#long covid is still a possibility even when vaccinated

[satancheeto]

A major major thing that I didn’t see mentioned in this is to FULLY REST for an extended period of time while recovering from Covid. The CDC has now lowered its isolation “recommendations” to literally only 24hrs. If you think to the late start of the pandemic when it was 7-14 DAYS, despite nothing having changed with the virus (except actually getting worse and us being more aware of complications). So clearly 24hrs is complete BS not just for stoping the spread but for preventing Long Covid.

Even very mild to asymptomatic cases of C19 have wound up with ppl becoming long term disabled. From systemic inflammation attacking all over the body, to brain damage, heart attacks, and strokes (none of which I saw mentioned either). Also due to damaged immune response, people have been getting strange or more severe infections that they normally would have been able to fight off.

I know how hard it is to take time off of work or school. It’s practically impossible in our society. But please take as long as you possibly can off to literally just lay in bed, drink electrolytes, and sleep. EVEN with a mild case.

When you return, limit physical activity as much as possible. Do not exercise or go for fast walks. Limit staying late to socialize or go out and just go home to rest. Again, even in mild cases. This is crucial to preventing Long Covid.

And please please wear a well fitted KN95 mask if not an N95 which are better. Surgical/cloth masks and loose fitting KN95s do not do much to stop C19.

Vaccination helps, but it does little to prevent infection giving the constantly mutating strains, and mostly stops you from not dying and for sure developing LC. But LC and other complications are still quite common in vaccinated people, and can be completely disabling. Yes even to previously healthy people. And they say being immunocompromised people are the ones with the main risk, but remember C19 can make you immunocompromised…..?

This infographic from NIHCM explores talks about long COVID and suggests ways to try and prevent long COVID through protective measures, like masking and social distancing, and vaccines. There is still a lot to understand about long COVID.

[ohello0]

I don’t watch the news often but when I catch bits and pieces I’m dumbfounded

In NY they want to rehire health care workers fired for refusing to get the covid vaccine back in 2021….we’re still in one of the biggest surges since the start of the pandemic….

The whole reason is because there’s a shortage of HCW…..maybe there’s a shortage because they keep dying or getting disabled from covid like the rest of the US workforce

[starlightomatic]

We're in another covid wave!!

I'll give eight main things to do that I think are really important at this point ~

1. If you have covid, please quarantine to the best of your ability until you test negative. You are still contagious as long you are testing positive, not just the first five days.

2. If you have covid, please try to get in touch with everyone you've had contact with the past 5 days and let them know. This lets them take appropriate precautions around the other folks in their lives.

3. Once you're testing negative again, be careful not to overexert yourself. Listen to your body; if, after exertion, you find symptoms returning (eg fever, lots of fatigue) that means you overdid it and should scale back. Be very cautious about returning to full activity level. This is to prevent post-exertional malaise as a symptom of long covid.

4. If you've been exposed to covid, assume you're a question mark and possibly-covid-positive for the first five days after exposure. Let folks that you're spending time with know about your exposure before getting together, so they can choose their risk level in terms of if they're comfortable spending time with you, if they want you to wear a mask, if they want to wear a mask, etc.

5. If you have symptoms or have been exposed to covid, wear a mask in public. This should be KN-95, N-95, or KF-94 level quality, not a cloth or surgical mask.

6. If you're having symptoms, or have been exposed to covid, and *especially* if both - remember that tests right at the beginning have a high rate of false negatives. When I had covid, I tested negative on both rapid and PCR tests my first two days of having symptoms. It wasn't until the third day, when I no longer even had a fever but just cold symptoms, that I finally tested positive. Please don't just test the day after exposure and assume you're fine.

7. If you haven't gotten this year's booster shot yet, go get it ASAP.

8. Even if you're not symptomatic and haven't been exposed, strongly consider wearing a mask again in public places like stores and transit, and at larger/more crowded gatherings.

Remember, people have a variety of risk tolerances, for a variety of reasons. Some folks are immunocompromised so their vaccine doesn't protect them as well as yours protects you. Some people have conditions that increase the chances of a severe case. Some people can't risk long covid because of existing disabilities and precarious life situations. Some people are not high-risk themselves but have regular contact with folks who are. These folks all deserve to be able to keep themselves safe and make choices about the level of covid risk in their lives.

Posted 12/16/23

[covid-safer-hotties]

"You Have to Live Your Life:" Responses to Common COVID Minimizing Phrases - Published Aug 6, 2024

If you're still COVIDing, you've likely heard phrases, like "it's mild now," or "you have to live your life," repeated over and over. You might be wondering, "what do I even say here? How do I respond to this?" I've listed some of the most common minimizing phrases and some potential responses to them. Feel free to adapt these and make them your own. I've included a variety of responses with different tones, depending on how much you want to be #saltingthevibes.

I want to recognize you might not always have the time or emotional energy to get into these discussions. Some people unfortunately aren't engaging in good faith, so it's important to be able to discern for yourself when you want to have these conversations. You don't always have to educate people, it can be exhausting! For those times when you want to respond but are at a loss for words in the moment, here are some ideas to get you started.

Starting off with one of my (least) favorites:

"You have to live your life!"

"I am living my life. Wearing a mask doesn't stop me from living my life, it makes it possible for me to do the things I love more safely."

"I'd love to be able to get out and do more things, but unfortunately that's not safe for me because so few people are masking."

"I would be a lot harder to live my life if COVID disabled me."

"Living my life means protecting my health, in the short and long term."

"I've adapted how I live my life based on the research about all of the long term health effects of a COVID infection."

"How long are you going to keep doing this for?"

"I'll probably always wear a mask in public spaces, when you know better you do better!"

"There's no expiration date on keeping myself safe and protecting my health."

"When we've widely implemented clean air standards and there's a sterilizing vaccine for COVID, then I might update my current precautions."

"I really wish I didn't have to do this either! But given what I know about COVID and Long COVID, this is the best choice for me."

"How long are you going to keep doing this for? It seems like you're sick all the time now, it sounds really unpleasant."

"We have to live with COVID."

"I'm glad you agree the government has done a terrible job trying to mitigate the spread!"

"To me, living with COVID means doing what we can to protect ourselves, not just giving up entirely."

"We also have to live with car accidents, that's why I wear my seatbelt to protect myself."

"What if we didn't have to? What if we collectively did more to clean the air and create safer living conditions for all of us?"

"Unfortunately you're right, that's why I'll continue to mask to keep myself and my community safer."

"It's mild now/it's just a cold/flu."

"Many illnesses seem like 'just a cold/flu' when you're first infected, but can still have long term health consequences, like mono or HIV."

"You can develop Long COVID even if your initial symptoms are mild or asymptomatic."

"I'm not as worried about the initial symptoms of the acute infection, I'm more concerned about the significant risk of Long COVID."

"You're lucky your symptoms weren't very severe initially. For me, COVID was a lot worse than a cold."

"I don't want to get sick with a cold either."

"I got it X times and I'm fine!"

"I'm sorry to hear you've had so many infections. COVID can cause silent damage throughout our bodies, it might be a good idea to go in for a check up with your doctor."

"I'm glad you're feeling fine so far, but my experience has been different."

"Your risk of Long COVID increases with each infection, so I'm doing what I can to avoid getting it."

"I hear that in your experience, a COVID infection hasn't been a big deal. Unfortunately not everyone is so lucky and many are dealing with significant Long COVID symptoms."

"You're young and healthy, you'll be fine/ only the vulnerable need to worry."

"I used to think the same thing! It turns out I have some underlying risk factors that mean an infection could be very harmful to me."

"Everyone is at risk of Long COVID, and your risk increases with each infection."

"You cannot know someone's health status by looking at them. A lot of young people are high risk as well."

"I don't appreciate you making assumptions about my health status."

"Did you know more than 75% of Americans have at least one risk factor? More than 40% have two or more, and almost 20% have three or more! Being high risk is more common than you think."

"There are actually a lot of factors that can make someone high risk, like a history of smoking, depression, asthma, ADHD, and more!"

"Kids don't get COVID/it's mild for kids."

"Unfortunately many studies show that rates of Long COVID in kids is similar to the rates in adults."

"COVID is the 8th leading cause of death in children in the US."

"Kids can be high risk for COVID, like if they have asthma, ADHD, autism, diabetes, or other common health issues."

"Kids don't deserve to be repeatedly infected with an illness that we know causes long term damage."

"I'd encourage you to read some of the stories about kids with Long COVID, it's heartbreaking for them and their families."

"Long COVID is rare."

"I'm curious where you learned that, because that doesn't fit into my understanding of Long COVID."

"Studies show rates around 20% of adults infected will go on to develop Long COVID, and many studies show higher rates. Your risk increases with each infection."

"Even if you're right, I'm not willing to risk it."

"Have you noticed an increase in weird symptoms or health issues in your circle? Fatigue, headaches, GI issues, stroke, heart attack, blood clots and a ton of other issues can all be caused by a COVID infection."

"It's more common than you might think, there are over 200+ possible symptoms and it can look different in everyone."

"My doctor doesn't wear a mask."

"Yikes! How unfortunate your doctor isn't up to date on the science and isn't doing more to protect their patients."

"It's too bad how many doctors don't stay up to date with important health information."

"Doctors also used to smoke cigarettes in healthcare facilities and recommend them to patients. Just goes to show you doctors aren't always right."

"The medical field scorned the doctor who recommended they start washing their hands... I'm seeing a lot of parallels here."

"Unfortunately it can take many years for practices like these to become more mainstream."

[swampgallows]

There is more COVID-19 transmission today (January 2024) than during 94.7% of the pandemic.

💉 Please get the updated (new, not a booster) Covid vaccine. If you're in the US, ask your local pharmacy about the Bridge Access Program for free vaccines. You can also search vaccines.gov then select Bridge Access Program participant.

If you do not want an mRNA vaccine for whatever reason, consider Novavax: it is protein-based like other typical vaccines from the last few decades, and many (including myself) report minimal side effects. Talk to your doctor if you have questions or concerns.

😷 Wear a mask in public and/or any enclosed areas. "Mask" means a respirator of KN95/N95 filtration or higher, not a cloth or surgical (blue) mask. Covid is airborne, so an airtight seal and particulate filter is necessary for protection. Different kinds of respirators are used for everything from toxic fumes to asbestos removal; when worn properly, they greatly reduce risk.

Here is a guide for proper use and fitting of a respiratory mask.

Here is a short video by 3M (respirator manufacturer) on the importance of fit-testing.

🧪 Have tests ready. With the new variants it can sometimes take 5-8 days to test positive, so be sure to test twice, 48 hours apart. If you're in the US, you can get 4 free rapid tests sent to your home through USPS. Local schools and libraries also may have free rapid tests. If you qualify for the Test to Treat program, you can receive free at-home NAAT tests and treatment for both flu AND Covid, and access to telehealth. The earlier you test positive, the more likely you will be eligible for treatment with Paxlovid.

🔁 If you can afford it, air purifiers and HEPA filters can help reduce transmission. Making a Corsi-Rosenthal box is simple and inexpensive. If weather permits, keeping windows open helps. Ventilation allows fresh air to circulate.

👃 Nasal sprays and CPC mouthwash are other useful prophylactic measures when used in conjunction with PPE and other modes of mitigation like masking and distancing.

🚬There is still a risk of Covid when outside, similar to exposure from secondhand smoke or a fire. Since Covid is spread through aerosols, it can hang in the air like smoke.

🐶 As with other coronaviruses, many household pets can get Covid. If you have been exposed, avoid contact with animals.

"But I'm not old or weak. Why should I care?"

☣ Covid can still kill you or disable you for life, even if your initial sickness is "mild". Even if you are young and have no preexisting conditions. 90% of the original "long haulers" had "mild" cases.

🩺 Covid increases your risk of stroke, blood clots, and heart disease by 2 to 5 times within a year of infection. It can also cause brain damage, which is part of the loss of taste and smell and cognitive symptoms like brain fog.

🩸 Covid is able to infect multiple organ systems because it travels through the bloodstream and attacks the mitochondria, leading to dysfunction and chronic fatigue.

⚠ Reinfection doesn't make your body better at fighting Covid; it just does more damage to your immune system, akin to HIV. A damaged immune system is worse at fighting off illness, more susceptible to infection, and can lead to serious complications like pneumonia. And with every reinfection, your chances of developing Long Covid increase. Therefore, the best protection for your immune system is to avoid getting Covid as much as possible.

I know everyone is tired of this. But if there was any time to be vigilant, it is now. Please, let's protect each other.

[i-still-mask-because]

in the wake of all this new information during COVID, do you feel that maybe we should all just be masking all the time, COVID of no COVID? I mean it can't be the only airborne disease out there and immunocompromised ppl have always and will always exist so like. Following that thinking even if we don't have COVID we could still be risking other people's health (and lives) with other diseases we may have right? Idk I'm stressing a lot about this do I just need to wear a mask outside forever cos. Masks mess with my breathing and sensory issues and stuff but. I don't wanna?? Kill people by accident??? Aaaaa

Hello, thanks for reaching out about this.

I saw this ask about a month ago, and I needed time to think about how I'd respond to it (so I want to thank you for the patience!).

I'll try to answer all of this to the best of my ability, and I thought I'd answer this by going backwards (responding to the last things you said and then moving up with responding to the first things you said).

Everything is below the cut because this is very long!

First I'll try to summarize what I think you're asking here:

"Vulnerable people exist in this world all around me, therefore does this mean I'm constantly posing a threat to those vulnerable people's safety when I don't mask? The thought of this brings me feelings of stress, fear, and anxiety."

I find this is hard to answer candidly without risking stressing out you or anyone else who's aware of the consequences of their choice not to mask. Nonetheless, my honest answer is: yes, choosing not to mask means risking the lives and safety of vulnerable people, i.e. the disabled, immunocompromised, elderly, children & babies, and those that intersect those groups. That risk can take place directly (such as interacting with an immunocompromised elder) or indirectly (such as interacting with the parent of a disabled child).

I also want to add that it's not only those groups that need protecting. I firmly believe that regardless of your age and/or whether or not you self-identify as disabled or immunocompromised that everyone is at risk of the long-term consequences of this rapidly mutating, vascular, and immunosuppressive virus. No one is invincible to this, and I'll add: not even if you're vaccinated (still get vaccinated if you can, but know that you can still catch covid & develop long covid regardless of your vaccination status).

1. "Masks mess with my breathing and sensory issues."

I understand how that can be difficult to deal with, trust me. There are specific masks (such as most standard KN95s) that irritate the hell out of my face after a certain point. The way those specific masks brush against the hairs of my cheeks just make me want to rip the mask off my face completely. Finding alternatives has been a lifesaver, and they've allowed me to get through the day without wanting to maul someone lol. I don't know what masks you have tried out already, so I'll just recommend the one's I like as well as the one's I've heard good reviews on from people that also have sensory issues:

NIOSH 3m Aura N95 Respirators

Flo Mask

GATA Mask (Haven't tried this one yet, but I've heard a LOT of people say this has been a game changer for them because of how comfortable it is & how it doesn't trigger much sensory issues at all due to its silicone material. Probably the only con I've heard is the chance of the build up of moisture in the mask after a long period of use & water possibly dripping on your face— this happens to me sometimes with my Flo Mask. Edit on Sept. 26, 2023: I tried GATA Mask, and I personally have a tough time getting a comfortable fit & seal with it, even when getting the small/medium size for adults to see if it'll make a difference, and the nose bridge shape not fitting well for me is a huge con. Customer service is just suggesting I spend more, so I'll just give this one a break, for now at least. A lot of other people seem to like it though.)

Halyard FLUIDSHIELD [ASTM Level 3] Mask (My mom works in a hospital, and these are masks she brings home from work. They're VERY comfortable for me, especially when I'm masking at home. I recommend finding a way to tighten the loops that go around your ears to prevent as much gaps around the mask as possible. If tight loops hurt your ears easily, I recommend a mask brace.)

O2 Nose Filters (I haven't tried these out yet as well, but I've seen videos demonstrating how effective these are at filtering out SOOO many unseen particles. I don't recommend using these alone of course, because there's still a risk of inhaling harmful aerosols through your mouth. I would recommend using this as a reinforcement of the protective measures you take. For example: adding on a comfortable surgical mask— ideally one with a high filtration efficiency like the previous suggestion— with the nose filters. I think these nose filters would be great if you're removing your mask real quick to take a sip of water or if you're outdoors with enough distance from crowded areas & groups.)

In the ideal world, more people would mask during this on-going pandemic so those that deal with sensory issues and/or those that straight-up can't wear a mask due to medical reasons wouldn't have to worry so much about choosing between existing & risking their health. For now, we just have to find alternatives.

2. "Do I need to wear a mask outside forever?"

My answer to this is: yes until further notice. There's no foreseeable end to this pandemic right now, but it would be worth the patience to wait for adequate tech, treatment, and cures for covid-19 to be released before even thinking about getting loose with masking.

Societal mandates have been dropped way too soon, and public health in regards to covid-19 is being forced on us as an individual responsibility. As a consequence, this gives this rapidly mutating virus a lot of wiggle room to spread and do whatever it wants. This means doctors and experts don't have much answers yet for adequate treatment because there's a MAJOR lack of containment (such as masking & quarantining) and documentation (such as testing & reporting). This isn't to say there hasn't been any advancements whatsoever: for example, Washington University just developed a breath test for covid that gives results in just 1 minute! This is great news! And this is just one reason why it's very necessary for those who can mask to mask, so scientists are given more time to roll out helpful solutions & tools sooner.

Another thing I'll add is if you're symptomatic and/or are positive for covid, you should 100% be wearing a mask no matter what, point blank period. I say "and/or" because it is VERY much possible to have covid and not experience any symptoms at all; this is a major reason why it's necessary to mask up in public consistently, because you can't always know who you bump into that may have covid or not.

3. "Even if we don't have covid, we could still be risking other people's health (and lives) with other diseases we may have right?"

Yes, there is a possibility of spreading airborne diseases to vulnerable people unknowingly— without the protective & preventative tools that is.

I can only speak for America because that's the cultural zeitgeist I grew up in, but: I feel like many of us can agree that, unless you worked in a healthcare setting, what was "normal" (in America) before 2020 when it came to airborne illness prevention was definitely not the regular use of a mask. American health education mainly taught us if we're coughing & sneezing to try to do so in a tissue or into your elbow, as well as frequently wash our hands. That doesn't account for the way air actually works though. For instance, if someone with the common cold coughed into the inside of their elbow, the particles they coughed out are still able to linger in the air because their elbow isn't creating a tight seal around their mouth (their elbow may have caught the droplets from their cough— which are bigger & heavier— but the smaller, lighter aerosols would just spread around similar to how smoke does); it's the difference between 😪 vs 😶‍🌫️. The only sure way for the germs they've coughed out to be blocked from spreading to other people is if they wear a well-fitted, quality mask/respirator.

I feel like health education from a young age should include the benefits of masking; that way it would be easier to adapt to the need to put on a mask to protect ourselves & others as a collective. It would be phenomenal & wonderful if we as a collective were used to masking the same way we're used to putting on socks before putting on our shoes.

4. "Immunocompromised people have always and will always exist"

Yes, that is true. And that means necessary measures taken to protect them, as well as other vulnerable people, should be the standard.

5. "[Covid] can't be the only airborne disease out there"

Of course not. There's plenty of them. However, not all airborne diseases are the same, nor should they be treated as such. What's been observed in regards to the long-term effects of covid is not at all the same with other airborne diseases. Covid is a highly contagious virus that is more than just a respiratory disease. Its goal is to attack your immune system, nervous system, heart, brain, and/or other vital organs. That's what viruses do. They act smart and sneaky, and they have the capability to trigger illnesses in your body that you may not have had pre-infection:

Chickenpox is known to lead to shingles

Epstein-Barr is known to lead to mono

HPV is known to lead to cancer

Covid-19 has been found to lead to:

POTS

ME/CFS

Stroke & Heart attack

Alzheimer's

Dementia

"Brain Fog"; Memory & Concentration Problems

The list goes on, and these are only what we know of. Covid may not be the only airborne disease, but it definitely is a dangerous one with serious, long-term negative effects.

6. "Do you feel that we should all be masking all the time, whether or not covid-19 exists?"

In regards to masking with the existence of covid:

Yes. Masking is a vital method in the prevention of catching & spreading covid-19, because it is primarily spread through the air.

In regards to masking without the existence of covid:

See my answer for number 3, and also: given the fact wearing a mask can only do more good than harm for most folks, I don't see why not. Imagine a world where we don't have to worry about flu season or allergy season anymore because those aerosols are filtered out from consistent mask wearing. Sounds like the dream to me lol.

-

I hope this made sense! If anyone has anything they'd like to add to answer anon's questions, please feel free to share!

Thank you for reading 😷

[freshcuntgrass]

An unflattering assumption I have about every NPC in Stardew Valley

Sam: gave Gus a fake ID to get alcohol. Jodi never goes to the saloon and Kent is afraid he forgot how old Sam is, so he's never getting called on it

Sebastian: has ruined at least one online D&D group playing an edgy lone-wolf rogue with no parents

Maru: still brings up her SAT score in conversation sometimes

Demetrius: has the Neil deGrasse Tyson thing going where he assumes every field is easy because he's good at biology. Maru finds this endearing with her gadgets; he is banned from looking at Sebastian's code

Wizard: same as Demetrius but ten times worse

Robin: first marriage ended because she slept with the wizard (Sebastian is his). What can I say, she likes em brilliant, socially awkward, and just a little insufferable

Clint: you KNOW this man's on Reddit and you KNOW he does not have a healthy relationship with it. I am begging Sebastian to "fix some tech problems for him" (install a secret browser extension block on the manosphere subreddits)

Elliott: hair-trigger crier. Poems, books, the end of every rom-com, songs you do not think it should be possible to cry during, noticed the cat sleeping in a really cute way, remembers that he lives near the ocean... honestly he'd have a lot more written by now if his entire day wasn't taken up by crying and hair care

Willy: has lived alone too long, holds conversations with most objects in his house

Leah: has NEVER swept or mopped the floor of that cabin. You can't see it in the pixel art but it's a biohazard

Pierre: Twitter power-user, unironically calls it X

Caroline: doing her own research on the COVID vaccine

Haley: Swiftie

Penny: even bigger Swiftie

Abigail: Homestuck

Alex: media literacy so bad he doesn't realize the insane homoeroticism of Top Gun

Harvey: terrified that someone in town will look closer at the degree on his wall and realize he's technically an RN, not a doctor, and then it'll just be awkward

Lewis: that truffle oil was for pegging

Evelyn: "secret family recipe" is boxed chocolate cake mix with mayonnaise instead of the oil

George: Hey... um... hey guys? Where was George on January 6th?

Pam: Hey guys, where was Pam on January 6th???

Gus: definitely drunk behind that bar most of the time. He gets away with it because it comes across as "jolly"

Linus: can't go back to Zuzu City. He knows what he did

Jodi: biggest Swiftie of them all. She name-searches. Yes, she's still on Tumblr. Hi Jodi, your fave is mid, looking forward to the anon hate :)

Kent: agrees with Alex that Top Gun isn't gay. Nothing's gay in the military

Sandy: unreal amount of mobile gaming going on back behind that counter. stop sending me Farmville requests

Marnie: actually accepts Sandy's Farmville requests. Keeps texting Shane minion memes

Shane: the real unflattering assumption with Shane is when you correctly clock a fellow Stardew Valley player as a Shane girlie. In our defense, he's going through a lot and we can fix him.

Krobus: eats those void eggs raw. Cracks the shell and drinks em. Slurp slurp bitch

Dwarf: honestly HUGE drug dealer vibes. Miner's Treat has got to be the dwarves' version of cocaine, right?

Vincent and Jas: safe for now, I don't roast anybody under 12. once we hit like year 5 I'm coming for you though

Emily: wants to reblog this but can't. her queue is full and she's hit post limit

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not wanting to move back in with my family?

The lead up to this is a bit long, but I feel like the context is necessary. After my first year of college, my (then20, FTM) father (40s, M) was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and could not work anymore. He also could not be left to his own devices, so I had to take time off school and come home to watch him and my younger sibling (then 11NB) while my mother (40s F) would work. That sucked for multiple reasons, including being responsible for all the asshole bullshit he’s pulled (when I say asshole, I mean it. He used to fake - by his own admission - epileptic seizures to get out of doing the most minor chores or exercises recommended by his doctors), my mothers violent transphobia (to the point of driving me to a mental breakdown when I asked about starting HRT) and emotional abuse towards myself and my sib. She never believed my complaints about my father and was convinced I was being lazy and irresponsible with his care. In addition to that, they moved to this area after I started college, so I was in a completely unfamiliar (and not particularly queer friendly) place, socially isolated, and so on and so forth. This shit sucked. I was promised I’d be able to go back after one semester, but after a few months it has been made painfully clear to me that this is not an option. Then COVID happened, and next year my college was fully remote. This way I was able to complete my sophomore year online. I was finally released for junior year and have not come back home since with the exception of one short-term visit, when my mother went abroad to visit our extended family. (We’re immigrants.)

I graduated this year. When I started my job search, I was planning to stay in the area and applied to jobs accordingly, with the exception of one position advertised by my college. This one would be in a major city very close to my family, so I’d be able to live with them. I was idiot enough to mention that to my mother. The gig didn’t pan out, so I settled on staying where I am and continued to search for a job, a place to live, and so on. I secured a place to live recently and was again dumb enough to share that with my mother. (Yes, I have a pattern. I’m working on it. ) The next day, my sib contacts me and asks if I could come live with them. Sib got into a really good high school with a focus on a field of study they want to go into for a career and have a real knack for. It’s kinda far from where they live right now, but they found an apartment much closer to it. Rent is a lot higher than they can afford, though. My mother lost her job when she refused to get vaccinated nearly a year ago (she used to work in healthcare), and since then she hasn’t been officially employed. She’s been getting by with instacart and my father’s disability payments.

If I lived with them and found a job there, they’d definitely be able to afford rent. Moving there, while undesirable, is not out of the realm of possibility, and my mother has been a lot better about treating me like a person and not being transphobic. Not perfect, but better. They also would not be living with dad because mom is at the end of her rope with him and is looking into a nursing home his insurance would cover. I would also be saving up money by living with them, I’d definitely have reliable health insurance, a roof over my head and so on and so forth. My personal autonomy, personal space, and most likely mental health would be absolutely out the window. I’m still traumatized by these 2 years I spent with them. Not to mention nearly complete social isolation. I wouldn’t even be able to see my boyfriend properly, there would be about 8 hrs’ worth of a drive between us.

So. Will I be the asshole if I leave my family to struggle on their own? I already sacrificed a lot for their sake. I don’t know that I can keep doing that to myself.

What are these acronyms?

[she-karev]

Easter (Andrew DeLuca x Alex Karev's Sister Imagine)

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: One of One

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

AN: Happy Easter guys! I hope you have a great weekend I just wanted to give you a little fun chapter with the Karev’s. It’s set in Season 17 and it’s a little foreshadow of what will happen as I continue to write this story. And don’t worry I fixed a lot of things wrong with that season mainly Jolex and DeLuca’s death both of which I found abhorrent in every way possible, so this is my way of righting many wrongs. Enjoy!

Summary: Amber and DeLuca spend Easter with Alex and Jo in Meredith’s backyard as their new niece Luna spends her first Easter with them.

Words: 2503

April 1, 2021

“Okay are you ready?” Andrew asks me in the driver’s seat as he puts his mask on. I adjust the straps of my neon yellow green dress with strappy white heels in the spirit of Easter.

“Uh yeah.” I grab my purse and grab the door handle until I remember, “Wait! I forgot something.”

I pull out my bunny ears headband and put it on, I see Andrew looking at me with a grin trying hard not to laugh. I look in my mirror and see why it’s so funny, the ears are long, straight and white with yellow metallic fabric inside the ears. It’s something I rushed and bought at Walmart yesterday because even with the vaccine covid is still out there and the last thing I want is to expose my baby niece. I grin at myself and look at my husband who laughs like it’s the funniest thing in the world.

“The things I do for love.” I simply reply with and adjust the ears confidently and open the door. We both get out and walk over to Meredith’s where she’s hosting a small easter egg hunt for the kids in her backyard. Alex and Jo are there with Luna and so are Link and Amelia with their son, Scout. The vaccine came out a few months ago and all of us took it so we’re good. And we wanted the kids to have one normal day while we were still in a pandemic and we thought celebrating Easter would be a good choice.

I’ve never been one to celebrate the holidays in a big way but I decided to start since Alex and Jo got married and decided to host New Years and Christmas parties. It didn’t last long though with 2020 and everything that came from the awful year, we stalled holidays and birthdays. And of course, it was also the year they adopted Luna, making me an aunt and sad that I wouldn’t get to spoil her with gifts in a room full of people. I still got to do it but it’s less fun with nobody around to see what an awesome auntie I am.

I wasn’t the only one in this car who loved that little girl. Her uncle Andrew next to me also made it his mission to spoil her with love and extravagant gifts. When Alex and Jo first brought Luna home, we both got her Build-A-Bear’s to our surprise. We agreed to get separate gifts which was a mistake because he got her a custom plush bunny wearing a princess dress with ‘Luna’ sewed on one of the ears and when you press the paw it says, ‘I love you’. It made my quiet and naked pink furry teddy bear look less like a gift and more of a hand me down.

We both agreed from then on to get gifts together so we don’t show each other up and after the year we’ve had it was easy to agree on such a trivial matter. Things got rough for us in the beginning of the year and not just because of the pandemic. Andrew had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder like his father. He started acting erratic and irritable, especially towards me and a lot of ugly words came out of his mouth when I tried to help him. Not too long after he broke up with me and kicked me out of our apartment causing me to leave in tears. It was very triggering for me with everything I went through with my mother and brother, especially when he broke down in tears after yelling out that his patient’s aunt was trafficking her.

I tried calling him after that because he dropped the face of the earth and I got drunk one night and left a voicemail that made Alec Baldwin’s 2007 voicemail to his daughter sound like whale noises. Basically, I called him a copy of his dad and the only reason he got me to open my life to him was so he could tear it down because he’s a cold, manipulative carbon copy of a crazy man who I hope ends up dead in ditch then he would feel exactly how I felt then. Not my finest moment and he showed it as he ignored me while trying to save Richard’s life and I was fine with that because I had enough crazy people in my life who refused my help so I did not want another.

From what I heard his sister held an intervention for him and he finally got therapy and started taking meds. He apologized for everything he did to me and was looking to get back together. I told him that night I wasn’t gonna buckle down like my mom and go back to a man who hurt me and left me to lick my wounds. After that he tried to show me multiple times how sorry he was and how he wanted to fix us but I wasn’t having it. It wasn’t until he was stabbed while following a sex trafficker that I decided to give us one more chance.

It wasn’t smooth sailing at all especially since I was reluctant to make myself vulnerable again and Alex, Jo and Jackson made it clear they didn’t forgive Andrew for what he put me through since as my actual and spiritual siblings they felt protective of me. I had to work out a lot of my issues concerning this like my fear of ending up like my mother and reluctance to trust him fully again. And with covid and the burnout that pain was increased. It took a lot of work on both of our parts and we had to start slowly but we got back to the place we were in before his breakdown. I forgave him eventually and it took a while and a lot of grand gestures in front of them, but my family forgave him too. They threatened to bury him alive if he ever hurt me again, but I'd say they were good with us back together.

It wasn’t until Christmas our relationship evolved when he proposed to me with a ring as a gift and I said yes. We decided to elope the morning after in city hall with Alex, Jo, Carina, Jackson and Maya present. It’s been four months and things are going good, better than good actually which isn’t what I expected from being married.

After Meredith let us in, we found Alex and Jo in the backyard with Luna. Jo is cradling her while Alex is finding eggs throughout the yard with Meredith’s kids. The sight is calling to me but I’m too distracted with the baby wearing a pink jumpsuit with the hood on that has the cutest little ears on it. I gasp at the sight and walk away from Andrew to greet Luna with a wide smile.

“Hi!” Luna looks at me blankly no doubt not knowing what I’m saying but I don’t care, “How’s my favorite little niece doing?”

Jo chuckles at my doting baby voice, “Like I keep telling you she’s your only niece.”

I keep smiling at the baby too distracted to give Jo the time of day simply replying, “And like I keep telling you she is still my favorite.” I give her belly a little tickle that makes her giggle and it’s so cute I could just die, “Oh you have gotten so big from the first time I saw you and so pink!”

It’s true the first time I saw her was when her birth mom came in with Luna growing in her liver. They were able to get her out at 26 weeks and she spent the rest of the year in the NICU getting surgeries and growing into the healthy and cute toddler I just want to squeeze. She and Alex decided to adopt her after her birth mom died and her father abandoned her and since they both know what the system is like, they wanted to give Luna the home she deserves. I was all for it from the get-go because for the last two years I have been yearning to be an aunt and now I am, Auntie Amber.

“Yeah, you hear that, Luna? Your auntie is happy to have you here with us out in the open and not in some stuffy hospital.” Jo rocks Luna against her chest smiling at her and I do to suddenly overcome with the urge I feel every time I’m near her.

“Oh, I want to hold her, I’m overloading on oxytocin.” I hold my hands out and Jo chuckles before carefully putting her in my arms and I gasp in wonder at this baby, “You are gorgeous, yes you are, you’re the most gorgeous little girl in the world. Your daddy is gonna have to fight all the boys with an ax when you reach teen years.”

“And her uncle too.” Andrew coos as well affectionately pulling me towards him with my back to his front. He holds my arms while looking at the baby over my shoulder.

“Keeping boys and their greedy hands away from you is gonna be mine and your daddy’s favorite past time.” I look at him behind me amused.

“Oh, I forgot about you.” Andrew chuckles at that kissing the top of my head and I look back at the baby sighing with a smile, “Yeah this girl is golden until she decides to join a nunnery.”

Jo laughs hysterically at that, “With our luck she’ll be a dead gorgeous surgeon and her daddy is gonna be downing antacids and drowning in stress.”

“Most likely.” I look at the baby in amazement and I know how intern me would have reacted to this, “I’ve become what I hated three years ago, a woman who looks at the nearest baby like it’s crack sprinkled with hard liquor.”

“Yeah you and me both sister. Okay sweetie let’s get you some milk while your auntie tries to come down from her baby high.” Jo tries to take the baby from me and I try to hold on for a while longer.

“Come on just one more minute or I can feed her instead I wouldn’t mind really.”

Jo looks at me worriedly and turns to DeLuca for support, “Andrew?”

He puts his hands on my forearms and tries to gently coax me into releasing my baby hostage, “Ease the vice grip bella.” I whimpered but reluctantly handed the baby over to her mom. Jo takes the baby and walks to the kitchen with the baby in tow.

I whimper at the loss of her in my arms with Andrew still behind me, “I am losing it aren’t I?”

“No and I am not just saying that as the husband who is supposed to bend the truth when his wife asks him something.” I grin and turn around to face Andrew who playfully adjusts my bunny ears, “Are we having second thoughts?”

I exhale remembering after we eloped Andrew and I agreed to hold off on having kids because of the pandemic. We both know we weren’t on a clock with both of us young and healthy with rewarding careers. When the time feels right, we’ll know it is and I know now is not the right time.

“No.” I tell him and he simply nods understanding, “The vaccine is out but the pandemic is still on going and even with an announcement I will still be behind a year and need to catch up. I’m sure you want to do things and actually do surgeries more than once every two months.”

Andrew nods, “It would be nice to breathe and not see bruises around my eyes from the goggles.” I grin at him sympathetically, wrap my arms behind his neck and kiss a trail of where I would always see those bruises he leans back and looks horrified, “In laws and kids here.”

“Ah let them look.” I reply coolly and continue kissing a trail until I hear someone clearing their throat loudly. I stop and see Alex behind me carrying a basket of easter eggs looking at me scandalized and I call him out on his hypocrisy, “Oh don’t act like you didn’t have sex in a shed next to a corpse.”

He raises an eyebrow at that mention of their wedding day, “Six feet guys we are in a pandemic.” I groan at that and stop kissing Andrew keeping a good distance away to Alex’s approval, “Good now if you’ll excuse me, I have to show my daughter her eggs that I got for her and beat the other kids to.” I chuckle at that as Alex walks inside and I continue my conversation with Andrew.

“Look until the time is right Alex and Jo’s kids are the closest, I’m ever gonna get to being a parent. I’m just enjoying it while it lasts.”

“Okay cause you know I thought that we were…” He leaves the sentence hanging and I narrow my eyes at him to continue and he does, “You know craving pickles and looking to check out What to Expect When You’re Expecting.” I chuckle at that assumption.

“No trust me I would know and so would you. The surge of hormones combined with my personality I would be like if…if Drogon from Game of Thrones got knocked up.” Andrew chuckles at that, “I would act in a way that can only mean bun in the oven. No this is just me being your typical doting auntie.”

“Okay well either way I am more than open to the discussion.” Andrew grins and I grin back until I feel a pain on the top of my head causing me to gasp. I see confetti falling in front of my eyes and Andrew looks at me shocked and amused before pointing behind me I look and see it was Alex who snuck up and hit me on the head with an easter egg. I see Meredith’s kids doing the same with Link and Amelia chasing each other around the yard. I brush the confetti off my head and glare at Alex as he grins, “Big tactical error my friend, huge.”

Alex underestimates me with a laugh, “Oh really? I don’t see any eggs on you kid.”

I chuckle evilly and reach inside my purse pulling out three cartons of easter eggs I also got from Walmart causing Alex to look in fear, “I’ll give you a five second head start.” I offer causing Alex to smile nervously before running off into the yard. I chase him with kids running around us until I finally crack one then two and finally six eggs on top of his head covering us both with so much confetti laughing full heartedly as a family with our spouses looking on in amusement. I never celebrated easter until today but I can honestly say it’s something I am gonna do from now on with my family.

[karin-gespenst]

Season 13 episode 3 attempt at coherent thoughts

twenty minutes ago I finished watching the episode and I'm still not done wiping my eyes.

I'll try to talk about those parts first that weren't too sad. Maybe that'll help me calm down.

When they said they wanted to try and turn the Baxter-Baby around I was surprised. So far they only tried to turn babies if they were neither head-down nor arse-first. I know that turning breech-babies is a thing and people will try all kinds of methods early on to avoid breech-births if possible. It has just not been presented as a big issue on the show before. I was born breech in 1985, nobody ever mentioned anything about trying to turn me, because most of the time they had spent trying to keep me from being born prematurely. So the breech part was the least of anyones worries.

Does anyone else think it's funny that the most competent person they have for the baby-turning-task is called Turner? Shelagh was already the most competent person when she went by another name, but in these cases the surname really fits. Phyllis does a lot of lifting people up when they need it, so her being called Crane is appropriate as well. :-)

Seeing baby Stephanie being carried in a baby wrap made me smile. Apart from being convenient, it's so cuddly and cosy. When my kid was a baby we carried her a lot and she loved it. There's a rainbow babywrap waiting in my closet for the day when my kid decides she wants to use it.

Big yes for Reggie getting a wage! Took them long enough to come up with the idea. He's wonderful in this episode, really stepping into the role of the grown up son.

I wanted to smack that agent woman when she came to visit the Baxters. so rude!

It's a theme for Phyllis to recognize a baby with problems just by looking at them. She saw that baby Robert showed signs of Down's Syndrome, and now she saw the leg problem and calmly got Dr T to make sure it got treated right away. Her experience is a treasure and I'm glad she is still on the show. On the other hand I would love to see her and Millicent in their retirement, making merry and having a laugh.

Matthew being the backup for Violet was a good idea. They share the ability to see the bigger picture and the need to have people in charge who can tone down their ego. That room full of suits had the right idea in the end, and it took only two speeches from Violet that weren't even that long. I'm looking forward to see what she can do with the position of mayor.

Did everyone go check their vaccination records? my tetanus jab was three years ago, but I could not have told without looking it up. That was a quadruple shot with Diptheria and polio and pertussis. The latter one was really nasty when I had it as a child. Yesterday I talked to my GP about getting the COVID booster, and I hope I can get that one soon.

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Glass Onion (2022): Mixed company, mixed feelings

This movie is very Current Year, even though it finished shooting in 2021 and is set in May 2020. One minor joke early on; Blanc plays Among Us during lockdown, because he's so bored.

I am not making that up.

I had the same issue with the first movie. I wasn't sure what all the Topical References™ added to the movie. And I know we love to say that great art is timeless.

But as someone who actually does read a lot of old, public-domain, popular books, many  had topical social issues in them. Heck, the first Doc Thorndyke book is about fingerprinting, which was cutting edge science at the time, and even makes a self-depreciating joke about it's inspiration, Sherlock Holmes.

I've enjoyed the odd Clancy or Connelly or Cussler or Cavanaugh or Patterson thriller. And those tend to be pretty topical. (obnoxiously so, in one case) Not to mention my love of the Vorkosigan Saga, which was so progressive in the 80s it's still progressive now.

I've also seen stories that had poorly integrated topical issues and much better-handled ones in the same show. The same episode, even.

So I don't know why the political stuff in the two movies rankled. I'd say my issue is "politics I disgree with", but I just mentioned enjoying a book series which is clearly waaay to my left.

Heck, both movies are blatantly inspired by Agatha Christie, and I distinctly recall topical stuff in my mum's old copy of *Third Girl*.

Like, literally the whole plot.

I read it a long time ago, but I think I'd still enjoy it.

Other, less important criticism. And spoilers.

-Blanc intially felt like a caricature, which was very different from the way he appeared in the first movie. turns out that's deliberate. He later says he was playing up the folksy Southernness.

Even though he's an internationally famous detective who lives in a $10,000,000 Park Avenue penthouse.

Don't ask me about the high-waisted pants, the cute little scarf around his neck, or the 19th century bathing costume he wears to the pool. Apparently his style in this movie was partially Daniel Craig's idea.

Also, he's gay.

It's not made explicitly clear during the film, and the guy he's living with could be a roomie or friend or assistant, but Johnson confirmed it. I'm not sure what it adds to the film, except an explanation for the scarf.

And also some irony when Birdie flirts with him, even though he's famous and probably publicly known to be gay. Heck, just his visible discomfort in those scenes would be irony enough, whether or not he liked women.

Miles Bronn -possible shallow Elon musk parody --he’s fooling people w/ fake genius, when he's really just a charismatic idiot. And one who gets swindled, possibly. -There's one bit of irony. Early on, Miles guests on his private island get a COVID vaccine. It later turns out Miles is an idiot.

Since the movie takes place entirely in May 2020, the implication is that Miles should know it's basically impossible to develop a proper vaccine in just a few short months.

Cough.

The actual main protagonist isn't Blanc, it's Cassandra "Andi" Brand and Helen Brand. Andi is a tech genius who Miles ripped off. And also murdered. So her twin sister Helen, a teacher, steps in.

Anyone familiar with the Trojan War is probably going "hey, wait a minute..." Did I mention that this takes place on a Greek island in the Aegean Sea? Which has Troy on its borders?

And the first things we see in the film are tantalizing wooden boxes?

Helen poses as Andi with Blanc's help, so they can investigate the murder and figure out which of Miles friends, “the Disruptors”, killed Andi.

Both Brands are played by Janelle Monae. A famously left-wing singer and actress, whose biggest film role was in the movie Hidden Figures, where she played one of a team of black women in STEM forgotten by history.

And in this movie, Monae plays two hidden figures, eclipsed by white men. One maliciously, one charitably.

Birdie --Birdie is an idiotic middle-aged singer who keeps getting cancelled because she does dumb stuff. -She sexually harasses Blanc. This is possibly why Blanc's gay, to make it extra ironic. -She's introduced at a party during lockdowns. When she arrives at the island, she wears a completely decorative facemask.

-Birdie prides herself on her honesty. In this case, it means she's inconsiderate and narcissistic, with no filter. Which makes it kinda ironic (or something?) when the day is saved in the end by a combination of lies and truth.

Duke -Dave Bautista plays an alt-right mra. Supposedly.

-He supports a girlfriend and his mother, who abuses him. He's  three or four times mom's size. He goes "Mom, I told you not to interrupt when I'm recording!" and she physically slaps him. Not even any ramp-up, she just does it.

She also tries to disrupt his call with his friends by "helping" him solve Miles' puzzle box, right up until it's done, and she stops caring.

So the show decided to mock MRAs by...making one a male victim of domestic violence and emotional abuse from a woman.

And from what I saw on Youtube, plenty of people didn't notice the irony. In fact, I found an official Netflix short of the scene, and the comments were glad he was getting "put in his place" because he politely asked him mom to let him do his job.

Also, remember when I mentioned how Birdie sexually harasses Blanc?

This movie includes two examples of the exact sort of issues MRAs talk about all the time.

-I know he's supposed to be a parody, but of who, exactly? jordan peterson? andrew tate? Pewdiepie? All of the above?

I think they even got some alex jones in there when they mention how he sold pills. Specifically, "performance" pills for men, made from rhino horn.

-Duke carries a gun near his crotch at all times for most of the movie. Specifically, an underpowered Tokarev, I've read. On top of the abuse, he also self-cucks himself so his GF can try and pillow-talk Miles into supporting Duke's next endeavour.

Subtle.

And while I was looking up the gun, I found someone on /r/liberalGunOwners saying "well, maybe it's supposed to look Russian because he's pro-Putin like a lot of right-wingers?"

That's possible, but it would be a really obtuse reference in a movie chock full of really blatant references.

-Also, there's something a tad ironic about a supposedly (alt-)right influencer being a large, muscular, tattoo'd Hispanic man. Unless that's supposed to be a tan.

Claire -Claire is a left-wing, environmentally friendly politician. She wears beige, and always looks terrible (to Katheryn Hahn's frustration). She's also a hypocrite.

Some TVTropes editor: it's about progressive politicans that gradually turn conservative.

No, the message here isn't "conservatives bad". It's "hypocritical left-wing politicians are bad". And I'm not sure about the "left-wing" part.

Duke is a hypocrite because he self-cucks for advantage, and is also physically abused by his tiny little mom. Claire is just a straight up liar, as politicians often are. There's a contrast between his performative peacocking in every aspect of the way he presents himself, and Claire's beige cold mess.

I'm not kidding. That was the stated intent of her costume and makeup.

-claire calls duke an MRA. I'm not sure if the writers were wrong, Claire's wrong, or Duke actually calls himself an MRA in-universe. He's certainly a traditionalist, which MRAs usually aren't. He also wants women to get back in the kitchen, which MRAs usually don't.

And finally, there's Miles’ No 2., tech wizard Lionel, who spins Miles' straw - or napkin ideas - into gold. In fact, he spends most of the movie with a gold wishbone pin on his lapel. GEDDIT?

Duke is a right wing tradcon MRA who cares about physical appearances even though he has a bad social rep, Claire is a left-wing progressive with a terrible physical appearance and a good social rep, Birdie is an idiot who keeps saying un-PC things, and Lionel is the smart guy, who is apparently more or less apolitical.

Also, the movie has obvious inspiration from Christie's "And Then There Were None". And maybe Clue. Or Among Us.

Or all three.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive (Archive.is link on this page if you can't access the original source)

By Iris Gorfinkel

The lack of masking in health care facilities will needlessly spread disease. As in past autumns, cooler weather will bring a spike in flu and cold viruses while kids in Ontario have settled back into crowded classrooms and COVID-19 threatens to reach a 3-year peak, writes Iris Gorfinkle.

Imagine you — or a vulnerable loved one — needs urgent medical care. If you’re lucky enough to have a family doctor, you head to their clinic. Like most, yours is housed in a building with low ceilings and little air filtration. You enter the waiting room where several patients sit shoulder-to-shoulder waiting.

You have no choice but to sit alongside people sneezing, coughing and blowing their noses. Few if any, patients and health care workers are wearing a mask. While grateful for the hand sanitizer on offer, you begin to wonder if that will be enough to prevent your picking up an infection you hadn’t anticipated.

It’s an all-too-familiar scenario.

The most common reason people see a GP is to assess an upper respiratory infection. They most frequently start after inhaling infected droplets or aerosols or from having touched an infected surface.

An N95 or KN95 mask helps block transmission, whether it’s SARS CoV-2, influenza or a common cold virus like RSV. They’re not perfect, but they reduce viral transmission by 30 per cent. Yet in spite of their benefits, most health-care workers and patients no longer routinely mask, even during assessments requiring close contact with an increased risk of disease spread.

Many of my most vulnerable patients are keenly aware of the potential health risks this presents. Yet most say nothing and would never dream of asking their clinician to wear a mask.

There are sound reasons for this.

The first has to do with long wait times. A visit to the specialist is a precious commodity that cannot be risked. Several months pass before patients are seen, raising the urgency for care.

This is only the first of many factors to come that can silence even the most assertive of patients.

Many don’t want to appear disrespectful by asking their health-care workers to mask. They fear being labelled “difficult” or “demanding” and become distressed at the prospect of questioning their clinician’s judgment, even if it should put them in harm’s way.

Patients become more passive when burdened with the anxiety, dread and fatigue that accompanies illness. Deep-seated fears are ignited that further increase the dependency on health-care workers and squelch any remaining likelihood of their requesting that their clinicians mask.

Masking policies in health-care facilities don’t have to be all-or-none edicts. Patients who are hard of hearing often benefit when they’re able to read lips. Both patients and health care workers sometimes struggle because of anxiety. Young children may not co-operate, and there are people who simply cannot — or will not — tolerate them.

These are special cases though, not the rule. Smart policies in health care facilities need to have latitude for such exceptions. But tightening the policy on masking also recognizes that SARS CoV-2 is a stealthy virus.

One-in-three people infected have no symptoms yet can still transmit COVID-19. It can result in serious physical and mental harms that last 3 years and possibly longer following the initial infection. Since the start of the pandemic to the end of 2023, long COVID has affected 6 per cent of adults and 1 per cent of children.

Vaccines don’t lower viral transmission. Where they shine is at lowering the severity of cases and keeping Ontario’s hospitals from being overwhelmed, but they’re poor at reducing mild cases. It’s short-sighted to gamble on the hope that future vaccines will prove any different.

What’s more certain is that the lack of masking in health care facilities will needlessly spread disease. As in past autumns, cooler weather will bring a spike in flu and cold viruses while kids in Ontario have settled back into crowded classrooms and COVID-19 threatens to reach a 3-year peak.

The duty of care doesn’t land on patients. It’s the clinicians’ job to ensure patients don’t pick up an unintended infection. Patients have a right to safety in health care facilities. In the meantime, I can only advise my concerned patients to wear an N95 or KN-95 when in health care facilities and suggest they not be shy when asking clinicians to do the same.

[mintytealfox]

Adding to the anon's AU idea (hope you are okay with that anon hehe)

I'm like lowkey picturing Norton being like canon Norton, a miner from the 19th to 20th century so he is kind of confused but curious on a lot of new modern technology. Maybe also annoyed because part of him so badly wants to learn how certain new tech works (no one can tell me if Norton had the chance, he would not try and take apart things to learn how they work, this man loves knowledge) but if he touches it, the entire thing will just break on him. So as a way to please Norton's curiosity, Alice gets him books from the library or lends him books from her own collection.

Norton also learning a LOT about world events that have happened while he was stuck in the mines. Example:

Norton: What's the Great Depression?

Alice: Oh, that's when the stock markets crashed horribly and everyone was surviving on cornmeal paste

Norton: oh...well, hey! You seem to thriving with all these fancy do-dags. The economy must have gotten better!

Alice: Oh. Oh hahaha, no its got worsen

Norton: huh-

Alice: Especially after Covid :D!

Norton: Wha-??

Alice: Which by the way, maybe its a good thing you are like a weird rock monster? Because then you can't catch it, because you know, despite us having a vaccine for it, some people didn't want to get it. Also i think it evolved.

Norton: //horrified

HIM STILL BEING FROM THE 1800s AND HAD BEEN IN THAT CAVE FOREVER YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Person from another time now having to deal with new time period stuff IS ALWAYS A FAVORITE OF MINE~ THIS AU JUST GOT EVEN BETTER AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS POSSIBLE OHHHHH MY GOOSSSHHHHHHHHHH 👏👏👏👏👏👏

LOL the AMOUNT of stuff that has happened between the two time periods LOL OH NOOOOOO 🤣 "we had a world war" "oh.." "then another one 20 years after it" "???????" "and a load of other stuff, but anyway, cellphones" "???????????" "oh and coal miner wages are averaged around $21.52 an hour now" "IN AN HOUR???????????????????" "hey siri?" -robot voice responds- "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Then all the flashing city lights that never turn off, talk about sensory overload! Even all the colors and scenes just constantly going on the phone and TV and Alice just needing to put all that stuff away at first cause woah could be a lot for someone who has been underground for so long! OH OH OHOO! What if he started collecting things from people he has scared out of the mines over the 100-something years and seeing the tech they would drop and putting it all in his little collector corner he has and seeing how its all changing and trying to figure out these broken things. Then Alice sees it all and is like "Oh this is so NEAT, history collected all just right here"

Oh man oh man oooohhh mmaaannnnn 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[redraspberryleaf]

I saw that you had a post saying fic writers could ask you for advice writing medical stuff for fic. I was wondering if someone who has had multiple leg breaks that healed improperly would need crutches/leg braces (if so, which would be better and for how long). By healed improperly, I mean the bone wasn't set and he would've kept doing extreme physical activity while the bone was broken. (He had no choice to ignore the pain, if you even wondering why he would do that.) Thank you in advance, and it's okay if you can't get an answer

Answer from a doctor:

The bone would likely would heal in an abnormal shape and length with the muscles and tendons at the incorrect length to accomodate. There would probably be bone spurs that would inflame the muscles and tendons passing over them, especially when doing a lot of moving.

Your character would have limited range of motion, chronic pain, and likely need mobility aids for life. These aids would probably differ day-to-day and depend on the setting, as well as how stubborn and proud they are.

The specifics would all depend on the type of break, which bone, the type of activity that's being done on the break, etc.

Answer from me (based on experience):

Ad a teen I rolled my ankle at the start of a 3000m, completely ignored the injury, and won the race still. Only after that did I realize what happened (apperently the muscles had gotten fucked up and actually shifted my fibula out of place). I didn't break a bone but it was a fibula injury that I ignored and continued training on for months, even going to a week long track camp where I was doing about 20km of high impact on asphalt and hills per day. I ended up with a wicked limp, chronic pain, shin splints, plantar faciatis, and a lateral muscle imbalance across every part of my body but my arms from trying to compensate. Youd look at me from behind and see my hips, my shoulders, my neck, everything was at an angle. Eventually I did enough physio that I was mostly okay again but if I was ever lady and didn't do my stretches, warm up properly, and build up training properly I would get issues coming back. I stopped running in uni and decided to pick it back up again one day and instant plantar faciatis.

The second part to this is experience with an actual broken bone. A couple years ago I broke my fibula. It was a spiral fracture to my left fibula about a third or so of the way up the bone. I crashed on a downhill while skateskiing and because I was in race skis those bindings don't typically have a safety release, so when my ski spun around in a full circle so did my foot. This broke my fibula in a spiral shape.

~side note: if your character is fighting and moving on a broken leg it's probably a fibula since that's not the weight baring bone. This is the one you hear about athletes finishing a game on a broken leg. It's possible with adrenaline but it's still hell and will cause you issues in the long run. A tibia is weight baring so you shouldn't really be able to stand on that, and a femur break usually will get you air lifted to the hospital because you're about to die.~

Anyway, with all the issues of the last injury I'd had, I really stayed off of my broken leg and actually atrophied.

Now with this one, I can say it healed wrong. According to an mri and xrays they don't see any issues but I was treated in a tiny town er during a massive covid spike before the vaccine was available so I never got a second cast after the swelling went down.

After healing, I have always had an aching pain deep in the bone that doesn't go away. It throbs worse with impact activity or if I spend a lot of time on my feet on hard floors. I am a huge sucker for standing on grass these days. That ankle is actually a lot thicker now and is a lot more unstable. I have pain in the bone from the break but on bad days when I'm really hurting the worst of it in in the muscles and tendons of my ankle, the top outside of my calf, and my hip and glute. I never expected this but my ass is SO TIGHT ALL THE TIME and it hurts like a bitch. Massage helps, but it's not the sexy kind. It's the full body weight on an elbow jabbed into my ass cheek or hip flexor kind. This is all because with my ankle being really unstable from the tendons and muscles getting inflamed from popping over small bone spurs all the time, the hip has to work overtime to try to compensate and stabilize more than it normally would. I also experience not quite muscle weakness on that side, so much as muscle fatigue. Basically, everything on that side is working over time and is always tired. For the first three years after I had a wicked limp, was in a lot more pain than I am now, and could only run if I absolutely had to. After doing a lot of physio I can run again but certainly am limping after a 10k. I also have a lot of scars from my bad side making me trip over roots and become impaled on sticks.

I had the opportunity to heal fairly well overall and access physio but I'd I didn't I know I'd be using a cane and taping my ankle constantly. Before I did physio when I lifeguarded I also needed a chair because walking around on tile barefoot for hours would have me in tears even with my hugh pain tolerance. Repeated breaks over time with bad healing and limited access to care would def require mobility aids and would lead to life-long chronic pain.

I'll be back with responses from the rest of the team soon.

Bonus! Where my bone broke starts aching really bad the second I start to get dehydrated. Everything also hurts most at night and the second I stop moving.

[yaminerua]

Actually fuming at my mum tbh she should fucking know better than to show up sick and unmasked especially when she works with vulnerable people as a carer like come on

she’s hacking up a lung until her eyes are streaming and she has the nerve to be like why have you still got your mask on like. Hmm. I wonder why mum. I wonder why. Why the fuck didn’t YOU think to tell me you’re sick

even if it is just a cold in the end it could so easily be covid and the way it’s just not bothered about anymore has me seething

Like I haven’t had covid yet and I hope to keep things that way as long as possible so I really hope this isn’t where that luck ends but also my brother never got any vaccines so if I were to get covid, aside from the risk to myself that they would carry, it would also mean putting my unvaccinated brother and my dad at risk bc I live with them

God. I cannot fucking believe her. Wish I’d just gone home as soon as she said she was ill… but the shitstorm she would have unleashed on the whole family if I did that would have been absolutely unbearable itself so I was fucked either way

[auddityy]

trumpism is actually a great instruction in branding. i think he's genuinely falling out of fashion for the final time in his life but i think studying his career and public persona/mode of communication is an excellent insight into "how to brand".

you have to literally believe and say you are number one and have something to back that up that is either actually of supreme quality or be of an unknown quality to anyone other than your customer, who is 1. such a small minority that they can't sink your public brand to the majority of your audience 2. so rich that they essentially pay a 100% or more markup for the exact same product that poor people use, but with an upper class brand on it - this is exactly what he did with his first big success, trump tower. he bragged that it was made with the absolute premium in materials to the most amazing standards. construction crew said that the materials were the cheapest possible. the trump tower customer was so rich that they would pay more than double in rent simply to be associated with what was said to be the best. the people who couldnt afford it never lived there and could never find out there was no difference. thus there was no proof - he advertised a supreme product and delivered an adequate one.

like its that simple. you have to say, with apparent conviction, that you are the best and then deliver something at least adequate to someone who doesn't know that what they have isn't better than average. you can actually deliver the best, but the most profit is to be found in delivering something adequate, which is what all "number ones" do - none of them ever overdeliver. people who actually deliver the best are number twos, or even lower - they invest so much in the product that their profit and therefore growth falls behind those who cut corners.

the physical difference between "the best" and "adequacy" isn't actually percieved at all by most people. number ones create the feeling of overdelivering through emotion rather than physical substance in the product. saying something is amazing, high quality, and simultaneously having lots of others saying the same thing, generates way more interest and loyalty than physically having a superior product and remaining quiet about it.

i'm thinking about this because the two number ones in regenerative agriculture p*lyface and GJ follow the same method of branding - essentially trumpism. "i'm the best", "i'm amazed at the quality of my product", saying so loudly and often, without ever specifying their own failures or mistakes, unless they fit into a narrative of being long-past (no longer affecting quality of current product) and being a learning experience that actually improved the product.

GJ lost over 200 sheep, more than 90% of his flock in 2023 - nothing about that to be found anywhere online. the only reason i know is because i talked to his wife intimately in person. for over 20 years he's advertised them as the most hardy sheep in the US, and still does, despite losing ALL of the original flock he's built over 30 years... but he repeats many anecdotes of mistakes from 20 years ago that made him a better producer.

also, never responding to critics unless it's in a disparaging way. trump is famous for insulting critics in crazy dramatic ways, but all number ones do this. polyface does it to the USDA, vegans, people who disagreed with their stance on covid/vaccines. GJ does it to conventional people in his comments or just whoever he sees as he's traveling.

when you inspect closely it is not completely honest, and seems to be lacking integrity. i wonder if honesty and integrity are considered virtues because everyone else being "honest" and "having integrity", in other words damaging their own brand, benefits the number ones who don't do that. everyone making themselves harmless gives the few willing to be sharks free reign.

this sounds like it's coming from a place of jealousy. i don't really feel jealously i am just learning the choices i'll have to make. i will have my own business/brand and i could make the choice to follow the trumpist branding strategy, and have the successes it entails...