1-800-604-5841

for college students of colour:

The Steve Fund Crisis Text Line - text STEVE to 741741

for LGBTQ+ young people:

The Trevor Project - call: 1-866-488-7386 | text START to 678678 | chat

for homeless or runaway youth:

National Runaway Safeline - call/text: 1-800-786-2929 | (has chat and email, but I think the link includes tracking)

for Muslim youth (limited hours):

Naseeha Youth Hotline - call: 1-866-627-3342

Amala Hopeline - call: 1-855-952-6252

for Jewish queer youth (warmline, may take up to 24 hours to reply):

JQY Warmline - call/text: 551-579-4673

for veterans:

Veterans Crisis Line - call: 988, option 1 | text: 838255 | chat

for veterans and their families:

Lifeline for Vets - call: 888-777-4443

for pregnant people:

Crisis Pregnancy Hotline - call: 888-628-3353 | text: 714-448-8323

for parents unsure of their ability to care for a newborn:

National Safe Haven Alliance - call: 888-510-2229 | text SAFEHAVEN to 313131

International Council for Helplines Member Organisations

Warmlines - for emotional support, if you just need to talk; a lower level of support than crisis hotlines

NAMI Helpline directory

Key warmline directory (unclear if 317-550-0060 might also be a warmline, I haven’t tried it)

Wildflower Alliance Peer Support Line (limited hours) - call: 888-407-4515

[ed-recoverry]

Some of my favorite posts on r/BenignExperience from the past week

Thanks to the tumblr post that made me aware of this subreddit. It makes me smile.

Part two, part three, part four

[ladysnowfaerie]

In Europe and Asia specifically ticks spread a disease called Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), that can kill. However, there is a vaccine against it. Unless you want a lethal brain fever from your tick bite, check with your local health officials whether this is A Thing in your area, and if there's a vaccine program you can take advantage of.

In Finland, where I live, people in most affected areas get it for free, and the rest can go to these pop-up vaccine busses that tour the coastal area all summer. You need two shots to get the effect, and then boosters according to schedule.

I'm trying to write a post about tick safety and avoiding tick bites, but a lot of the info on websites is like "Avoid going in the woods, in plants, and where there are wild animals" and "Activities like hiking and gardening can put you at risk" and I'm like thanks! This is worthless!

As ticks and tick borne illnesses are expanding their range, I think it's important for people to be educated about these things, and I think it's especially important to give people actual advice on how to protect themselves instead of telling them to just...avoid the natural world

Rough draft version of Tick Advice:

Ticks don't jump down on you from trees, they get on you when you brush against grass, brush, bushes etc.

Ticks get brought to an area when they get done feeding from an animal and fall off them. In the USA, the main tick-bringing animal is deer, but I've seen plenty ticks on feral cats and songbirds.

Ticks get killed when they dry out so drier areas with more sunlight are less favorable to ticks.

The above is useful for figuring out whether an area is likely to have lots of ticks, and how vigilant you have to be in that area.

Wear light-colored, long pants outside. Tuck your pants into your socks, and tuck your shirt into the waist of your pants. Invest in light, breathable fabrics idc

IMMEDIATELY change out of your outside clothes when you come back from a tick-prone area, wash them, and dry them on high heat to kill any ticks that might be stuck on.

Shower and check yourself for ticks after coming inside. Hair, armpits, and nether regions in particular. You can use a handheld mirror or rely on touch; an attached tick will feel like a bump kinda like a scab

While you're outside, you can just periodically check for ticks by running your hands down your legs and checking visually to see if anything is crawling on your clothes. Light colors make them easy to spot, and they don't move fast.

Combing through each others' hair to check for creepy crawly critters is a time-honored primate ritual and is not weird. When hiking, bring a friend who will have your back when you feel something on your neck and need to know if it's sweat or a tick

If you're careful, you can usually catch ticks before they bite you, but if one does bite you, it's not the end of the world. Since tickborne diseases are different regionally i suspect this advice will differ based on where you are, but the important thing is remove the tick with tweezers (DON'T use butter, a lit match, or anything that kills the tick while it's still attached, please) and contact a doctor to see what to watch for. Most illnesses you can catch from ticks are easily treatable if you recognize them when symptoms first appear

[21stc3nturyd1gitalb0y]

a lot of you got a kick out of my service dog’s battle jacket, so i thought i’d share some more pictures of the man himself.

i know people have a lot of stereotypes about what service dogs and their handlers are “supposed” to look like, and it confuses people to see a young, seemingly able bodied punk rocker with a service dog.

but i share this to say, that if you as a disabled person don’t see a life for yourself, you can create one. when i started to realize i was disabled almost 10 years ago, i certainly didn’t imagine this is where i’d be now. in fact, i didn’t even plan to making it to this point.

but a diagnosis doesn’t have to mean the end of the world. sometimes your world is just beginning. some people are of the belief that everything happens for a reason. me, not so much. i’ll never be grateful for the suffering i experienced in this world, but i will always, always be glad i chose to stay in it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

hope you feel better soon!

I am riddled with ailments, but I stay silly!

[reality-detective]

Silent Film about "Food Label Codes" 🤔

[enigmatic-mystery-777]

I only *recently* discovered the absolute emotional hell I go through every month before the period gets here, complete with raging self-hatred, extreme mood swings, inability to regulate over minor inconveniences, that's not normal PMS, that's caused by PMDD.

Completely changed the game. Cos that was the part that was drowning me every month. My periods are completely normal and relatively mild otherwise.

I also found out taking otc famotidine (typically found in pepcid or zantac which, yes, are for heartburn but hear me out) during the pmdd stage helps immensely cos the mood thing is some sort of histamine production (or something like that) from the hormone changeover that happens with periods. It also helps with sore breasts, if you get that lovely (not) little symptom, too.

I don't take medication but if you're on any mood stabilizers make sure the zantac/pepcid won't interact with your meds, ofc. But I swear it works.

So many people who get periods are like “Ugh it sucks that having a menstrual cycle makes you almost die every month” like no that’s not normal you need to go to the doctor

[zgvlt]

hi 😁