#ask me about gram + bacteria

[thehorsedispatch]

New Post has been published on https://horsetoloan.com/horse-ulcers/omeprazole-for-horses/

Omeprazole For Horses

Omeprazole for Horses

So, you think your horse has a stomach ulcer.

It’s an awful thing, we know. It happens to more horses than you might think. Over fifty percent of them, in fact. Almost every horse owner has experienced gastric ulcers before. We have all been there. The important thing is that you caught it and are going to fix it.

The faster you identify and begin treatment of your horse’s stomach ulcers, the quicker they can start the healing process. Believe me when I say – this is not something you want your horse to suffer through any longer than necessary. Fast response time means reduced pain and lessened damage to the horse’s stomach.

To keep your own sanity and peace of mind, treat your horse with Omeprazole. It will give you the best chance of coming out on the other side of this nasty condition with a healthy and happy horse.

If you’re not one hundred percent sure whether your horse has stomach ulcers, you are not alone. One of the problems with gastric stomach ulcers in horses is that the animals do not always show signs of the affliction, and owners are often left clueless while the horse suffers in silence. It is not as though your horse can raise its hand and ask for help.

This is why as a horse owner it is so important to keep your eyes peeled for any of the symptoms. These include but are not limited to, changes in eating and drinking, unexpected weight loss, lethargy, a dull coat, and negative changes in attitude. Keep in mind that foals, if stricken by stomach ulcers, may lay on their backs or grind their teeth excessively. If you witness one or more of these symptoms, it is important to seek the advice of your veterinary doctor.

Only a qualified person can properly diagnose gastric stomach ulcers.

Now that you have talked to your veterinary doctor and know for sure – yes, your horse has ulcers, it is time to start treatment. The best-recommended treatment is Omeprazole. Because a gastric ulcer is a wound on the upper lining of a horse’s stomach – and a horse’s body produces acid all day – it is absolutely crucial to suppress the corrosive hydrochloric acid that bubbles out of the proton pumps at the very bottom of the stomach and splashes against the already compromised mucosal lining.

Think of it as a leaky faucet spraying acid onto the unprotected membrane where the ulcers have already formed. In other words, salt on the wound. Omeprazole works by inhibiting the acid pump (suppressing the evil acid faucet), thereby blocking acid excretion (the salt), and allowing the ulcerated mucosal lining (the wound) to heal.

It doesn’t matter what caused the ulcer– stress, rampant acid, bacteria – Omeprazole will stifle the splashing acid so that your horse can heal effectively, getting them back to normal life in no time at all.

How Much Omeprazole Should I Give My Horse?

Omeprazole comes as an oral paste, inside a 10ml plastic tube that contains 2.3 grams of Omeprazole. The proper dosage for a horse suffering from stomach ulcers is a full tube administered orally every day for thirty days, then a half a tube daily after that. It is important to double-check if Omeprazole can be taken with any other supplements or medications your horse might be taking. Before administering the Omeprazole paste, ensure your horse’s mouth doesn’t have any feed in it. During the administration, make sure your horse takes the entire dose. Afterwards, keep watch to be sure none of the doses is lost. If any is, re-dose to guarantee the horse takes the fully intended dosage. It is important to keep dosages constant throughout the entire treatment.

As with any medication, always consult your veterinary specialist about the exact dose to give your horse. Certain cases may require less or more Omeprazole, depending on the severity of the ulcers. Omeprazole may also be used in low dosages as an ulcer-suppressant.

Omeprazole Side-Effects

When using Omeprazole for a prolonged period of time, there is always the possibility of your horse experiencing an adverse reaction. An abrupt stoppage of Omeprazole may result in a rebounding acid effect. At higher dosages, this can make your horse even more vulnerable to ulcers. Omeprazole can also cause malnutrition. Because stomach acids are key in digesting protein and absorbing minerals, using an inhibitor can disrupt this natural process.

It is also good to understand that Omeprazole does not guard against colon ulcers. As a side note, it is common for a horse to lose a significant amount of weight when suffering from stomach ulcers. This is normal and should not be seen as a side effect of the treatment.

How Much Does Omeprazole Cost?

The price of Omeprazole for the treatment of ulcers in horses varies in cost depending mostly on the brand name. This can range anywhere from $15 a tube to $35 a tube. The price can be lessened slightly if buying in bulk. Whichever brand you choose when buying medication for your horse, keep in mind you are paying for the health of your beloved animal. Sometimes the generic option just won’t cut it.

There are some free methods you can employ to help with your horse’s ulcers. Firstly, you want to make life as stress-free as possible. Stress is often one of the causes of ulcers and it is important to reduce this nasty agitator. Cut training hours where applicable and provide pain relief where possible. Whatever you do, under no circumstance give your horse Omeprazole for humans. It costs less, but it will not work.

Feeding your horse corn oil for six weeks will also not work, neither will unrefined rice bran oil for six weeks, or refined rice bran oil for six weeks. These are not substitutes for Omeprazole. The proper drug may be expensive, but it is expensive because it works. When it comes to the health of your horse, please don’t risk it.

What is the Best Treatment for Ulcers in Horses?

The first and only FDA-approved prescription medication for treating EGUS is GastroGard®, which contains the active ingredient omeprazole. Omeprazole works by shutting down the production of gastric acid, allowing the ulcer(s) to heal.

For more information about ulcers and what to do visit our main ulcer page and check out these other articles.

Omeprazole For Horses

Slippery Elm for Horses

Riding a Horse With Ulcers

Horse Ulcer Treatment Omeprazole

Magnesium for Horses with Ulcers

Final Note

Over the years and through some research I have learned a lot about this subject.  This article isn’t an all-encompassing post on this subject.  I hope to shed some light on the issue and answer some questions.  Most notably I am going to highlight natural treatments and remedies that are available for the treatment of ulcers.  I am certainly not a vet or trying to play one on the internet, so please consult your vet.

The information provided here is for informational purposes only.  The information is not a substitute for advice from a veterinarian or other health care professional.  It should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. A health care professional needs to be consulted before starting any diet or supplementation program.  Also before administering any medication, alternative, herbal blends et al or if your horse has a health problem. Do not discontinue any other medical treatments without first consulting your health care professional.

[babygirlwolverine]

*bangs head on table* cOmE oN iDeAs LeT mE wRiTe *sobs* my head is a VOID

[flock-talk]

i can’t remember if ive already asked you this before, but i have a parrot and I’ve been considering getting a dog for a while now. but i haven’t gone ahead with it because im really worried about them together. it’s not even so much about them hurting each other because i think I could keep them separate, it’s like how can I give them both enough attention? I’m just wondering if you have any advice. i want a dog for mental health reasons mainly, I think it would be really good for me, but my bird comes first of course.

It’s definitely a balancing act and it may not be ideal for some birds! It’ll be something you have to evaluate with your own bird, seeing how much attention they want in a day and where your schedule has naturally occurring breaks.

The breed of dog you look in to, and age, will also take a big part. Some have good off switches (capacity to settle and relax) while other are always “on” which tend to require a lot more of your time and management.

My birds happen to nap and want independent time for a majority of the day. They’re active first thing in the morning, nap + are independent in the middle of the day, active in the evening, then go to bed for the night.

So my schedule works around that!

6-7 is letting the dogs out to pee and give them breakfast

7-8 (give or take) is bird social time, give them breakfast, play with them, rotate toys, etc. I usually start bird time at 7 and wait for them to fly back in to their room or start to nap so they control when bird time actually ends.

8-9 is people breakfast + prepping to take my significant to work

9-10ish is my first dogs walk

10-11 second dogs walk

12-4 is free time. Doing chores, doing extra dog training, socializing with people, etc.

4:30-6 is second bird time. Again they decide when bird time actually ends by going to the room or napping.

6-7 get my significant from work + feed the dogs dinner

7-10:30 human dinner, free time

Prior to adding a new animal to our home we ran schedule tests to figure out where we could fit things, whether the birds would be happy with that setup, what worked and what didn’t. We also sorted out the animal zones, knowing that when the birds get free roam of the house dog 1 goes to a kennel and dog 2 goes downstairs so there’s no risk of the birds accidentally getting hurt. Also when it’s dog time the birds get their free roam room so there’s still ample space to move and have fun but they’re secured away from any predatory animals. I highly recommend doing schedule tests not only for your animals sake but for your own. You may run a week of fake scheduling and realize that it’s just too much for you and be able to make that choice before another animal is involved.

And just an obligatory note, don’t allow cross species interactions. I’m a dog trainer, I know my dog wouldn’t go for my birds, i taught her not to. I still wouldn’t put a predatory dog and a prey bird in a room together. It’s an unnecessary risk. Aside from the potential for something to go wrong it’s unhealthy for the bird. Interacting with predatory animals is stressful and the bacteria present on a dogs fur (gram-negative bacteria) can be extremely harmful to a bird. It’s not worth the risks.

[extremelyblackandwhite]

scrubs.

pairing: doctor!sebastian stan x biomedical scientist!reader

warnings: none

> next chapter

The coffee cup was laying neatly on his desk by the computer screen with surgeon-like precision. After years and years of studying, being an intern, and serving crazy, late or early rotas, Sebastian had got used to being the resident doctor. His routine, although unpredictable, had some sort of shape and one of the things he enjoyed doing was having his cup of coffee while looking at his first patient’s record before he could come in. Of course, like in every single job, there were unpredictable factors and for him it always seemed to be lack of test results in his record files.

    - Hey ... - he called out for one of the nurses who was passing by. She stopped by his door, poking her head in. - Where are the blood culture results from this patient?

    - The laboratory sent the samples back up. You’ll have to order a blood culture again.

    - Fucking hell ... - he mumbled to himself, throwing the file onto the table.

Of course, Sebastian never got to fully take his coffee. If he did, it normally meant she was on holiday. The biggest unpredictability of the job wasn’t the patients or the constant urgencies, no, the biggest unpredictability in his job was a woman. Not just every woman, no, a biomedical scientist in the microbiology department which always seemed to deny his tests or contest every medical opinion he had. 

He sighed as he pressed the lift’s button to the laboratory floor. There was always an unseen line between the doctors, nurses and assistants on the upper floors and the laboratory staff on the lower floor. Doctors barely showed up in the laboratory yet again not all doctors had a biomedical scientist after them. Actually, no other doctor had a war with a biomedical scientist, just him. Lucky him.

   - Stan, put a lab coat on. - speaking of the devil. - Did they not tech you health and safety in med school?

   - It’s Dr. Stan. - he grudgingly grabbed the lab coat she has extended over to him, stopping him from getting any further into her department. She was right about that, but he wasn’t gonna give her that. - It’s 8 AM, are you already hiding from your responsibilities?

    - Where are my blood culture results, Y/N? I have a patient coming in 50 minutes and I can’t tell them what’s wrong with them. 

    - That’s not my problem. - she turned around but he followed her still. - Will you please leave? I have work to do.

    - Oh really? Considering you haven’t given me the results, I’d think you just slack off the whole day here. - he sighed. - C’mon, Y/N. 

   - I’m sorry, Dr. Stan but maybe you should instruct your nurses in what correct blood culture bottle to send the blood samples. If you suspected anaerobic bacteremia why did you sent it in an aerobic bottle? They’re dead, I cannot plate dead bacteria. Now if you please, I have work to do. 

   - Did they or did you just lose the sample again?

   - Unlike you, Dr. Stan I do my job correctly. Now if you don’t mind, I have requests from Doctors who know what they’re doing. 

Sebastian grumbled, taking the lab coat on tossing it onto the hook. Y/N grinned to herself as she returned to her microscope, mentally celebrating the fact she had once again managed to upset Dr. Stan. It wasn’t that he was a bad doctor, he wasn’t, he was just too lenient with his staff while Y/N was razor sharp focused on getting work done so whenever a sample came in bad state, unlike other department senior scientists, she’d just deny them and go do tests on good samples. That particular mindset resonated with her superiors but Dr. Stan enjoyed coming downstairs to give her an earful as if she could do something. Well, she could do something, she could go upstairs and train the staff herself but she wasn’t paid for that and it seriously was not her job to do so. 

     - Dr. Stan, again? - Miriam, one of the scientists who had started around the same time as her and had experienced as many of their fights as there had been, sat by her side. - You two seriously need to fuck.

     - Miriam! - she widened her eyes, looking around to see if someone had heard them. - Why don’t you say it louder? 

    - Listen when me and cute butt from haematology we’re feuding, we fucked it out during the Christmas party and look at us now ... - she smirked taking the necklace with her engagement ring from under her laboratory coat. - Besides, he is a doctor. 

    - He’s too old. - she returned to inspecting the Gram slide under her microscope, but Miriam had other plans, turning off the light in her microscope. 

    - He’s in his 30s. That’s a baby in doctor years besides you two are making everyone miserable. 

    - I will make you miserable if you don’t start analysing the new samples. 

Telling a patient he needed to give blood samples again sounded easy enough. After all, Sebastian had had a whole communication module during med school and almost ten years worth of experience yet nothing compared to listening to a patient yell at him before he even had lunch. Surely with the amount of times, Y/N had done this to him he would be used to it now but not when all he’d have was coffee. With a scowl on his face, he walked into the cafeteria. Damned Y/N, damned Y/N and her petty fighting. 

    - Seb! - Dr. Mackie set his tray on his table. They’d done their residency together and he had even been present when he and Y/N had their first encounter and fight. - Word is you’ve already had your first fight with Y/N. What’d you do now?

    - I didn’t do anything. Blood came in the wrong bottle and she didn’t even try doing the test. 

    - You’re whining, Stan. 

    - Anyway, I’m glad you’re here. I have this patient, keeps complaining that he has an infection but there’s no markers. 

    - Hey man, I specialised in tropical diseases. Probability is, it’s not that. Why don’t you ask Y/N? She’s a microbiologist and you love to go over to see her.

    - Really, Mackie? 

    - You can ask someone else but you and Y/N like each other so much. Maybe she’ll give you a kiss if you get it right.

     - Thanks for nothing, Mackie.

     - Hey, maybe if you and her start dating, the upstairs and the downstairs people will finally have a peace alliance. 

Back to the microbiology laboratory it was. He couldn’t even remember what the two of them had started bickering about, but he knew it was around the time she had first started at the hospital. It wasn’t that she wasn’t smart, god no, Sebastian knew she was smart and completely capable and probably the reason why she had become a senior scientist quite fast; however, she was extremely argumentative and whenever she had to assist in one of his cases, they always ended up arguing. To be honest, she did look quite adorable whenever she was fuming at him, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and pointing aggressively at the results.

   - STAN! LAB COAT! - he was taken from his thought by the same woman throwing a laboratory coat on him. - I will report you to the board if you keep walking into my lab without a lab coat on.  

   - I need your help.

   - Okay. - she opened one of the various drawers in the laboratory, taking three bottles and placing it on the table in front of her. - It’s very simple. Yellow for paediatric, red for anaerobic and green for aerobic. Paediatric means child, anaerobic means no air, and aerobic means air. 

   - Seriously, Y/N? I know what it means.

   - Do you? - she cocked an eyebrow at him. - Don’t worry, we got the samples right these time. I have someone working overnight so you’ll have your precious results. Besides, it is probably negative. Looking at the sheet doesn’t really scream bacteremia. It might just be a localised infection which has the potential to become bacteremia. Unless it’s an AMR case, it’s probably no fuss. 

    - Great. It’s not that I need help with though.

    - Can’t you do your own job, Dr. Stan? 

    - 40 year old male, complaining of infection like symptoms but no markers. - he handed her the file which she skimmed through.

    - Did you check for CRP? White blood cell count?

    - White blood cell count is slightly high but not in a way which would really indicate an infection. Know of anything like that?

    - I can run some tests but I don’t really know. - she shrugged. - Have you asked Dr. Mackie? Patient been in any tropical locations?

    - He told me to ask you. 

    - Aw so even he knows that you suck at being a doctor? 

    - You know what, Y/N? You would be cute if you weren’t so argumentative. 

    - Don’t try to butter me up, Dr. Stan. I will ask around my colleagues, see if anyone has any idea before dinner time and then I’ll let you know.

    - Are you asking me for dinner?

    - Yes, because having dinner in the green light cafetaria with you is totally my idea of romance. I mean, why  not take me here now in this table?

    - Now, Miss Y/L/N, that’s is against health and safety protocols. You should know. 

    - Do they not teach you sarcasm in med school?

    - We’ll talk about it during our dinner date.

    - It is not a dinner date, I’m just giving you data.

    - It’s a date. I’m telling everyone.

    - Don’t you dare!

[whump-a-la-mode]

Hiya! I saw Kirby tagged you and I like to find new writers so here I am!

Could you do 'fainting' on your bthb card if you haven't already? Much love, Xx Dee <3

Thank you so much for your ask! I love your blog, and I’ve been reading it for a long time before I made this account ^^ I love your stories with the Assasin and the Queen (I forget if that series has a name or not, oops)

I’m really sorry about turning all these prompts into Villainsicle. Maybe I love these characters a little too much :)

This kinda happens in the same time period as the last prompt fill. No comfort for Villain this time around, though.

I hope you enjoy!

CW//Superhero whump, villain whumpee, conditioned whumpee, implied starvation, force-feeding, underfeeding, malnutrition, fainting, purposely making someone sick

“You aren’t going to have lunch?”

Leader raised a brow as Medic sat at the table across from them. The doctor’s possessions were few, and they carried with them little more than a messenger bag and a coat.

Around them, the cafeteria buzzed with activity. The meal of the day had attracted quite a significant portion of the base’s staff, leaving most of the tables full. Medic did their best to tune them out, though it wasn’t exactly easy.

Most of the tables were covered with trays and dishes, but that at which Leader and Medic sat was noticeably empty.

“You aren’t, either.” Medic replied incredulously.

“I had lunch with Engineer, earlier. And you?”

“I’m not hungry. Don’t have the time, even if I was.” They shook their head.

“If you’re so busy, then... let’s just get right to the chase. I’m tired. What is it?”

Medic frowned. Their boss wasn’t always the most professional, certainly not, but such a lack of grace was unlike them. Had the situation really been so stressful? At the very least, maybe they’d be able to get an easy ‘yes.’ It was all they were really seeking.

“I just wanted to ask about Villain.”

“Well, I could’ve guessed that much.”

Medic bit their tongue.

“They are still my patient.”

“You’re upset that I moved them from the hospital wing?”

“Less upset, more concerned. Did you forget that they almost died?”

“A repeat of that situation is exactly what I’m trying to avoid. Stress is dangerous.”

“Stress is unavoidable.”

“Maybe. But do you really think it’s a good idea to have the technopath have some kind of meltdown? I like it when my base is standing and my head is on my shoulders.” As they spoke, their voice turned to a snap. “If you want them moved back to the medical wing, I’m sorry, but it’s a no.”

“I wasn’t going to ask.” They had at least known that Leader would be stubborn on that front. They set their shoulders back. “Do you remember back at the hospital, you said that Villain could be useful?”

“You said that, right? I mean, I agree, but-”

“I don’t know, I don’t remember.”

“What about it, then?”

Medic took a deep breath, and made their request:

“If we’re ever going to get their help, we don’t have time to wait. The longer they’re here, the more agitated they’re going to become. I wanted your permission to begin... convincing them, for lack of a better word.”

Leader looked sick. A paleness had crept onto their face, the whole time that Medic had been speaking. It wasn’t fear, certainly not-- it was almost disgust.

“No.” They shook their head. “No. I’m sorry, but... at the hospital, I wasn’t thinking straight. I was tired, we all were. Villain is hurt. Right now, you’re right, they’re your patient, but that’s all. If we’re going to do anything, we’re going to do it after they get better.”

Beneath the table, Medic clenched their fists.

“Then, what do you want me to do?”

“You don’t have to be snippy about it. It’s been a rough day, but that doesn’t make me any less of your boss.”

“I- You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“You will take care of Villain. From now on, I’m leaving you in charge of their day-to-day care-- feeding, watering, and any medical needs they may have. That is all. Understood?”

Medic gritted their teeth.

“Understood, Leader.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 

Medic was a lot of things. They were a physician, a surgeon, and the world’s only expert on Enhanced biology. But they were not a babysitter.

They had expected to be put in charge of Villain’s case, of course they had. Leader wouldn’t trust anyone else with something so delicate. But, that had been back when they had believed Leader to be capable of any sort of strategic thinking at all.

Villain’s capture had been a boon, dropped right into their laps. An incredible power, possessed by someone they could mold like putty. Such an asset would be of incredible use, for recon, for missions, for anything, really.

And Leader had thrown it away, for no reason at all.

They weren’t about to let them give up on such an opportunity.

Medic placed a small cup on a scale, watching as the numbers flickered, before finally deciding on their answer. Too much. They poured a minuscule amount back into the container, before weighing it again.

They weren’t about to disobey orders, especially not ones so directly given. But, aside from their academic credits, Medic was one more thing: A master of loopholes.

Speaking to Villain was off the table. It would be too obvious. But, in the end, the brain is merely a slave to the rest of the body. Especially to the stomach.

The human body is dependant on a grand variety of minerals and vitamins and all of the like. A little too much, or just not quite enough, and the whole system would be thrown into a tailspin. The mind included.

The scale gave its final reading. Perfect. Medic poured the contents of the cup into a mixing bowl.

Leader had given no guidelines as to what Villain had to be fed-- only that they had to receive food. The mixing bowl on the table sat filled with white, powdery piles, all stacked atop one another, and flowing together. Potassium, sodium, amino acids, foric acid; everything one would need. All in perfect amounts, noted onto a clipboard.

They took a bowl of cornmeal and tipped it in, taking up a mixing spoon.

It looked disgusting. It was perfect.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 

Day One

Medic scrawled onto their notepad, before depositing it into their pocket. From the same pocket, they drew a metal key.

Key in one hand, food (if it could even be called as such) in the other, they entered Villain’s cell.

The prisoner was perched on their bed, halfway hidden beneath blankets. Medic could see their expression fall, as soon as the door crept open.

They supposed they were somewhat glad for the fact. Their captive was already feeble, and their nervous state was hard to ignore. Half of Medic’s work had already been done for them-- they merely had to finish the job.

They held their shoulders back, moving with firm steps, even if their movement was quieted by the carpeted floor. Villain bristled, as though a frightened cat.

Medic closed the door behind themself, ensuring that it was locked, before placing the bowl they held on the carpet before them.

A message. If Villain wanted to eat, they were going to have to work for it.

“Dinner,” Medic grunted. “Eat.”

Villain narrowed their eyes, practically baring their teeth with how far back they curled their lip.

“You have 30 seconds.” It wasn’t a request, not in any form. It was a threat. “Any longer than that, this goes in the trash, and you don’t get to eat ‘till tomorrow night.”

That, Villain took more seriously. They chewed their lip for a moment.

“Fuck you.” They spat, finally, though the way they said it, they sounded nearly to be fighting against their own voice. They wanted to submit. They would, soon enough.

Medic sighed, picking the bowl back up.

“I was bluffing. You don’t get a choice.”

Villain flinched, scrambling backwards. They weren’t quick enough to make any sort of escape. Medic slammed them against the bed, before they had time to react, or even to scream.

A brief struggle left Villain pinned down, atop the mattress, with Medic’s legs holding down theirs, and a firm hand on their neck.

A shove against their throat sent Villain gasping for air, only for a spoonful of colorless grain to be forced between their teeth. They swallowed it, desperately lurching for breath, but finding only more of the tasteless mush.

By the time the bowl was empty, Villain was shaking, struggling for any air. They were, at last, able to take a lungful as Medic climbed off of them, releasing them.

As their captive coughed and panted, Medic left the cell, taking their notebook from their pocket.

Day One

Success

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The human body is a balancing act. A seemingly innocuous ailment may have a thousand different causes. It could be an infection-- hostile bacteria from the outside. Perhaps a cancer, or something to do with the millions of digestive microbes.

Or, a vitamin deficiency. Those with powers were horribly sensitive to such things.

Medic placed the measuring cup on the scale, waiting for the device to give its final answer.

Perfect. Just a third of a gram less than yesterday.

Tiny. Unnoticeable. Perfect.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Day Two

“Eat.”

Medic dropped the bowl onto the ground unceremoniously, not so much as bothering to lean down, first. (Of course, though, they ensured that not a single particle was spilled in the process. They weren’t an idiot.)

Villain peeked out from the covers, under which they were practically huddled like a child. Their shaking was visible, this time, even from across the room.

The doctor forced back a smirk.

“30 seconds.”

That was all it took. In a moment, Villain was wolfing down the mush.

Day Two

Success

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Medic’s pen scrawled over their clipboard.

Intake reduced to .2 grams a day. Subject responding appropriately. Overall reduced food intake has aided process. Subject has not seemed concerned over receiving one meal a day. Whether or not they have noticed at all remains undetermined.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Day Thirteen

Villain didn’t react.

Medic opened the door-- the familiar creak echoing against the walls. They tossed the food down, hardly noticing as a few grains spilled over the edges.

It was hardly a concern.

They looked to their patient.

Formerly flush skin appeared horribly pale, stretched over a mouth hanging half-open, dumbfounded. If Villain had seen them come in, they certainly didn’t show it.

“Eat.”

The command was enough to awake them. They struggled off the bed, bracing themself against the frame before trying to stand.

“30 seconds.” Medic grumbled.

Villain’s eyes widened, ever so slightly, in response to the threat. They fought to move faster, but-

They didn’t even make it two steps. For a moment, their legs stiffened, before they went down in a heap.

Day Thirteen

Success

Medic scrawled in their journal, before rushing off to find Leader.

[heyitssmiller]

Hi!! I’m so excited for you starting vet school next week!! Eeeeeee ❤️ you’re going to kick ass as a very cool vet dr

I have an animal question. And if you don’t have any info to share that’s okay. But sometimes you have cool facts about things, so if you do and want to share, then know that I am very curious.

Do you know anything about armadillos? I watched a video clip of one and I just 🥺 for some reason and want to know more about these creatures.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

*deep breath*

BUCKLE UP FOLKS I’M FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUS FURY (see the discord server or shoot me an ask if you’re curious) AND RABID ENERGY SO WE’RE GETTING A CRITTER AND A MICROBIOLOGY RANT TONIGHT

ARMADILLOS

Cute lil critters. Roll into neat lil balls. Their name literally means “little armored ones” in Spanish. How cute is that?!?! They have amazing sense of smell and absolutely abysmal eyesight. People also used them as a food source during the Great Depression and they apparently taste like pork. It’s been rumored that their armor is actually thick enough to make them bulletproof. I love them lots.

Except for the fact that they carry leprosy.

Mycobacterium leprae is the bacterium that causes leprosy. They’re rod-shaped bacteria that have a thick, waxy coating that makes them hard to cytology using normal techniques (Gram staining) and they’re very hard to culture due to them being obligate intracellular parasites (living inside a living cell). Essentially they don’t have the right genes for independent survival and need host cells to survive. And leprosy is no joke. Look it up if you’re curious.

Fun fact to tie everything together! We use armadillos in labs to grow and culture M. leprae! Since armadillos have a much lower body temperature than us, labs can utilize this and grow the bacterium in their lungs, liver, and spleen, then culture it to do further research on!

[swifteforeverandalways]

Notes: I blame @thatgothicgurl for this because she gave me the idea for it. In case you don't know/don't remember, Saraya is Will Halstead's girlfriend and also Dr. Grant's younger cousin (Dr. Grant is the pediatric surgery attending occasionally seen). Warnings for ableism and anti-vaxx parents.

Saraya headed up to the Emergency Department, results in hand. Even though most results were delivered electronically, Saraya honestly enjoyed delivering results by hand. Or at least, she mostly enjoyed it. She liked giving them to her cousin, it was always nice to see Deidre. And it was nice to give them to Will and Nat, she loved the two so much.

“Hey Maggie, where are Will and Nat. I got their results,” Saraya walked up to the charge nurse.

“They’re in treatment three with the parents,” Maggie replied. Saraya nodded and headed towards the treatment room, knocking on the closed door. A moment later it opened and Will and Natalie stepped out.

“Your patient’s results. They had a positive culture for Corynebacterium diphtheriae,” Saraya said, handing over the results. Will and Natalie frowned, the latter taking the paper.

“Diphtheria?” Will said in surprise. Saraya nodded.

“Yeah, we weren’t expecting it. But the initial gram stain was positive and showed the typical ‘Chinese letters’ as my professor once called it. PCR confirmed it,” she replied.

“How did he even get it,” Natalie wondered aloud. Saraya shrugged, “Its part of the normal vaccine schedule. It’s usually paired with the tetanus and pertussis vaccines, you’d have to ask the parents.”

“Great, more possible anti-vaxxers,” Will said sarcastically. Saraya laughed and turned to go back to the lab when Natalie caught her hand.

“Come with us, to tell the parents,” she invited.

“Sure, why not,” Saraya smiled. Will and Natalie smiled back and three headed into the room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Martinez, we have the results for Luis,” Will said to the two adults in the room.

“What is it?” Mrs. Martinez asked, “And who is that?”

“My name is Saraya Grant, I’m a laboratory scientist. Your son’s culture revealed that he is positive for Corynebacterium diphtheriae,” Saraya answered.

“What is that?” Mr. Martinez asked.

“It’s a bacteria that causes diphtheria,” Natalie answered.

“The thing is, there’s a vaccine for diphtheria that’s given starting at two months,” Will continued.

“Is Luis up to date on his vaccines?” Saraya finished.

“No,” Mrs. Martinez answered with a slight sniff. The three medical professionals exchanged glances.

“Has Luis received any of his childhood vaccinations?” Natalie asked, her tone scarily calm.

“We don’t believe in vaccines,” Mrs. Martinez said.

“And why not?” Saraya asked. Mrs. Martinez turned her gaze onto Saraya.

“Because those…..chemicals give cancer and autism and I will not have retard as a child,” she said.

“Do you seriously hear yourself? There is no evidence, absolutely zero evidence that vaccines cause cancer or autism. The so-called ‘doctor’ who first came up with that bullshit lost his medical license because it was revealed that he faked results and, in some cases, straight up lied. Your son is potentially dying from a disease that is now very rare because of vaccines!” Saraya said angrily.

“You don’t know that,” Mr. Martinez said, “People get vaccines when they are babies, it’s not like we know what it causes.”

“The vaccine for diphtheria has been around since the 1950s! The idea of vaccines has been around since the 1800s! You are willing risking your child’s life because you listen to some idiot who doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about,” Saraya snapped back.

“Raya,” Will murmured, gently laying a hand on her arm. Saraya ignored him, too angry to calm down.

“Honestly, you are lucky that we still learn about corynebacterium in our classes! You should be ashamed of yourselves. Hell, I bet you were vaccinated as a child and obviously you are still alive,” Saraya ranted.

“Raya,” Natalie said, gently tugging her back. Saraya glared at Mr. and Mrs. Martinez.

“You have no right to talk to us like that,” Mrs. Martinez said, “These so-called ‘vaccines’ cause more harm then good. All of you so-called ‘scientists’ have your heads so far up your asses, and believe whatever the government says.” Saraya’s hand clenched into a fist as she moved forward. Will quickly grabbed her hand, gently pulling her back.

“We will begin treating Luis soon, and he should make a full recovery,” Natalie said as Will lead Saraya out. Natalie followed them out, shutting the door behind them.

“Raya, you can’t lose your temper like that,” Natalie said gently. Saraya paced angrily.

“They are idiots though! Thinking that they know more than us! They are so full of bullshit,” she nearly snarled. Will pulled her into a hug, holding her tight to him.

“Raya, we know. We know they’re idiots. But we have to treat them just the same,” Will said softly. Saraya sighed before wrapping her arms back around Will. Natalie stepped up behind Saraya, rubbing her shoulder gently.

“You’re smarter than either of them, hell you’re smarter than both of them combined. But Will is right, we do have to treat them just the same,” she added. Saraya sighed, her head falling back against Natalie’s shoulder.

“See, this is why I like the lab,” she said, half joking half serious. Natalie laughed, kissing the top of her head. Will smiled, snaking his arms out so he held both girls to him.

[comradelionheart]

This is where I feel safest.

In the blueness of this site, held in comfort as if under my blanket of soft fur.

No one here will ever know who I am or the people I speak of. No one can find me here. I have a questionable habit of running off to avoid being witnessed when I fail or am in pain, and this is where I run to. It is luckily not a boy this time. Well, it’s sort of that too, but not predominantly.

I haven’t shut G out this time. When I thought I’d lost my shot at the job I deleted my WhatsApp and all other social media, and refused to surface until I was willing to face people again. This isn’t unlike when I graduated college uncertain of what to do with life next and just... vanished. I’d a pretty promising presence on Facebook that could potentially have introduced him and I sooner, but I guess life unravels at its own pace and nothing can force it to go sooner or slower. I’ve grown rather accepting of failures because I have unfortunately grown accustomed to them. It’s almost like I expect to meet with resistance or failure each time something nearly works out and in this case I can’t say I willed it upon myself. I literally tested positive for TB. Which is amusing since those are my ex’s initials, and is yet another TB which seems to be hampering my progress. 

Dry humour is what I’m best at if I’m being my authentic self. I must unfortunately smile and wave because I’m a woman and need to be likeable to get anywhere in my line of work. That isn’t to say I’m a sociopath or hate people. I just wish I didn’t have to pretend to be interested in their lives and feign amusement at their not so novel ideas. Pretty sure I’ve not so novel ideas too, but I don’t need to be indulged for the sake of my (not) fragile ego. Anyhow.

I applied for this job early in the year and didn't expect to hear from them (because the first few years of my work life had me flailing and coping with depression instead of steering my career, and I know I shouldn’t grudge her for this but I do). But I did hear from them. And everything went through. Including 3 rounds of aptitude tests and a personal interview (which I thought I bombed but didn't somehow). Until I tested positive on a skin patch test for TB. Why do these stupid standard sets of tests get prescribed world over? Honestly, if I’m ever supreme leader of anywhere I will ban standardised tests. Not in the way that I say medicine is a sham, not at all, but in the way that WE LIVE IN THE THIRD WORLD AND WILL OF COURSE HAVE TAKEN THE BCG OR HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THE BACTERIA AT SOME POINT BUT IT’S NOT NECESSARILY EVER GOING TO BE ACTIVE SO USE A BETTER AND MORE CONTEXT SPECIFIC TEST INSTEAD OF GIVING ME ANXIETY AND EXISTENTIAL CRISES LIKE THESE, JFC. 😭😭😭

But I’ve taken the other test and that’s also got the drawback of being unable to differentiate between inert and active TB. So I took an HRCT scan. I’m so sick of running around hospitals, there’s a literal virus in the air. But Monday is when I’ll know the medical verdict. And then there’s the whole security check process. I hate when this happens but I’ve lost so much time to grief, I simply cannot sit around moping any longer. 

Earlier this year I interviewed with the **. I was given a verbal confirmation and had a text message implying an offer was made to me, because I received an acknowledgement to my acceptance of an offer. If I was the person I was in 2014, I’d have kicked up a fuss and made sure that offer was honoured, but 2021 me knows that working with bosses who go back on their word slyly and cave to nepotism usually need their cocks sucked. And I’m not only incapable of that, but have also dealt with enough workplace harassment elsewhere to be adamant about a brand at the risk of my mental health. But really, he can go suck it because I have confirmation from staff that he is EVERYTHING I read him to be. I’m not intuitive or anything, I just read people very well because I was hurt so bad by them (repeatedly since childhood) that reading people became a thing I did for survival. My sharp instincts serve me well, but are a trauma response. I am very self aware too, yes.

I then interviewed and got through an NGO that was willing to pay me 24L. I turned it down because the founders were running around like headless chicken with their inability to distinguish PR from Marketing Comms (me) from Marketing for business development. I know I was being paid a lot of money, but I will not kill myself performing all three functions while being acknowledged for just the one on my offer letter. I’ve learned to value my labour capacity and assert myself in the economic and political spheres. 

Personally though? I sometimes still think I’m a romantic pushover.

But this is about work because I need to weep a little before being calm about how this year has treated me. Especially since I’m maintaining a cool demeanour in public and literally hate sharing things I’m burdened with. Idk man, it makes me feel vulnerable and I don’t like feeling like I’ll get a knife twisted in the spot that's most sore. I AM SCREAMING BECAUSE I HAVE LET G WITNESS ME IN PAIN THIS TIME INSTEAD OF RUNNING AWAY and will someday file copyright over An Enduring Romantic because that’s very honestly me. But ofc it isn’t going to be the legal Copyright, just the sham notice like the one I’d sent him to up his Instagram game. Or he could just operate my Twitter and I’ll run his gram. It’ll even feel natural.

Sometime around May an environmental journal asked me to come on board. Work from the office at the height of the pandemic with no travel compensation and very little money. I turned them down. Then came II**. Which I again turned down because they wouldn’t pay market rate for skills I’ve perfected in 4 years just because they wanted 8 years experience on paper for my quotation. I will do a lot for causes I love, but I also really enjoy being paid fairly and acknowledged for the value I bring to the table.

Then came the start up in Del. Which I turned down because the uncle running it in his wife’s name expected 24*7 labour availability for 12L with no health insurance.

The latest in my list of things I’ve turned down is the ** Gov. Which I can obviously go back to since my reason for turning it down was another job, but 14 days of leave all year? 7 day work week if needed? Hell no. I enjoy having labour rights. But also when I told the dude I’d be reporting to if I accepted that I cant accept due to covid concerns his reaction was “sure, send me an email so we can start looking for someone else immediately.” Like.... we just had a second wave, what if something was wrong? I wouldn’t risk losing my job because they expect work even if I were hypothetically coughing up blood. So best not to touch with a bargepole. Now I’m less sad, but also really hope the TB results are negative. This job I want and have said yes to ticks off all of the boxes in my head and I will truly be disappointed if I lose it to disease paranoia despite being completely suited and picked for the role 😞

Just to be on the safer side, I have taken one last shot at achieving my goal of ‘learn how political systems work so you know what you’re talking about first hand in that PhD.’ I hope my Plan A works out instead, though.

Since I’ve brought him up in this, it will be interesting to note that a year ago I did the erstwhile unthinkable act of cutting a friend of for attempting to steal a man I love. A year ago to the date, literally. Funny how this year is more calm, but I was maxed out on endorphins from him last year. Until this March even, if I’m being truthful. I don’t regret cutting her off.She crossed a vvvv red line. ALL my other friends are celebrating. They detested her. 

Another thing that happened last year was me letting him know that I only get hotter with time, but along with this work drama I have also had a run in with intense grief which I thought was a mood disorder (because it was intense, I mentioned?), cholesterol, thyroid, sugar addiction and now, le TB (PLEASE BE A FALSE POSITIVE YESU KRISTU HALP). So needless to say, I haven’t been most fabulous and undergone my physical transformation and these mental health struggles (are getting better now) strapped me to my couch along with the pandemic and its many lockdowns. I have also not studied for the GRE because I’m stimulus seeking via social media and fear of sucking at math has kept me locked in place. I still have a lot to work through on this front and would really like to make his cover right too, but my creativity isn't working and I keep fucking it up. I am not as spectacular as I was last year. The separation has also weathered my dazzle out a little and while I’m living with it, I still have small waves of sadness that show up once in a while.

I might have also accidentally flirted with someone into falling for me. It was all fun and games and for my pride, but now I’ve to gently let them down since I’ve cold feet and am chicken. Because I’m as emotionally unavailable as a streetlamp. Is this why they call me a Gurgaoni fuckboi?

[bunny-lou]

Jay and Harry fighting to get Carlos’ attention but Carlos is PAINFULLY oblivious.

I live for this shit.

—

Carlos is not a weakling by any means. He took the bullies and Cruella all by himself. He built his tree house on the Isle alone. He can carry his tools and walk dogs and lift cheerleaders just fine.

But shit like this is fun.

“Ugh! Why are these books so heavy?” Carlos slows his steps as soon as he enters the cafeteria. “My shoulders hurt.” He pouts, not looking anywhere in specific, but he can see people watching him from the corner of his eye.

Lonnie, sweet Lonnie, stands from her table closest to the door. She’s confused and looks around. “Um, Carlos? Can I hel-?”

“No! I’ve got it!”

Carlos doesn’t have to look at who snatches his books out of his hand - the Scottish accent is plenty and the smell of chlorine from the school’s pool is a giveaway. “Aw, thanks, Harry!”

Harry grins madly, standing up straight. “Of course, pup. I can carry yar books for ya. Come sit with me.” He offers his free arm out to Carlos, who gladly takes it.

“Bye Lonnie!” Carlos looks over his shoulder and waves, but Lonnie is rolling her eyes and scoffing.

Still, he can see a small smile on her face.

“How have yar classes been?” Harry asks as he pulls out a chair for Carlos. “Still acing everything? Humiliating the other kids?” He sits across, setting the books off to the side. “Amazing them all?”

“Oh, I don’t know about all of that.” Carlos says and rubs the back of his neck. He can handle Harry carrying his books and opening doors, but flattery is still new to him. “But I’m doing really well. All of my teachers are big helps, the students too.”

“That’s right.” Harry hums as he leans back and watches Carlos with a smile. “Ya’re in classes with a lot of older kids, aren’t ya?”

Carlos nods. “Most of them, yeah. But I like it. The work pace is faster.”

“Well if you like fast, I’m-.” Harry looks from Carlos to over his head and scowls. “Actually, how about ya and I go outside?” He stands and grabs Carlos’ books again. “It’s a lovely day-.”

“Hey! Carlos!”

Ooh, double the fun! Carlos turns around and waves eagerly. “Hi, Jay!”

Jay waves at him, then glares at Harry. He hurries over to their table and sits right next to Carlos, moving his chair closer than necessary. “Hey, pup. How was class?”

“It was great!” Carlos tries to fight the heat in his face as Jay’s arm drapes over his shoulder. “We got to study bacteria under a microscope and had to deduce if our sample was gram positive or gram negative. We did a gram stain, so anything positive would come up pink, but my bacteria sample was negative, so it came out purple, but it had all these cool shapes and when we did the oil immersion, it looked like a flower!”

He finishes with a grin plastered on his face, sitting up straight and exhaling in one big breath. When Carlos looks at the other two, both of them are watching him with soft expressions.

“That sounds adorable.” Harry groans as he leans forward on his elbows.

“The absolute cutest.” Jay agrees as he places with the curls at Carlos’ neck.

“I got to carry his books, Jay.” Harry says smugly. “Carlos walked in with this heavy pile and I helped him.”

Jay scoffs and rolls his eyes at the books on the table. “You think those are heavy, Hook? Those would be like lifting paper.” He reaches for his own bag on the floor. “I also brought Carlos a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” He places a baggie on the table. “Because Tuesdays are spaghetti days and Carlos doesn’t like the meat sauce.”

Carlos bites his lip. As much fun as he has with teasing the two of them, both are very sweet to him and this gesture has such a warm sensation in his stomach that spreads all the way to his finger tips. “Thank you, Jay.” He places a hand on top of Jay’s. “That was so nice of you.”

Okay, they’re sweet and adorable because Jay grins and nearly giggles as he squirms in his seat.

“Uh, well, oh, I’m…I’m going to beat the school’s fastest swim time for ya, Carlos!”

He turns from Jay and stares at Harry. “What?”

“Oh yeah.” Harry quickly nods and folds his hands. “There’s a record from a few years ago. Some girl named Melody.” He waves his hands in disinterest. “But I’m going to beat that record. For ya.”

“Carlos doesn’t even like swimming.”

“Well me beating a record for him beats yar homemade sandwich.” Harry sneers.

Jay growls right back. “What, you’re so incapable of doing nice things and being sentimental that your back up plan is to go for a sport Carlos doesn’t even like?” He sits up in his seat and pulls Carlos close. “I’ll score the winning tourney goal for you, pup. You can cheer me on, right?”

Carlos drums his fingers on the table and chews on his lip. “Of course.”

“Me too, right?” Harry asks, eyes wide and brows knitted together. “Swim team never gets a cheer squad.”

“Yeah, totally!” Carlos agrees. He’s a sucker for puppy eyes. “I’ll be there to cheer you on.”

Harry reaches across the table and grabs his hand, smile back on his face as he sighs. “Ya’re the best, pup.”

“I love being your roommate, Carlos.” Jay interrupts loudly. “It’s the best. Hanging out with you, all the time, is my favorite.”

“Well ya’re welcome to come stay the night with me.” Harry offers Carlos as he kicks Jay under the table. “Any time, we’ll have a little sleepover and watch whatever movie ya want.”

“You know, we should all do that.” Carlos says, looking between the two of them and giving his most precious smile. (Evie says it’s the one with no teeth, but big enough to crinkle his eyes.) “Stay the night together, have a sleep over. The three of us can watch movies or play spin the bottle or truth or dare or-.”

“Spin the bottle?”

“Truth or dare?”

Carlos shrugs nonchalantly and bites his lip in what he hopes is seductive. “Sure. Why not?”

“What day?”

“Can we do it tonight?”

[chanbangblog]

ive only felt religion when ive lied with you- 1

A/N: (smut, Chan x reader, Canon compliant, fan/idol)

The sun peeped in at you through the small slit in the curtains. Your eyes fluttered open and then closed again. You laid there in a beautiful mix of sleep and awake when suddenly you realized you were late for work. You sat up and became perplexed at your surroundings, this was definitely not your room.

Wait, where am I… you started to wonder.

You looked over to see Robyn lying next to you, still asleep looking quite peaceful and hugging her Chimmy plushie. Then you realized you weren’t at home, and this wasn’t just any day, this was the day you were going to meet Stray Kids.

Your heart began to speed up at your sudden realization. You looked around the room and empty cans of hard cider littered the bedside table. Last night’s pad Thai was sitting on the dresser, probably harboring god knows how many bacteria after sitting out at room temperature all night. You felt a tinge of nausea at the thought of it, or any food for that matter.

Oh god. Am I going to be able to eat today? I have to eat, I’ll never be able to stand in line and make it through the concert if I don’t eat. Let alone have the strength to survive MEETING THEM at hi-touch.

You pushed your hair behind your ears, closed your eyes and focused on your breathing.

Not today, anxiety. It’s too early for this bullshit.

Your therapist had taught you to talk to your anxiety like it was a person. Speaking of him, God bless that man for listening to you over the past several months preparing for this day. You had drilled him for an endless amount of coping mechanisms in order make sure that you, quite literally, didn’t faint when you met the nine boys who seemingly occupied your every thought.

You rolled out of bed as cautiously as you could, so you didn’t wake Robyn. You walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Your hair was stuck to the side of your head and you had sleep still in the corners of your eyes. You decided to take a shower and think about what to have for breakfast.

The hot water beat into your skin and steam began to fill the bathroom. You inhaled deeply. Trying to focus on the present and not psych yourself out about the night ahead.

You’re just giving them a high five. Hundreds of fans will get to do the same. They definitely won’t remember you, you’ll blend in with the millions of other girls who are desperately in love with them.

 This thought calms you for a moment. Being rational in situations of stress wasn’t particularly your strong suit, so you were happy with this little victory.

When you got out of the shower you checked your phone. You had several notifications from Instagram from realstraykids. Hyunjin was posting selfies and talking about being excited for the concert tonight. Swiping through the pictures he took with other members, Chris got your attention. His hair was a golden blonde and was starting to grow so long, it looked like a borderline mullet with the way it was styled.

“Chris with a mullet steals my soul!!!!” you commented on the picture and then put your phone away.

You walked back into the room and Robyn was awake. You took one look at her and burst into the most high pitched squeal you could manage.

Well. Being calm was nice while it lasted.

“Good god, y/n. Are you gonna be like this all day?” Robyn asked, already looking done with your shit.

 Robyn didn’t originally stan Stray Kids. You introduced them to her after you got the tickets. You had been to kpop concerts with her in the past so she seemed like the obvious choice to go with you. You had invited Robyn over a couple months ago and had a “hard intro to Stray Kids” Youtube watching session. Which had included videos like “stray kids on crack” and “a super shitty and unhelpful guide to stray kids.” She eventually chose two biases, Minho and Jisung. When she had told you later that night you were overjoyed because you had predicted who she would bias.

“NO WAY!!!!” you had screeched, “I texted my friend earlier and predicted you would bias them! Just so I could show you when I was right!”

What could you say, you love Robyn, but she has a certain type that always wrecks her. Pretty baby faces and strong vocals. You couldn’t blame her though, they were both an excellent choice.

You snapped back to the present.

“Uh no. I’m calm, I just, uh… yeah I’m gonna be like this all day.” You confessed.

Thank God I have a friend brave enough to put up with me.

The morning went by faster than you thought it would. You all ordered breakfast and spent the morning watching Jinyoung’s new kdrama. You wanted to get to the venue early-ish because even though you had good tickets, you were still GA and didn’t want to be shoved completely to the back of your section.

 You had spent months picking the perfect outfit that you would feel confident in to meet them. It was May so you weren’t sure about the weather, but you decided to bank on it being hot outside. You chose a sleeveless shirt that was metallic gold, with a bow that tied around the front and buttoned down. You had also chosen a skort set that looked like a black mini-skirt but actually had shorts underneath and low-top combat boots to complete the look. You curled your hair and tried to give it as much volume as possible. Not that it would matter, you knew it would be matted to your head with sweat by the end of the concert. But hey, you gotta look good for the pics for the ‘gram, right?

 You arrived at the venue and was baking outside under the morning sun, it was sweltering, you didn’t expect this for May. Your skin was baking under the late spring sun. You definitely had a sunburn and had only been in line for an hour.

Why on Earth did I wear a tank top...I’m not gonna be able to raise my arm to high five them without the smell knocking them down!

Suddenly an image of Jeongin falling backward at the smell of your body odor made you laugh out loud. You could see the headlines now, “kpop fangirl’s body odor causes singer to faint.” I mean, it would be hilarious, mortifying, but hilarious.

The concert was a blur, as always. You sang along to all the words you knew and your voice felt hoarse towards the end. You couldn’t believe how close you were to them. The venue was much smaller than you had anticipated. The light was shining off of them and their sweat made them glisten. You were so close you could see their muscles rippling under their denim when they danced.

Felix began talking to the fans about how much he loves us and wants to keep performing well for us. Felix and Changbin are my biases so I was completely engulfed in his cute Aussie accent being spoken 40 feet from me. It was almost too much. The members were fanned out across the stage while he talked and Chris drifted over to the side I was on. The girls and boys around me went wild trying to speak to him but he probably couldn’t hear them.

Rude. My baby Felix is having a moment and y’all are acting like idiots trying to talk over him.

Robyn elbowed me hard in the rib.

“Y/n,” she breathed, “Chris is staring in our direction.”

 You looked over and locked eyes with him. You froze. You always thought you knew what you would do if you came face to face with one of your idols. But you were wrong. You didn’t feel the way you had predicted at all. You thought your knees would buckle. You thought you would scream or perhaps cry. But you didn’t. You couldn’t describe the feeling that came over you under his gaze. You couldn’t describe it other than feeling totally confident and empowered for the first time in a long time. You realized you needed to react before he looked away so you winked and attempted to look sexy. Then he raised an eyebrow at you, kept your gaze and went back to get in line for the next song.

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT! WHY DID I WINK? WHO DOES THAT OH MY GOD.

You were going though it inside and Robyn could tell.

“Um, what was that?? Girl, you just had an interaction with him!” Robyn whispered in your ear.

 You looked around and none of the concert-goers around you seemed to notice. No one was looking at you. You began to wonder if you imagined it. Your cheeks were burning a fiery red and your stomach felt like it was being assaulted with a swarm of butterflies.

How am I going to face him at hi-touch after that?? God y/n you were supposed to try to blend in.

You told your inner voice to fuck off, just like your therapist had taught you. But the rest of the concert, you couldn’t keep your eyes off Chris.

   You were standing in line for hi-touch and your knees were buckling. You felt like your entire body was on edge and your insides were being electrocuted.

“You’re going to pass out if you keep holding your breath, y/n.” Robyn quietly reminded you. You suddenly realized you had been holding your breath.

“How did I get here? Maybe we should just run.”  You said in a panicked voice.

Robyn looked you up and down like you had just spoken another language.

“Y/n, we’re not being marched to our deaths, we’re meeting this band that you have been obsessing over for months! Get it together! Breathe!” Robyn said while starting to shake you.

She’s right. What the hell is wrong with you. You paid so much money for these tickets and your bank account is still recovering. You’re doing this.

The line was starting to move faster than you would like. You got closer and closer to where you knew the boys were standing. You saw them in the distance and suddenly realized how tall they were in real life. You should’ve anticipated this since you already knew you were shorter than the shortest member.

They’re just people. They’re just boys. You talk to boys all the time.

You started to calm down. Until you locked eyes with Chris in the distance.

What was it about his gaze that made you take on a totally different attitude and mindset? Five seconds earlier you were contemplating running again. Now it felt like all of Earth’s gravity was holding you here in this one spot, like this was the only place you were ever supposed to be at this moment in time. You felt confident under his gaze, you felt bold.

You’re still not sure what possessed you, but you broke the gaze to start searching through your purse. You found a receipt and quickly ripped a small piece of the end. The line was moving and you were forced to walk while ransacking your purse. You finally found a pen. You tried to be as nonchalant as you could so you didn’t attract attention from other fans.

As sneakily as you could, you quickly scribbled: Kakao y/n0325.

Good god, why did I put their debut date in my name on there…I’m such a psycho. That’s so embarrassing.

But you didn’t have time to ponder on that because it was almost your turn. You didn’t have a plan. You didn’t know how you were going to get this to him without being noticed, but you did know that it felt right and you wanted to do it. Chris was the last member in the lineup.

 Woojin was first. You had already planned out what you were going to say to each of them. You got up to him and his chocolate brown hair was gleaming in the fluorescence. Your hands met and you felt your mind go blank, he was smiling at you as you grappled with your words in your head.

“YOUR VOICE IS LIKE HONEY,” you blurted out, half-yelling at the poor man.

He just laughed and said thank you as you moved on.

Minho was looking at you smiling with his hand up. You didn’t struggle as long with finding words this time.

“I’m so proud of you, I love you to death,” You said as you passed by.

He laughed and said thank you in the cutest accent you’ve ever heard.

Changbin was next. Your bias, which made your thoughts become even more erratic than they had been before. You just started smiling uncontrollably and said “Hiiiiii, I love you Changbinnie” and he looked back at you fondly and said he loved you too.

You were face to face with Hyunjin before you realized it and my, was he good looking, it was like an angel was literally standing in front of you.

“You’re even cuter in person,” you said as fast as you could while touching hands with him. He just laughed and nodded in response.

You couldn’t think of anything else, your mind was at overload when you met Felix, Jisung, Jeongin and Seungmin. So you just told them you loved them as fast and as many times as you could.

When you got to Chris, you finally looked up at him and felt a shiver rip through your core. Your heart felt like it had dropped into your stomach. You felt like you were in an elevator that was falling down with reckless abandon. You raised your right hand up to give him a high five. Your hand was empty. But at the last second you switched and raised your left hand up as quickly as you could and the piece of paper was between your hands. You moved your hand slightly so he could feel it and finally spoke.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, but this just isn’t long enough.” You said with all the confidence you could muster.

His eyes sparked as he realized what you were doing. He moved his hand and quickly closed it and put it in his pocket.

“Oh yes, I agree,” he said, very coolly with that unmistakable smile that he always shows the world. The smile that you had become so fond of over the last several months. The smile that gave fans hope all around the world and now, at this moment, he was smiling because of you.

  For the second time that night, Robyn looked at you in disbelief as you rounded the corner in the hall way exiting the venue.

“Y/n, you’re the smoothest human alive,” she said with a shocked expression on her face.

You suddenly busted into cackling laughter. It overwhelmed you and wracked your body. Bubbling up from your core. You couldn’t control it. You’re sure you were unnerving everyone near you with your maniacal laughter. Everyone knows, nothing comes good after maniacal laughter. You laughed until your abdominal muscles ached, and tears were spilling down your cheeks.

“That was the best time of my life,” you said in between bouts of laughter.

Robyn started laughing too and you two called a cab to head back to your hotel.

 You tried not to dwell on your interaction with Chris. He had been nice and a bit flirty, but he was like that with all Stays. You had watched countless youtube compilations of your idols flirting with fans. It was normal. It was nothing special. That’s what you told yourself when you arrived back in your hotel room and your heart was still fluttering in your chest, refusing to return to its normal pace.

Hey, I’m going at my own pace, Chris would at least be proud of that.

You suddenly started laughing again at your own thoughts and told Robyn you were getting in the shower. She was probably very thankful for this, after the events of the day and the copious amounts of sweat you had shed. You turned on your slow kpop playlist and once again let the steam fill up the room while the water beat down on you. You put your head up against the tile wall of the shower and let the water envelop you.

 I had an interaction with Chris. Fans have interactions with their idols all the time at concerts. He was very charismatic, you already knew that. Stop overthinking it and just be happy you made these memories with them, y/n.

Your heart rate began to slow and you focused on the water and the steady hum the shower made. Tomorrow you and Robyn were going into the city and it was going to be a good day. You were going to have a good day with your friend and recount concert memories. Life was good.

You stepped out of the shower and grabbed your phone to turn off the playlist. Butterfly by BTS was playing and you were about to sing along for a few words when you checked your notifications.

You had a few comments on your Instagram posts but your eyes glazed over when you saw what was next.

A notification from Kakao, a notification from none other than Christopher Bang himself.

[fisherfurbearer]

Just doing some thinkin’.

Python is on antibiotics again, but much less of course since it’s just a wound. Was likely a burst abscess gone wrong, likely got bacteria in it from the bedding and got worse very quickly. He should heal up just fine! Only bad thing is he’s started to bite unprovoked, which he used to do a bit when he was younger, but it sucks even more now because he’s an adult. I think he’s always going to be this way, no matter what we’ve done, he’s calmed down significantly compared to when we first got him but if he’s even a little nervous he just seems to chomp first, ask questions never. Him being in a lot of pain from the wound and being poked so much definitely isn’t helping, so it’s forgivable. :c

Going to be very gentle with him and hopefully he’ll get less bitey soon. Even if he doesn’t I just want him to be happy and healthy again.

Bombhus made it to the vet appointment this morning and she’s now on baytril as well, same stuff that worked for Python last time he was sick. She’s so little, just 30 grams right now. Her sister is double her weight. I’m so glad we took her in, she wasn’t going to survive another week like this. If she can hang on for another day or two, the antibiotics should start working and she should recover fully. Sure it cost me 14x what I bought her for, but that doesn’t matter to me. She’s one of my little buddies, you know? She still has enough fight in her and after what happened to Possie, I never want to let it go to chance again. We’re doing this and I’m going to do all I can to make her better.

On the bird side of things, Danny is doing really good. Besides being a SUPER FIEND. He’s a little terror (in a joking way, he’s really not a bother at all) and extremely sassy. He needs to sing and strut and show everyone in the world how handsome he is. I love that about him, but now that he’s maturing into a handsome man he has now taken to uh hh hhhh. (ns.fw warning) Se.xing our hands and even worse, toes. This man really likes toes and it’s a little distressing. My poor roommates (all early-20s guys) are MORTIFIED. I was already expecting him to be like this when he “came of age” but yeah even I find it a little distressing to be gunked on by a bird. I know it’s just how he is but once the rodents are better and I have another job lined up, adopting a girlfriend for him might be in order...I think he’ll be a lot happier with a 24/7 friend, even if we’re here most of the day, and if it stops him from doing THIS then that’s a welcome bonus. Plus I really do love having him around but a more cuddly hen might be more of what I need social-wise and it wouldn’t cost us much more at all in the long run...

But that’s something for another time of course. Just thinkin’ is all. At least we’re on the right track.

[planetsam]

The bad dreams are not new.

Remembering them is.

She usually pushes past them and focuses on survival. But sometimes they win and she hates that. She wakes up violently with her heart pounding and her body soaked for the third time in a week. She refuses to lay in her own sweat and actually has to do her laundry. While her sheets are in the machine she decides she can’t sit in her room and pads into the kitchen for a snack. She’s expecting to see Hamish there. And Jack’s not that much of a surprise. The wildcard is Randall. Her stomach flops as she hesitates in the doorway, loathing the feeling of being an outsider in her own damn house. All six of their eyes swing to her. Something snaps in Randall and he crosses to her in a few quick strides. She stands her ground as he comes up to her toes.

“It was just a dream,” she says. His eyes rove over her. She really doesn’t like it. “Randall,” she snaps his name, “it was just a dream. What’s wrong with you?”

He’s starting to freak her out so she puts the back of her hand to his forehead. It’s hot. Really hot. Worse, he pushes up into the touch and his eyes close. Over his shoulder she glares at Jack and Hamish. One of them has to be better at this than she is. Randall breaths audibly. She loses her glare to look at him as he winces and then opens his eyes. They’re less disoriented but he still doesn’t look well. She drops her hand, stopping short of wringing them and she can feel the awkwardness slam into both of them.

“Sorry,” he says, “that nightmare, man that was a rough one,” he looks back at Jack and Hamish and squares his shoulders, “sorry for freaking you out. I’m going back to bed now. See you in the morning!”

He turns and retreats, leaving her standing in the doorway. She looks at her pack mates and Jack has his face in his hands. Hamish hisses her name and jerks his head towards the stairs. Lilith knows he’s right but she definitely isn’t the person to offer someone comfort. Hamish glares and she returns the look, though she knows he’s right. She can’t go up there and pretend to be all soft and cuddly though. Randall’s the one who makes her feel better. Not the other way around. She marches up the stairs, knocks twice on the door and opens it anyway when there’s no answer. Randall will just bullshit anyway.

He spends most nights on campus which is a good thing because his room is completely trashed. Not in a way that they would hear it, but in a way where everything’s bent or twisted or cracked. It’s brute strength, not like something he’s done in a panic. He’s in the corner in his closet. Or half in it anyway. The door is off the frame and propped against the wall. Deep claw marks are across it. But she focuses on him. He’s hunched over, his head between his knees and he’s breathing hard. Its the best position for this. Worse she can see his prep book. Amidst his careful highlights there’s a slash of orange going down it. He doesn’t look up at her but she sees his shoulders stiffen and his breathing hitches. He winces when she closes the door. She walks over to the book and picks it up, settling herself against the wall perpendicular to him.

“The most widely used differential stain for bacteria is?”

“Gram stain,” he answers.

”A colony of smooth strain bacteria is grown on a culture containing an experimental drug that cleaves nucleic acid base sequences wherever adenine is paired with ura—“ she frowns at the word, “uracil?” She nudges his shoulder with hers. He jerks up and swipes his cheeks, looking at the book.

“Yeah, uracil,” he confirms. She grabs the book back before he can finish reading the question, “it’s B,” he says.

She rolls her eyes and turns the page. Randall’s out of his ball. Slowly he shifts into a cross legged position. He leans over her, taller even when they’re sitting. She opens her mouth to tell him not to read over her shoulder but his chin just settles against her shoulder. He exhales slowly, taking those deep breaths like before. She holds herself still because if this is helping maybe she can do it, even though she hates how passive it makes her.

“Is having everything jumbled a part of it?” He asks. Heat floods her face. She still feels weird about the Order thing. Weird and guilty and angry. Randall’s brows knit together. “I can’t focus.”

“I think thats because you were tortured,” she says. He sighs like that makes sense.

“You got tortured,” he points out.

“I have experience with the Order,” she says, “for all the good that did,” he goes to move and she clamps her hand on his, “can we not make this about me? This is about you,” she says. She glances at his expression, “are you pouting?”

“No,” he scoffs, sitting up, his lips quirking,“I don’t pout.”

“It looked like you were,” she snaps, then remembers she’s supposed to be focusing on him. She can’t bring herself to apologize though and just looks down at the book in her lap. The medical jargon is annoying, between the wolf healing and the potions she remembers, it seems like such a contradiction. While she’s glaring Randall gets up and settles in front of her. She knows if he asks she’ll tell him about her order time. She realizes neither of them fully enjoy talking about themselves. Timber doesn’t support the instinct she has to run which means it’s some coward part she wishes didn’t exist. Marking the page she sets the book down. “What?”

“I got stuck in a well as a kid.”

Her eyebrows shoot up because that is not what she was expecting.

“Total accident, i thought something shiny was in the bottom and leaned too far over. I fell in. I was cold and scared. When i got out, there were so many people. I felt helpless,” he looks thoughtfully down, “the paramedics made me laugh. And they made me feel better. It’s why i want to be a doctor,” he scratches his neck, “it’s also why i’m not great with being trapped in spaces i can’t get out of,” he gestures around at the twisted furniture.

“Of course you figured out the problem,” she says, rolling her eyes. He offers a shy smile. “You’re an idiot.” He frowns, “you shouldn’t be figuring all this out on your own. Thats what i—we’re here for,” she glares as his gaze softens. “I’m not a mind reader,” she snaps.

“I never asked you to be,” he says.

“Well you should,” she lashes back, getting to her feet, “you always know when i’m hurting. I didn’t know you were in here making modern art,” he opens his mouth, “i know that’s the point!” She snaps before he can say it, “i’m not the idiot here.”

She grabs the nearest thing and twists it back. She can do that at the very least. Randall gets up and she know she’s played into his hand. They’re not focusing on him like she knows they have to. She’s not a coward. She just wants to be really clear that she is not cut out for this. He leans against the desk as she twists his lamp back.

“I’m not good at this,” she says flat out.

“What? Being psychic?”

“Comforting people,” she says, “i used to be. Before—“ she cuts off. The Order stabbed her in the back. She’s just opening herself up to another attack doing this. “I’m not. I don’t want to be.”

“I don’t want that,” Randall says, “look at all this. I didn’t want you to know. I don’t want you to coddle me because of what happened. I know how to calm myself down.” He picks up the book, “When i was in that well i recited every color i knew. I like facts.”

“Nerd,” she mutters, even though he has a point.

“Super nerd,” Randall says, “people aren’t going to believe someone as cool as you would like me,” he says. She rolls her eyes. “Quiz me?”

She rolls her eyes and takes the book.  He sits in front and one of her feet lands on his shoulder. She can feel the faint ridge of his scar. She presses into it with the ball of her foot and he cranes his neck to give her better access.

“Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease in which scar tissue forms in the alveolar walls,” she begins, watching his reaction, “Which of the following findings would likely be detected through spirometry in a patient with IPF?” She gives the choices.

“B,” he says, rolling his neck as she skates her foot up it.

“Is your neck sore?” She asks.

“Kind of?” He says, “it’s itchy. I don’t think Grey liked the surgery.”

“Or the twisting,” she supplies.

“That too,” he says, “next—“ she digs her foot in harder and his head flops forward with almost a groan, “jesus, Lil.”

They’re all good with their feet. Shoes are the most expensive to replace so it’s not unusual for those to be the things they don’t ruin. She’s flung more sneakers over phone lines than she ever wants to admit before taking off barefoot. She refuses to flat out rub his back though. She’s not that kind of girlfriend. She does dig into his other shoulder with her other foot as she leafs through the pages of his book for more questions.

“If the goal of the health communication is to have influence on individuals, families, neighborhoods, medical and social service organizations, and ultimately public health policy, they are adhering to what?”

“E-ecological theory,” he says, shuddering as she digs into both sides of his neck at the same time.

Maybe she can be a power drunk girlfriend.

“A ball starting at rest accelerates at a constant rate for 5 seconds, ultimately reaching a velocity of 200 m/s. What is the distance traveled by the ball over the time interval?”

He doesn’t respond immediately and she pauses, tapping the side of his neck with her foot.

“What?”

“Focus,” she scolds.

“500m,” he says. She digs her foot in again and he makes a wordless sound.

“You don’t seem jumbled up to me,” she says, stilling her feet on his neck. He twists and she cocks her head to the side, waiting to see what he’s going to do, “everything’s right so far.”

His hand wraps around her foot and he gets to his feet, dragging his long fingers up her leg. Just standing up reminds her how much he has on her height wise. But when he stands up he’s graceful about it in a way that makes her mouth go dry. He trails his fingers up her leg until he’s standing in front of her. She’s quizzed him before but it doesn’t end in anything resembling this. He slides his hand off her leg and braces himself on the desk, bracketing her in his arms. The only places they come close to touching are where her legs land on either side of his hips. Randall usually catches her gaze and smiles. This time it takes much, much longer than she thought for his lips to curve up.

“Thanks Lil,” he says.

He’s close enough for her to push up and kiss him. She’s not gentle. The opposite of it but she kisses him slowly and deliberately. Like she can ground him back here just with her mouth. It’s a stupid thought, she knows that, but it doesn’t stop her from trying. Every time he kisses her she finds she likes it more, and that in itself is kind of terrifying for someone so used to having things taken away. She pulls back and opens her eyes, taking in the dark circles that stand out under his pale skin. It takes him a moment longer to open his eyes. He ducks his head forward and presses their foreheads together. She doesn’t like putting her feelings into anything, but especially not into words. The quiet between them though speaks volumes. She kisses the corner of his mouth and slides his book to the side before sliding forward. She means to get to her feet but his hands catch her and she winds up with her legs around his waist. She regards him for a moment.

“It’s not that impressive,” she says, looping her arms around his shoulders, “my room,” she says, nodding her head to the door.

“You sure?” He asks.

“I’m not sleeping on your gross floor,” she tells him, “you remember how to get there?”

“Your room it is,” he says and carries her around the corner to her room. When he lays her on the bed she tightens her legs around him and pulls him with her, popping up only long enough to fling the sheets over them, “my floor’s not gross,” he says.

”Really, Randall?” She sighs, “you’re in your girlfriend’s bed and you want to tell me how not gross your floor is?”

“Well I do the cleaning—“ he stops, “did you say girlfriend?”

“No,” she says rolling on her side, “clean your ears out.”

He must really be exhausted because it takes him a moment to roll over and wrap his arms around her. She’s willing to admit his floor isn’t gross but she’d rather sleep in a bed. But she knows that’s not the reason for the smile she doesn’t even have to look at to be aware of. He’s stupid transparent sometimes. It might not be the worst thing in the world. He doesn’t thank her again, which she’s glad about. The last thing she wants is for this to be a thing.

“Also don’t become an artist,” she adds.

“Are starving artists not your thing?” He asks with a teasing grin.

“No,” she says and can’t quite resist shifting back against him before looking back at him, “but doctors might be.”

[entirebodyexercise]

10 Little Known Ways to Lose Weight Without Exercise

When a person asks me to recommend the ideal ways to drop weight quick, I always offer a word of care first.

While it's certainly feasible to drop weight at a quick pace, it is very important to tackle it in a lasting fashion, if you're not careful, you'll put it all back on again faster than you took it off, and also then some!

Sleep

Consistent, top quality rest is one of the most undervalued aid to assist you reduce weight without workout, hands down.

It begins with establishing a regular rest schedule, Go to bed at the exact same time every evening as well as awaken at the exact same time every morning.

Your all-natural daily rhythm (recognized as your circadian rhythm) is probably one of the most crucial determinant of the health and wellness of your hormones and also your body's ability to shed weight as well as maintain it off.

If you obtain that out of order, you can kill on your own in the health club and eat green salads and also barbequed chicken breasts all you want, however none of it will assist you shed weight.

Seven to nine hrs every evening is what you're going for. About 7 as well as a half is the magic number for me. Exactly what's yours?

Meditation

Stress will derail a body quickly at all.

If you desire a quick method to shed weight without workout, you have to discover a dependable anxiety management strategy, time and time again, research shows reflection to be among the most effective methods there is.

I want to practice meditation initial thing in the morning. As quickly as I awaken at 5 a.m., I'll take a seat in my chair as well as I'll do around 5 to 10 minutes of mediation and also visualization.

It relaxes my body down, as well as provides me a possibility to imagine just how I want my day to go and also just what I intend to produce in my life.

That's the regimen that benefits me, yet you might choose that a substantially various routine benefit you. Maybe you like to sit cross-legged on the flooring, or perhaps you'll meditate at night instead.

Gratitude Practice

You probably really did not anticipate to see this among my weight reduction ideas, but trust me, it's an excellent one, and also it's straight pertaining to the suggestion I shared above.

After my morning meditation, I rest down to detail what I'm thankful for in my thankfulness journal.

I also revisit its web pages right before bed, this time listing my successes of the day. I can't overstate just exactly how useful this technique is.

When you concentrate on the good in your life, you get more of it. When good ideas are occurring in your life, you really feel happier. When you are better, you make far better choices.

Think about it momentarily: how simple is it to exercise and also eat healthy and balanced when you remain in a poor mood?

Early Morning Activity

Are you a morning person?

You could not realize it, yet having a well established morning regimen could have a big influence on how swiftly you lose weight.

Try getting your day started with a morning walk or a few other kind of physical activity.

It does not need to be a full-on exercise, but just obtaining your body relocating will certainly get your lymph flowing and also all set you for the day in advance. It can even be something as basic as walking your dogs.

Start Your Day with Protein

Also, make it a point to start your early morning with protein.

In order to transform your body into a fat-burning equipment, you need to obtain a minimum of 20 grams in the morning. With this, you'll maintain your blood glucose, lower cravings, and maintain full for a longer duration of time.

Furthermore, it doesn't candid cortisol response like heavy carbohydrate consumption would certainly, whereas pancakes and also syrup will cause a sugar crash 2 hours on, an appropriate protein meal will lift your energy up.

Try anything from eggs to a protein shake, just see to it you're getting the protein you need.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Here's the point about apple cider vinegar: it consists of a compound called acetic acid, which has outstanding wellness benefits.

Here's how you make it benefit you: Before you eat, pour 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar right into a glass of water, as well as consume alcohol that prior to you eat.

This will diminish the insulin spike after you eat, thus restricting what does it cost? of your meal winds up getting kept as fat.

Eliminate Gluten

If you're having problem shedding several of your weight, I assure that if you stop consuming bread, pastas, as well as cereals, you'll lose nearly 5 pounds in a pair days. That's a promise.

These inflammatory, allergenic foods damage your body, and lead to fast weight gain.

If you do need a starchy fix, choose recipes prepared with almond flour rather. Attempt gluten-free pastas like rice or quinoa or lentil pastas, they're all better options.

Reduce Your Cardio Workouts

As you might know from checking out a few of my work, I'm no fan of lasting cardio.

Too much cardio squashes your body, and is just one of the most convenient methods to reduce your thyroid.

As if that's not bad enough, long-duration cardio doesn't develop muscle mass, which implies it has little effect on the lasting caloric melt you should shed those bothersome pounds.

Heal Your Gut

Your digestive tract is a substantial element of your capacity to lose weight.

Studies have revealed that overweight and obese individuals have a various collection of bacteria in their colon than healthy and balanced, lean people.

With this in mind, you ought to intend to boost the top quality of the microorganisms in your digestive tract, whether that's consuming a lot more fermented vegetables like sauerkraut-- I love sauerkraut-- or supplementing with a good-quality probiotic.

Contract Your Muscles

You may not have actually ever heard of this last idea prior to, however offer it a shot: the following time you sit down to consume, try priming your body to receive those nutrients by getting your muscle mass for 30 seconds.

You'll feel heat generating in your body, which indicates your muscular tissues are generating warm as a byproduct. Your breathing will certainly likewise increase.

It might really feel ridiculous, yet you're essentially creating some of the same effects you would certainly experience throughout a workout.

We recognize that the greatest dish of your day should come after your exercise, and that's because working out makes your muscle mass cells open up like a blossom to the sun.

This is specifically when you want to provide the nutrients they need.

Eating at any kind of other time of the day boosts the probability that the nutrients you're taking in will certainly be stored elsewhere in your body, like in your fat cells.

[biologyweeps]

Four Thieves Collective’s FAQ: No Really We Got No Idea What We’re Doing

Last, and perhaps most importantly: This is still in the beta stage. But we have begun the process.Time for part two! Today we’re looking at the words right out of the FTC’s mouth, in the form of their FAQ, found here. It neatly clears up any suspicion one might have about the article misrepresenting them. No, they really are that bad at medicine. 

Let’s go

Do you have doctors on any of the teams?

We do have medical professionals, with various degrees yes. But most of them are consulted for which medicines we most need to create synthesis programs for, so that we can direct our efforts where they are most needed. Again, we are not in the business of prescribing, or diagnosing, we merely offer a tool by which people can help themselves.

Now I have a sneaking suspicion that ‘are consulted for medicines are needed’ means ‘ask your local GP if the EpiPen shortage is as bad as reported’ because after everything described in my other post, I doubt that any actual licensed professional would participate in this.

Won’t people use the wrong things, and hurt themselves?

That is indeed a risk. However it already happens every day with both prescription, and OTC medications. We are convinced that access to medications will do more good than harm. Additionally, people are less likely to go to the trouble of making their own medications, just to take them recklessly.

Now here’s the issue. If you don’t homebrew your stuff, you know the exact dosage and contents of your pill. If you DO homebrew, you know neither, you’re just living on a prayer. The lack of verification for purity and yield is A PROBLEM.

Also if you think people won’t use their hone made stuff recklessly you’ve never met someone with their own stil.

Won’t people use this technology to produce narcotics?

It’s unlikely. This tool is capable of small-scale production only, and does not scale up. It’s not something a “drug lab” would get much use out of. Additionally, the requisite ingredients for production of narcotics are tightly controlled, so even if they were to use our technology, it wouldn’t really help.

My dude in the other article you’re cited saying that the direct precursor to your Naloxone is oxymorphone. That’s a narcotic. Pray tell what does stop someone from just not proceeding to make Naloxone and just. Selling the powerful narcotic they got. You even said that you make it from oxycontin soured from the street. Like. Dude.

What about poisons? Again, unlikely. Most poisons are not synthesized, instead they are extracted from plant sources, so this technology is not helpful in that regard either.

That is fundamentally WRONG. There are plenty poisons that you can brew up easily in a lab. Chloroform? Chloramin? You can make those by accident when you mix the rong cleaning products. The idea that you can’t make poisons in a lab is so far from the truth that it left the milky way. The only thing this shows is that FTC has NO idea about the actual risks they’re playing with.

Doesn’t giving people free reign on medication endanger the public health, like the overprescription of antibiotics creating antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria?

This also is unlikely. If someone is sufficiently ill that they take the pains to build an Apothecary MicroLab, and synthesize a drug which would give them relief, it’s unlikely that they would then fail to be vigilant about completing their course of medication.

HAVE YOU MET PEOPLE. They absolutely would. Also considering the planned ‘BioTorrent’ project yes, yes they absolutely would brew antibiotic resistant strains like nobody’s business because shipping bacteria in the mail on fucking CD-petridishes, for home use, is how you grow new and terrible strains of things.

What about quality control?

It’s important to know that making small quantities of a chemical is vastly different than making it on an industrial scale. The chemistry isn’t even the same. This is a big reason why chemical engineering is an entire field of study. With smaller reactions, while you do have to be more precise in your measurements sometimes, there are fewer things to go wrong.

THIS IS ALSO WRONG. Why yes there’s a difference between small batch and arge batch production, that doesn’t mean that small batches have less sources of failures. In fact if you’re making small batches, precision can be even more crucial and somehow i doubt that must people have a miligram scale at home.

Actually that does remind me, are they using imperial or metric for this fuckery?? 

But small reactions can go wrong, and easily so. Owlet anecdote time. When I had my orgchem lab practical, one of the steps in a reaction involved add tiny specs of ice to a bottle of AlCl3, Aluminiumchloride. If you do it too fast, you get HCl. The moment you inhale that, it turns to hydrochlorid acid in your lungs.

So guess who added a slightly too large chip of ice, and despite running fume hood took a good deep lungful of HCl? Yeah it’s this very owlet. And this reaction had TWO fucking components, at room temp. You can’t get much simpler than that and it still went to a point where the absence of a fume hood could have fucking hurt me. Which actually reminds me, yeah you can EASILY made hydrochloric acid in a lab, too. 

Simple does not mean harmless. At all.

But how do you know if what you made is actually what you were trying to make? What about purity?

The protocols we are developing front-load the points of attention. Instead of making a mess in the lab and then using sophisticated filtration and analysis techniques at the end, we set things up so that being very careful measuring and performing the reaction will give us a product within narrow band of purity and yield.

My dude, you’re talking about complete laymen doing this. ‘carefully measuring and performing the reaction’ my entire ass. Laymen won’t know if one degree Celsius or half a gram of substrate variation will actually impact the reaction or not. Or running it 5 minutes longer. They just don’t and it’s not their fault that they don’t but you cannot pretend that this is in any way safe.

Are you all just a bunch of these self-aggrandizing egomaniacs who claim to have a panacea from combining a few established ideas?

No. This will not save the world; in fact it won’t even wipe out the problems it is targeting. It may make them a little better, however.

If you want to help people, ACTUALLY help people, support the organisations who already fight tooth and nail to keep healthcare accessible. That means donating to places like Planned Parenthood, or doing the political lobbying (also on a local scale) to keep things accessible. 

Organic Chemistry synthesis is not trivial. Oftentimes it requires many many steps each of which are hard to make happen, and you have to deal with yield and purity at every step. Merely having an automated reaction chamber does not by any means guarantee that you will be able to manufacture a molecule merely by downloading a file and pressing a button. However it may bridge a gap, and make it possible for people with less experience able to perform some of these reactions.

Please do me a favour and compare this to all the bullshit said before. We’re not talking about people with ‘less’ experience. The intended user base is people with NO experience.

Last, and perhaps most importantly: This is still in the beta stage. But we have begun the process.

Here’s my hot take of the day: DON’T FUCKING USE REAL LIFE PEOPLE AS TEST SUBJECT FOR YOUR MEDICATION PRODUCTION PROCESS.

This is a slightly more covert version of the ‘cut people’s heroin with an untested med without telling them’. You’re gambling with actual real lives here.

And don’t fucking call it a beta stage, this isn’t a video game ffs. 

[fitnesstale]

Weight Loss Tips: Portion Control is The Key to Losing Weight !!

Portion control is extremely essential for weight loss. Apart from eating right, eating in the right quantities, i.e., portion control is one crucial factor that decides how much and how fast you will lose weight. But this is where things get a little complex. Your “right” quantity of food is not the same as mine. It depends on a person’s age, BMI, lifestyle, medical conditions, and current medications. Hence, here, we review everything you need to know about portion control for weight loss.

Why Is Portion Control For Weight Loss Important?

It is vital that you keep a record of the number of calories you consume every day – and this involves calories from healthy foods as well. You don’t want to feel like you’re on a diet, but you have to eat fewer calories. And this refers to healthy foods as well. Because healthy foods, in greater quantities, can also stop you from losing weight (or even make you gain weight).Controlling portions will not only aid you to lose weight but also guard you against obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, PCOs, heart disease, insulin resistance, etc. But how can you begin eating the right amount of food?

How Does Portion Control For Weight Loss Work?

It starts at the grocery store. Check the nutrition label of any food, and you will find all the nutritional data there. And on the top left, you will find the serving size, which varies between food items. It can be measured in cups, grams, slices, pieces, ounces, etc. The serving size specified on the nutrition label is the quantity of food advised by the government. However, depending on your body needs, you need to eat more (or less) than the serving size. And this is exactly where portion control for weight loss comes into action.

For instance, the serving size of ice cream is ⅔ cups as per government recommendations. And to lose weight, you should eat the ¼ cup. But if you end up eating one whole cup, things may not go as planned. You will not only exceed the recommended serving size per person but also overdo the portions.

12 Ways To Control Your Portions

1. Start By Drinking Water

Did you know that you tend to feel hungry when you are really thirsty? Yes! It is true. Dehydration causes your brain to believe that you are hungry and creates a lot of imbalances in your body. So, drink at least 3 liters of water per day. Or 4-5 liters if you participate in strenuous workouts every day. Drink 2 cups of water 20 minutes before any meal. Water will help you avoid overeating, prevent dehydration, flush out the toxins, and regulate your body temperature.

2. Include Low-Cal Foods In Your Diet

Vegetables top the list of low-cal foods. They are low in calories and nutrition-dense – they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. The vitamins and minerals help increase your immunity, metabolism, and other body functions. And the dietary fiber keeps you filled for a long duration, promotes bowel movement, and increases the number and variety of good gut bacteria.

3. Have A Filling But Small Breakfast

You should never skip breakfast and you must have it within an hour of waking up. And take care of how much and what you eat for breakfast. Swap breakfast cereal, pancakes, and waffles with broken wheat, millets, quinoa and eggs, oats, avocado, nuts or seeds, a few berries, etc.

4. Cut Down On Refined Carbs

Love eating cakes, ice creams, chocolates, etc.? These foods are the main causes of weight gain and a rise in the obesity epidemic. You must give up on refined carbs like bread, pasta, flour, white sugar, cookies, etc. Believe me, once you get rid of this obsession, you will lose weight fast and start feeling active all day long.

5. Be Careful With Fruits

Fruits are tasty and nutritious but are also packed with fruit sugar or fructose. Like nuts, you can easily overindulge fruits, leading to an insulin spike. Fruits are wholesome, but because they contain a good quantity of sugar in them, you have to be careful not to overeat high glycemic index (GI) fruits like grapes, sapota, mango, jackfruit, etc.

6. Do Not Skip Meals

Skipping meals can make you feel more starved, leading to overeating during the rest of the day. Also, starving yourself slows down metabolism, which eventually makes you gain weight and look lazy.

7. Weigh Your Food To Count Calories

Yes, this is the best way to find out how many calories are there in half a potato or a tablespoon of rice. Checking online for calorie data is an estimation. If you are dedicated to losing weight effectively, you must weigh your food. You can buy a weighing balance online. However, if you have not arrived at this point yet, make it a point to check calories on a good fitness app.

8. Practice Good “Eating Out”

You need to eat healthy, but do not lock yourself in when it’s time to have a good time with friends, family, or a date. Just make the correct food and portion choices. And it starts by picking the restaurant or hangout place that serves healthy food. Ask the chef to use the needed amount of lean protein, veggies, and healthy fats to cook your food. If you are out on a first date and do not want to come across as picky, just prefer a delicious, healthy appetizer or a main course and end it on a sweet note with fruit and sour cream/yogurt as dessert.

9. Eat Slowly

Use a small spoon and take your time whenever you eat. If you are using a fork or chopsticks, make sure you pick up small amounts of food each time. Chew your food and enjoy the taste. Eating slowly restricts you from overeating, and you will soon feel full.

10. Quit Eating From The Bag

It is okay to eat some crunchy snacks in confined amounts – like popcorn, kale chips, sweet potato chips, etc. But when you have them straight from a box or bag, the story is different – you end up eating a lot of calories, surpassing the suggested serving size and the required portion size. So, you MUST stop eating directly from the bag or box. Take the snack out in a small plate or bowl and enjoy it.

11. Earn Your Food

Of course, you earn your food! But what I mean by this is that you must spend energy to put in any more energy in the form of food. And the best ways to use the already stored fat is to work out, take the stairs instead of the escalator, get up from your workstation and walk around every one hour, and walk to nearby places. This way, when you sit down to eat, you will not only feel great about doing the right thing for your health but also not be sinful of overeating.

12. Drink From A Tall Glass

The best way to regulate your portion is to drink fruit juices, smoothies, and vegetable juices from a tall glass. You will not only drink less (as compared to wide glasses) but also enjoy your drink more by sipping gently.

4 Best Portion Control Plates

There are several brands of portion control plates available in the market. Talk to your nutritionist to find out which one will be perfect for you and buy one to avoid overeating.

Portion Master Skinny Plate Weight Management Portion Control Plate: It is the best portion control plate for achieving weight loss goals.

Meal Measure 1 Portion Control Tool: Good for portion control in general.

Choose MyPlate 10-Inch Plate for Adults & Teens, Healthy Food and Portion Control: Affordable, durable, and good for portion control.

Precise Portions 2-Go Healthy Portion Control Plates: Best for people who are always on the go.

Points To Remember

Do not get up for a second or third serving.

Do not eat your children’s leftovers.

To prevent food wastage, store the leftovers for the day after. Do not overeat.

Keep your doctor informed about your new diet and lifestyle, check your weight every week, and get your body composition analysis done every month.

Bottomline

Controlling portions is similar to controlling your emotions. Understand your cravings, but do not give in to them. When you follow this, you will see a difference in your knowledge to make decisions and solve problems. You will encounter less emotional outbursts, and start being calm and productive. And I can assure that you will love the way you will feel about yourself. So, give your best and bring out your novel avatar. Start NOW!

[strapskinkstories]

NOTE: The following post contains graphic medical imagry. It is NOT clinical advice. Always seek proper care from a professional Medical Doctor for any illness. This is my personal experience and record of Prevotella infection.

What is Prevotella in the first place? Many species of this bacteria exist, it's commonly found in your mouth, gut, and vagina (if you have one) in non-harmful levels. They are normally commensal (harmless bacteria) but when they overgrow and or mutate they can become hazardous and lead to wild shit like below.

A strong Prevotella infection of the throat. Cipro & Metronidazole will be used to eradicate.

It's easy for someone who's just recovered from another illness and who's just been on antibiotics to have harmless bacteria (commensal bacterium) become harmful, especially if not enough probiotics are present and gut flora is damaged by an imbalanced diet. Did you know that Prevotella infections are sometimes more commonly associated with vegan & vegetarian diets? A good reason to eat some meats in your diet but make sure they are natural and not heavily processed meats. Ultimately make sure to consult a dietician, fish is also a good meat alternative. And no matter what you do if you've got COVID-19 and then had a secondary infection, you're more susceptible to a commensal bacterium overgrowth occurring. In my case I had strep throat occur immediately after my COVID-19 in September, which took me out most of the second half of September. When I thought I was totally better I celebrated with a glass of wine at a friend's house, that's where things probably got a bit worse, as Prevotella can be modulated by the presence of wine and alcohol. With my gut microbiome in such a fragile state, it allowed an explosion of Prevotella in my throat to occur. That turned into a painful localized infection of my tonsils and throat. The Prevotella infection started simultaneously with the strep infection, which made it difficult for them to diagnose both at the same time, using a Point of Care Tableside (POCT) Strep kit is great because it's super fast and cheap, but it's nowhere near as good as doing a gram stain culture in a laboratory. When in doubt or if you feel unsure about having a POCT test done, ask your doctor for a full culture sample to be taken. This is especially true if your symptoms don't perfectly line up with strep or another POCT methodology-appropriate illness. In my case, I and the urgent care clinician felt the POCT test strip showed a weak strep positive and decided to empirically treat with Amoxicillin for strep, a decent move albeit we missed the Prevotella secondary infection by not sending a full gram stain microscopy sample. Cipro & Metronidazole are both effective against strep and should we have chosen to ignore the weak positive strip and run a full microscopy & gram stain we would have caught the infection far sooner, alas that's why it's the practice of medicine, no physician-patient team is entirely perfect, and you should always take an active role in your healthcare. It's not a one-sided relationship between doctor and patient, in a perfect doctor-patient relationship it's a highly organized team effort, the doctor leading & more knowledgeable and the patient is essentially student of the doctor. So I'm out of commission most of this month, I'll be doing my writing and things but you won't see me getting vac-packed or tied up much until late this month or early November.

How can you avoid Prevotella infection? Probiotics, a balanced diet, and avoiding getting serious illnesses like COVID-19 are a start. There's really not much a ton of science into how exactly to avoid it and there is no vaccine for it. It's common in people who have a viral infection to get Prevotella, especially if the viral infection is severe, like COVID-19. Here is a long but useful article on the situation of COVID-19, Strep, Prevotella, and other opportunistic infections.

Prevotella symptoms can vary from person to person, but keep an eye on your throat and mouth, it is often an easy indicator to look at your throat in a mirror with a flashlight, if you see red spots and it feels sore and you test negative for COVID then you should get to a doctor right away, don't wait for your primary care provider if they aren't high availability, get to an urgent care clinic. The sooner you can diagnose opportunistic infections and treat them the easier treatment is and the faster eradication can occur. If you're a female you might want to keep an eye on your genital tissue and watch for unusual discharge or appearance of your vagina. If you're female you have two Prevotella indicators, your vagina and mouth, if you're male you only have your mouth as a Prevotella indicator. Nobody can really use the third "indicator" which is the stomach, another place where Prevotella lives. Let me once again iterate that most species of Prevotella are commensal (nonharmful bacterium)

So now I've told you about Prevotella and Probiotics and why I'm out of commission for a while, now let me tell you that you should PreVote your ballot, and avoid Prevotella and other opportunistic pathogens in the process. Many states have mail voting so check with your local clerk of elections if you can mail vote, it's easier and it allows you more personal time to study the options on your ballot in your own home.

Stay healthy and avoid COVID, everyone! Get your bivalent vaccine as soon as you are eligible and your flu shot, you do not want to get COVID-19 and gamble with opportunistic infections. Sucks for me that they didn't get the bivalent boosters sooner.

Although the mass infection wave has subsided, people's celebrations, including President Biden's celebratory speech that the COVID pandemic is over, are premature. Per World Health Organization COVID-19 is still a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and is still classified as a legal pandemic. People ripping their masks off and staff members in pharmacies and retail stores ditching the masks are creating unnecessary risk especially as we transition into another winter, where viruses and bacteria seem to have a special opportunity to infect people. Because Flu and COVID-19 are of the coronaviridae family both of them are able to thrive in the winter months and can wreak havoc on people and public health systems. If you're a worker in a pharmacy or any public building, put your mask back on, stop celebrating and be cautious in public. The same goes if you’re a civilian, everyone should be wearing their mask in public! Although that Christmas party with your family can now be a bit larger, maskless and if you know everyone is vaccinated and took a rapid test the day before and "negged out" you need to be extremely careful in public still. Now is NOT the time to let your guard down!

Imported from: https://strappyskinks.com/2022/10/11/oct-11-2022-prevotella-probiotics-prevote-the-elections-lots-of-vote-here-p/