#medical / /

[dancingpieces]

Lol, I had a follow up cardiologist appointment recently, which was just to get test results that the summary I could see online said was normal. For some reason the appointment was with a cardiologist I hadn't seen before, and it was really funny watching him looking at my results, cause first he started just saying there wasn't anything concerning (as he was clearly told/the summary said), then he mentioned "there was a minor abnormality, but that it's not really concerning......yeah, they think.........." and he just faded out speaking and started looking at more details on the test (guess he could see more then me) and then started reading through all my history 🤣🤣 turns out he doesn't agree with the other ppl who interpreted my results. Apparently, what was seen could be totally fine, but the test wasn't detailed enough for him to feel comfortable completely ruling out there being something wrong with my heart, so he ordering another test.

It was just so funny watching this guy clearly start to get irritated at the other drs and wonder what the fuck they were thinking. Though, I could tell him. The other dr saw a "young, healthy looking woman" who clearly can't be old enough to really have a concern. This guy walked in, and apparently didn't make assumptions based on my age and looks, which was a really nice change.

Doctors should snark at each other more, be a bit mean. Not for no reason, mind you. But if five doctors blow me off about symptoms and doctor number six FINALLY runs actual tests and gets a diagnosis, I think it should be Doctor Six's right to call up the other five and tell them they're lazy pieces of shit. That should be socially encouraged. Those first five doctors clearly can't listen to patients, but maybe another doctor might finally get to them.

[curiositysavesthecat]

*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).

[blatentmisinformation]

When you have a stomach-ache stay calm. You are actually dying and it is best to meet the Reaper with dignity.

[noccolibroccoli]

So I had a hysterectomy today (hooray!) and I brought along my stuffed orca, Shamu, as a comfort object. And everyone i interacted with during my pre-op was like "Oh! Who's this?" so I was telling them all about him, how he's been with me since I was 9 and gone on every single vacation and road trip, and they were telling me about their own stuffed buddies (one lady said she still has hers after 40 years!) and all of this while I was signing consent forms and providing a list of the things I'd brought with me, you know, small talk.

So then a nurse comes over and goes "Okay, I've got some stickers I'll put on your things so we know they're yours" and I'm like "OK cool" so she puts a sticker on my coat and stickers on my bags of clothes and then she turns to Shamu and I'm like "oh I guess he gets a sticker too"

But no. She pulls out a hospital bracelet that's an exact copy of mine and slaps it on his tail, like so:

And i was delighted by this, so I took a picture to send to my friends, who were equally delighted, and were cracking me up with their reactions (like so:)

Anyway, they take me back and put me under, and when I awake groggily a few hours later it takes me a minute to get my bearings, so I don't notice Shamu at first. But then I realize he's tucked up next to me in the gurney, so I grab him, and my hand touches gauze.

And I'm like "huh?" so I look at him and I realize

They gave my fucking orca a hysterectomy

[valerie00diamond]

Never thought of it this way. Thank you.

[mostly-funnytwittertweets]

[incognitopolls]

For the purposes of this poll, do NOT count the following:

Your own birth (unless there were complications/urgent concerns)

Routine check-ups or scheduled-in-advance appointments that just happened to be at a hospital

Visiting or accompanying someone else to the hospital

Use your discretion as to whether to count visits to urgent care.

–

We ask your questions anonymously so you don’t have to! Submissions are open on the 1st and 15th of the month.

[nemfrog]

Schematic illustration of the nervous system. Macfadden's Encyclopedia of physical culture. Volume 1. 1920.

Internet Archive

[pookaseraph]

@stromuprisahat

Now seriously- feel free not to answer- does it impact your balance? Or did the body just get used to it? (I mean babies have the "advantage" of softer bones, and learning to stand up, when older. I only had badly grown hip joints, and had to exercise when small.)

I mean the whole thing has generally been a pretty big net negative. I didn’t walk at all until about 20 months. My balance isn’t good, even slight slopes (tbh especially slight slopes) can make me stumble or even fall. I don’t have the muscles that let you ‘bounce on your toes’ so my gait is very awkward and means I can’t run except like a very short sprint (not even a block) and have pretty constant back pain.

It’s also very hard to do anything with shoes because my foot is smaller than even the lowest woman’s size so to match shoes for better fit I have to wear one kid shoe and one adult shoe which obviously have very different aesthetics (and twice the price, of course. One incredibly nice store gave us a pretty decent discount when I was a kid and had mismatched kid sizes), and while I’ve never been a heels girlie it’s completely impossible for me to wear them or sandals, or basically anything without a closed toe and a tight ankle as otherwise I’m likely to twist my foot as it’s slightly clubbed. If you’re to envision it, it’s like a crab/lobster pincer more than anything. (An owl would be pretty cool!)

🦀<🦉

I don’t mean to make it sound like the most dramatic thing in the world, but you definitely don’t often think about ‘normal’ feet and the things they let you do. AND no one is going to see it, I walk ‘normal enough’ so it suffers from being a pretty invisible disability for people who see me just around.

(screw it what's a fun fact about yourself also @ people I'll go first I'm allergic to myself

@escapetheslaughter

@ugly-astral-taurus

@bees-official

@gremlininthedark

@bloodmoon-da-idiot

@multifandomcutie13 )

[shamebats]

Doctors to trans people: are you really sure you want these hormones? I don't think you are. I don't believe you. There are risks, you know? It will change your body. Tell me your entire life story and I'll decide whether you've wanted this for long enough. Oh you didn't know when you were 5 years old? Yikes, ok. I think I'll need you to jump through all these hoops and then we can maybe consider it in...100 years

Doctors to fat people who literally didn't ask: have you heard of this surgery that'll mess up your digestive system, just absolutely fucking mutilate it? Mess with your ability to eat and drink normally? Potentially fuck up your ability to absorb nutrients? Yes, and you don't want it? Are you suuuure? Are you really sure? I'm going to bring this up 1000 more times just to be sure also there's this diabetes drug...

[caztiel]

[blistexenthusiast]

symptom journal quilt by Nicole Jones Studio

[witchrealms]

(x)

[s4dpngs]

[silverthroatednightingale]

Damn I should have been doing bellydance this last year lol

Seriously, this is super helpful, thank you! Hope your uvula calms down and heals quickly!!

Ok. It's day 2 of recovery from my hysterectomy so I thought I'd tell yall about it.

It sucks. Ooooh lord am I in a lot of pain. But the pain is predictable, unlike menstrual clots the size of my fist.

A bunch of yall are interested in getting a hysterectomy for yourselves. I think every experience is somewhat unique, but here's what happened to me.

You will get phone calls from billing. You do not have to pay over the phone. But they will ask your demographic information and contact info for anyone that's going to be in the waiting room.

You are not allowed to eat or drink after midnight prior to your surgery. This includes water. Plan to wear loose clothing- I wore a tank dress and drawstring pants.

You will not be able to drive. Someone needs to drive you to and from the hospital. If your surgery is at 7:30, they want you there at 5:30. They will ask you your demographic information again. They will give you a big sheet of stickers with your name on it. The staff will trade these around and put them on everything related to you. You get a bracelet with your sticker on it.

Once you're at intake, expect the usual medical stuff. They will take weight, height, urine sample, blood sample, blood pressure, check you're heart and lungs. You will put all your clothes and shoes in a bag with your name on it. I left my phone and wallet with my girlfriend. You will get into an uncomfortable hospital gown. They will hook you up to an IV.

And then you will wait. For a fuckin long ass time. In this time, you will be visited by three doctors- your RN, your anesthesiologist, and your surgeon. You may also be visited by various interns, which makes you wonder just how many people are here to gawk at your fibroid. You are allowed to have a visitor.

You will eavesdrop on conversations happening outside your prep room. You have no choice in this.

Your surgeon will arrive and hand you a waiver basically saying 'I give you permission to cut into me with lasers.' You've signed this before, but now they are making sure. My operation was supposed to be laparoscopic (removed through the vagina) but I was informed that if the fibroid is bigger than they expected, they may make incisions near the bikini line or near the bellybutton. I gave them permission to do what they needed to do this safely.

Then your anesthesiologist comes back, puts something in your IV, it feels cold, and pulls up the bars on you bed to wheel you into the operation room. You are greeted by every person that came by your prep room.

I konked out when they put the oxygen mask on.

And then I woke up.

It was supposed to be only 2 hours, but I woke up 4 hours later in a separate room. Brand new nurse, checks your vitals, gives you some reassuring words, and then instructs you to, at your own pace, get up and move to a wheelchair. It's fucking freezing in this room.

You have zero core strength right now. Getting up is the hardest shit ever. She instructed me to take a half breath in, sit up on the slow outbreath, and then do it again while standing, then again to sit back down again.

They wheel you into a waiting room and call your family in. I had a burning desire to tell my girlfriend she's intensely beautiful.

My skin had a reaction to the hair net they had on me, so I have a rash on my face. They put a catheter in your throat to help with breathing, which gave me a sore throat, but I think they also gave me a cut in the back of my throat, which is annoying because it's affecting things like swallowing and drainage.

It was supposed to be three incisions. It's actually five. My girlfriend tells me that my surgeon indicated that the fibroid was the size of a cantaloupe, rather than the original suspected size of a grapefruit and now I want a fruit salad.

Once you are settled, the nurse will try to get you to stand again and she will try to get you to use the bathroom to check your stool.

Once that's cleared, she'll hand you your clothes and you can slowly get dressed. Do not rush this, pants are hard.

I sent my parents to get my meds and my girlfriend to get the car.

Nurse wheels me out to the curb, one two three half-breath, breathe out, stand, get in the car and go.

They gave me ibuprofen, Tylenol, and oxycontin. I'm told to take the oxy at night so it knocks me out, and switch pills every six hours. Oxy will make you constipated, they gave me miralax. You can eat whatever you want, but oxy does reduce your appetite.

When it comes to recovery, oh God does it hurt. You will have vaginal bleeding but it's not very much, at least compared to my typical period and there was no blood the next day.

You are encouraged to rest, but not to be in bed the whole time, so find some things to do while sitting upright. When you're in bed, make sure your head and back are supported. It's hard as fuck to go from laying down to sitting up if you need to go to the bathroom.

In preparation for having zero core strength for awhile, I bought a walking cane and a walker. The walker is for helping me lower down to the toilet.

But I'm on day 2 of recovery and I'm feeling better than I was yesterday. I can already feel a difference in my bladder control now that I don't have the fibroid pressing down on it.

Looking forward to feeling normal again.