(Image Description: white background with black lettering. Reads as follows:

“This is a quote from a hematologist who understands chronic pain better than most doctors and specialists: “Chronic pain patients hide it so well, you can’t go by how they look on the outside. They have to learn how to function with pain, you can’t just roll around on the floor all day screaming in agony. Medical personnel in hospitals don’t even realize this. A chronic pain patient can function with a pain level that would incapacitate any other person.”

End Description.)

That is correct. Most of the chronic pain sufferers I know have experienced "incapacitating" injuries and walked them off. I myself have ignored broken bones and not even realized I had sprains, dislocations, and torn ligaments

The tweet: https://twitter.com/Lionhearted_ben/status/1629919975203848192?t=HfF1j3BVqZMgZEIHgVnz3w&s=19

And in case Twitter is being a fool, here's the PDF itself: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PiO5JAc2_erXL9rEPU-Gj4DXQ3N0dTbe/view

Shout-out to a friend for showing me this!!

bonus:

After I had a doctor ruin my health, cost me years of my life, and nearly kill me by missing the diagnosis of a tumor which was compressing my spinal cord, I learned this script:

“I’m not here to talk about my weight; I’m here to talk about [problem]. I have a history of doctors focusing on my weight and ignoring problems like ‘a tumor in my spine,’ so I’m sure you’ll understand why I would prefer we did not ignore my stated complaint to focus on my weight instead.”

“I would like to focus on the complaint that brought me in today, which is [complaint], not my weight.”

“What tests or course of treatment would you recommend to a thin person presenting with my symptoms? Why are we not doing that? I would prefer to proceed with those tests and that course of treatment.”

“Please write in my chart that I asked you for these tests and course of treatment that you would give a thin patient with my symptoms, and you declined.”

“I’d like to request a copy of my visit notes from today,” [if the above don’t work and you don’t have MyChart, “what’s the correct email for my written request?”

It may be difficult to insist on a patient advocate to be in the room with you, but in many states you are legally entitled to one. I bring one of my partners bc I have medical-triggered PTSD. They know how to advocate for me or support me if a doctor tries to steamroll me..

If you are in a hospital situation and cannot get an official advocate in the room with you, ask for a chaplain. Chaplains are used to being in a room to comfort and help patients and in many circumstances, just having a witness in the room will change a doctor’s tune REALLY fast.

Medical fatphobia is a big problem, and it really heavily affects but is not restricted to people that doctors perceive to be women (whether or not those people are women). Don’t let yourself be bullied!

Excellent scripts and advice!

Having a witness present is a truly excellent tip. Recently, someone I love was subjected to weight-based abuse by a doctor whose “pet project” was “helping” people lose weight by harassing them for most of the visit and recommending dangerous practices like fasting and fad diet websites. At a follow-up visit there was a nurse present, and the appointment got *real* professional *real* fast.

This could save your life.

BOOST.

Absolutely vital information to have if you live where the waters freeze over.

I especially appreciate this guy's commitment to actually showing the steps himself. That cold-shock response is a bitch and willingly subjecting himself to it couldn't have been fun.

I don’t live anywhere near water like this, but I am still memorizing this knowledge because:

* I might use it in a story someday.

* Any knowledge that staves off the dying is good knowledge.

Some kids passed away today in my region from falling in icy water, so thought it was important to boost.

I might add that once you're on solid land please seek shelter and medical attention immediately, especially if you have preexisting conditions.

Shock like this fucks your whole body and internal functioning up, so if you have, for example, heart problems then this could exasperate those issues.

If this is unavailable to you at the time, then still get to warm shelter immediately and begin the process of slowly rewarming yourself like how they would with frostbite or hypothermia victims. Notify medical professionals once you are safe.

[Revised video description, with spacing added: A video of a person with long hair worn in a ponytail behind their head. They're standing on a frozen lake, looking for a spot with relatively thin ice.

They can be seen testing out different spots before letting the ice underneath their feet purposefully break, after which point, they sink into the cold water.

The person almost immediately starts breathing heavily, and their entire body is shivering from the cold. While remaining stuck in the hole in the ice, they then begin explaining to the camera, "Ok, so this is the cold shock response, which really can be mitigated, if you just relax and realise it's going to pass."

Between their words, they start performing breathing exercises, and their body can be seen visibly coming down from the initial shock. As the camera zooms in, they continue to explain:

"And after it passes, you'll be able to do the second part of your self rescue. So I spread my arms out, so that I didn't get fully emerged, and that gasp response didn't make me inhale water.

"So I've survived my cold shock response. Now to get out, instead of trying to pull myself straight up, I'm gonna start to kick my feet and raise them up behind me, and then kick."

After following the steps they've just explained aloud, the ice behind them starts to break, and the person can be seen slowly sliding forward onto the ice. They proceed to explain:

"Now I'm on flat ice. And I don't wanna stand up now. I'm gonna ease myself forward, until I feel like I'm on stronger ice, test it, and start to move towards shore."

At this point, they test the ice by striking at it firmly with their elbow, pushing themself up onto their forearms and knees, and pressing down with more of their weight. As the ice holds, they quickly proceed to crawl forward on their forearms and knees. /END]

NOTE: If you are not wearing gloves or any insulative gear to protect your hands, try not to touch the ice with your bare hands more than absolutely necessary.

As in the example, even when on your "hands and knees", so to speak, place your weight on your forearms(assuming you have sleeves covering your skin) to avoid losing more body heat via skin to ice contact.

Clothing material is critically important, and so is knowing what to do if you fall into more open water. If you're on or around ice or a body of water of any kind, it's always best to be prepared. Wear a life vest/life jacket whenever possible.

The above video is tantamount, but as tumblr chudobs added above, it's important to know what to do next!

I have actually added onto this post previously, with additional steps! I'd like to expand on some of the tips I added last time here:

Getting any wet cotton you may be wearing off of your skin is critical, as is securing shelter from the wind. Even a very simple lean-to or huddling behind a snowbank, shrubbery, etc is better than nothing.

If you can safely build a small fire** to bring your body temperature up, don't sit too close to it. Huddle in closer to it little by little. If you can use it to dry any of your inner wear or gloves, do so.

Do not build a fire inside of a building. Even if there is a fireplace and you can clearly see all the way up through the chimney, you still cannot be certain it is safe to ignite a flame in that enclosed space. Instead, close the flue* and check any windows and doors to ensure they're tightly shut.

*There should be a knob on or around the chimney that you can turn until the chimney is blocked. If you could previously see through it or feel a breeze coming down through the fireplace, you should be able to tell when it is closed.

**I'm sorry the resource for fire building isn't really transcribed. I'm not really sure how to walk someone through such a skill verbally, unfortunately. I will add to this post if I find a decent resource with simple step by step instructions that are entirely verbal/non-visual.

ONCE AGAIN FOR EMPHASIS: IF POSSIBLE, NEVER GO ON OR NEAR A LARGE BODY OF WATER, FROZEN OR OTHERWISE, ALONE.

Description by @bewitched-gremlin and @rimurutempest

Information under the post by @rimurutempest - thanks a lot for them!!

Public service announcement.

Blue/purple lips and fingernails is a symptom of low oxygen in lighter skin tones.

In darker skin tones you're looking for grey or white lips and fingernails. Other places where this may be not evidence is the tongue and gums.

Figured since everyone gets taught what low oxygen looks like on lighter skin. Everyone should know what it looks like on dark skin too.

-fae

When I was about 20, a slightly younger Black woman had a bicycle accident in front of me. Although she clearly had a bad head injury, she could get up, and in her confusion in distress kept insisting that she wanted to keep cycling to class. I wrapped her in a blanket and tried to keep her sitting down, and was on the line with 911 while trying to keep her calm and in one place, and she kept getting more upset and distressed as she overheard me saying things like how much she was bleeding. So I was trying to do this chipper act on the phone to 911 to stop this injured woman from panicking too much, in a wild teeth-gritted HELP US PLEASE HAHAHA way.

The 911 woman asked me if she was blue, and I looked at this young woman and what came out was “well, in normal life she is a person of color!! and now her mouth is grey, which I don’t think it normally is! Ahahaha!” And the dispatcher was like, tell me more about this, is it blue? And I’m going, “technically no! But it is not a great color! Help us now!” while the student was crying saying WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS ABOUT ME, and I was trying to explain that it did not look like the right color to me, while assuring the student that I wasn’t judging in the least but she actually looked quite unwell, etc.

To conclude the story, soon enough she went on the ambulance and they said it was very serious but all fixable, and some of the responders said I’d behaved correctly and done things Right, possibly because I was in a state of high tension myself at that point.

I later went and obsessively read about low oxygen in people of color, came up with a better script and endlessly tried to replay the conversation along a better script so that I’d be ready next time.

Unfortunately this formed a core memory. My mind frequently returns to it and the horrible assessment of this student turning more and more cold and grey, while a woman yammered in my ear about whether she was blue and how blue she was, and what I should have said instead, and what I should have done instead, and whether I could have optimised this 5 second exchange to get an ambulance faster. It’s the kind of thing where you’re dreaming, and you turn left and walk into it again, and even though you practiced the Good New Script you’re in a nightmare and can’t express it properly. Or you wake up at 3 am with someone’s mean comment ringing in your ears and you turn over AND THEN ANOTHER THING: you weren’t very fast or clever in that situation with that one 911 dispatcher, were you? It feels pretty bad to not be equipped to respond well, when someone is hurt.

I was just a bystander in a situation that resolved in half an hour, but not having this knowledge firmly in my pocket when I needed it has burned it into my head in an uncomfortable way. You, however, can read this post and remember it, if it’s helpful for you. and if it helps you, then you’ll do better than me, and the people around you will be safer. You can have it the comfortable way! I hope it rests comfortably in your head and does good there.

buzzfeed has a series where they order from the worst reviewed restaurants and apparently the hosts. for some mysterious reason, one I cannot possibly imagine, get food poisoning. there are a lot of people doing these "worst rated food" challenges and inevitably getting sick because worst rated restaurants often have dangerous food handling practices. in buzzfeed's case, they literally ordered from a place that had at least one review mentioning food poisoning, and showed that review on the screen.

food poisoning is not a single thing, and can involve countless different types of substances and bacteria, many of which can kill you or cause permanent damage. food poisoning is more than just having a painful stomach for a day or two. food poisoning is a very very very common trigger for lifelong chronic illness and disability. very recently a few vegan delivery services had food that was so badly contaminated that their customers got immediate, severe organ damage. many of them needed to have emergency surgery. people do genuinely die of food poisoning all the time, and even when they survive, they may never be the same afterwards. many of the conditions that happen as a result of food poisoning are NOT curable.

do not under any circumstances engage in the social media trend of ordering from "worst rated" food places. ESPECIALLY ones that have ANY mention of food poisoning. take food poisoning seriously. keep up to date with reports of food poisoning near you. do not take chances.

If you get food poisoning or if you even suspect you may have gotten food poisoning, don't just write a negative review. This won't force any change. Contact your state's Health Department. Tell them where you ate and the date and that you think you may have gotten food poisoning.

They will investigate. This will not harm legitimate restaurants that are properly following food safety procedures. An inspector will come out and will examine the practices in the restaurant, and if all is well, it'll be fine.

In most cases they don't find anything horrible, they issue some violations and the restaurant has a small amount of time to correct in, then they reinspect and the restaurant passes and all is well.

But if they find something serious and/or if the restaurant fails to correct the violations, the restaurant will be shut down.

The website above says it reports to health departments automatically, I haven't checked it but if it is legit that might be a good option too. Just posting a review on a place like Google or Yelp does not report in this way.

So I just heard about “Primed: The Back Pocket Guide for Trans Men and the Men Who Dig Them.” It’s the first sexual health resource written by and for gay, bi and queer trans men/ transmasculine people, put out by Rainbow Health Ontario, and it’s a very frank guide that answers basically any questions you might have about safer sex. They’ve released it for free download here.

Edit: here is the link to Brazen 2.0, a safer sex guide for trans women!

I'm saying this from a place of genuine care: if you are seeing ghosts or shadows or having nightmares... and sageing, eggshells, Crystal's, and psychics arent cutting it..

Please.. please... check for things like gas leaks, water damage, vermin. I'm not saying your house isnt haunted, I'm just saying that carbon monoxide poisoning looks a LOT like being haunted.

I know that, you know that, but when it looks like supernatural things you look to supernatural solutions and you might not be thinking clearly.

I'm having a conversation with a pagan mom right now who thinks that dark forces are after her, so she's tried all the things that she knows... which apparently is not checking the hvac system for leaks.

Shes mad at me because I suggested getting an inspection because shes lived in the house for 14 years and she's always seen things like this and it's just gotten worse since she took over the house. Shes seeing entities, things are moving on their own, doors open and close on their own, people are being touched and scratched. 'Mold and gas dont do that!'

Drafty house. Uneven floors. Pressure changes.

Toxic mold syndrome can mimic depression and anxiety, cause listlessness. Guess what extreme anxiety can do. It can mess with your head. It can mess with your memory.

If you have scratches on you and you dont know where they came from, see a doctor. See a doctor. I dont know why you wont see a doctor. They can tell you if it comes from an animal. They can tell you if you're suffering from a mold allergy. They can tell you if you're experiencing side effects of gas exposure.

I wholeheartedly believe in ghosts. Absolutley not debating that ghosts and spirits and whatever you think you're seeing. I am posting this in a pagan facebook group. I 100% believe in ghosts.

I also believe in carbon monoxide.

Please check for gas leaks in your home. Please check for mold. Please check for critters. Like girl I believe you but please check these things.

[ image one: a screenshot of a tumblr comment by user @ thesuperfeyneedsnoshoes. The comment reads “Check for it straight away. There’s no need to wait.”

image two: a screenshot of text that reads “The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are (bolded text) headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion (end bolded text). CO symptoms are often described as ‘flu-like’. If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you past out or kill you.”  / end id ]

The reason vaginal atrophy in HRT is rarely discussed isn't because some nefarious boogeyman wants to transgenderficate all your pretty lesbian crushes into chronic pelvic pain it's because people don't give a shit about transmasculine reproductive health and you hijacking the topic for your detransition propaganda will only make things worse as you discourage transmascs from researching the subject and learning that it's treatable

"You'll live with chronic pain for the rest of your life is it worth it" casual ableism aside you're saying that as if vaginal atrophy doesn't happen to half of all postmenopausal people, what makes you think you're immune

Because I am on a mission to make sure everyone knows this and every time vaginal atrophy comes up, I will bring it up: Vaginal atrophy is easily preventable and treatable. if YOU are on T and you're experiencing it, PLEASE let your gyno/HRT doc know. They can prescribe topical estrogen which will treat the issue without interfering with your HRT! I've looked into it a LITTLE and over the counter phyto-estrogen creams seem to have an effect but IDK if I'd 100% trust them. Sorry, this is just super fucking important to me and literally everyone on T needs to know about it because when I was doing the research NO ONE brought up how easily it was treated until I looked into vaginal atrophy itself and found out because of how it's treated in menopausal women. When I talked to the doctor at planned parenthood she echoed this, too. That if vaginal atrophy starts to develop, I should just let her know so she can prescribe me topical estrogen to help! the fact that we aren't fucking told this is PART of the problem. The fact that we're told it's inevitable and untreatable is part of the problem. You don't *have* to deal with that pain and discomfort.

!!!

Topical estrogen won't affect your T levels either, from what I know. It will just affect the vagina, so you don't have to worry that your transition will be impacted if you do get vaginal atrophy treated. If you are worried about topical estrogen affecting your transition talk to your doctor! There's no reason trans people should suffer out of fear and misinformation.

This is true! Be aware that whether you can get effective treatments over the counter will depend on the exact pharmacy laws in your area -- for example, in NZ it’s a prescription-only medicine (but prescriptions are subsidised so this isn’t too bad).

This matters because there’s a bunch of products out there that claim to treat vaginal atrophy, including lube and “vaginal moisturisers”, which don’t have the estrogen in them that makes it work properly. You’ll probably get some relief from the moisturising but it won’t be reversing the atrophy. These products are available over the counter and one is directly shilled by Buck Angel lmfao so it can be tempting to go for them rather than going through the hassle of getting a script, but please, if you can, get the prescription stuff that works the best ^_^

I really with LGBTQ sex education was more accessible.

Like I am trying to find out if I should look into take PREP at all, if it will be beneficial if it’s needed it it is going to affect my hrt being on Prep

I can’t find a straight (ha punny) answer at all

I’m strictly T4T at this point, and I don’t know if that means I need to be more mindful about things like Prep as a precaution or not

How do I even set up an STD check? I’ve never really needed one, I’ve not had a ton of casual sex, what do I do about birth control, what are my chances of getting pregnant?

And I really don’t wanna go to a cis straight doctor and ask all these questions. I am lucky living in the South I even have access to trans friendly healthcare but it’s also tiring having to explain things that someone who was trans and a healthcare provider would just get.

Why isn’t there more widely available sex Ed for LGBTQ folks especially trans/non-binary folks

I’m putting this down as a project I want to pursue once I have my master’s in social work

Hello! I'm a sex ed teacher who works for an lgbt org (and also happen to be t4t) so might be able to help with some of your questions!

I would recommend PREP if you're having any sort of sexual contact with someone who's HIV status you don't know, or someone you know to be HIV+ and not undetectable. (No pressure obviously! But it's a really cool thing to exist, and if you can get access to it it'll take a weight of your mind and also almost eliminates your chances of getting HIV).

HIV is only spread through blood (that's why it's most commonly talked about in relation to anal sex - because there's a higher chance of blood). But keep an eye out for rag nails or tears around your fingernails (that's enough blood!), and cut gums from brushing your teeth (you should preferably wait 3 hours after brushing your teeth to have oral sex, and wait until 3 hours after oral to brush your teeth again).

Being t4t also brings a few additional risk factors, unfortunately. It's common for folks on testosterone to have thinner vaginal walls and make less natural lubrication due to vaginal atrophy, which raises the chances of rips or tears during sex. Similarly, people who have had a vaginoplasty often won't lubricate to the same level someone with a pre-built-in vagina would. It's also common for people with penises who are on estrogen to have thinner genital skin, which can also tear easier.

PREP doesn't affect hormones at all, so no worries about it interacting badly with HRT. I have heard a few people have an upset tummy for the first day or two on it. I personally had no issues, but maybe best to stay near a toilet after your first dose to be safe!

When taking PREP you can take it every day, or just for 7 days before and after vaginal sex, and 3 days before and after anal sex, and (like with birth control pills) make sure you take it at the same time every day, and bear in mind that if you vomit or have diarrhoea afterwards it won't be as effective.

For getting tested, I would recommend checking if your local hospital has a GUM (genitourinary medicine) clinic, and what their policy for trans people is. Here our GUM clinics are gendered but trans people can use whichever is more comfortable for them. I generally prefer going to GUM than my GP, because then I know they're experts, and also they spend all day talking about sex so there's less embarrassment. I'd also recommend reaching out to any local LGBT orgs and seeing if they do testing or have GUM outreach clinics.

As for birth control there are a few options that won't interfere with HRT, but how available they are might differ from country to country. Unfortunately atm there's only condoms for amab penis havers. For afab folks there's a myth that t will make you infertile, but unfortunately there's been no reliable research into that. I've heard of people get pregnant while on t, and also of people who go off t to get pregnant intentionally and have a lot of trouble, so it's probably safest to have some back-up birth control just in case. Condoms, internal condoms, caps, diaphragms, and IUDs are all definitely compatible with testosterone. I've heard that some forms of hormonal birth control (particularly the ones that only contain progesterone but not estrogen) are compatible with some forms/ brands of t, but talk to your endocrinologist if you have one (or whoever monitors your bloods) before getting started to make sure.

If you really want to be as safe as possible from all STIs you could also have a think about using condoms and/or dental dams for oral sex and rimming, and gloves or finger cots for fingering. If you're giving oral sex to someone with a penis who isn't able to stay hard enough to wear a condom you can also use a dental dam for that, as long as it covers all of the skin you're touching with your mouth.

I hope some of that helps!! I also made a zine for a trans masc sex worker friend I'd be happy to send you/ anyone else, but some of the info in there might be UK specific.

I'm here today as your friendly neighbourhood biochemistry major to remind you that juice cleanses/detoxes ARE A HOAX! "Detoxing" by drinking smoothies and underconsuming necessary calories for your body function is not healthy. Your kidneys and your liver get rid of your body waste as a natural process. Do not trust brands and influencers that promote these "detox" cleanses. They are a hoax. They are creating a problem that does not exist.

Fruits and vegetables are healthy and if drinking smoothies is how you consume them, great! But, these diets are not "cleaning" your body of anything. Your body cleans itself more efficiently than any bullshit juice cleanse ever could.

Don't trust this propaganda. Consume the vital calories your body needs.

Also: carbohydrates and fats are not your enemies.

Unless you're on a very particular diet, your body needs carbohydrates. Carbs are your body's main source of energy, particularly in the short term. It's easier for your body to source energy from carbs than it is to source it from fat. It takes longer for that to happen. That's why you lose fat only upon heavier exercise- your body ran out of carbs to metabolise and now it's needing to source energy from your fatty tissues.

However, cutting out fats AND carbs from your diet is dangerous. Although it seems like fat is just what you have in parts of your body you're not particularly pleased with, fat plays a crucial role in the human body. Some vitamins like vitamin A, D, and E, are only soluble in fat. Fat helps you absorb these vitamins.

Fat plays an EXTREMELY crucial role in your nervous system. It's the reason why electrical impulses can propagate so quickly in the nervous system- your brain can't work without the fatty cells that surround your neurons.

Please do not starve your body of the essential nutrients it needs. If you are health conscious, consume carbs from healthier sources like bananas, oats, and potatoes. Similarly, get your fats from healthier sources like fish, nuts, olive oil, and avocados. But please, give your body the essential nutrients it needs to survive.

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

The answer to most period-related questions is “Well, it depends on the person”. Periods are not all the same. The length, pain level etc. varies from person to person and even for one person, it can vary from cycle to cycle! 

That can lead to confusion or worries, especially for young people. You may hear period stories from your friends that you can’t relate to at all  That’s why I want to give you a little “Is my period normal?” guide. 

Before we start, let’s look at the basics: What exactly is a period? 

We often think of periods as “bleeding down there”. But it’s not comparable to blood loss from an injury: You produce hormones that tell your uterus to build a comfortable house for a baby - or in more scientific terms, to build the lining of the uterus a fertilized egg can attach itself to. But when there’s no fertilized egg, your body needs to break that “house” down and get rid of it - that’s your period. The whole process of building and then tearing down takes around a month, and then it starts all over again. 

- Age 

Many people get their first period when they are between 10 years old and 16 years old. As a rule of thumb, we can say “around two years after your chest starts to change”, although that’s not always true for everyone. 

If you’re over 16 years old and never got a period, it’s good to talk to a doctor. Not because you’re necessarily “sick” in any way - the most common cause is simply “lifestyle factors”. For example, dancers (who train a lot) often get their period later! Less common are reasons like hormonal imbalances or side effects of a medication you take.

 - Length 

For many people, it’s around 5 days. But it can be shorter or longer. The important thing here is: What is usual for you? It can help to track your periods (by hand or with an app). This will make it easier to see your own personal patterns. It’s not unusual for the length to vary a bit from cycle to cycle. 

If it’s a few days longer just once, you don’t need to worry. I would only recommend talking to a doctor if they often last longer than a week. 

- Regularity 

Periods usually come once a month (21 - 35 days). As we said above, that’s how long the building and tearing down takes! It doesn’t need to be “exactly every XX days”, however - some people have shorter, some have longer cycles and it’s fully normal for it to be a “My cycle is XX days, +/- 5 days″ thing. So, if it’s 27 days one month and 31 the next, that’s not unusual. 

If you feel like your period is completely unpredictable, however, it’s a good idea to track your periods if you didn’t do so already. (Important to know for tracking purposes: Day 1 of your cycle is the first day of your period, not the last one as often assumed). If you notice you often skip a month (go 8 weeks without a period), talk to a doctor. 

Important: that only goes for people who have had their period for longer than two years. During the first two years, it’s okay to skip a few months. Nothing to worry about, your body is still learning! 

- Pain 

Cramps are not a sign of a health problem. Your uterus contracts to get rid of that lining. These contractions help to detach the lining and move it out of your body. For some people, warmth helps (a heating pad, warm water bottle, a hot bath etc.). Other people need to take painkillers. And some people feel cramps but don’t need any pain relief at all. All of that is normal. 

If you need pain relief or not has nothing to do with willpower: the cramps are triggered by a hormone-like thing called prostaglandins (which are involved in pain and inflammation processes). Some people naturally produce more, others produce less and therefore have more/less pain! As long as painkillers help, there’s no reason to worry. 

However, if painkillers don’t help (and especially if the pain is so intense that you throw up or faint), please talk to a doctor. It’s less common in young people but severe period pain can be caused by reproductive health issues like endometriosis or fibroids.  

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad

You know what is a terrible disease that people don’t talk about enough? Eczema. People think that its just itchy skin, but it’s not. It’s an autoimmune disease that has no cure and doctors don’t even know what actually causes it.

I’m dealing with a bad flare right now due to the heatwave in my area and all the smoke in the air from wild fires and my skin fucking hurts. Really fucking badly all over my whole body. It hurts to move. It itches so bad but when I give in and scratch, it hurts more. It hurts and it itches and all I can do is lay here and try to distract myself.

It makes it hard to sleep. I wake up from pain every time I switch positions.

It’s on my neck and I can’t turn my head without major discomfort.

It’s on my back and torso and I can’t turn my body without major discomfort.

It’s on my legs and it hurts to walk.

It’s on my arms and it hurts to reach for anything.

All I can put on my body is Vaseline because anything else used to moisturize makes it burn.

It feels like I’m on fire. My immune system is literally killing my skin.

And guess what? One tube of ointment, the only thing that gives me relief, costs $100. My insurance only pays for it every two weeks but a tube only lasts me five days.

Eczema isnt just a nuisance, it’s terrible disease that causes pain and scarring and sometimes even disfigurement. It deserves more attention and sufferers deserve more support. The medicines we need to stop our suffering are exorbitantly priced and we have no choice but to pay whatever amount they demand because we cannot function without it. And in the fight to lower medicine costs, we are forgotten because people think it’s a minor disease with minimal symptoms whos affects are only superficial in most people’s eyes.

Don’t forget about us in your disability activism.

I’m gonna have a lapse in my insurance soon due to moving to a new state and that means that the immunosuppressive injections I take to manage my eczema will start costing me an arm and a leg until I get new insurance. If I can’t afford my injections then I will be suffering in the way I described above again, so any help I can get with affording them would be greatly appreciated. There’s no GoodRx coupon for my injections, there’s no cheaper generic version of my injections, and I can only get them from a specialty pharmacy so I can’t just go get them at Walmart or Sam’s Club or whatever else for a lower price, hence why I have to resort to begging on the internet like this. So yeah, if anyone can help that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much in advance to everyone who donates and/or reblogs this post! 🌈✨🧚🏾💜

https://ko-fi.com/gemfemme

ok i hate when ppl r like "BiOlOgIcAl SeX mAtTeRs FoR hEaLtH rEaSoNs" like. in some cases, sure. but 1) the care a trans person needs is between them and their doctor, not you. and 2) trans people's bodies vary widely. its not "hes a man but his body is exactly like cis women, meaning he needs the same care as cis women" or "shes a woman but her body is exactly like cis men, meaning she needs the same care as cis men" that's just not how it works at all. also? cis bodies vary widely too? not all cis people need the same healthcare??

idk i just hate when ppl say that

I've got certain body parts that need to be checked that cis men don't have but I'm also on T, which given my family history, puts me at higher risk for having blood clots. So I have to pay more attention than most people to random pain in my limbs. Something that wouldn't happen if I was a cis woman with the exact same dna with a healthy endocrine system.

You'll also notice, though, that my family history plays a part in this. A cis man with a specific gene may need to be checked for breast cancer regularly before he's 50 while I have no family history of that so I'm not getting checked for it.

So your physical sex plays a part, yeah, but so does individual health, family history, hormone balance, etc. And your doctor will ask questions about that stuff or you will let them know about that stuff when you meet with them. So you(general) don't need to know my biological sex or care about it.

Loosen your binder for a few minutes and let yourself breathe a bit

How most people with invisible illnesses are treated by health care “professionals”

The Golden Girls didn’t fuck around

pls watch

honestly i really appreciated this scene when I first saw it bc it took me like two years to get a diagnosis for what’s wrong with me

Dorothy:  Dr. Budd?

Dr. Budd:  Yes?

Dorothy:  You probably don’t remember me, but you told me I wasn’t sick.  Do you remember?  You told me I was just getting old.

Dr. Budd:  I’m sorry, I really don’t–

Dorothy:  Remember.  Maybe you’re getting old.  That’s a little joke.  Well, I tell you, Dr. Budd, I really am sick.  I have chronic fatigue syndrome.  That is a real illness.  You can check with the Center for Disease Control.

Dr. Budd:  Huh.  Well, I’m sorry about that.

Dorothy:  Well, I’m glad!  At least I know I have something.

Dr. Budd:  I’m sure.  Well, nice seeing you.

Dorothy:  Not so fast.  There are some things I have to say.  There are a lot of things that I have to say.  Words can’t express what I have to say.  [tearing up]  What I went through, what you put me through—I can’t do this in a restaurant.

Dr. Budd:  Good!

Dorothy:  But I will!

Dr. Budd’s date:  Louis, who is this person?

Dr. Budd:  Look, Miss–

Dorothy:  Sit.  I sat for you long enough.  Dr. Budd, I came to you sick—sick and scared—and you dismissed me.  You didn’t have the answer, and instead of saying “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” you made me feel crazy, like I had made it all up.  You dismissed me!  You made me feel like a child, a fool, a neurotic who was wasting your precious time.  Is that your caring profession?  Is that healing?  No one deserves that kind of treatment, Dr. Budd, no one.  I suspect had I been a man, I might have been taken a bit more seriously, and not told to go to a hairdresser.

Dr. Budd:  Look, I am not going to sit here anymore–

Dr. Budd’s date:  Shut up, Louis.

Dorothy:  I don’t know where you doctors lose your humanity, but you lose it.  You know, if all of you, at the beginning of your careers, could get very sick and very scared for a while, you’d probably learn more from that than anything else.  You’d better start listening to your patients.  They need to be heard.  They need caring.  They need compassion.  They need attending to.  You know, someday, Dr. Budd, you’re gonna be on the other side of the table, and as angry as I am, and as angry as I always will be, I still wish you a better doctor than you were to me.

Reblogging for any of my mutuals who’ve ever dealt with Dr. Budd.

Please just stay home.