#it also causes GI tract issues

[liminalmessaging]

i am officially sober now, and i am never going back.

[thebibliosphere]

Hey! I know that this isn't something you struggle with but since a lot of your other followers are disabled as well, it would mean a lot to me if you could publish this ask since I'd like to see if anyone else experiences anything similar to what I'm going through. I'm not asking for anyone to armchair diagnose me, I'd just appreciate not feeling so alone and scared and confused. My general physician is claiming that my anxiety is causing the issues I'll describe but I call bullshit on that:

About two years ago, cca 4 months after my top surgery, my body stopped being able to process oil. Whenever I'd eat anything that was made with oil of any kind, I'd get cramps in the abdomen after a while and I'd get diarrhea. Caffeine started to do this also but in a smaller intensity. I had a hysterectomy a bit after that and they checked my kidneys and liver so I know that those are both ok and not the cause. I also got checked for Celiac since it runs in the family. Because the issue wasn't getting worse and my then general physician was always dismissive, I let it be. When I wasn't having diarrhea, I was constipated, though I did have a bowel movement like once or twice a week. Fast forward to now. In August, it suddenly got a lot worse. At first, even a single drop of oil would make me feel ill. Then, the time period got longer - currently the cramps and the pain last for 48 hours afterwards. I also became unable to digest animal fats, the only meat I can eat is lean chicken and fish. Afterwards, gluten became an issue (Celiac is still negative), and then nuts as well.

My new GP, even though she believes it to be anxiety, gave me Itopride, and it worked for about 3 weeks - I had no cramps, pain, exhaustion, gas or bloating after eating, and I had a bowel movement once a day. But it stopped working two days ago, again without a reason, and the effects started being less effective about a week ago. Even when taking the meds, I have a movement only once in about 8 days, and laxatives make me gassy but nothing happens. I'm also not sure about this, but it seems that chicken is no longer safe either.

I think it's important that if I don't take Itopride, I never even feel the urge to go, so when I say that I've always been constipated, I mean that I don't even feel the need to have a movement. Lately, when I take Itopride, I do get the urge that I do always get when taking it, but it's like I can't go, so I always feel full.

I just feel super scared and I have no idea what's going on. I admit that I have a history of eating disorders (in recovery since May) and I did abuse laxatives about a year ago, but I don't think it was enough to cause such serious issues? I used to take them like once a week and for about 3-4 months.

I'd really appreciate knowing if anyone has ever experienced anything similar or knows about anything like this because I feel like my life is in shambles - can't go outside for long because I might need the toilet suddenly, or I'm in too much pain to walk, I'm afraid to eat, I often feel repulsive, I don't know what might happen in a month, I am becoming incapable of taking care of myself and my flat because I'm just so goddamn tired.

Ooft, I’m sorry. It sounds like you’ll need a colonoscopy to figure this one out, so if you haven’t had one yet, really push for a referral.

Fwiw, I do experience something like this, but it’s from mast cell inflammation in my GI tract. The doc prescribed me bentyl for when things flare up but I’m also on a fiber supplement (citrucel. It’s a lot gentler than other types) to try and keep that from happening. Also if you’re low on b vitamins, your stomach sometimes stops digesting food, so maybe also ask about getting your levels checked. Taking an additional b2 supplement means I can process fats and oils again which I couldn’t before.

I’m not saying this to be like “this is what you have” just throwing them out there as suggestions that might help you piece together what might be wrong.

I hope you get more helpful comments in the notes 💖

[hello-there]

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[amelizscribbles]

OK, EXPLAINING DABIS SCARRING because @good-lord-not-books asked

*note these are just my hcs and some medical research

I'm putting this under a cut because it's long as hell, and I apologize in advance for any typos or if it's confusing. I have no problem explaining further♡

His scars are hypertrophic. which 1) explains the discoloration. It's what happens when the smaller blood vessels become partially or fully obstructed with scar tissue. They typcially start off pinkish or light red. (like when he woke up from his coma.)

Typically the treatment for this is laser removal. But if you don't have access the color may naturally shift with age/as it natueally heals. But with continuous damage to the areas.. the scar will get darker as the veins and tissue is further injured (the deeper into the skin and possible muscle it damages)

most hyrpertophic scarring can take a year + to heal. but obviously Dabi just keeps making his worse. The scars themselves are cause by the body over producing collagen for wound healing and not actually being able to break all of it down.

Which leaves collagen fibers in the skin to harden and thicken. Hardened skin doesn't allow much give, lessening the skins elasticity over all. Which can be shown in the way his unscarred skin pulls along the edges where the dermal rings line said scars. (my thoughts on his staples acrually being dermal rings will be at the end)

That's not even going into the nerve damage systemically for him considering hes covered in that kind of scar. So when he says he can't feel a thing it's literal as the nerve endings are shot to shit. And that is only going into skin deep level.

Interal organ nerve damage is a whole other mess due to the scaringbeing from burns. As severe enough burns cause systemic damage. (will also go into atfer the scarring part)

His skin looks TIGHT on him. If he did have and semblance of sensation in his nerves it might feel like hella tight/dry skin. Also I think hypertrophic scars are an inflammation response to the body healing.

His body is literally misshapen from it. (and yes we love him the way he is) You can see in panels where the skin is probably softer where there's lack of muscle definition but can see where it's tighter or pulling over his arms/ shoulders/ribcage because the skins elasticity is non-existent. The instances where it's sifter looking is probably due to his body trying to retain as much body fat it can to keep healthy (or as healthy as it's going to get in his state.)

As far as it going right up to his lower lids and having zero tear ducts. that man has chronic dry eye like it's nobodies business. so itchy and possibly bleeding eyes isn't a shock. he probably has several counts of grand larceny in artificial tears alone.

Ok so as for his scaring being from burns, burns affect the whole body and how it works depending on the severity.

It can effect muscle tissue/muscle mass, bone structure and interior organs.

Given he seems to be perpetually giving himself 3rd degree + burns .. his respiratory system and cardiovascular system are probably shot to shit. Just from smoke inhalation and perpetual injury. (hypertrophic scars fill the veins with scar tissue remember) Assuming how deep the burn and scar tissue goes.

But we haven't seen him with much breathing issues so I'm assuming it's whatever. He has mentioned motion sickness and we've even seen him turning down food. So I can at least go into it's affects on his GI tract.

In the GI tract, burns can result in increased gastric secretions, reduced intestinal motility, decreased nutrient absorption, increased GI mucosal permeability, bacterial translocation and increased intra-abdominal pressure. If it's bad enough he may have ulcers or gi hemorrhaging. Severe burns also cause liver and intestinal damage.

The fact that he's been alive this long is wild if he's been homeless this whole time and just committing small crimes to not die. One thing that irritates me is when people think he would be incredibly unhygienic due to the scars and such.

Like do you understand how CLEAN you have to keep burn injuries to keep them from getting infected?? Even if it's layered over already damaged and scarred skin. He might smell like burnt flesh but I doubt he's letting wounds fester.

Yes he could probably just cauterize himself but that's still just burning burn wounds. Especially with 0% health insurance. I always assumed he kept breaking into the Todoroki family home when he knew no one would be there to do basic things to make sure he didn't die on the street over the years.

Quick add on to my thoughts on his staples just being dermal rings to homd his skin together/as a form of human Kinstugi.

They (the rings) are pretty rounded in the manga, surgical staples aren't nearly that large either so I always assumed human Kinstugi regardless of metal color (between manga gold or anime silver) and it was both decorative and necessary for his skin.

I just assumed wherever the rings weren't, it was just spots he couldn't reach.

it's also shown in the manga that he's adjusting/adding more along his scars.

als, in case anyone is unfamiliar with the term Kintsugi, it's this

Kintsugi (Japanese: 金継ぎ, lit. 'golden joinery'), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, "golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with urushi lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. The method is similar to the maki-e technique. Its the Japanese philosophy that the value of an object is not in its beauty, but in its imperfections, and that these imperfections are something to celebrate, not hide.

which I think suits his character very well when his piercings and dermal rings are gold looking in some of the colored manga art.

ok, I'll shut up now, ♡

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Jamie Ducharme

When you reach for a COVID-19 test, it’s probably because you’ve got a scratchy throat, runny nose, or cough. But those are far from the only symptoms that make Dr. Rohit Jain, an internal medicine doctor at PennState Health, suspect the virus.

These days, when someone complains of nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting, “I always get a COVID test on that patient,” Jain says.

Why? Despite its reputation as a respiratory virus, SARS-CoV-2 can also have a profound impact on the gut. Although most people don’t realize it, “COVID-19 really is a GI-tract disease” as well as a respiratory illness, says Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Here’s what to know about the gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19.

What are the GI symptoms of COVID-19? While some people experience no gastrointestinal symptoms or mild ones, a subset of COVID-19 patients have experienced significant digestive symptoms since the early days of the pandemic.

Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain are common GI symptoms of COVID-19, according to Jain’s research. Some people experience these issues as their first signs of infection, he says, while others initially experience cold-like symptoms and develop gastrointestinal issues as their illness progresses.

It’s not entirely clear why the same virus can affect people so differently, but it’s good to be aware that SARS-CoV-2 can result in a wide range of symptoms, Rupp says.

How long do GI symptoms of COVID-19 last? Some patients recover in a matter of days, Jain says, while others may suffer from diarrhea and other symptoms for weeks.

Still others may be sick for even longer. Gastrointestinal problems are a common manifestation of Long COVID, the name for chronic symptoms that follow a case of COVID-19 and can last indefinitely.

One recent study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that, among a small group of adults who were hospitalized when they had acute COVID-19, more than 40% who originally experienced GI problems such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea still had at least one a year or more later. Overall, whether they were hospitalized or not, adults who have had COVID-19 are about 36% more likely than uninfected people to develop gastrointestinal disorders including ulcers, pancreatitis, IBS, and acid reflux, according to a 2023 study published in Nature Communications.

GI problems are also common among kids with Long COVID. Stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting are telltale signs of the condition among children younger than 12, according to 2024 research published in JAMA.

Why a respiratory virus affects the gut How can the same virus cause both a runny nose and the runs?

Once SARS-CoV-2 gets into your body, it infects cells by binding to a protein called ACE2, which is found throughout the body. ACE2 is prevalent in the lungs, which helps explain COVID-19’s respiratory symptoms—but it’s also found in high concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract, “so it makes sense that the GI tract would be a target for the virus,” Rupp says. It’s in part because SARS-CoV-2 collects in the gut that wastewater surveillance is a useful tool for tracking the virus’ spread, Rupp adds.

Studies have shown that the virus can hide out in the “nooks and crannies” of the digestive system for months or even years, says Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis who co-authored the Nature Communications study on chronic post-COVID GI symptoms. This may explain why gut-related symptoms can long outlast an acute infection, Al-Aly says—but there are many potential hypotheses in play, and researchers don’t know for sure which one or ones are correct.

For example, many researchers also think the virus is capable of causing widespread and sometimes long-lasting inflammation, potentially affecting organs throughout the body. This inflammatory response may have trickle-down effects on the gut microbiome, the colony of bacteria and other microbes that live in the GI tract, Rupp says. “We’re just scratching the surface as to what happens there,” Rupp says, but studies have already shown that SARS-CoV-2 can change the composition of the gut microbiome both during an acute infection and chronically.

There’s also a complex relationship between the gut and the brain, adds Dr. Badih Joseph Elmunzer, a gastroenterologist at the Medical University of South Carolina and co-author of the Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology study on prolonged post-COVID GI symptoms. His research suggests people are particularly likely to suffer long-term GI problems if they also have signs of PTSD from their acute illness or hospitalization.

That’s not to say GI symptoms are all in patients’ heads; on the contrary, Elmunzer says, they are very real. But, he says, there’s a lot left to learn about the microbiome, the gut, and the myriad ways they interact with other bodily systems.

[saintjosie]

Hey I just saw your post on trans women who experience period symptoms and I have a question, as somebody who does not experience that!

So basically first off great post, periods are hormonally triggered so yes if your HRT mimics the cycle of a cis dyadic woman’s yes people will get periods! Even if they don’t have a uterus.

However there is one symptom I’m a little bit confused about—cramps.

Since cramps are directly caused by the uterus (i.e. through the uterine muscles contracting), how does that happen to somebody with no uterus?

I don’t mean to say that you don’t experience that pain, I’m not you and I’m sure you do, I just am a little bit confused about how. Bc while a lot of period symptoms (like the mood swings you mentioned, breast sensitivity, etc.) are hormonal and have no connection to having a uterus, cramps, while also triggered by hormones, happen because the hormones then go on to trigger the uterus, which then causes the individual pain.

You’re not obliged to answer any of this, Ofc. But as a follow-up: how painful are they? Bc for example with something like endometriosis they can become more painful because of uterine tissue growing where it’s not supposed to. So do you know if something like that would be possible (not the growing of more uterine tissue, but the increased pain levels)?

so i actually have no idea how that works from a biology standpoint cause tbh, i didn’t realize i was having period cramps for nearly a year. i actually thought i had something very very wrong with my GI tract and i was freaking out cause of it.

the only reason i figured out it was period cramps is cause my gf pointed out to me that it seemed to be a fairly regular (as in around every three and a half weeks) that i would have “stomach issues”. and then realizing that while i had “stomach issues”, i would also have “toothaches” (gum swelling) and “random burning pain in my knees” (joint inflammation).

so i started putting in my stomach pain in my calendar and lo and behold, synced nearly perfectly with the lunar cycle, was my period displayed neatly in data.

but this is part of why i think it’s so important to talk about it. because it took me over three years on hormones to figure out what was happening to me and trans women’s periods aren’t talked about in ways that are helpful to trans women who are figuring out what’s going on with their bodies.

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Is autism and bowel/digestive problems a popular thing? Does anyone know what causes it or what can help? I have been to doctors and hospitals so many times over the years and never get any results or help.

Hi there,

Unfortunately people with ASD have some difficulty with the gastrointestinal tract. I’ll leave some excerpts from articles below. Warning: they are very long:

Of the many medical comorbidities associated with ASD, GI distress has gained significant attention because of its reported prevalence and association with symptom severity. In fact, out of the children that Leo Kanner described in his landmark article defining “infantile autism” are described as having eating/feeding or dietary problems, supporting an early association of ASD with GI issues. Of the GI problems reported in subsets of autistic individuals, the most common are chronic constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Gastroesophageal reflux, bloody stools, vomiting, and gaseousness are also elevated in some autistic individuals, as are signs of GI inflammation, such as lymphoid nodular hyperplasia, complement activation, and elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and intestinal pathologies, such as enterocolitis, gastritis, and esophagitis. Increased intestinal permeability is linked to autism and hypothesized to have detrimental effects not only on intestinal barrier integrity but also on the systemic metabolome, with potential for translocation of intestinal metabolites or bacteria and consequent immune activation. Furthermore, food allergies, altered dietary nutrient intake, and metabolic disruptions have been associated with ASD.10–12 Autistic individuals with comorbid GI abnormalities exhibit altered carbohydrate digestion. Taken together, the variety of GI conditions, dietary issues, and enteric immune abnormalities reported in ASD individuals suggests that GI dysfunction can contribute to the manifestation of core symptoms of autism.

Characterized by difficulties with socializing, and often accompanied by repetitive behaviors, this neurodevelopmental disorder harbors many mysteries.

Despite its prevalence and a glut of research, the causes behind ASD are still not fully understood.

Although ASD primarily impacts the brain, over recent years, links with other systems have become clear — in particular, gastrointestinal (GI) issues seem to occur more often in individuals with ASD than in the rest of the population.

In one study, compared with typically developing (TD) children, those with ASD were six to eight times more likely to report GI symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.

Other studies have shown that children with ASD who experience GI problems are more likely to have more severe symptoms of ASD. Also, treating the GI symptoms can sometimes relieve the behavioral and social symptoms of ASD.

Interestingly, behavioral issues are found alongside other conditions that impact the gut. For instance, people with celiac disease are more likely to have autism-like traits and other psychological symptoms. The gut and behavior seem tied together in some way.

According to many researchers, the GI issues that come with ASD might be due to two factors: firstly, inappropriate immune activation causing inflammation of the tract; and, secondly, differences in the types of gut bacteria that are present.

However, the picture is still incredibly murky, and studies produce differing results, finding different types of inflammation and various changes in gut bacteria.

Children with autism experience more gastrointestinal symptoms

Gastrointestinal concerns are frequently reported by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers from the UC Davis MIND Institute evaluated the presence of GI symptoms in preschool-aged children with and without autism.

The study included 255 (184 males/71 females) children with ASD between two and 3-5 years of age and 129 (75 males/54 females) typically developing children in the same age group. Pediatricians specializing in autism interviewed caregivers during the children’s medical evaluation. They asked the parents how often their children experienced GI symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, painful stooling, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, blood in stool and blood in vomit.

The researchers grouped children in two categories: those who experienced one or more GI symptom and those who never or rarely had GI symptoms in the last three months. They compared the children in the two groups on measures of developmental, behavioral and adaptive functioning.

The study found that preschool-aged children with ASD were 2-7 times more likely to experience GI symptoms than their typically developing peers. In fact, almost 50% of children with ASD reported frequent GI symptoms - compared to 18% of children with typical development. Around 30% of the children with ASD experienced multiple GI symptoms.

I hope these sources can help. I have GI issues too and have to resort to stool softener

…

Anyway, thank you for the inbox. I hope you have a wonderful day/night. ♥️

[justkidneying]

Radiation Sickness

This is a potentially lethal condition resulting from exposure to radiation. The exact symptoms will be dependent upon the type of radiation, the dosage, and the affected part of the body. We're going to look at what radiation is, how much can kill you, the symptoms of radiation sickness, the treatment, and then some issues I have with its presentation in media.

What is Radiation? Radiation is energy, which is either transmitted as a particle or a wave. The kinds we will deal with here are α particles, ß particles, gamma rays, and X-rays. α, ß. and gamma are all from nuclear decay. An α particle is two protons and two neutrons. It is the least penetrating of the three (blocked by a piece of paper). A ß particle is a high energy electron, and is the second most penetrating (blocked by a thin sheet of metal). Gamma rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and are the most penetrating (stopped by meters of concrete and lead). The ionization ability of α, ß, and gamma are inverse to their penetrance. X-rays are part of the electromagnetic spectrum as well.

What is ionization? This is the gain or loss of an electrons follow the interaction of a particle with something like an electromagnetic wave or high energy particle. This will make something into an ion, which has a positive or negative charge instead of being neutral. For example, air that has been ionized will have a lot of high energy particles in it, which (if the charge is great enough) can produce visible light. This was seen over Chernobyl as a blue light. A similar concept gives lightning its visible flash.

Why does radiation make people sick? High levels of energy impact chemical bonds, like the kinds found in our molecular makeup. Radiation breaks these bonds and also causes the formation of free radicals (reactive oxygen species) that causes more ionization in the body. This ionization of our DNA seriously fucks stuff up. We use our DNA all the time, as we need it to make new cells. If it is all shitty, we can't do that. This leads to acute symptoms like blisters, as well as cancer down the line.

Radiation Event Dosages (in Gray, but 1 Gy = 100 rads):

Normal chest x-ray: 0.0001 Gy

Full body CT scan: 0.01 Gy

Single dose producing radiation sickness: 1.0 Gy

Single dose causing death within 1 month: 6.0 Gy

Single dose causing death within 2 week: 10.0 Gy

For some historical context, the residents of Chernobyl who were relocated received a dose of about 0.35 Gy, while those who were at the nuclear plant received at least 6.0 Gy.

Symptoms

General Radiation Sickness Symptoms: Injury will be most readily seen in tissues that rapidly divide (those that need to be replaced quicker). This includes skin, fingernails, gastric tract lining, etc. More permanent cells are not as affected (for example, nerves are very resistant to radiation).

The first tissues to show damage will probably be the exterior ones. This includes redness, blistering, ulceration, and fingernail destruction. The greater the dose, the faster the symptoms appear. With lower doses, skin blistering, redness, and ulcers can take between 12 and 20 days to appear. Bone marrow is affecting, causing a decrease in the amount of red blood cells made. The immune system will also be affected, with lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) being depressed. White blood cell count (which will be lower) can be taken within the first two days to estimate the dose of radiation.

Hours after exposure, the GI tract can become inflamed. This will cause it to be painful to swallow. The mucus loss within the GI tract will also cause irritation, which can lead to vomiting and diarrhea (usually featuring blood).

In males, a dose of 2 Gy can cause temporary sterility, while 6-8 Gy can cause permanent sterility. In females, 2 Gy can cause permanent sterility.

A high dose of radiation or a chronic exposure can cause pneumonitis weeks or months later. Hepatitis and nephritis may be delayed complications of therapeutic irradiation. Normal thyroid, pituitary, pancreas, adrenals, and bladder are relatively resistant to low-to-moderate doses of radiation.

Phases of Radiation Sickness: Each phase will be shortened as the dosage is increased (obviously). The prodromal phase is mainly seen as vomiting and general icky-bad feelings (malaise). Next is the asymptomatic latent phase. The person may appear to be getting better as the body systems begin to repair acute damage. Then the third phase starts, and shit falls apart. This will be highly dependent on the dose received. Bone marrow function will be compromised, and massive fluid loss from vomiting and diarrhea will be seen. Neurovascular symptoms will also start to appear. While nerves themselves are resistant to radiation, the vessels that supply them are not. This syndrome includes seizures, coma, and possible death.

Classifications of Acute Radiation Sickness (ARS)

1. Mild ARS (1-2 Gy)

Vomiting 2 hours or more post exposure. The patient will usually feel fine otherwise. At one month out, there may be a decrease in white blood cells and generally sicky-feeling. The prognosis is good, the patient will probably live.

2. Moderate ARS (2-4 Gy)

Vomiting 1–2 hours post exposure. Mild headache, slight fever. At one month out, there will be a decrease in white blood cells. There may also be fever, infection, bleeding, and weakness. Mortality rate is 50%.

3. Severe ARS (4-6 Gy)

Vomiting less than 1 hour after exposure and bloody diarrhea in 3–8 hours. Moderate headache. At 1–3 weeks, there will be a decline in white blood cells. Fevers, severe infections, bleeding, anemia, and epilation are likely. Mortality is about 70%.

4. Very Severe ARS (6-8 Gy)

Vomiting in less than 30 minutes. The acute symptoms will include "massive bloody diarrhea" (that's how they say it in the textbook, lol), severe headache, and confusion. That will start in about 3 hours or less. In less than 1 week, there will be a large decrease in white blood cells. There will also be a high fever, severe infections, massive vomiting, massive diarrhea, and confusion/disorientation. This patient is most likely going to die.

5. Lethal ARS (>8 Gy)

Vomiting immediately after exposure. Massive diarrhea, coma, and seizures within 1–2 hours. In less than 3 days, white blood cell count and platelet count will become so low it's crazy. The patient will usually become comatose, experience seizures, extreme bleeding, and severe infection (sepsis). This patient is going to die.

Treatment

First, decontamination. This should be done before the patient is taken anywhere. Their clothes should be removed, and they should be washed. Wounds should be dressed. A Geiger counter can be used to tell if decontamination is sufficient.

The patients are no longer radioactive after they have been decontaminated (that's a myth I just busted). Radiation damage is hard to undo, you can really only treat the symptoms. Whether or not the patient will die has already been decided for the large part by the dosage they received. The main treatment is pain control and prevention of infection. This means fluids, blood transfusions, and medications. If tissues begin to die, then amputation or skin grafting may become necessary.

There are some other treatments, including colony-stimulating factors, bone marrow transplants, and iodine (prevents the thyroid from uptaking radioactive material). Prussian blue and DTPA are also indicated in some cases. I'm not going to go into all of this stuff, as research is limited and it's kinda boring.

Fiction Stuff

The most glaring thing I see with this is from Chernobyl the show (which is actually really good, imo). The scene where the firefighter has basically turned into a pile of goo is complete fiction, I'm not sure why they did that. Radiation patients look like burn patients. You can look up pictures if you want to.

Second, the part where the pregnant lady has her baby die because it "absorbed the radiation". Well for one, her husband isn't radioactive anymore after he was decontaminated. And while radiation can cause abortion, the mother would also be affected. So that was just a weird plot point.

Finally, when people started bleeding randomly from all over their body. They should still have platelets at that point, but also the patient will typically bleed from their gums, nose, and ass before their skin splits open everywhere. I think they just did that for the spooky effect.

[rival-the-rose]

So, last week, just before my birthday, I developed dysphagia, gastroparesis, and ileus due to a weird viral infection (came with a fever and sinus inflammation but nothing else). In layman's terms, this basically means all of the muscles in my entire GI tract have stopped working - esophagus is not moving food to the stomach, stomach is not opening to allow food nor is it opening to release food, and my intestines are not moving things along, just being inflamed and full of gas.

This is obviously deeply uncomfortable, I have been on a liquid diet and barely reaching BMR, on top of being dehydrated bc plain water causes a lot of pain (adding a neutral-basic substance to high acid environment=bad).

On top of that, I am not a layman, and therefore I know that generally this suite of symptoms are associated with the Big Bad Diagnoses and once they show up they are frequently lifelong and not infrequently fatal. I also know that my history and symptoms don't match any of the Big Bads and it's more likely a weirdly dramatic response to viral inflammation, and I think we confirmed that with my doctor today. She's an osteopath who used to specialize in post-GI surgical care and felt that my intestines responded to manipulation in a way that was more similar to inflamed intestines than intestines that are no longer enervated. I would tend to agree and also she relieved so much pain today, I can take deep breaths again.

However, she hasn't seen or heard of this before. She expects that if there's no active damage being done, the inflammation should be mostly resolved in a week or two, but that's based on physiological knowledge rather than specific disease etiology.

So I'm having a lot of emotions. Anxiety, bc these are serious issues that I don't have a solid timeline on resolving. Anxiety 2, bc any time my body does something weird I become paralyzed with fear that this is going to spiral into profound disability again. Shame about Anxiety 2 bc I feel like I'm being dramatic and also being paralyzed with fear makes me feel bad about myself. Concerned that this is going to trigger an eating disorder relapse. Excited that I get to relapse "legitimately" and the fact that I've been on half rations for awhile is relieving the thoughts around how much weight I've gained since getting back from Vermont. Concerned bc I'm already feeling some of the emotional effects of calorie restriction (weepy+fussy) and physical (so tired.) Shame bc I feel like I should be done being sick and I'm tired of cancelling things I really want to do and also bc I look fine and I do feel ok as long as I haven't eaten recently. So I feel like I'm letting ppl down for no reason/I should be toughing it out more. ???Bad bc this is the eating disorder dream and why can't I be functional while doing it (aka being confronted with the reality that I can't indulge my disorder in a safe way which is so scary). Fussy bc I don't actually feel sick so I still want to do things but then I do and I'm uncomfortable/tired/frustrated immediately. Shame about just lying on the couch so much. Fear bc I want to start T and I'm in the process of applying to vet school and I can't do either of those things if I keep having organ systems shutting down (I really thought my lungs were doing better but they're apparently still not deflating appropriately).

Logically I can see that if someone told me they had these symptoms I would be like "why are you not in a hospital" (as long as I can keep up on calories and liquid reasonably it's not necessary). But I'm the one experiencing it and it's not that bad so why can't I do more stuff. Even though I worked full time this week and went to a doctor appointment today and OT yesterday. But I cancelled hanging out with my bestie on her birthday today so I feel really bad about that.

Idk. I just want to feel better. Except for the part of me that wants to starve to death. I'd say that's the core of the issue lol.

[gaypirate]

lengthy backstory for what i actually want to post:

jimmy has been having appetite issues and i'm not sure if they're behavioral or if he's actually got a medical issue. he DOES throw up a lot, but he always has, and the vet and i are trying to deal with that first but the anti nausea meds aren't helping with the appetite

i have reason to think it could be anxiety, because he's a very anxious boy already and there was recently a lot of construction and banging on the walls, and he gets visibly jealous when i have to give piston a lot of attention because of the diabetes. and piston is also a pushy asshole who tries to steal his food. so when jimmy won't eat he's often anxiously looking back and forth between piston and his food bowl

but it also could just be related to his sensitive tummy, OR that bizarre cyst he's got in his abdomen, which has gotten a little bigger. three separate vets have told me they don't THINK it's causing any issues, at most it could be pressing on his GI tract in a way that makes him uncomfortable. but they also have literally no way of knowing for sure, because this type of cyst is so rare and has literally never been documented in medical literature for cats outside of like, two or three mentions of patients having them with no followup or further study. one of the vets told me that in her 20+ year career she's only seen this sort of cyst one other time, and it was in a dog

[thebibliosphere]

Hello, I apologize if this is something you've already talked about or you've answered this question before or don't want to speak more on it but I saw that ask you responded to the other day that your 'mast cells burnt down your gi track' and I wanted to ask what the name of that condition is called? Several years ago I randomly lost 45 pounds and couldn't explain it. And while I already had gi issues before, after it happened I started developing new ones that got worse with time to the point that now I am physically unable to work. There are a lot of other factors with my situation that could be to blame but I've gotten an absurd amount of various tests with no answers to show for it. And now I'm wondering if maybe whatever happened to you has happened to me.

Oh, bestie, you're all good; all I do is bitch on this app about having mast cell dysfunction.

There are a handful of different mast cell disorders, but my condition is known as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, or MCAS for short. If you want to know what a mast cell is and how it operates in the immune system, I'd recommend checking out The Mast Cell Disease Society:

They're currently redoing their content, but there's still a wealth of information on there.

You can also search my blog for #MCAS and find a handful of posts where I break it down in detail, along with the current flaws in testing for mast cell patients.

The reason I lost a lot of weight was because my mast cells made my GI tract so inflamed that I couldn't digest anything I was eating. It was going in through my mouth, causing excruciating pain and giving me no nutritional value whatsoever.

Histamine type 2 blockers, such as famotidine/pepcid used to treat acid reflux, can help with GI inflammation from mast cell dysfunction (the GI tract is lined with histamine receptors), but I needed extra support, which I finally got late last year when my GI doctor realized after a biopsy that I was being undermedicated and needed more help managing my MCAS.

If you want to ask more specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer them, but I'd suggest reading through the above link first to see if any of it resonates with you.

[cedar-glade]

Two fun finds from Davis Memorial, Adams co. Both Seneca snake root, and lily leaved tway-blade were in bloom. Ive actually never seen Lily leaf tway blade in full anthesis.

Lily Leaf Tway Blade

Liparis liliifolia

a species of tway blade orchid known to have a fairly decent range and is an indicator species of fungal diverse hillsides with alkaline soil aggregate structure. The species it's self is considered to have unique nectar spur morphology and shows signs of insect mimicry in it's shape; with this said, it can be pollinated fairly easily by many generalists and mainly a long bodied small fly in the genera Pegoplata, aka short horned flys. which makes that spur, a mystery since we don't know if the fly is praying on moths or if it is praying on other long tongued insects looking for nectar, or if it's just somehow attracted to the flower proper.

Seneca Snake Root, senegal milkwort

Polygala senega

a rocky mesic hillside species that should be more common but is easily poached for its roots much like goldenseal, goldenroot, or ginseng and is usually locally abundant in spots and increasingly rare out of monitored preserves. The root can be boiled in tea form for mucus expectorants. High doses of powdered senega root or tincture are emetic and irritating to the GI tract, can cause reduced inflammation but also nerve transport/communication issues. The name is derived from it's anti inflamatory properties and nerve disrupting properties alone and was used but first nation tribes like the seneca/senagal and manatoba in aid for rattlesnake bites; this would need to be used with nervains( specifically Verbena spp. and blood clotter plants to work fully like Rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium.

Rattle Snake Master research is on going for usages:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18499203/

lipophilic chemicals that are associated are pretty interesting too.

when you add a lipid breaking and a protein breaking stew of chemicals, as well as phenolic bioactive compounds that are readily digestible and useful in a tea you can see why the plants were all used in conjunction to fight venom.

haemotoxic venom of adders can cause latent hemoraging at pressure points where platelet stacking and fat can cause massive stacking events. It mainly causes the opposite though in the fact that it disrupts the clotting cascade causing leaking veins and bleeding to not stop.

[not-poignant]

When I found FFS last year I was in the middle of learning what foods I could tolerate while trying to address GI tract issues. It was a long and scary process. I lost a lot of weight, and it felt like any time I ate anything it would trigger symptoms. FFS was the first and only time I've seen that experience in a story, and it was such a comfort to have that while I was struggling.

Efnisien's condition is different than mine, but some things he went through were very close to my own experiences, like how eating coused symptoms and not eating just did the same thing. Him looking at a hamburger and not seeing food, but something that would hurt.

I'm doing so much better now. I can go days without being in pain. I can eat full meals without triggering symptoms, and when I do have symptoms I have a good guess as to why. I'm gaining weight back, and I'm in a position to help my Dad with his changing diet.

I ate a cupcake for the first time in over a year and it didn't hurt.

I love FFS for so many reasons and I just wanted to thank you for working so hard on it and for being so generous.

Hi hi hi anon,

Firstly, *sad high fives* and lots of solidarity for the GI issues. I have my own to deal with and they're a pain. (Literally!)

I think it's really frightening in the beginning because not only do you have the literal pain / agony to deal with, and the fatigue, and the disruption, you also have the added 'bonus' of not knowing exactly what's causing the issue/s. I remember I got screened for so much stuff, including cancer, and each time a test came back negative, eventually I was left with a diagnosis of 'idk just try not to be stressed I guess' (ironic, because I have literally a severe stress disorder - PTSD).

There's some relief in the days you can eat and it's less painful, or you have a meal, and there's no cramps. I wish more and more days like that for you anon, more days you get to look back and the pain becomes a memory, and not a constant threat.

This stuff is hard, there's very few things as foundational as eating, and disorders that mess with it are the worst. I'm both like... glad I could write someone like Efnisien for catharsis reasons, but also relieved that instead of folks telling me it's disgusting that I wrote about like, him having diarrhea, there's been people instead being like 'honestly same, this sucks, but it's good to know it's not just me.'

It's definitely not just you, anon, and it sucks that this stuff is often a lot more taboo to talk about than say, having the flu, or asthma. And that makes sense, but it still makes it isolating and lonely!

Anyway, I'm very glad you like FFS, and in the meantime, may you have more and more and more times where food is gentle to you! <3333

[lastlycoris]

Liver transplantation.

The one time you might actually want cancer.

Why? Because having a primary liver cancer bumps you up on the liver transplant list. But it can't just be any cancer - there's a criteria for acceptable cancer burden for adult liver transplant, which is known as Milan Criteria. Essentially one big tumor smaller than 5 cm or 3 small tumors less than 3 cm each. The tumor can't have left the liver either aka metastasis. However if it's too small (<2 cm ), you don't get priority listing for having that cancer. Kind of like Goldilocks - the tumor has to be just right.

Now first off, you almost never get a primary liver tumor aka hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without something wrong in the liver in the first place.

This is usually Cirrhosis aka fibrosis of the liver, which can be caused by Hepatitis C or more commonly drinking too much alcohol too often. The liver fails cause its cells are dead or dying, and the resulting scarring prevents blood from your GI tract from returning properly to your systemic blood. This pseudo-blockage results in fluid backing up in your body, resulting in ascites (fluid in the belly) and pleural effusion (fluid in the lung space) and generalized soft tissue swelling.

The body tries to compensate for this by making alternate paths. Problem is the liver is also a filter, and bypassing the filter through an alternate path affects the brain - a common symptom is confusion and sometimes coma in these patients. Official term is hepatic encephalopathy.

Cirrhosis patients can also literally turn yellow because bilirubin, which occurs from the normal breakdown of red blood cells, can't be processed well by a dysfunctional liver. Liver does a lot of other important stuff too, but I'd go on forever with that - so I'll end that here.

In any case, the only treatment for cirrhosis is getting a new liver - once cirrhosis occurs, it cannot reverse, only worsen. The liver transplant list uses its own criteria known as MELD which I also won't get into here, but generally the sicker you are, the higher you are on the transplant list.

Cirrhosis is essentially a breeding ground for primary liver cancer because cirrhosis is essentially repeated constant inflammation - and all it takes is one cell to heal in the absolutely worst way - and then you have a cancer. This is why cirrhosis patients get yearly liver imaging screening to detect that.

Milan Criteria was created because a good number of liver transplants in cancer patients turned out to have recurrent liver cancer in the new liver. After Milan was implemented, long-term recurrence-free survival improved from 30% to 75%. I believe the sizes used in Milan acts as a surrogate for the likelihood of microscopic metastasis, cancer that's left the liver but too small to be seen in imaging, but don't quote me on that.

Now why did I bring this up? One of the residents asked out loud about why we don't just cut out the cancer.

For one, cirrhosis ensures another one will pop up eventually, and for two, cutting a cancer out also means cutting out good tissue (or semi-okay in a cirrhotic's case) to create the disease-free margin. You don't have much good tissue left in a cirrhosis liver.

You could ablate the cancer by frying it with heat or freezing it, but you again have the issues of damaging normal tissue. Typically excision or ablation is done when there's no chance patient will get a donor liver.

There's also TACE (transarterial chemoembolization) which can be used to shrink tumors, usually back into the limits imposed by Milan criteria. Because if your cancer is too big for Milan, you don't get a liver. There are strict rules for that, and if you break them, your liver transplant service is not getting donor livers.

[yxlenas]

disability pride asks - 5 & 10

if you have multiple disabilities: do they affect each other? how?

So EDS is the cause of pretty much every single issue I have. Because I don't have enough collagen and don't really produce it right, my brain, nervous system, skin, GI tract, possibly even my alopecia (we're working on that one) are all WRECKED lmao.

whats something youve come up with or integrated into your life that makes disability easier, besides typical aids?

SHOWER AT NIGHT!!!! That way if I end up dizzy/nauseous/feeling really weak I can just go to bed.

Also, adult lunchables and bagged salad, homie.

[justkidneying]

Why You're Hungover on Monday Morning

So you know when you get drunk and feel like shit the next day? Have you ever wanted to be able to drink without getting a hangover? Well, I can't really help you there, but I can at least tell you why hair of the dog doesn't work.

Ethanol (CH3CH2OH): this is normal drinking alcohol. When you drink it, most of it gets dumped into your blood and into the liver. What does the liver do with it? It breaks it down into acetaldehyde (which is very toxic) and then breaks that down to acetate. The enzymes involved are Alcohol Dehydrogenase (in the cytosol) and Acetaldehyde Dehydrogenase (in the mitochondria). These both use NAD+ (which is needed for normal metabolism) to do their thing, which leaves us with NADH.

So why is drinking bad for you? Cause it inhibits gluconeogenesis, causes lactic acid build up, and damages your cells (yes, you can handle it and drinking in moderation is fine, but molecularly, it is bad).

Cell Damage: acetaldehyde damages pancreas, brain, liver, and GI tract. It also impairs memory and coordination (obviously, lol), and makes you tired (wow who could have guessed that??). Basically, this compound is the reason you feel like shit. Acetaldehyde is bad for you, but you have to make it to get rid of ethanol. Some people (especially those of Asian descent) don't have enough acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. This causes a build up, so they feel worse and get that nice red face when they drink.

Lactic Acid Build Up: okay so remember all that NADH we made to break down ethanol? It's making us have a bad NADH to NAD+ ratio. We really need that NAD+ to accept an electron and allow us to make ATP (energy). So how can we make more of that? We are going to convert pyruvate (made from breaking down glucose) to lactate. What does lactate cause? LACTIC ACIDOSIS! That is bad.

Inhibition of Gluconeogenesis: do you know what you do when you haven't eaten in a little while? You make glucose (gluconeogenesis). You can make glucose from all kinds of shit, isn't that cool? One of these things is called oxaloacetate. When you have no NAD+, you convert oxaloacetate to malate. You can't make glucose from that. The high NADH to NAD+ ratio also inhibits the gluconeogenesis dehydrogenases needed to make glucose. What I'm getting at here is hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) because you have no usable glucose and you can't make any.

So why is this bad? Well, because you don't have glucose, but your cells are still working (and getting damaged :() you need to give some energy to them to function. This comes in the form of ketone bodies. This is really only an issue for heavy drinkers, but over time and with increased frequency, drinking can lead to ketoacidosis.

But yeah, the reason you feel bad after drinking is mostly due to how toxic acetaldehyde is. That's what causes head ache, nausea, and memory problems (from all the damage it does to those cells). So no, drinking more won't get rid of a hangover, and hair of the dog does not work. Eating food helps though, so you can finally have some glucose to work with.

Now some more notes:

Fatty Liver: this is going to be more prevalent in heavy drinkers, but it happens because you convert DHAP to glycerol-3-phosphate. G3P can combine with fatty acids to make triglycerides, which can go live in the liver and cause hepatosteatosis (fatty liver). This is also bad.

Methanol (CH3OH): this is also called wood alcohol, and can most commonly be drunk via bootleg liquor. Your body uses the same enzymes to break it down, but this time it is making formaldehyde and fomic acid. Fomic acid causes ocular toxicity (aka going blind) and brain damage. So make sure you trust whoever you get your bootleg liquor from, okay?

Ethylene Glycol (OHCH2CH2OH): this is antifreeze. Same enzymes again, but you get glycoaldehyde. This then becomes oxalic acid and glyoxylic acid. These cause lactic acidosis and calcium oxalate formation, which crystalizes in the kidneys, causing renal failure.

Final note: your body can handle drinking, like 1-2 drinks per day. I'm not your mom, so do whatever you want, but at least now you know why you feel like shit as your friends hold your hair back so you can puke in the shitty bar toilet :)

[basavatarakam-cancer-hospital]

#November is #CarcinoidCancer Awareness Month: Understanding Carcinoid Cancer and Its Symptoms

Carcinoid cancer is a rare type of #neuroendocrine #tumor (NET) that develops in the cells of the neuroendocrine system. These tumors most commonly occur in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the stomach, small intestine, and rectum, but can also develop in the lungs or other parts of the body. #Earlydetection is key to effective treatment and improved outcomes.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Carcinoid Cancer?

The symptoms vary depending on the location of the tumor but may include:

Abdominal Pain or Cramping: Persistent discomfort in the stomach area.

Flushing of the Skin: Sudden redness or warmth, particularly in the face and neck.

Diarrhea: Frequent loose stools, often unexplained.

Wheezing or Shortness of Breath: Particularly for carcinoid tumors in the lungs.

Heart Palpitations: Irregular or rapid heartbeat.

Unexplained Weight Loss: Significant weight loss without any clear reason.

Fatigue: A constant feeling of tiredness or weakness.

Carcinoid tumors can also cause carcinoid syndrome, a set of symptoms triggered by hormone secretion from the tumors, including flushing, diarrhea, and heart issues.

If you or a loved one experiences these symptoms, consult a healthcare professional immediately for diagnosis and care.

Let’s use this month to spread #awareness about #carcinoidcancer, its signs, and the importance of early detection to improve lives.

For more info about carcinoid cancer: https://induscancer.com/carcinoid-cancer-signs-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment-prevention-basavatarakam-indo-american-cancer-hospital/