#sneezing and coughing etc

[kouhaiofcolor]

If you still wear a face mask in 2024 (in countries or regions where it is/was not a prevalence or norm before covid), what do you tell ppl when they ask you why you still do it? 😅 ngl I be having smartass remarks. Esp toward the ppl it irks unreasonably?

[reinemichele]

Once again here to say

Con to being awake: woke up in really very a lot of pain

Pros to being awake: I have . Cät? And she luvs and trusts me and is happy to snuggle & hold paws? 🥺💞

[psychiclounge]

ok last post on this i swear but did nobody else have it like drilled into them how gross double dipping was as a child. my parents told me that over and over and i swear to god i had teachers at school tell me that like seeing people treat it as a minor ignorable social faux pas is kinda killing me

[outragedslime]

Top surgery recovery observation

One thing I didn't hear anyone else talk about is the deal with coughing/sneezing.

If you are getting top surgery, I suggest to be very careful to avoid these. Dust your house well beforehand. Spring allergies? I recommend not doing it during spring. Take extra care while drinking or eating to not choke (I'm really bad at this one lol)

I might've inhaled near some dust? I'm not sure but I felt an urge and had my first sneeze post op today. It was very scary😭

[snipefr]

I'm sorry but I genuinely laughed out loud at this

[thesoundofsnowfallingfromeaves]

i am sick again, this time even worse than last time with a horrid fever and everything, what did i do to deserve this :(

[tulsa24]

welcome to the part of the year when my allergies make me want to d!e!!

[kvt1]

[shades4dogs]

i woke up today with a sore throat and i’ve been literally fine all day and suddenly at midnight 🕛 it’s like the gates of pestilence and disease surged open and now i’m in deaths realm

[postoctobrist]

Where should I be wearing masks? Frankly, putting them on feels insane and pointless now, and I’ve gotten pretty fucking close to believing that it IS, so I’ve tried to mitigate that by doing a bunch of weird rules lawyering around when and where I put it on

Oh man okay I’m going to get yelled at for this. So there’s this balance between minimising risk to yourself and others, and being able to live a live you enjoy and which doesn’t make you feel insane. The safest way to live is completely indoors away from everyone, but very few people like doing that unless they have to. We couldn’t stay locked down forever because it was an unsustainable change. Masks are very effective but people do not like wearing them or even seeing other people wearing them, really. Shit, I mean we can barely get people to wash their hands and that’s one of the most effective and least annoying public health interventions there is. So you can wear an N95 everywhere but I don’t think you’re going to succeed at normalising it, and people are going to stare at you etc.

Also, the risk side of the equation has changed (some people are very reluctant to acknowledge this!). Not for everyone, certainly, but covid is just endemic now, vaccinations have been very very effective, and we’re kind of back to playing the same dumb luck game we agree to play with every other transmissible illness. Is that great? Not really, but there’s only so much you can make people, including yourself, do. It also means that the consequences of transmission are, while still potentially very bad, materially not the same as the ‘freezer truck stacked full of dead bodies’ days of covid.

I think the most important situation to wear a mask in is if you know you’re ill or have just recently been ill. That does miss the bit where you’re most contagious, because you’re asymptomatic, but like I say, imperfect world. Anyway, if you have to go out and you’re coughing and sneezing all the time it’s worthwhile.

Also if you know you’re going to be in a situation where you know you’re going to be in close contact with more vulnerable people - hospital, care home - or it’s really crowded or has more recirculated air - subway, plane, etc.

And of course you should always wear one to a protest, to minimise covid transmission. Covid also hates it when you wear unremarkable clothing and cover any distinctive tattoos.

The main thing I want to get across is that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t wear a mask somewhere, whether you get sick or someone else gets sick or nobody does. One of the worst social phenomena to come out of the pandemic was this idea that blame is an effective public health tool. I simply don’t believe in morality at that scale and I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault that there happen to be weird microscopic copy machines floating around waiting to unthinkingly copy themselves all over the insides of someone’s lungs. It’s a good thing to wear a mask when you can, but it doesn’t make you a good person, or a bad one if you don’t.

You do have to keep washing your hands, though, I’m not giving up on that one.

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Sickfic + kidnapping whump

a whumpee that's sick before getting kidnapped

OR they come down with something during their captivity

either way we get ourselves a Carewhumper or Whumper-turned-Caretaker situation

imagine a whumpee with a cold who can't sneeze or cough through the gag and starts hyperventilating

or a whumpee with the flu or a stomach bug who's vomiting everywhere

just making whumper's job so much harder because on top of having a captive they now have to make sure the whumpee doesn't die or spread the illness to them or their henchmen before the ransom is paid/they're rescued/etc

feel free to add on!

[transmascissues]

some thoughts about top surgery recovery, as of 3 days post-op:

when they say using your chest muscles sucks afterward, i never realized exactly how much was going to be be limited. coughing, sneezing, hiccuping, laughing — all of it is terrifying right now. even talking for too long starts to put that kind of stress on my chest, and my voice isn’t as strong as it usually is. it takes me forever to fully empty my bladder when i’m on the toilet because i’m totally relying on gravity to do all the work (and shitting was effectively impossible without a stool softener even though i haven’t taken the pain meds they said i would need them for)…and don’t even get me started on figuring out how to wipe (hint: back to front while sitting, using my dominant hand to push my non-dominant hand far back enough). using the computer is also harder — i was planning on playing lots of baldur’s gate after, but for the first couple days i could only really go for a few minutes before using my arms that way got too tiring. having a mastectomy pillow has been an absolute godsend when i’m using my phone because i can prop my arms up on it and not really have to use any muscles at all to hold them up.

the biggest piece of not being able to use my chest muscles right now, which i’m writing separately because it’s been such a huge thing for me, is that i cannot sit up or back by myself at fucking all. like, if i sit on the couch and lean back a bit to sit against the cushion, it hurts to pull myself back up to fully straight — and if i’m leaning back any more than that, i just can’t do it at all and i’m stuck there unless my boyfriend puts their hands behind me and pushes my dead weight back up. i totally get why some people sleep in a recliner now because i’m completely at the mercy of having someone there to help move me around once i’m at any sort of angle. sitting back is mostly the same as far as what i can do, and arguably hurts worse to attempt at all, but my ability to do it seems to be coming back faster than my ability to sit up. if you’ve never had your mobility limited to that extent before, prepare yourself: the first time you’re stuck somewhere and the person who normally helps you doesn’t answer immediately can be really fucking scary (i learned that the hard way).

the anesthesiologist warned me that i might have a sore throat after surgery from being intubated, but i was not prepared for what “sore throat” ended up meaning for me. you know that feeling of swallowing something that’s too big and you can still feel it in your throat even after it’s down? it’s like that times 20, and further down in my throat. the worst pain i’ve felt in the last three days wasn’t from the surgery itself, it was from trying to swallow pancakes when my throat was at it’s worst. today is the first day it’s even started to fade, and even now, it hurts just to swallow my own spit. i don’t know about you, but that’s not what comes to mind when someone tells me “you might have a sore throat”.

on that note, the incisions themselves have really been the least painful part in general, probably because the nerves there aren’t reconnected yet. the vast majority of my pain and discomfort at this point has been from the drains and bandages — the drain sites getting sore or just randomly starting to sting, waking up feeling suffocated by the ace bandages, etc. it’s not because anything is wrong with them — the drains weren’t placed wrong and the bandages aren’t too tight, they’re just a huge pain in the ass to deal with 24/7. i can’t express how much i’m looking forward to getting the drains out and being able to take binder breaks because it’ll make things so much more comfortable.

my incisions are connected in the middle because my chest tissue was all really close together, and the part where the incisions connect is really the only part where i’ve felt any pain so far. i suspect it’s because the swelling on either side is making that part of the incision push together and press against itself, and then the binder pushes on it even more. it’s not a severe pain at all, but i do sometimes lift the center of the bandage off my chest for a second to give that spot a bit of a break.

i’ve already started getting some of the weird sensations associated with nerves reconnecting, and it definitely is wild. so far, it’s been mostly tingly feelings, sometimes like chills and sometimes more like a limb falling asleep. (weird observation: taking a shit makes my ribs tingle? i’ve got no good explanation for that one.) i’ve gotten a zap on one side and some buzzing feelings too. it’s pretty mild right now, probably because it’s so early on.

i’ve also gotten what i would describe as phantom boob feelings, especially on the first night. specifically, when i close my eyes, sometimes i’ll feel like someone is touching or jiggling the boobs i don’t have anymore. definitely not a super pleasant experience, but i think being out of it from the anesthesia still really helped me not be too upset by the worst of it. i’ve gotten a couple little phantom nipple touches too, but those were just split second blips of sensation that were far less bothersome in comparison.

i never realized that the classic post-op hunch is caused more by the binder than by the body itself, but we had to take all of my bandages off the night after my surgery to send pictures of something to my surgeon, and i was shocked by how much straighter i could sit with everything off. i was definitely still hunched, but it was more like a natural slouch and less like i looked like i was using an invisible walker. with the binder on, it’s super uncomfortable for me to try to stand straight at all because it feels like the ace bandage doesn’t come with my body and just drags everything down, and i’m always holding my mastectomy pillow or my hands to my chest while i walk around to stop it from feeling like gravity is going make the bandage tear my chest open.

every so often, when things are getting especially painful or uncomfortable or just generally difficult, i do start to wonder if i made the right choice. not because i regret getting rid of those things — not by a long shot — but because it’s a fucking hard process to go through. this is probably the hardest thing for me to admit, but the rational part of my mind knows it’s natural to feel that way once in a while. all of this is temporary and the relief from dysphoria will be permanent, but right now? this is my entire world and it doesn’t feel particularly temporary and i do have moments of “why do i have to go through all this when other people get to just have the right body from the start? why couldn’t i just live with what i had? why can’t i just be living my normal life right now?” no matter how sure you are of your choice, no matter how proud you are of being trans, this shit is hard and it’s okay to feel that.

i’m going to put the pictures of my chest one day post-op under the cut, because i think it’s pretty rare to see pictures from that soon after the surgery. they’re not gorey at all — the actual incisions are totally covered by steri strips and everything around them is clean — but still, if you don’t want to see relatively fresh surgery results, don’t look under the cut.

for all the discomfort and pain and limitations and other weirdness of recovery, every time i look at these pictures it reminds me of exactly why i’m doing all of this, and i’m so glad i kept fighting for this for so long. some people might never understand why someone would choose to go through this whole process, but i know it’ll be worth it in the end.

here’s my chest one day post-op! i think it looks super good and my surgeon said it looks like it’s healing perfectly (as much as it can be healing at one day). for reference, my chest was a DDD/F before surgery. i know this isn’t how my chest will look in the end, but i’m already thrilled with how things are turning out! i’ve truly never been more confident in my choice of surgeon — like, come on! look at that! she did so good!

[incognitopolls]

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[robilover]

could you please write robin x sick reader by any chance?? love ur work btw u write robin so well🥹

Robin taking care of a sick fem!reader Headcanons !

pairing(s): robin x fem!reader

cw: purely sfw, concerned robirb, babying, men and homophobes dni.

a/n: I’m glad you love my work, anon! I’m so sorry, this took longer than I expected. I just had no motivation to write at all. anyway, I hope this is enough! <3

the moment robin finds out that you’re sick, her attention is all on you.

she doesn’t care if she’s late for rehearsals. she doesn’t answer any of her manager’s or staff’s calls; her phone is on do not disturb, silent mode— or even powered off. she doesn’t give a damn about anything work-related if her darling girl is not feeling well.

she knew you got a fever while you were sleeping in her arms, your body quite warm. she’d frown and would immediately tell you to wake up so she’d check your temperature properly. she didn’t check the time, but it was definitely around 3 in the morning when she found out.

robin is extremely attentive to you. you sniffled or sneezed? she grabs a box of tissue for you. you coughed? she asks if you’re okay and pats your back gently. you feel cold? she wraps a cozy blanket around your shivering body and pulls you onto her lap, also wrapping her arms and wings around you. you have a headache? she kisses your forehead and whispers sweet nothings into your ear. your body aches? she massages your arms, hands, or anywhere that aches. you feel like vomiting? she quickly grabs something for you to puke on.

she doesn’t want you to exert any effort as she does everything for you. she wants you to rest, to be comfortable. she feeds you, sings for you ever so gently, lets you watch TV and will watch whatever you watch, etc etc. she also knows when you need to take your medicine!

if your sickness gets worse, she suggests you go to the hospital. of course, she will never leave you there. despite her schedules, she remains by your side. again, she doesn’t care, as long as it’s you.

when you do get better, she still stays with you for one more day to monitor you. she makes sure that you’re back to your best condition until she gets back to her work. <3

“but I’m feeling better, songbird..” you muttered weakly, your voice hoarse due to your sore throat and colds. robin shook her head and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear before planting a gentle kiss your forehead.

“baby, you aren’t. your temperature is higher than before now. if we don’t get you checked in the hospital soon, your condition may worsen,” she paused to caress your cheek using her thumb. “I promise not to leave you while you’re in the hospital. you need to get checked, honey.” she whispered softly. her hand on your thigh gave it a gentle squeeze as her thumb caressed your skin.

you sighed softly and pouted a little. robin was right, you needed to get checked. your fever was just getting worse.

“okay, fine. I’ll go get checked.” you reluctantly agreed as it made the halovian woman smile softly. she pressed a little kiss on your temple, your cheek, then your nape.

“that’s my good girl,” robin praised. “come on, let’s get you dressed. I’ll drive you to the hospital. just tell me if you feel something, alright? I’ll be sure to tend to it as soon as possible.” she reassured you as she effortlessly lifted you in her arms, carrying you bridal style.

“you’ll get better soon, baby. I promise. I love you so much.”

[whorbidmore]

okay, so, I've fallen victim to the leon kennedy brainrot steadily overtaking me, following me from Tumblr to Pinterest, to Instagram and even the absolutely fucking dreaded application of TikTok. I don't even use it that often??? and the algorithm is just like 'wow, yeah, this little fuckers gay as hell send in the 40 year old meow meow!!' and having watched Death Island fairly recently, I'm gonna have my opinions on what this dude would be like. Cus my brain loves to rationalize shit and think ab 'what if this mf was someone real?' so... fuck it.

Leon Soft Kennedy Headcanons

SFW

accidentally bigoted. - im sorry but let's be so fucking real here. he's a 40 something year old man who spent the majority of his life in either the military, a police training academy in the 90's, or otherwise working under the U.S Federal System with minimal/no time between missions to unpack absolutely everything he's got going on... the guys gonna have some problematic tendencies. Obviously that doesn't mean he means any of that or is incapable of change, etc. etc., but I know for damn certain this dude would laugh a little at Bill Burr's borderline to blatantly misogynistic material and has probably chuckled unironically at the attack helicopter jokes. But, he's not a complete dick, and would definitely become more critical of those kinds of jokes if it's pointed out to him.

honest to God, Dad Without Kids™ - it's not simply enough for me to leave it at 'but it's the vibes!!' so, I'm gonna break this shit down. Leon is absolutely Gen X incarnate. I can fucking guarantee you that on his off days he accidentally ends up dressing as an undercover cop; I'm talking cargo shorts, light blue button up, those fucking standard issue boots cus "they're perfectly good shoes" and those stupid ass sunglasses... you know the ones I'm talking about. Let's say you're living with him, right? And you're... you, and you wanna watch something on TV. This dude would strain himself getting up like a turtle fallen backwards on its shell, stand up, walk right in front of the TV screen and stand there with his hands on his hips. It doesn't matter that he had to piss, he needs to get a better look of what's happening! Does those really loud, obnoxious coughs and sneezes, absolutely blows his back out doing one at least five times a year.

Only watches British Reality TV - Considering he's canonically a film buff, I'll say that this is purely for whatever he gravitates towards on general streaming services. I honestly don't see him being the type to regularly tune in to standard American cable TV, or only does so under specific circumstances like American Ninja Warrior or maybe Forged in Fire if there's absolutely nothing else. It's not something that's exclusive to Americans, — I'm from New Zealand and I do this too, — but Leon absolutely falls into the category of watching British Reality and Game shows purely because of the accents. I'm talking Jeremy Kyle, The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, Taskmaster, The Great British Bake Off and so on and so forth. It doesn't matter that baking isn't his forté or a passion of his, if Josephine curdles her buttercream by over mixing, his hands are in his hair in utter disappointment. 100% tries to mimic their accents too. We all do it, don't lie.

Has... very dated music tastes - I don't know if you could guess, but the last paragraph included me calling myself out and name dropping some shows I watch anyway or grew up watching, and I'm just saying that this is gonna be no different. If anything? This'll be worse! Since I'm very passionate about the music I listen to and have the inability to keep my interests separated from the other, of course my love of particular bands will bleed over into my interpretation of Leon's character! Anyway, all that for me to say that Leon fucking LOVES 90's grunge musicians, specifically Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, as well as early nu metal bands like Korn (their dubstep phase did not happen.), TOOL, and Rage Against the Machine — and no, he unfortunately doesn't see the irony of him being a fed and listening to Rage, — but would also have a soft spot for psych rock, post-punk and shoegaze. My man's definitely laid awake at night, sobbing without expression as he struggles to accept that Ada never really wanted him like he wanted her while listening to fucking Slowdive. My hottest take here is that he doesn't really listen to Deftones. Like he'll occasionally blast My Own Summer, Change, Bored or Rosemary, but anything outside of those? He just didn't listen to 'em. My second hottest take is that he does NOT like Slipknot, which kind of pains me 'cus I do, but I fucking bet you this dude would actually adopt one piece of "Gen Z lingo" or whatever just call them cringe. Though admittedly he would've been jamming the fuck out to Psychosocial and The Devil in I when they came out. Went off the deep end in Vendetta, obviously, and drunk-cried himself to sleep on the couch listening to Linkin Park.

Very confusing spending habits - On one hand, we all understand that Leon came from money, — he was implied to have been born into a mob family from my understanding? And I doubt he'd ever really had to worry about being fully, irrevocably broke, — but I'm sure that growing up in the U.S Foster Care System made him at least a little more cautious of where his money comes from, where it's going, what he's spending it on, etc. So, on the one hand, he's apprehensive to spend recklessly, particularly on perishables. But also, if he can drop over $100,000USD on a motorcycle that got absolutely fucking cheese grated into the road, and spend a perceived, metric fuck ton of money on designer leather jackets and massive watches, it's gonna be hard for me to call him 'financially conscious'. On one hand, he gets apprehensive on spending more money than he needs to on food since he's "just gonna shit it out later", but if he sees a cool watch or a nice suit in a shop window? Money's suddenly not an issue! Not because he's materialistic, but because the one thing he really maintains a sense of control over in his life are his possessions and the way he dresses. The D.S.O can call him in for another months long mission whenever they please, and all he can realistically do is allow the government to tug on his leash and put him where he's needed. He may as well spend their money on things he wants!

Gets out... enough? But also, not really? - So, personally I've pegged Leon as more of an introverted person, — amateurly typed his MBTI as possibly ISFJ? — so he doesn't really feel the need to go out and meet new people or really hang out with anyone. If somebody invites him out? Sure, he'll go. Otherwise, it rarely occurs to him to meet up with friends or colleagues at a cafe or anywhere. I think he'd prefer to just go there alone, mostly for the sake of having somebody else cook for him as opposed to actively seeking out the atmosphere. It's pure convience in his mind. And remember when I said in the beginning about him accidentally being at least a little misogynistic? Yeah, that was me trying to say that he regularly tries to hit on younger waitresses. Not because he actually wants anything to do with them, but simply because it's an ego boost. He likes that he can make girls half his age blush or offer him their numbers, because it tells him that he's still desirable, and ultimately, that gives him the power to reject them politely and go about the rest of his day. If they don't reject him first, of course. Admittedly, Leon's audacity towards women peaked during Infinite Darkness.

Since I'm planning on posting more NSFW headcanons for this guy, — and more NSFW kinds of posts, — here is the obligatory Minors DNI attachment. For your own safety, I don't care if what I have to say is tame so far, you can hold it off I promise.

[hughiecampbelle]

Gen V Preference: Taking Care Of You When Sick:

A/N: Not requested, just a cute idea I had :) I thought about what Luke would do and I got a little obsessed lol! Feedback is always appreciated!!! 💜💜💜

Luke is attentive and careful and actually really good at determining when or if doctors should get involved. He can tell the difference between a regular cough and a Pneumonia cough. He goes out and gets everything you'd need (and then some). He's good at playing nurse and listens when you tell him it's nothing, just a cold. He's seen you through the flu, so he at least knows when you're being honest and when you're down playing it. He makes sure you don't move, handing you the remote to the TV and checking in on you between classes (or skipping them altogether despite your objections) and makes sure you take medicine every few hours on the dot. It's like the way he took care of Sam growing up, looking after him. It makes him feel wanted and helpful, even more super than when he's in the arena.

Jordan avoids you at all costs. Because they've never been sick, they treat it like the plague. It freaks them out that your body is hot but you're freezing, piling on the blankets. They know there's no way they could catch it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't gross them out. The coughing, the sneezing, the tissues. They don't want to be near any of it. They leave you in their dorm with everything you need, but that's as far as they'll go. They keep a respectable distance and remind you about their busy day (classes, study groups, extracurriculars, their internship, etc.) so they won't be around much. You know how they really feel and try not to take it personally. Jordan isn't cold, but they're not the most nurturing or warm. You didn't expect them to dote on you. You know they'll come back when you're better, more like yourself, and things between you will be fine.

Andre isn't exactly sure what to do or how to help. He knew that humans were way more fragile than Supes. There's the obvious: they're not indestructible, they don't have super strength or x-ray vision, they can't fly and they aren't able to control things. And there's the not so obvious: they catch and spread viruses and bugs, especially when they're kids, and it's just part of the human experience. He understands the basics of the immune system, but you end up having to explain that it's small, it'll pass in a few days, and all you need is rest. He makes sure you're comfortable and have everything you need, but then he kinda stands there a little clueless. You take your medicine and fall asleep on and off. You don't need him to look after you, you just appreciate his company.

Cate isn't the most thoughtful or caring. She knows what will happen, how you'll get worse before you get better, and she knows you can take care of yourself, so she really leaves it up to you. She might hang around and try to sound empathetic, but for the most part her day, her schedule, isn't thrown off because you're sick. She might even avoid you. She can't make you get better faster, it's the type of thing that needs to run its course. Because she has no control over the situation, she has little interest in it and you. She might feign worry or interest or whatever emotion is necessary for the situation, but for the most part she lets you be on your own, checking in between classes or activities. Once you're feeling better, that's when she returns to her affectionate self, that's when she goes back to controlling you.

Marie has seen human sickness before. Her mom and dad and sister each fell victim to flu season every couple years and she would get to play nurse, feeling like a hero because she took care of them. When you get sick she isn't fazed or worried, she knows it'll go away in a few days, maybe a little longer. There isn't a lot from her childhood she likes to remember or reminisce on, but looking after her sister and her parents is definitely one of the sweeter memories she has. She gets you everything you need and makes sure you're comfortable and, despite her best efforts, you shoo her away to class, telling her you'll sleep while she's away. She texts you during class checking-in. She might even open up a little and tell you about the time her mom was sick and she spent the whole day with her in bed, heating up soup and bringing in more tissues. She was so scared the first time it happened, but her mom talked her down and explained everything.

Emma makes fun of you. You're so sniffly and achy and snuggled up in her bed with every blanket you can find. You look and sound ridiculous. Once she realizes this bug isn't that serious and will be out of your system in a few days, she's not too worried. She offers you booze and weed, unsure of how to help, and you thank her, but turn her down politely. What you really need is an endless supply of tissues and bad TV. That she can do, pulling up the streaming services on her computer and grabbing every roll of toilet paper from the communal bathrooms. Because she can't get sick, she lies beside you and the two of you fall asleep together. She's not particularly nurturing, but she finds other ways to make you feel better that is far more fitting for her personality.

Sam freaks out. When he was locked away, getting sick meant certain death. He knows he shouldn't jump to that kind of conclusion, but he just gets so afraid. So many people he knew (or at least learned their faces) died because of a virus. You telling him that you caught one sends him into a panic. Realizing this, you immediately clarify it's just a cold, it's nothing. At first he avoids you, afraid of what will happen. Will your skin bubble up and fall off? Will your eyes melt? Will you lose all feeling from the chest down? Will any of this be permanent? You break it down for him: how long it'll last, the symptoms, the medications you'll take. That eases some of his anxieties and, after you get better, he feels silly for freaking out. The next time you get sick, especially if it's worse like the flu or pneumonia, you go through the cycle again.