#not a medical professional

[thebibliosphere]

did you get hpv vaccines? theres /some/ evidence that it can be the trigger for pots in some (obv very few) people, i think it might have been for me so i have mixed feelings about it

I did not, but I want to get it done and will be doing so once I get my other more pressing vaccines out of the way because the benefit of preventing cervical cancer are worth it to me as someone with a family history of that cancer.

I’m going to say something that will likely get a lot of people’s backs up: but I do believe people when they say vaccines cause them to develop health issues like dysautonomia or MCAS.

How can I not when every time I get a vaccine it has to be done under strict observation with an epi pen at the ready?

But:

I also believe, based on my own research, talking to countless people with similar issues online and discussions with my own specialists, that those individuals were pre-disposed to such issues and if it hadn’t been the vaccine that got them, then it would have been something else that eventually caused the symptoms to develop.

There is an under-explored genetic factor to mast cell dysfunction and mast cells can play a role in autonomic failure conditions, like POTS, regardless of whether the person suffers the classic allergic reactions more commonly associated with mast cell dysfunction.

Sometimes, something triggers the immune system the wrong way and that’s the catalyst.

It could be a vaccine, or an otc medication safe enough to give to infants. Sometimes it’s a virus or a bacterial infection. Sometimes you’ll just be chugging along and your genetics decide to hit you with a steel chair. It’s unfortunately just your luck of the draw.

And I understand people get validly frustrated and angry when vaccines do this to them, because they’re doing the right thing to protect themselves. It’s just deeply unfortunate that they had this type of immune response that is poorly understood and unpredictable. My hope is that as mast cell research grows, solutions will be found to help prevent it or at least mediate it.

Personally, in the meantime, I’ll take the risk of the vaccine over what the virus might do to me, but that’s because I’ve seen what “mild” viruses can do to people when their immune system is already primed to self-destruct.

I’ve got friends who caught common colds and haven’t left their beds in years because it caused them to develop ME/CFS so severe they never bounced back. It’s wild all the ways the human body can break without killing us.

If the vaccine was the cause of your POTS, I’m sorry that happened to you. It’s shit when it happens. Hopefully it’s some small solace knowing you’re better protected from HPV and the complications that can arise from it, though I wouldn’t blame you if you’re not there yet. Grieving a chronic and lifelong condition like POTS is a shitty, difficult thing. I wish none of us had to go through it.

[ambiguouslyhelpful]

Not sure how to clean your crotch?

Treat it like your face!

You don't put soap inside your eyes, you only sometimes use water or facewash that goes on your eyelids SO you can wash all the skin 'down there' to get clean but don't go putting soap or other things into the holes in your body.

[dancingtotuyo]

em my boyfriend came in my ass but do i take plan b??? im not shitting a baby out 😰

Don’t worry- the baby will still come out of your vagina

[kiddokori]

hes got something going on

[ID: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint fanart. Kim Dokja shrugs casually and says, "Yeah I feel no connection to my name and barely recognize myself, honestly I feel like an intruder in my own body lol." Han Sooyoung stares at him with a thought bubble of the trans flag. Yoo Joonghyuk scowls at him and thinks "god he is just like me fr." Yoo Sangah looks worried and thinks of the Wikipedia page on dissociation. End ID]

thank youu @nebulations for the ID :]

[linkcharacter]

you should totttaaaalllyyyyyyy draw @omagpies 's rroleswap au... if yew waaanrtttr...

Sure, I like it

check it out here, it's a cool au!!

bonus with blasted Anya

[nightmaretour]

Okay now I've gotten myself angry again. Every time a medical professional is abusive/neglectful the overwhelming response is "Their job is so stressful and underpaid! They deal with so many rude and abusive patients, of course they're like that!!"

You know who else has stressful, underpaid jobs and deal with rude and abusive customers a lot? Retail workers. But if a retail worker started assaulting all of their customers you'd hear all about it, wouldn't you? The consequences would be enormous, and there would be an overwhelmingly negative response, even if it was exclusive to rude customers.

Now imagine this was the norm, and it was socially acceptable, encouraged even, in retail jobs to abuse and assault your customers whenever you feel like it, for any perceived sleight, just because they need to buy groceries and you have to serve them. It would be all over the news, it would be an international scandal with arrests all over the place, there would be exposés of the secret culture of abuse and assault in retail workplaces on every channel and news source with interviews with the victims. Everyone would know about it and everyone would care, because of course that's fucked up.

So why is it different when your victims are sick and rely on you to survive?

[melorasmushrooms]

I still can’t believe that three (3) different Lou Wilson characters have performed some type of surgery (Lord Aravis, Fabian, Gunnie) and none of them were Kingston Brown, an actual nurse

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 352

“Mother, I crave violence,” a small child interrupts the video call, practically clambering up into Nightingale’s chair. They look around five or so, with white hair and red eyes. Albino perhaps? 

“Ah, apologies, let me take care of this real quick,” Nightingale turns the microphone off when he gets a few acknowledging noises, picking the small child up and moving them from the room. 

“Cute kid,” Barry acknowledged from behind his coworker’s head, having been helping move things. Actually, the kid looked kind of familiar, though from where, who knew. Hard to remember everything with how fast his thoughts usually went. “I didn’t know Nightingale was a father…” 

Then again the specialist was notoriously private, and set most meetings online thanks to some sort of medical conditions. So he supposed it would make it easier to be a stay at home dad if he was there already…

[lenin-it-to-win-it]

Bones: God damn it, Spock!!! you and your GREEN BLOOD and POINTED EARS... and your SCULPTED CHEEKBONES and DEEP DARK EYES... and your LONG LEGS and that TIGHT LITTLE ASS and...and... *palpably sweating* hold on, I need a minute...

Kirk, patting him on the back: we've all been there, Bones.

[unbothered]

Zero out of zero doctors recommend these frog earrings. That's 100% of the doctors we asked.

[uncanny-tranny]

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is planning on changing their regulations for telehealth prescriptions of controlled substances. However, they have opened comments up for people to voice their opinions. You can submit a formal anonymous comment HERE. The comment period ends on March 31st, 2023.

This is an important issue for those who are prescribed controlled substances (e.g., testosterone or ADHD medication) through telehealth, which means it can and will impact trans people on testosterone and a ton of others if this goes through.

[psychiatricwarfare]

our autism isnt professionally diagnosed and it definitely wasnt self diagnosed either, but a secret third thing :)

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

I hate to break it to you guys but vets, doctors, and other medical professionals are not automatically scientists and in fact have to work hard to actually be scientists

They are extremely well trained mechanics for the world’s most complicated machines. Not the same as a scientist.

For example: I know of several young earth creationist doctors

For example: many doctors refuse to follow the evidence we have about obesity, but continue to use their outdated ideas on the topic

For example: my vet always learns something new from me about the science around parrot behavior when I come in with my birds for check ups, and she actually does try to keep up

For example: premed training doesn’t require a scientific major

Saying “a doctor said X” or “a vet said Y” is pretty much meaningless unless said medical professional also does scientific work, which is never guaranteed.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Just started thinking about labor and delivery nurse Steve Harrington having to fill in for his best friend Robin in the ER at the last minute on his off week

And who stumbles in (comes in on a stretcher) but rock star Eddie Munson who fell off the stage at his show just because he’s incredibly clumsy (this isn’t even the first time it’s happened). His leg is very obviously broken at the knee because he broke his fall with it and he’s struggling to focus on questions because of the pain.

One of his bandmates came with him, Jeff, who Eddie keeps referring to as his mom on the road. Jeff calls Eddie’s next of kin so they can focus on giving him a scan, pain meds, and setting his leg as soon as possible.

The pain meds kick in fast and he’s flirting with Steve nonstop.

And he’s good.

He hits all of Steve’s buttons: the obnoxious pet names that should be annoying but aren’t, the casual touches to his hands and arms as he gets him comfortable, the lines he’s using that are stupid but adorable.

He has no reason to stay after they take care of his major injury and the one spot on his arm that needed stitches. He didn’t hit his head and passes all the concussion protocol tests, his stats are normal, his pain is being managed with a prescription of Tylenol with codeine. He can go home.

But Eddie insists he should have Steve’s number in case he gets worse (he won’t) or has questions (google is available). Steve gives him his number.

He texts him almost immediately.

And keeps texting him for days.

Weeks.

Calls him every morning before Steve’s shifts. Every time his post-show adrenaline matches up with Steve’s lunch breaks. Every time their schedules sync up.

And then he shows up randomly to get his cast removed.

Steve reminds him he could’ve gone anywhere, especially because he was working his usual floor.

Eddie reminds him that he wanted an excuse to see him.

Steve manages to grab a 30 minute lunch break when all his fellow nurses and doctors find out his Eddie is visiting.

When Eddie leaves, it’s with a promise to be back when tour ends in less than a month, a promise to take Steve on a real date, and a promise to be the best damn boyfriend Steve’s ever had.

[fred-the-dinosaur]

Might be different because I'm in Germany but I think saline bags and all the equipment to do them should be prescription free and available online. A friend of the family did it for a while. Biggest issue is the expertise to do the infusion and know what needles and bits to buy, but if you're a nurse that's already solved.

Ketorolac and ondansetron are probably prescription only, they are here for sure. But in my experience the vials for i.m. are also labelled safe for i.v. So if you can get it prescribed i.m and the doses line up that might be an option. And it might easier to find someone who will prescribe it for im injections.

Last ditch option, but worth mentioning. It might need to be i.v. for speed of action, but if the i.v is mainly because of nausea, most meds for nausea and pain here come with a suppository option for if you cant keep anything down. I've had those prescribed even when they aren't allowed to give i.v meds.

Hope you can just find a prescriber, but if not maybe this might help you scrape through til then.

Hi! Do you have any advice on seeking IV medications (specifically things like saline, ketorolac, ondansetron) outside of the hospital system? Not sure what to look out for. I have severe POTS and these are normally the rescue treatments that I get in the ER but recently haven’t been able to make the 10 minute walk to the ER anymore in these situations and it’s scary. I’ve got experience with IV access so I’m not worried about that bit.

I have been referred to electrophysiology but it’s Canada so… this can and will take years to get resolved (already been three years since it got unmanageably bad).

Honestly my wife is in the same boat in the US. She has POTS and since I'm a nurse the IV administration itself would be easy, but we can't find anyone willing (or possibly allowed?) to prescribe IV medications like saline that we can administer at home. So if someone knows why this is, I'd love to hear about it.

Also I don't know what you've heard about the US, but wait lists for specialists are definitely not a Canada-only problem. Wait lists for POTS care in the US are 2-3 years long and we're still probably talking thousands of dollars out of pocket.