#medical mistreatment

[tobeabatman]

medical professionals listen to fat people!

It’s f*cked up how it’s the norm for medical workers to tell us fat people that we need to modify our bodies, to the point of coercion. 

This is my body. This isn’t a wrong type of body that you should try to convince me to change. This is the flesh I’ve been throughout my whole life; this fat is me:

I’m not a thin person in a fat suit. All medical workers need to get out of their asses and realize that fat people own fat bodies, not bodies that are ”thin-to-be”. I deserve the same care without mentions of how it would be the correct thing to modify my body, because this body has always been with me and always will. I grew in a fat body and this fat body is mine. 

Where I live, it’s recommended for doctors to gently try to talk to fat patients about weight loss. And as a fat person I don’t give a sh*t how gently you try to convince me, your main goal is still to change the way I am. You’re biased and your care reflects that. 

So stop f*cking trying to coerce us by fear-mongering. Read the many research papers that contradict current ideas of fatness in relation to health, and most importantly: listen to us fat people. 

I’m fat, and you have been convinced to throw away your work ethics as a medical professional just because our world says it’s okay to coerce fat people into weight loss, and that as a medical professional you should encourage people to drastically change their bodies but ONLY if they’re fat. Listen to yourselves. 

Toodles. 

[textk4kira]

pcos as an intersex condition

I believe the reason why many people are resistant to the idea of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) as an intersex condition is because they would have to accept that many people who are AFAB (especially cis women) are in fact, intersex.

I was assigned female at birth and diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 19. It took me some time to come to understand my intersex condition, which includes elevated testosterone levels and irregular periods. I was prescribed birth control to manage my symptoms and received an ultrasound to check for cysts on my ovaries (it was during this ultrasound appointment that I first experienced an instance of medical malpractice.)

I'm also a nonbinary person who struggles with mental health issues.

Overall, I'm proud of being intersex And trans. I stand in solidarity with my trans and intersex friends and family 💗

[wither-is-suffering]

If one more fucking doctor looks at me and says starving is fine because I'm fat I'm going to kill someone

[lifewithchronicpain]

Apparently rest is actively harmful for healing from a concussion. You actually heal better with targeted therapy. But many doctors have not updated the advice they give and continue to just recommend rest.

[tropicalcontinental]

I got curious about what Chris was exactly prescribed at Desiderium Asylum and how like, bad the place was at doing its job. Legit take everything I typed with a pinch of salt, I am in no way a professional or even remotely knowledgeable enough when it comes to things like this.

So like it's clear that the "medical" treatment that Chris went through in Desiderium Asylum was extremely abusive. But I was curious as to what the medicine Chris was prescribed actually does. And like, the main two are Benzodiazepines and Aripiprazole Capsules. Hell, he got a stronger dose of Benzodiazepines before being prescribed Aripiprazole Capsules.

(These are his patient files by Dr. Rue in order)

And it's unknown if Chris had any counseling at the ward alongside prescription drugs, but it seems like Dr. Rue is knowledgeable enough of Chris (knowing he had "hallucinations", knowing his claims of not being alone at night, and straight up diagnosing him with Bipolar Disorder + PTSD) that I'm assuming Dr. Rue (whose full name is Dr. Runesworth, ain't that neat) was his psychiatrist.

So like, from what I gathered from a few quick searches, Benzodiazepines can be used to treat insomnia and anxiety on the long-term, and are used short-term for sedation. Aripiprazole Capsules are used to treat mania episodes in Bipolar Disorder (Type I) (It's kinda odd that the patient file didn't specify which type of BD Chris had, but also it fits for the sake of story, and also the asylum is like, already below the bar for standards.)

Considering Chris was feeling watched (or in this case smiled) at night, and was found wandering the halls before being put on Aripiprazole, the Benzodiazepines prescription seems to make sense (treating his restlessness and overall anxiety considering everything.) And the Aripiprazole seems to make sense too, or at least I think so? They're an anti-psychotic, but that seems to be mainly for some symptoms of schizophrenia, while it's prescribed to treat the manic episodes of BD (though manic episodes can include psychosis, which can include hallucinations, so maybe that's what they're trying to treat? Idk man. The emphasis on auditory hallucinations instead of like, idk, Chris being in a manic episode is weird. But also, it's Desiderium. Two other people appear to have killed themselves in this place.)

But then it's like, bro, the side-effects. Like, the time frame as to how long Chris was at this asylum is unknown, but it seems like being on Benzodiazepines will lead to a tolerance and major side effects, especially if it's long term. And well, on the patient files, Chris has been prescribed an even larger dose of Benzodiazepines after already have taken them.

And being the mild sedations that they are, the side-effects include fatigue and drowsiness. And then the other side effects include trouble coordinating, confusion, and impaired thinking and memory loss. And this is off the basis that Desiderium isn't a good place to be if actual care is wanted. So like, it's already bad. And then the dosage gets increased. So I imagine these symptoms get worse.

Then there's the fact that the side-effects can also cause the opposite problem of what the prescription is trying to treat (I think they call these paradoxical symptoms.) This includes restlessness and being unable to sleep. Then there's the Aripiprazole Capsules. Like, in conjunction with Benzodiazepines, the side-effects caused by Benzodiazepines can worsen.

(It can also be extrapolated that his later prescription of Aripiprazole Capsules was around the time he was diagnosed with BD. Or maybe they just waited to prescribe it to him, idk man.)

And it's like, they give him more drugs?? Like in the patient file before the Fixing Room, it's stated that no medicine is having any effect on him. There's a gap there that we don't get to see.

So like, hey man! I think we know why he got worse! It's not only Smiler's fault! Bruh.

(Also sources:)

[phleb0tomist]

yep, i’m still ME-posting!

so another young woman with severe ME is being denied basic sensory accommodations in an NHS hospital. carla’s parents have been advocating tirelessly for her and even taking turns physically shielding her from the unnecessary light that is causing seizures, pain, and loss of consciousness. if carla’s symptoms were unexplained then maybe i would understand why the hospital keeps trying to expose her to lights, but she’s literally diagnosed with very severe ME, where the body cannot adjust to sensory input, so forgive me for finding it evil and pointless to do the thing that makes her illness worse. this is the norm for how hospitals treat people with ME and it’s inescapable if you want to receive any medical care at all like the feeding tube that carla needs

link to article and news video

[wakandama2]

JUST BECAUSE OZEMPIC CAN CAUSE WEIGHT LOSS DOES NOT MEAN IT IS A WEIGHT LOSS MEDICATION. PLS STOP USING IT IF YOU ARE NOT DIAGNOSED TYPE 2 DIABETIC 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

[medusa-fem]

Any rad fems have the magick secret for getting doctors to listen to you as a "mentally ill" young female? I have every symptom of a posterior tongue tie, I have chronic neck pain and multiple small lumps in my neck, and extreme constant fatigue. I just feel like this doctors appointment coming up will be like all the others. I feel shoved out the door when I want help. 3 doctors appointments with my old doctor and she wouldn't even do anything but theorize the bumps are a cyst or a muscle knot, and send me physical therapy videos. The tongue tie hasn't even been caught yet despite it potentially being the cause of constant jaw pain and some trouble speaking for long spells.

[fauvny]

Shoutout to the chronically ill!

You will find your way. Take the tube of your IVs and use them as a weapon against the very people who hurt you.

I’ve been sick since I was 14-15. Ignored by doctors and ultimately have gone through enough major surgeries, it’s affected my heart. But I keep going. I keep going not because I have to but because I choose to. I push back against the very people who have neglected and cursed me into this life just to show that no matter how much abuse I take from those with licenses to experiment on people, I stand strong. Punctured, stitched, poked, prodded.

[andiebomb]

Totally different than my regular posts but fuck u

(TW/ suicidal tendencies, chronic illness, vent)

No one understands type1 diabetes unless you actually have it, I was in the hospital (one time of many) for intentionally putting myself into DKA so that I could lose weight and then die (I’d look so hot in my casket) so the hospital called the crisis guy like how they normally would for an attempt,

but because it was a matter of me just giving up on having to CONSTANTLY monitor and be hyper vigilant of my body (WHICH REGULAR PEOPLE DONT HAVE TO DO) they were kinda clueless on how to effectively help me.

Normally when someone “gives up” it’s on their basic needs like eating, self care and shit like that but for me it was just stopping putting needles in myself, doing math to be able to eat and stabbing the tips of my fingers 20 times a day

I was exhausted, my life is basically being a 24 hour nurse for myself.

Plus I’m fat so having diabetes just means everyone blames my illness on myself, which isn’t how type 1 diabetes works! I didn’t do anything, I never drank soda, I rarely ate sugar but that’s how the general public thinks how people get diabetes! When actually my pancreas is just a little BITCH WHO CANT FIGHT BACK AT MY AMMUNE SYSTEM!

This crisis guy came into my hospital room and started giving a lecture on TYPE 2 DIABETES! I AM TYPE 1 THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT! And even his lecture on type 2 was bullshit!

His man looks me in my eyes and says “if you wanna be happy lose weight by eating healthy and exercising. Your never going to be normal so stop acting like you are.”

…I am also autistic so I’ve struggled with feeling like a foreign creature, unhuman my whole life.

This man just reinforced every. Single. Reason. Why I wanted to kill myself.

And honestly after he said that I started sobbing. He left the room without guilt and said I was free to discharge.

Hearing that I fully started to laugh my ass off at the absurdity of the situation, this man WHOS JOB IS TO STOP ME FROM KILLING MYSELF just signed my death certificate.

I didn’t end up killing myself purely because… FUCK THAT GUY IM GONNA BE FAT AND HATE MYSELF AND BE THE MOST NORMAL PERSON EVER! HE CAN GO EAT A DICK!

Anywayyyyy hideduo is so cute!

[healingjusticedigitalblogem]

Roots of Medical Industrial Complex

The concept of the Medical Industrial Complex (MIC), as discussed in Roots of the Medical Industrial Complex by Cara Page, reflects the interwoven systems of profit, colonization, and control in healthcare. This corporate-driven model places profit over care, perpetuating historical ideologies that dehumanize marginalized communities. As outlined by Patty Berne, the MIC's foundation lies in racist, ableist science, emphasizing control through bodies seen as expendable for the benefit of the wealthy elite.

One disturbing example is Dr. J. Marion Sims, considered the father of modern gynecology, who performed brutal experiments on enslaved Black women without anesthesia, believing they could endure more pain than white women. This horrific mistreatment laid the foundation for gynecology, embedding racial bias into the medical field from its very inception.

What I found particularly interesting was the historical connection between the MIC and population control, a concept that began with Thomas Malthus's theory of overpopulation. Malthus blamed the fertility of Indigenous and women of color for environmental degradation, which led to policies aimed at controlling the birth rates of these communities. The continued intersection of eugenics, as highlighted in the forced sterilization of people deemed "unfit," reflects a disturbing legacy that persists today.

This text reminded me of the ongoing fight for healthcare justice, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlighted the disparities in who had access to life-saving care, reinforcing how deeply rooted these systems of control still are.

For further reading on how eugenics shapes modern medicine, you can check out Harriet Washington's Medical Apartheid, a profound book on medical experimentation on Black Americans.

[tobeabatman]

Fat people, especially us fat women, can’t trust healthcare professionals. They always find a way to relate everything to our weight. So we learn early how to advocate for us in healthcare.

No matter whether it’s a dermatologist, a psychologist, an OB-GYN, a cardiologist: your diagnosis is fat. They won’t believe us on a regular doctor’s visit, nor do they believe us in the ER. I know of too many cases where patients died, not because of their disease, but because healthcare professionals wouldn’t treat their underlying condition before they lost weight.

This is present in shows like My 600-lb Life as well, where many participants die due to them not getting help (for their possible binge-eating disorders, mental health, or any actual medical help besides the promise of a surgery).

If some operating tables, machines, and tools aren’t suitable for very fat people, then that is a problem for the healthcare system to solve!!

There’s so much research on fat people, but none of them actually search for ways to help us: they’re focused on proving their biases true, so that they can possibly deny us healthcare in the future too.

[ashersbraincell]

So. I may have just realised that my funny haha childhood dentist story is actually a reason for why i get full blown panic attacks(i experience a good range of them, from air feeling heavy+generally freezing up all the way to shaky heavy breathing+shaking+dizziness, and the ones I get at the dentist are some of the most extreme) every time i have dental work done and that I might actually by traumatised

Until literally today, I thought it was just an unfortunate truth that they had to cut into my inner cheek to drain an abscess while I felt every bit of it. I was told, and my parents were told, that this was just inevitable with the way the puss would’ve made the local anaesthesia not work. Turns out, if the local anaesthetic is too neutralised by the puss, they’re supposed to put you under 😶

Dawg no wonder I was apparently screaming so loud, 8 yo me felt every bit of that cut. If you’re wondering, no, I don’t remember it. But subconsciously I think I do and that would explain the visceral reaction I get to having dental work done. In the end, I think it was medical negligence caused by the fact that it was an emergency procedure done away from home (the random inflammation and puss happened out of the blue while out on a trip to the seaside so I dont even think we were registered at the practice).

Now what they don’t tell you about medical gaslighting is that in the case of children, it often then extends to their parents, because the parents trust the doctors. All of a sudden, the old childhood wound of me crying in the car holding a cold can of pop to the side of my face while my parents tell me that it “doesnt hurt that bad” and to essentially stfu because they couldnt focus on driving, feels a whole lot more validated.

Ofc, I still hold my parents accountable to one part of it, that being their smart idea to keep telling me “if you cry it will hurt more”(tauntingly as it went on, btw) in hopes of getting me to shut up, whereas it actually sent me into a spiral of being scared that it will hurt more and therefore crying more out of fear and being scared that the crying would make it hurt more and so on and so on. All to the oh so disappointed tired sighs of my parents, completely unempathetic in my 8 year old eyes.

Update: I was just telling my mom about this randomly and guess fucking what. Started to gaslight me with her usual “oh silly you you’re rambling nonsense go to sleep already”. Hasn’t changed one bit, ironically enough. Like, genuinely, you’d think she has atleast enough self-awareness to realise how ridiculously ironic she’s being saying that sort of stuff after telling her about literally being medically gaslighted. Shits mad

[theskee]

i had an alarmingly unpleasant doctor's visit yesterday. and i need to rant about it. but first... a little backstory here:

so a couple years ago my PCP retired. she was amazing and I loved her and I wished her all the best. she was the best PCP i'd ever had and the first one to ever listen to me, take my chronic pain seriously. in our first appointments together she asked a lot of general questions and i flippantly said "well i have a lot of joint pain but i used to be an athlete and my old GP told me it was probably just wear and tear" and she looked at me, a 28 year old, and said "No that's weird you shouldn't have that much pain in all those joints at your age. i want to run some tests." lo and behold, i have an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation that's been running rampant for years. something that was ignored by all my prior doctors as me needing to lose weight or maybe it's fibro, here's some anti-depressants, but no one ever ran tests. because i was young, fat, and "female".

this doctor changed my life. the damage of prior doctors was already done. I have crooked pinkies, no cushion left between the joints in my fingers, i have lost bone mass in my wrists from the inflammation, but now, i have it under control. my RA diagnosis changed my life. and it broke my heart to see this doctor who actually listened to me and care about me retire.

and so came the horrible task of trying to find a new PCP. my neurologist recommended me to someone. now. my neurologist is great. she's a very no-nonsense woman with terrible bedside manner but god is she good at her job and she cares. it's so clear that she cares so i don't mind that she's not the most congenial of doctors. because if i say "so i have this thing going on" she immediately jumps on it and tries to find out why. she's insanely efficient, too. i trust her.

so when she said "This doctor is extremely talented and knowledgeable. You might try and see her." i went for it.

and... i had a not that great first experience with her. i went to, we'll call her Dr. V, for my first appointment and annual physical where my bloodwork was excellent, i'm in great health overall despite my chronic illness. but i am overweight. and despite my cholesterol and blood sugar and all that good stuff being excellent, she probed me about my diet and my weight and my exercise habits and I was like??? "Honestly I put on this weight pretty rapidly and I'm not really sure why as I do eat a balanced diet, I tend to be a light eater in general, I'm relatively active. I didn't change anything major but I shot up a little over 20 pounds in the past three months."

To which she looked at me like i was lying to her. like. full on side-eye. but we didn't linger on the topic. she didn't have *anything* to say about this, and launched into trying to get me to let her give me a pap smear that I was not emotionally prepared for because I've never had a PCP try and offer gyno services and also, if anything ever so much as briefly touches my cervix and I'm in pain. It's always been a problem. And she was visibly irritated that I told her 'No'. So all of this was a bit wild to me because i have an autoimmune disease already like. should the unexplained weight gain not cause a little bit of concern? (I wound up talking to my Rheumatologist about this, who is like the mother I never had and took it extremely seriously and helped me out since Dr. V sort of no-sold me on this.)

Should the sensitivity of my cervix not make you raise an eyebrow??? But. It wasn't all bad. This was our first appointment and sometimes doctors come across weird or just have bad bedside manner. So the good-- Now, full disclosure, I had a cancer scare last year. A sort of delayed one, as we found the mass in my chest that could possibly be cancerous in 2018 while I was pregnant and unable to do much about it. I put it off because it scared me until last year and Dr. V, I brought this up to her, and she was *excellent* about this. She was very calm and able to help me get everything handled, scheduled all my tests and gave me feedback within hours of all my testing so as to not leave me wondering and sitting in my anxiety. So I was like... Okay. Maybe I just... Misread that weird thing about my weight. I'll give her another chance. So yesterday I had my annual physical with her. A lot has changed in the past year. I had an hysterectomy on October 22nd, where everything except my ovaries was removed. No tubes, no uterus, no more painful cervix. I started a new migraine medication (one I've mentioned on here before) that has been great but gives me weird appetite side effects (as in a don't have one and when I eat I get full basically immediately.) These are the major things that have changed. Now, mind you, I'm walking into this appointment after getting misgendered by the nurse even though my gender and pronouns are in my fucking chart and I don't get misgendered at my specialist's offices-- So I'm already annoyed. Dr. V sits down and looks at my chart and makes what I can only describe as a Stink Face and asks me, incredulously: "Did you just have a hysterectomy?" To which I said, in a very forced, chipper tone: "Yes!" And her response is not to ask after my health, but to very sharply, with so much judgment, ask me: "Why?"

Insert Red Flag Emoji Here. I was very taken aback by this and then explained to her all my various reasons which are all valid but honestly my answer could have been "because I fucking felt like it" like what the fuck do you mean *why*? It's my fucking body, doc. We go through the motions of some of the exam and she asks me how my migraine meds are working out and I say to her: "They're great. Life-changing. I have maybe one or two migraines a month at most now. The only real drawback is it gives me this side effect that makes it really really hard to eat and make sure I get proper nutrition and calories in so I can function. I'm never really hungry and when I do eat I get full immediately. So it's been hard." AND HER RESPONSE.... "Well don't you want to lose weight?" I cannot believe I had to look this woman, a medical professional, in the eye and say: "Sure but not by starving myself." Which she fucking ignored and went on to tell me how I'd needed to lose weight and I shouldn't be concerned because I'm losing it at a steady rate, if I've lost a little under 20lbs since I started these meds in July. The fact that I have had to *fight* the side effects to *MAKE SURE I DON'T RAPIDLY LOSE WEIGHT WHICH IS NOT GOOD FOR YOUR BODY* did not seem to register to her even though I straight up told her this. I have never felt more disrespected. I cannot even begin to explain to you how mad this whole experience made me. I got in my car after the appointment and screamed. The fact that she's treated me this way knowing: - I was a high risk pregnancy on medications that i have to take for the rest of my life that you absolutely should not get pregnant on (also i should mention she seemed offended I want to see an actual Gynecologist and not her for my gyno needs... Girl. Fuck your ego and your paycheck.) - That I have struggled with eating disorders in the past and had previously asked her to be gentle about that subject (I'm not a total pushover) - That I am a chronic pain sufferer who has to work twice as hard to maintain what would be considered a "normal" level of activity - That I'm a former athlete that does actually know how to take care of my fucking body I used to see a goddamn dietician I was a fucking *boxer* with a *license*. We discussed this extensively in our first appointment. - That my bloodwork shows I'm in great health. (A fact which seems to fucking annoy her btw.) - That I do not struggle with any kind of symptoms that could even be remotely related to my weight such as pain or breathing issues or heart health issues. All I felt, was a woman judging me for being small fat and doing what I want with my own fucking body. So anyway, I'm never seeing this cunt ever again and I will be giving that feedback to my neurologist because she gives a fuck.

[looks-to-the-moon-cock]

I love being told years later that I could've had a treatment of sorts to help extend my life span significantly enough so I could have enough time to finish my games, get my degrees, get funding to have my cafe, and then take care of children of my own (adopted or not). /sarcasm

Now I'm expected to live a shorter life than my father and birth giver. It's all my birth giver and PCP's fault. My PCP "couldn't trust" me after I had to go to an ER to get my epilepsy diagnosed. She told my birth giver who was going with me and what I was doing despite being a fucking adult. But didn't tell me I'm fated to die earlier than anyone in my family has historically and medically had happen with disabilities and transitioning.

Fuck America. Fuck this entire country. Fuck the doctors and nurses that don't fucking listen or give a damn. Fuck every insurance company. Fuck the government. Fuck the abusers and grifyers and every actual criminal that is never held accountable. Fuck you.

[dream-in-seoul]

Medical rant, sharing because it might help someone feel better, because I know it helps me.

I had an appointment with a new GP yesterday. Amazing nurse, sweetest I have ever met. Same for the technician who took my blood. I was honestly getting excited. It seems great here!

But then I met the doctor. I insisted my mother goes in with me, because I have learnt my lesson about going in alone.

"Teenagers tend to lie when their parents are here" was what she told me. Cool I said, I am 28.

We sit down, she shakes her head. "I assume you are well. You are 28, why are you even here. You cannot have health issues."

We moved on to some paperwork, the routine stuff. She asked why I am there.

"Should I start with my oldest symptoms or newest. What is best for you?"

She gave me a stern look. "You're telling me you have more? Forget it." We did more paperwork, telling her about my family etc.

Eventually I pulled out results of my blood work. Stuff like glucose, minerals, hormones. "What do you expect me to look at here?"

"Am I not suppose to bring result here? "

She called the nurse "it appears this miss brought herself some blood work she didn't tell us about" I could see the nurse wince. I apologised to her that she had to run in to take care of it. (Usually we give results to doctors not nurses where I am from, but I guess this was different)

The nurse told me not to worry about it, that she was just glad not to get scolded.

We moved on. She told me "what do you expect me to do with this? I am not an endocrinologist."

"I know, but I need you to write me a recommendation so I can visit some."

"You don't need it. You just need to lose weight. You clearly do not understand physics-"

I frowned "let me stop you right there. I can assure you I eat well. I get sick all the time and cannot eat junk food even if I wanted. I track my calories. I track what i burn too."

Of course, she didn't believe me. Called me a liar. My mother stood up for me. The doctor moved on.

In case you are wondering, I never mentioned I want to lose weight or that I am unhappy. I want help from an endo because of other health issues that seem to be hormone based.

She pat my stomach and noticed scars on my wrists. "Those are self harm scars?"

"I am sorry, that is none of your business," I said as politely as possible.

She completely flipped. Told me I am rude, unstable. That I treat her horrible and she will not work with me. That I am a liar who keeps things from her. That I clearly don't want to be well so there is no reason to help me.

I calmly got dressed, sat down and look her in the eyes: "But doctor. Why should I trust you when you don't believe a word I said."

She clenched her jaw. "Not sure where you got the impression i don't believe you" she turned back to her computer.

I was so proud of myself for standing up for myself. I told her to order more bloodwork and give me a recommendation for endo and ultrasound. To my surprise she has.

I am not sure I will keep her as my GP, probably not, but I am proud of myself. So proud of myself.