#asthma treatment drugs

[variantoutcast]

It's so frustrating that multiple of my majorly pressing physical issues in life no longer meet diagnostic criteria due to preventative drug use (thanks to years of trial and error and finally having one decent doctor) and lifestyle changes. Like yeah I have regained "use" of my right hand so long as I don't use it too much. This is not indicative of an underlying and disabling neuropathy or impingement of the nerve. Yes I can breathe and "only" break out in rashes when I'm overheated or touching something I shouldnt or angry due to being on 4 separate allergy medications, singulair, and having a rescue inhaler I take throughout the day. As opposed to all the time for no reason. This is not indicative of mast cell activation disorder. Yes I can fall asleep at a reasonable time if I drug myself hard enough and force myself out of bed the next day but this results in fatigue that only goes away when I get 10+ hours of sleep during or partially during the daytime. This is surely not indicative of a sleep cycle disorder.

[mrsmarlasinger]

FUCK Robotabs. I'm genuinely sick rn, but I accidentally got high and now we 🫥😶‍🌫️🫠😐

[whumpay]

babe wake up new whumpay prompts dropped. like last year, im posting early for more time to prepare

Welcome to Whumpay 2024! Up above you will see the basic prompt list and down below the cut you will see it written out in a list, as well as three mini challenges (and by extension, the extreme edition)

Rules are the same as usual

You only have to use one (Or two, if you’re doing the extreme edition.) prompt a day! But you’re welcome to use multiple if you want to, and it still counts for both.

I know the description of the blog says it’s a writing event, but if you want to draw or make other kinds of content, that’s cool too.

Have fun, tag content warnings (such as noncon, graphic violence, etc) and try not to be crushed by the mortifying ordeal of posting your writing.

This is a pretty chill event so you can start posting whenever but I’ll be reblogging posts made to the #Whumpay2024 tag throughout May. For real this time.

These all also apply to these three special mini challenges, consisting of a 7 day, a 10 day, and a 14 day prompt list.

EXTREME EDITION: This year's extreme edition doesn't have its own prompt list, but instead, youll be taking all three mini challenges in order along with the main prompt list. Some of these fit pretty well, others less so.

1 - Mad Science:

Day 1: Strapped To An Operating Table

Day 2: Paralytic Drug

Day 3: Made A Lab Rat

Day 4: Vivisection

Day 5: Truth Potion/Serum/Spell

Day 6: Russian Roulette

1 - Attacks, Mental & Physical:   

Day 7: Heart Attack

Day 8:  Asthma Attack

Day 9: Animal Attack

Day 10: Panic Attack

3 - Ineffective Medical Care:

Day 11: Medical Torture

Day 12: Withholding Medical Treatment

Day 13: Medication Tampering

Day 14: Injury Brushed Off

Day 15: No Anesthetic

4: Mindfuck

Day 16: Presumed Dead

Day 17: Memory Loss

Day 18: Stockholm Syndrome

Day 19: Phantom Pains

Day 20: Love Potion/Spell

Day 21: Role Reversal 

5. Nature's Revenge

Day 22: Slowly Running Out Of Air

Day 23: Natural Disaster 

Day 24: Struck By Lightning

Day 25: Snowed In

Day 26: Heatstroke

6. Traps & Trauma

Day 27: Caught In A Net

Day 28: Traumatic Touch Aversion

Day 29: Used As Bait

Day 30:  Flashbacks

Day 31: Choose Who Lives

Mini challenge #1: Torture

#1: Tortured For Information

#2: Whipping

#3: Branding

#4: Begging To Be Killed

#5: Recorded/Broadcast Torture

#6: False Execution

#7: Shock Collar

Mini Challenge #2: Dialogue

#8: “Why are you doing this?”

#9: “Don’t look.”

#10: “You look awful.”

#11: “Who did this to you?”

#12: “No one is coming for you.”

#13: “No one cares about me.”

#14: “Don’t lie to me.”

#15: “Stay with me, please.”

#16: ”You’re scaring me!”

#17: “You’re a monster.”

Mini Challenge #3: Aftermath

#18: Fighting Against Caretaker 

#19: Seeking Revenge

#20: Taking The Blame

#21: Barely Conscious

#22: Disassociation

#23: Carried To Safety

#24: Scars

#25: Unhealthy Codependency 

#26: Infected Wound

#27: Survivor’s Guilt

#28: Touch Starvation

#29: Abandonment Issues

#30: Cradled In Someone’s Arms

#31: Adrenaline Crash

Alt Prompts:

Death Game

Came Back Wrong

Attack The Injury

Healing Malfunction

Left For Dead 

Mistaken Identity

Dazed

Trapped Under Rubble

Drowning

Disowned By Family

Hostage Situation

Have fun everybody!

[sevcasejay1chicago]

Drugged Part 2- TeenSister!Casey/ BigBrother! Casey

Authors note: thank you all for the support! It’s been rough trying to write with everything going on. I immediately wrote a part 2 while it was fresh. I hope y’all enjoy!

Summary: Once you arrive at Med, Will and Natalie make sure you are taken care of.

Warnings: mentions of fainting, medical talk that I’m not even sure I got completely right

~~~~~~~~

Upon arrival at med, the guys lifted you on the backboard to a stretcher that Will and Maggie brought out. They quickly slid you off and back into the recovery position as they wheeled you through the hospital doors.

“GCS 7, pulse is 70, O2 is hanging in the lower 90s, and pressure is 97/69. This is all after a round of epi, Zofran and supplemental oxygen.” Violet rattled off as she helped Maggie and Brett wheel you into Trauma 2 as Will looked you over.

“Mags, get me a full panel, tox screen, more fluids and a few warming blankets. She feels cold.” Will rattled off, placing a hand on your cheek. “Y/n, it’s Will Halstead. You know where you are?” Will asked, taking the sheet and helping them transfer you over to the bed.

“Matty? Where’s Matt?” You asked, unfocused eyes trying to look around all the people in the room.

“He’s right outside squirt. He’s filing some paperwork with Doris. I’m here though.” Kelly soothed, pushing your flyaways back again. ”Can you answer Will?” Kelly asked when you finally made eye contact with him.

“Firehouse?” You questioned, looking around. “No. No, I’m at Med. I think.” You said, looking to Will and then back to Kelly for confirmation.

“Very good sweetheart. That’s right. You are at Med.” Will praised, leaning away so that April could take your temp.

“97.1. “ April said, looking to Kelly.

“That’s close to normal for her. Might just be running a bit cooler from the squad being cold.” Kelly said, turning to help Nat place two warm blankets on you.

“How did this happen?” Natalie asked, coming around Kelly to examine you once Will took the Ipad from her.

“We don’t know. I already called Jay. I think it has something to do with the coffee she was drinking when she came in. He’s looking into it.” Kelly replied, stepping back and out of the way so that Natalie had more room to tend to you.

“Okay. Well, I’m gonna give her a breathing treatment since this seems to be bothering her asthma. Run one bag of warm fluids and then run a regular bag of saline. We need to try to flush some of this out of her system.” Natalie told Maggie and April. “Also, place a catheter. I don’t trust her balance or mental state with the drugs in her system.” Nat added, walking to the end of the bed so Kelly could step forward.

“Can you stay while they do that? Just incase she freaks out?” Kelly asked Stella, who was standing in the doorway.

“Of course.” Stella nodded, stepping into the room and next to Kelly. “Hey kiddo. You know who I am?” Stella asked, getting in your line of sight.

“Auntie Stella?” You questioned, looking at Kelly for confirmation.

“That’s right squirt. She’s gonna stay here while they take care of some girl stuff, okay?” Kelly said, making sure you were actually alright with this.

You nodded and reached your hand out for Stella, who immediately grabbed yours in return. “Okay. Then can I see Matt?” You asked, looking at April as she drew some blood.

“Yes sweetheart. He should be about done by now. We will send him in when we have you settled. Okay?” April said, smiling sweetly at you.

You nodded and leaned into Kelly as he kissed your temple. “I’ll be right outside princess.”

As Kelly started to walk out of the room, your eyes became more unfocused and your vision became dark around the edges. “Uh guys?!” Stella exclaimed, taking your hand and using the other to hold your head.

“Step back Stella.” Natalie said, running back into the room. She tried to rouse you, but you wouldn’t fully come around. “Tip the bed up. Elevate her feet and lower her head.” Natalie instructed April. “Y/n? Can you hear me?” Natalie asked, trying to simulate you by doing a sternum rub. Almost immediately after they tipped you, you began to come back around, trying to swat Nat away. “Just relax. It’s alright. You lost consciousness for a few seconds.”

“I don’t feel good.” You mumbled, covering your face with your hands.

“What doesn’t feel good?” Will asked, coming up to your other side with Kelly at his shoulder.

“My head and stomach.” You answered. “Uncle Kelly. Make it stop.” You sobbed, reaching for your godfather.

“Shhhh princess. It’s alright. It’s gonna be okay.” Kelly soothed, moving around Will to stand at the end of your bed and take your hands. “You gotta breathe.” Kelly reminded you, kneeling to be in your line of sight a bit better since you were leaned back pretty far.

“Let’s just keep her like this until the breathing treatment. We can put up a drape to insert her catheter so that you can stay Kelly. I’m gonna grab Matt and fill him in. I’m gonna let her rest while we wait.” Natalie said, running a hand through your hair. “Just rest sweetie. We have you.” Natalie soothed, wiping your tears before leaving the room.

“Just relax squirt. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Kelly promised, taking the seat that April offered and then taking your hand, kissing the back of your hand.

——————

You woke with a gasp, flinging your arm out to protect yourself from an unknown threat.

“Hey hey hey. Shhhh it’s alright.” Matt said, standing up on one side of your bed.

“Hey squirt. Remember to breathe.” Kelly said, grabbing your hands and bring them to your chest.

“Matty? Uncle Kel?” You asked, relaxing back into the hospital bed.

“Yeah sweetheart. It’s us. You are going to be just fine.” Matt said, rubbing a hand through your hair.

“How long?” You asked, rubbing your eyes as soon as Kelly let go of you.

“About a day. I gave them permission to do breathing treatments and insert a catheter. You weren’t really coming around anymore. You are going to be just fine though.” Matt explained, sitting back down in his chair.

“Jay caught the guy. He’s a serial offender who jumps from state to state. He picked the wrong girl to mess with this time.” Kelly said, also sitting back down. “Hank and Jay took care of him. He will never hurt anyone ever again.” Kelly said, leaning back and looking smug.

You nodded your head. “Sooo. When can I break out of here?” You asked, making the two older men laugh.

“Soon enough. I promise kiddo.” Matt said, taking your hand again.

“Until then, there is a firehouse full of people waiting for you out in the waiting room. You up for some visitors?” Kelly asked, standing back up and smoothing your hair back.

“For them? Always.” You said, smiling at your godfather.

[macgyvermedical]

What’s your most controversial hospital opinion?

Hoo boy.

I'd have to say it's a tie.

First, I'd say that the medicalization of nursing practice was a mistake.

See, medicine and nursing are two different sciences. Medicine treats disease (for example, asthma). Nursing treats reaction to disease (for example, the difficulty breathing related to asthma).

While an RN (Registered Nurse) is technically an independent license (as in, we are able to do our own assessments, create and implement our own care plans without direct oversight or orders), we still can't prescribe. Now that's fine- I'm definitely not saying an RN should have prescriptive privilege.

Because we can't prescribe, though, we need someone with prescriptive privilege to order things like pain medication, nausea medication, bronchodilators, and other things that drugs might do better than available nursing-based alternatives.

The problem is that hospitals tend to require orders from a doctor for things that should be entirely under a nurse's purview. Things like q2hr turns for pressure injury prevention, fall prevention interventions, patient education, and other things that by law don't require a doctor's order, and for which doctors are not well trained. This tends to end with a subpar set of orders related to the nursing care of that patient, and nurses don't really have the freedom to override these orders (or the time to educate our medical counterparts on nursing care to get those orders changed).

Now, there are nurses who can prescribe- Nurse Practitioners (NP or DNP, depending on their highest degree).

So if I ran the nursing world, I would de-medicalize nursing care. There would be a nurse practitioner on each floor whose job it was to manage pain, nausea, discomfort, urinary retention, wound care, constipation, and other things that are reactions to disease that require drugs or other orders to manage. This would free up doctors to focus on things they were trained for, and allow nurses to do what they were trained for, and, hopefully, result in better outcomes for the patient.

Second, and this one probably is more controversial, I think the trend towards single-occupancy rooms in hospitals was a mistake.

Not, of course, because I feel like privacy shouldn't be a thing or that single rooms are too cushy, I just genuinely think the care would be better in a ward-style setup.

Here's the thing. When a patient is in a room alone, we can't see them and they can't see us. They don't know if we're actively taking care of someone else, and we have to go all the way into a room (and all the customer service that goes into going into a room) just to check if a catheter bag needs emptied or if SCD pumps are on, or if one of our many confused patients is trying to get out of bed.

This tends to result in situations where patients feel like they've been forgotten or aren't getting the best care we can give them. It also results in things like food or needed medications being left in patient rooms for a long time because we didn't see it dropped off, and patients who go hours without an SCD pump being on because we might only see them once every 2 hours (instead of a quick check every time we're on the way to another patient).

And finally, while this sounds ridiculous, the size of the hospital floors that are needed to house single-occupancy rooms are a drain on time when time is at an absolute premium.

See, picture you're doing a 12-hour shift and you have 6 patients. That's 2 hours of care per patient spread over 12 hours. That's not direct care, either. Order needs changed or clarified? That's 10 minutes gone. Charting? That's another 45 minutes. Pretty soon you get down to less than an hour to give meds, do all necessary assessments, treatments, clean ups, education, etc... Spread over 12 hours. That amounts to about 20 minutes in a patient room spread over every 4-hour period. Say it takes 30 seconds to get from one room to another. Say it takes more than a minute to walk from the med machine to the room. That time all adds up, and eats into those 20 precious minutes.

Versus if I could have all 6 of those patients laying in beds right in front of me, maybe with walls between them and the option of a curtain facing the hall for privacy, I could provide considerably more nursing care with the same amount of time.

[jplupineislost]

This....sucks.

So I've briefly mentioned some of this stuff before but given my current circumstances, I think some transparency might be needed. I could potentially be homeless soon and I'm at the end of my rope.

Under the cut will be how I ended up in this position with some potentially triggering topics [harassment, assault, abuse] Links to help me keep my home are at the very end if you want to skip the triggering parts.

Around two years ago, I was living in an apartment with my mother through government assisted housing. Between the both of us, our combined incomes were far beneath the poverty line even for a one person household. We're both disabled, so our methods of getting income are limited. The apartment became a health hazard to my mother because of neighbors stealing packages that contained medical supplies and upstairs neighbors nearly constantly smoking cigarettes and weed with the smoke coming down to our apartment through the connected vents.

The smoke was so strong that it stuck to our clothes and doctors would run secret drug tests because they thought we were lying about not doing drugs. We both have asthma, but mine is not as severe whereas Ma also has COPD and was having to do daily breathing treatments due to the smoke. We did everything we could to get it to stop including contacting management to see if they could talk to the neighbors about smoking outside instead of inside; we were essentially told we either had to just deal with it or move. This is on top of the same neighbors causing several floods from their apartment into ours. Given our financial situation, there was nowhere we could go.

Ma's health started getting worse from the smoke to the point that her doctor's told us that we needed to move or she could be put in a home. So with no money to live anywhere else, it was looking as if Ma would be taken away and I would be left homeless.

Our situation was taken advantage of by someone Ma thought she could trust. An old friend she had known and lost contact with but found again years later had agreed to help us move by all three of us getting a house and splitting the bills based on income. It seemed like the perfect solution; space, no more smoke, and the ability to install disability aids- the apartments had not allowed us to make the apartment accessible, which led to several injuries over the time we lived there. I had managed to save income tax + stimulus money that was just enough for a home inspection and other necessary expenses, so I covered those with the agreement that Ma's friend would pay me back for his part. He never did.

We managed to get a house- one that turned out to not even be up to code but it was too late to back out now, which put me into dept with loans to fix. There are still many repairs needing to be done, but those have no choice but to wait.

Moving in, MF said the place he lived prior had bedbugs but he had treated his things already so not to worry about it. He lied. The back bedroom got an infestation we had no money to get rid of, leaving us to resort to cheap sprays that did very little. It also became quickly apparent that MF was incredibly irresponsible with money; he would spend hundreds of dollars on unnecessary expenses from video game loot to luxury items. He frequently was late on bills that usually fell to me to pay off with whatever savings I had, so anytime I had a savings, it would be gone shortly after so that things like utilities would not be cut off.

Conflict and arguments became common over various things. MF was barely less than a stranger to me, but I tried to be polite and get to know him. The more I talked to him, the more I became uncomfortable. He was a sexist pig who laughed about beating one of his exes.

And now we were stuck living with him. MF is also disabled and took advantage of that as well. He was manipulative and would put up the image of 'poor disabled white man' to get out of trouble who knows how many times at this point. Ma secretly got into contact with some of his past partners and people who lived with him, and they had pretty consistent stories; he made their lives Hell. He called them all crazy and jealous, but given the fact that he was also making our lives Hell, it was clear he was a liar. Every time he got caught lying and called out on it, he tried to gaslight us.

MF escalated his behavior knowing we had nowhere else to go and no money to do so. He tried pushing boundaries with me, getting too close when I was bent over and had my hands preoccupied or when I wore certain clothes. I would immediately tell him to not get that close to me and he would react negatively with anger and trying to make it out as if I was overreacting.

My mother is not as confident in enforcing boundaries as I am. She wanted to 'keep the peace' but was being abused when I wasn't in the room. I didn't find out until much later when she ended up physically injured with bruised ribs. This was also when her doctors found out how dangerous our living situation was.

Then Ma had major surgery for health related reasons. She was in and out of the ICU for over a week recovering, and the entire time, MF was going to the hospital and telling the doctors/nurses all sorts of lies from being Ma's boyfriend to husband, took me off her emergency contact, and refused to tell me what was happening to her. MF would up and leave without warning, and because of my work and other factors, I could not go see Ma while he was there. One day I told MF that we would go see Ma together so that I could actually get to see her in recovery.

The next morning when we were supposed to go, he left early by himself without saying a word. I had to take my little brother to work 'cause he didn't have a car and had to prioritize that so my brother wouldn't lose pay or his job. When I got to the hospital afterward, I had a suspicion and went to the front desk to ask where Ma was before I went anywhere. Found out then that MF had also lied about what room Ma was in. When I get there, a nurse was checking on Ma and asks who I am. I tell him, and he turns to MF and asks "Is this the one you said wasn't coming?" I was seething. Ended up having a breakdown shortly after because I finally learned what all was happening with Ma.

Ma's doctors and social workers, after several months, were able to find a way to get MF out of the house. He was given the options of leaving and owing only $500 a month in mortgage or being taken away by police. He didn't leave until the day before he would be forcibly removed. He stole several items of ours while leaving junk and spare furniture behind. Him leaving behind furniture was not out of kindness, but another way to lie and play the victim to people who didn't know what was happening. 'They kicked me out and stole my things' is the gist of what he told others so they would pity him and give him money/luxury items.

Since he was only obligated to pay $500 in mortgage, Ma and I had to figure out how to pay the bills he had been covering while living there. We managed it, but we could not cover that $500 with our incomes. MF did not pay that $500 and hasn't in over a year. We've been scrambling month after month to cover it. I got a better job and still can't cover it. We tried to seek legal action to hold MF to his contractual obligation of the $500....he put himself into a temporary hold at a mental clinic to be deemed 'incompetent' at the time. He's hopped around places to not be found, all the while threatening us and trying to sell the house while we're still living here.

He told us that he only has to wait it out until we have no choice left but to sell the house and he'll get his cut due to being a partial 'buyer'. Several times he even showed up without warning, coming into the fenced yard, digging through our trash, and getting into the shed. He only stopped as far as we know when threatened with the police.

For the past year, we've been struggling to cover his $500 and facing potential homelessness every month. We've been managing by the skin of our teeth, but it's looking as if our options are running out. Then with him trying to sell the house from under us, he may be able to succeed if we can't pay the mortgage, which will get him even more money than what he's already stolen from us. We're working on taking him off the mortgage, but that is taking time we may not have. We also can't legally get a roommate due to our state laws.

So I'm asking for help. If y'all could commission me, get stickers/magnets/etc. from my Redbubble shop, or donate through my Ko-fi, that would be greatly appreciated. Even just reblogging could help. I'm doing whatever I can to not lose my home.

Comm Info | Ko-fi | Shop | Adopts

[transmutationisms]

Do you have a perspective on why stimulants aren’t currently widely prescribed as weight loss drugs? Im guessing it’s related to it being a ‘controlled substance’ and ‘scary drug’ but drug marketing in pursuit of pharmaceutical profits is pretty powerful… I wonder why I haven’t seen (effective?) efforts to try to ‘overhaul’ the image of stimulants as only associated with “addiction”, “hyperactive children”, finance bros, and “lazy adults”.

I know vyvanse is also prescribed for binge eating but I get the sense most people are unaware of that. I tried many stimulants and I had the most rapid and “easy” (found food repulsive) weight loss on vyvanse. Granted all of the many prescribed stimulants I’ve tried all greatly suppress my appetite.And I’ve seen it described as a benefit by some people who have it prescribed for adhd (I understand why people do and I sometimes see it as a very depressing benefits because lack of food security despite). Binge eating disorder and prescribing for general weight loss aren’t too far from each other in the fatphobic society we live in but I guess I’m curious how it hasn’t had the ozempic treatment already/ when will it happen. People already look down of folks who can’t function by society’s standards in certain contexts and I see that similarity in how people talk about people who take ozempic for weight loss (admonishing and a moral failure).

stimulants absolutely still are prescribed for weight loss lol, in addition to Vyvanse for 'binge eating' (v unreliable diagnosis that many people receive when they are in fact dealing with subjective loss of control around food as a direct result of restrictive behaviours...) there's also Desoxyn (methamphetamine) and Phentermine (a substituted amphetamine), which are both still FDA-approved for short-term weight management. and yes that's Phentermine as in half of fen-phen. you also have to keep in mind that off-label prescribing is hard to track but is probably still occurring at not-insignificant rates (i know it happens with Ephedra and Clenbuterol, for example). and then there are also patients who use stimulants for weight loss without a doctor's knowledge, either by obtaining them on the black market or by simply getting a doctor to prescribe them for something else.

anyway in regards to pharma marketing strategies i think there are a few things going on here:

weight loss has never actually been the sole market for these drugs, nor was it the first. amphetamine was first synthesised in 1929; it was put into asthma inhalers almost immediately and by the late 30s was being sold as a kind of generalised wellness-producing drug, used by, for instance, college students as a 'pep pill'. the Allies used quite a bit of amphetamine in WWII to keep soldiers alert (the US military was still doing this in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s; afaik they have not stopped this practice). by the late 50s stimulants were also marketed as pick-me-ups for unhappy housewives and for a dizzying array of depression 'subtypes' (postpartum, old age-related, disability-related) and 'modern miseries' (atomic anxiety, economic and political unrest). it wasn't until the 50s and 60s that stimulants really started to be marketed as diet pills, with 'overeating' configured as a symptom of depression. even those formulations also had other use markets: professional athletes, for example. i'm sure pharma companies would love to have the stimulant dominance they once did in weight loss, but it's not really necessary in order to move product: these days the ADHD diagnosis will generally do the job just fine. nicolas rasmussen's book On Speed has more on this history.

speaking of the ADHD diagnosis, i have observed that in the last two or so decades, it has increasingly been invoked in bioessentialist narratives of either 'chemical imbalances' (usually dopamine, norepinephrine) or distinct 'neurotypes' that are said to cause, worsen, or be susceptible to 'overeating', which can therefore be treated by the use of stimulant drugs. i strongly suspect an effect here is that 'overeating', weight gain, or 'obesity' are de facto being used as diagnostic criteria for ADHD, or for other psychiatric diagnoses considered to have high overlap in behavioural presentation. this is not dissimilar to the formulation in the 60s of 'overeating' as a result of depression; in both cases the narrative elides the appetite-suppressant effects of stimulants and presents them as aiding with weight loss by treating an underlying bio/psychiatric pathology. an interesting historical note here is that Adderall is simply a rebrand of the second-gen formulation of the weight-loss drug Obetrol.

presently, weight loss is largely marketed using the language of health rather than aesthetics. although pharma companies are certainly not morally above lying, i do think it would be a tough pill to swallow (pun intended) if they tried to convince anyone that a stimulant prescription is part of this sort of 'wellness' scene. that could change in the future, ofc; these perceptions and associations are socially and historically contingent. in the US even as recently as the 90s, people were definitely still presenting fen-phen as health-promoting (tautologically, because it caused weight loss!), at least until the valve disease scandal.

glp-1 agonists like ozempic are, i think, getting a lot of extremely credulous coverage, from both the medical establishment and health journalists, that is obfuscating the fact that they basically also work by suppressing the appetite. whether it is 'healthier' to do this with a substance that alters endocrine function than to do it with a substance that acts on adrenergic receptors is unclear to me. certainly there are many 'side effects' of the glp-1 agonists that are simply the results of rapid / significant weight loss (fatigue, weakness, osteoporosis, hair loss, gallstones, 'ozempic face', &c). that a process that causes these things can be marketed as health-promoting is a whole other topic lol. but i think the perception of the glp-1 agonists as healthful weight-loss agents has to do with certain misunderstandings of diabetes, metabolism, and body weight, as well as a degree of... not quite blackboxing, but something adjacent, on the part of pharma companies in their promotional materials. which is to say, it wouldn't surprise me if, in the future, people looked back at glp-1 agonists as also being risky drugs to use for weight loss, and only being worth using in specific, limited circumstances.

[aria-ashryver]

yooooo im SO tired, have a health update 💞

(which was going to be another video update but then a bird came and i got distracted and now im too tired to speak lol. also WOW imagine being so pale you create your own god rays slkdjf)

so, ive been feeling like hot garbage for some time, which is perhaps not surprising with the whole "was poisoned via chemo for a year, is still recovering" thing. Recently my heart has been feeling Not Good TM, and the fatigue waves are getting pretty extreme at times.

So, I followed this up with my doctor, very much expecting it to be a case of "no you're just out of shape / your asthma is playing up / you're just being super lazy, try harder, etc". He booked me a specialised heart test which I had last week.

Uhhh apparently I wasn't just being pathetic! (Which is somewhat gratifying to know that there is a reason things have been so hard lately and it's not just in my head)

There is a thing called your Ejection Fraction, which is essentially a measure of how much oxygenated blood your heart is pumping around your body -- its the factor that keeps you feeling energised.

Mine has dropped. Fairly significantly. When I had the same heart scan in October, mid-way through chemo, I was still retaining a lot of my heart health and muscle mass from when i was pre-chemo, so my EF was sitting at about 80. Which is a sign I was initially quite physically fit (or, to quote my oncologist: "giiiiirl, you a Boston Marathon runner or what?)

Since my last scan, my EF has dropped to 58. Which is still actually higher than average, most people sit at about 55, so I've dropped to an average range lol.

My heart is working, but such a significant jump is still cause for concern. My oncologist said that if I had been less young and fit, it would have been a case of dropping from 55 to somewhere in the 30s, to which he said "you'd struggle to even walk down that corridor at that point."

At this stage, I have a (hopefully reversible!) cardiomyopathy. Unfortunately, reduced heart and lung function can be complications of the two immune therapy drugs I am taking to prevent my cancer from coming back. So the current course of action is to put my immune therapy treatments on hold for 9 weeks to let my heart recover.

Yes, that is a tad spooky, but the drugs have a very long half-life, so I should be okay not taking them for that short period. On the plus side, this should hopefully improve my overall quality of life while my heart heals, and a break from immune therapy will be really nice anyway, because that shit hurts lmao.

Otherwise, the metastatic cancer in my spine and my hips remains stable and is still showing signs of healing because I am AWESOME AND COOL. Oh, and I also had a massive internal lesion (a chemo complication I never mentioned here bc like... if I told you guys every little thing that's wrong with me, we'd be here all day lmao) but that is now healing on its own too!! Woo!

So... ye. Gonna have a nap, knowing that medically my heart is broken and I have yet another reason to take it easy now haha.

Send me lots of "oi don't get cancer again in the next 9 weeks you absolute nugget" type vibes. I don't think I will, I'm not worried, but yk yk vibes are nice 🥰💝💖💓💕🩷💞 if you are still reading, I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

[gaysie]

bad news for ozempic haters word on the streets (translational research community) is that GLP1r agonists are the new statins in terms of their wonderdrug potential and preclinically they’re really good at treating asthma, sepsis, ARDS, a host of autoimmunes and probably more and of course they’re the best diabetes drug to date which like obviously great that people have new treatment options but the cultural reckoning when they become even more ubiquitous is going to be crazy

[del3141]

The archaeological dig site marked "childhood memories - danger - cognitohazardous waste"

CW: drug use, mention of childhood trauma, long post that goes nowhere.

As Peter Gabriel says: digging in the dirt, to find the places we got hurt.

I don't avoid drugs, but I've never been much for any more than mild amounts. If I have alcohol it's one drink, or two if it's a special occasion and I'm feeling celebratory, or maybe even three if it's New Years (but way early in the night 'cuz I have to drive home). Two cups of coffee in a day for me is a lot. And I don't really partake in much else. No "hard" drugs, largely out of fear of addiction; my entire family has a history in that, and I ignore that legacy at great personal risk. I can't really smoke weed, I've got asthma and it'll mess me up, vape pens are harsh on my throat and lungs too. Edibles... well.

The thing about edibles (besides I can't stand the aftertaste) is that if it's a low dose, it doesn't do much of anything for me... but if it's a high dose, I get to go on an extended trip to my early childhood for the rest of the day, and all through my dreams that night, and a little into waking up the next day. For me, edibles aren't recreational, they're a psychiatric treatment for C-PTSD.

Which isn't a *bad* thing. But I don't do it on a whim. And every time, I come back with stuff that the front of my brain cleared out, but which is still in long-term memory, and gets brought back for analysis. An edible for me, essentially, is a round-trip ticket to a dig site for trauma and memory. It does, at least, provide a certain amount of emotional filtration. It's not a full flashback, the emotions have 30+ years of distance. But, y'know. It's still a bit of a flashback.

It's all part of me trying to piece together the context in which I was a kid. There are things my family wouldn't talk to me about even if we were still in contact, things that would embarrass them or make them look less Christian or less like good parents. Unfortunately, the only thing I have to go by is a very spotty set of childhood memories, plus context clues from the kind of people they were/are later in life. There's only so much I can do with the context clues. It seems that spotty memory can be at least nominally repaired.

I don't suppose anyone has any advice for doing this kind of thing for memory recovery. My biggest concern is the possibility of a false memory getting generated; I've had things that _felt_ like memories at the time but were very obviously not, just my brain attaching the recognition feeling to something random. But other things I was able to verify, with a bit of internet searching or just checking against other, stronger memories I've retained from the past.

[babyspacebatclone]

I’ve been meaning to get something like this done for a bit, and this post from @my-autism-adhd-blog gave me the nudge to type it out.

I’m keeping it here in my own post, though, to not clog their notes too much. 😅

I’m sure anyone with an invisible illness or neurodivergence has had to come up against the idea of “Well, back in my day, no one ever had [very real problem you are suffering from], we just bucked up and deal with life!”

Oh, really?

Do you [theoretical irritating naysayer] know when the term anaphylaxis was coined?

You know, “hypersensitivity (as to foreign proteins or drugs) resulting from sensitization following prior contact with the causative agent”?

The potentially fatal reaction where people can lose the ability to breathe? A very real, repeatedly proven reality for a large segment of the population?

It was created in 1905.

(I’d go into more about the individual who named it, but he also subscribed to a lot of the worst fields of thought in the early 20th century and therefore we shall move on.)

On the other hand, we have writings explicitly referencing horse allergies from the turn of BCE to CE (one of the sons of Roman Emperor Claudius), among others.

What we now recognize as Seasonal Allergies have been identified around the 16th century, under names like “rose catarrh” (as in, a believed reaction to roses, most likely a reaction to the pollen of other plants during their blooming season) and “summer asthma” (asthma being used as a general term for an ability to breathe).

What fascinates me is the end of the 18th century, where

Seasonal allergic rhinitis was now often observed and recognized. The term “hay fever” replaced “rose cold.” Physicians believed seasonal allergies were an aristocratic disease because it was most commonly diagnosed among the upper class. (emphasis mine, taken from document described below)

Huh, I wonder why upper class people would be the ones most diagnosed with seasonal allergies? I wonder what myriad of reasons could lead the financially secure to seek out personal aide for non-debilitating but extremely uncomfortable symptoms?

Not the least of which being a lifestyle which allows it to be merely non-debilitating.

Anyway….

At some point I want to fully read this summary of the book Ancestors of Allergy edited by F. Estelle R. Simons (as getting my hands on the text itself would be more effort than it’s worth for me personally). What I’ve skimmed thus far is fascinating.

Here’s a timeline from those 16th century misclassifications of seasonal allergies to the present understanding of allergic reactions (as the source from that one quote from above):

It’s humbling to see the development of understanding and acceptance towards a medical condition we take existing for granted nowadays.

On the other hand, the length of time it took to clarify these experiences when they have indisputable physical symptoms (if sometimes difficult to identify triggers) can be disheartening when we thing about where the scientific community currently is regarding mental health, neurodivergence, and invisible illnesses.

But my main take away in this review of the history of allergies:

It was never new. It had always been there, people had always suffered from it. The only things that changed were the public perception of the condition and the treatments afforded to people struggling under things other people dismiss.

@my-autism-adhd-blog ‘s post about dismissive attitudes towards neurodivergence, specifically Autism and ADHD, which reminded me I wanted to share this all with my pocket friends and anyone it breaks containment for.

[writingfortheheart]

Counting to 30: Trina

Trina walked into the treatment room and sat in the chair that was oh-so familiar to her. A leather lift chair, similar to what you'd see in a dentist's office, with the ability to recline. The lights above buzzed, illuminating the stark white walls covered in promotional posters for various drugs, and a rather memorable cross section of the human body, if only because Dr. Kirby seemed to have scribbled the name "Earl" along the top.

A sound of squeaky wheels got louder as Dr. Kirby approached down the hallway, followed by a nurse wheeling a cart containing a nuebulizer, an oxygen tank, and a few other essentials. Trina had the drill down by now. Just breathe and she'd feel better. If only she could just breathe without occasional help.

Dr. Kirby arrived first, with the cart and nurse not far behind. "How is my favourite patient?" he asked, half joking. Trina was the one who saw him most. Trina gave a barking cough in response. She fought the inclination to use her inhaler again because she knew she'd be getting a nebulizer in a few minutes.

Trina pulled down her leotard, becoming topless so that Dr. Kirby could listen to her breathing. The doctor put on his stethoscope and moved quickly around Trina's chest, listening at every point but not too long. He had her lean forward and started austiculating Trina's back. "That's a lot of wheezing..." he said off-handedly.

When the doctor was finished, Trina pulled her leotard back up, covering her pale skin. Next came the nebulizer. The nurse pulled the hard plastic shell over Trina's mouth and nose, and Dr. Kirby gave Trina a small remote control with a single button on it. "You know what to do if something goes wrong", he said, patting her shoulder gently.

The first breath was hard, not so much the in as the out. Trina's first big gulp of aerosolized albuterol slid through her bronchial passages with ease, but the exhale was met with a long wheeze, followed by a coughing jag and several gasps. This was normal at the start of treatment.

The following breaths were much less difficult, a wave of relief washing over Trina as she focused on Earl, Earl's lungs in particular. That's how she calmed herself. Imagining a health pair of lungs, like Earl's. She rested her head back and closed her eyes.

Trina remembers the day of her last serious asthma attack. The day in college, she was 20-years-old, she had come home to her apartment that she shared with a then-boyfriend. They split when she was accepted into Hope International, but at the time they were quite serious. She had just finished a workout, she had been pushing herself too hard. She knew it, her boyfriend knew it, her friends knew it. They tried to warn her. She didn't listen.

Trina entered into the front hallway, tired, cranky, her heart racing, her lungs about to give up. She doesn't remember much after that. She collapsed, and her boyfriend's mouth over hers, trying desperately to breathe for her, eventually make her breathe on her own.

Paramedics came, Trina felt a familiar shell over her face. At this point, according to her boyfriend, her lips had gone blue, her skin gray. He thought she was lost. The paramedics thought she was lost. Pure oxygen rushed into her air-starved lungs as the medics squeezed the ambu-bag and wheeled her out into a waiting ambulance. Next thing she knew, she was coming to in a hospital room.

Just like now...

Trina awoke from her memory in familiar surroundings. Her wheezing gone, along with her coughing. She took another deep breath. The albuterol was done, just air now. She saw Marcianna, the girl she had just met, walk by, finished with her physical, and wave at her. Trina waved back. Dr. Kirby came in and did another check of Trina's vitals. "Did you get up to anything interesting?", he asked, another half joke. Trina shook her head. "No, just...remembering..."

[alj4890]

Hello! Question for you: In your HC, does Chris have any long-term effects from the chemical attack or its treatment?

I meant to answer this a long time ago 😬 We'll ignore how much I forget to check my inbox.

Yes. She has both psychological and physical effects from the chemical attack. Psychologically, she suffers with PTSD, especially where it concerns aerosol cans. Anytime she hears one being administered, if she's unaware someone is about to spray something like Lysol, it triggers a massive panic attack. It gets a little better as the years go by, but she still breaks into a cold sweat and struggles to breathe when caught off guard.

Since it was an inhalent, I've head cannoned that she now has asthma. Her lungs are slightly scarred and she is more prone to respiratory infections than she was before the attack. She easily comes down with a case of pneumonia each year, despite getting vaccinated. She also suffers with muscle weakness and tiredness that she continues to work on.

As for the treatment, I think that Ethan and Tobias would have conducted numerous tests on Chris to try and combat any possible side effects once they saw she was out of danger. They'd have pulled Baz in on solving whatever new ailment the cure caused before it became too serious. If anything, I think it would be like most powerful drugs with the usual headache, nausea, body aches, etc. that eased with time.

[killed-by-choice]

Donna Heim, 20 (USA 1986)

California resident Donna Heim was 20 years old. She was perfectly healthy other than a history of asthma. In 1986, she found out that she was pregnant and ended up going to Her Medical Clinic (which was actually an abortion facility) when she was in the second trimester.

On August 11, 1986, an unspecified HMC employee inserted laminaria dilators and told Donna to come back the next day. Donna was not warned about the risks of abortion and had no idea that she was going to die.

The next day, Donna underwent the abortion at the hands of abortionist Mahlon Douglas Cannon. HMC had not bothered to check Donna’s medical history other than a brief record of the past two weeks. It was already documented that Donna had asthma, but HMC didn’t bother to make sure that Donna was receiving any oxygen or that the drugs administered were safe for her. Donna was also not given a pre-op exam.

During the abortion, Donna suffered bronchospasms and/or laryngospasms. A nurse anesthetist started trying to get Donna to breathe normally, but did not check her medical records or administer any treatment that could have actually helped. Cannon was aware of the situation, but he didn’t help try to save Donna or call 911. Instead he just continued the abortion.

4 or 5 minutes later, Cannon actually tried to do something about his dying client— in a completely incompetent way. Instead of giving any medicine that might have had a chance at saving her, he attempted the Heimlich maneuver. It is unclear why he thought this would do anything. When Donna still couldn’t breathe, Cannon laid her down flat and put his fingers in her mouth. It didn’t help.

By the time someone finally called an ambulance, it was too late. Paramedics arrived to find Donna in full cardio-respiratory arrest. They desperately tried to save her, but she was declared dead shortly after.

The next month, another young client named Liliana Cortez who was perfectly healthy other than having asthma was killed by HMC in strikingly similar circumstances.

(Medical Board Documents)

[jonandjenrvlife]

9/6/2023 - One thing is for sure … Nothing is for sure!  we have a lot of plates in the air right now and are having to be really flexible and prepared for change!

We received paperwork on our new motorhome (which we have never seen or driven) which requested we sign and commit to within 24 hours, or they will not hold the RV for us. We would never agree to do that and buy some thing that expensive site unseen. So we told them we would take our chances, and see if it's available a week from now when we would be ready to head towards Texas to look at it and purchase it. So we are rolling the dice! If it's meant to be, it will happen. 🎲

Our RV is still in the shop for the persistent problem with the dash air conditioning. We should have it back by tomorrow. 

In other news, I have had chronic serious hives for 20 years. About 10 years ago, a medication that was typically used for asthma, became available as a treatment for hives. It is a biologic injected drug. I have had it every 4 to 6 weeks for the past 10 years and it has brought blessed relief from the hives. I have been pushing the distance between shots out more and more over the past six months with out negative repercussions. I spoke with my doctor this morning, and I am going to try going off the medication. I have waited for this day for 20 years! 

And more news! Our jeep has been a a really fun car. However, it is lifted and difficult to get in and out of, especially with the dogs. There is not much room in it for groceries or anything else unless you take the backseat out. So with so much time on our hands lately, Jon decided to pursue getting a different car. we are looking at Jeep Grand Cherokee today, and who knows… We may have it by this afternoon :-)

Never a dull moment! 😝

[brindashard45]

Hello sorry for tagging. I am very sick, my asthma is at its maximum level, my nose freezes, I have no medicine or food. I am in bad shape financially, I am a black disabled, who uses multiple medications, I pay for my food and lodging

Unfortunately I do not have all the resources to keep me safe, that is why I need your help, whatever you can contribute to me will be of great help.

It’s ok

But, I’ll try my best to get you some help.

The looks of it is severe of the condition of the asthma.

Airway can become inflamed, narrowing and swollen, produce extra mucus, make it difficult to breathe

Asthma can be minor or it can interfere with daily activities, in some cases it may be a symptom of a life threatening attack

I figured it would be a severe persistent asthma.

—-+

Nose freezes? I never heard about it, but I’ll study this later. Hopefully it will be a diagnosis.

—

Multiple medication will lead to a drug addiction or abuse, using so much medication will lead to heart attacks or stroke, even death.

You should go to the medical professional that requires medical diagnosis and treatment, they should give you a prescription for it.

Paying for the food and lodging is quite hard and expensive to offer, especially when it is bad conditions

But, I hope you’ll feel better and good luck with the situation I am given to you.