#sickposting

[moonygrly]

[3liza]

cool interaction with the american healthcare system:

i have tachycardia. is it because of POTS or some other condition? no one knows. to get diagnosed for POTS OR to exclude it from diagnosis based on other information, the single most common dysautonomic condition in the world besides like, hayfever, i have gone through something like 10 general practitioners in as many years at my insurance-assigned clinic, who wont diagnose me because they dont have a tilt table on premises. a tilt table is a gigantic, extremely expensive piece of specialized equipment used to tilt patients. i know what youre thinking: "cant they just tilt the patient on a piece of plywood in the parking lot and take their pulse at the same time" and the answer is yes.

i know what else youre thinking: "arent there any other clinically-acceptable ways to diagnose POTS besides a tilt table?" the answer, surprisingly! is yes. NASA, in fact, to check and see if an astronaut got fucked up in space, they just have him lean against a wall for a bit and fiddle around with a heart monitor. this advanced space technology from the 1950s is unknown to American medical science based on the zero acknowledgement of any of the half-dozen times i have suggested it to general physicians

so naturally, instead, i was put on a year+ waiting list to see the only dysautonomia specialist in the city who has a tilt table. this one doctor also doesnt charge $600 cash per appointment (i already saw the $600 guy, he doesn't have a tilt table, but he gave me prescriptions without any diagnosis which means my insurance has been rejecting the prescriptions randomly for years). i still have tachycardia. sometimes i faint when i stand up, or when ive already been standing up. i drop cups and pencils and priceless faberge eggs in humorous ways with cartoon sounds effects because my grip strength randomly gives out. this is a problem because my last remaining option for employment is being an "artist", a type of petit bourgeoisie that owns a printer he can make zines with to sell on Etsy, which requiires a lot of typing and holding pencils and folding etc. they give me a propranolol prescription which helps with the tachycardia but makes my low blood pressure worse and eventually makes half my hair fall out, which is a problem because my other employment option is being visible on cmaera in various ways and also i like having hair. so i quit the propranolol. the tachycardia gets worse. Trump makes it gradually harder and then impossible to order the grey market antioxidant-antiischemic that has been helping with moving blood to the parts of my body that need it (apparently all of them) but isnt available in the usa by prescription or at all, but also isnt illegal to import. this is relevant because the NFL has destroyed anti-ischemic/hypoxic drug research in the country for decades because if people find out taking a 300lbs linebacker directly to the face dozens of times a week is bad for your brain, democracy will collapse. so i was sent to a cardiologist. the cardiologist also doesnt have a tilt table. im still on the dysautonomia clinic waiting list.

POTS is the single most common symptom of long covid. approximately 30% of people who get covid will get long covid for some period of time, or forever. so just on raw math we can expect slightly <30% of the american civilian population to currently, or at some point, have POTS. i find this interesting from a public health quantics perspective.

anyway the cardiologist tests my heart with a stick-on monitor for two weeks and also gives me prescriptions for ivabradine and midodrine, which are rejected by insurance. in the office he does a quick 12-lead ECG and finds right atrial enlargement, a type of heart defect that is common in people with shitty collagen because, duh, your heart gets all stretched out from overuse and being made of wet tissue paper.

the cardiologist doesnt tell me about the atrial enlargement because i guess its around the holidays so you know, understandable. probably busy with his family. the heart defect is usually caused by lifestyle factors i dont have (alcohol, cholesterol, etc), so there's nothing i can do about it. i find out about this heart defect from reading my own test result documents after wondering "hm i havent heard back about my test results i wonder if they found anything". as i do this and find the technician's notes about my shitty heart i think about someone's grandma who doesnt know how to use MyChart not being able to download and read and interpret a PDF and never finding out about her heart defect and then having a heart attack, which i assume happens daily.

i message the cardiologist and say, hello, i see you found a heart defect! great shot kid, dont get cocky. anyway do you think you can try prescribing the ivabradine again with the new diagnoses included so maybe insurance wont reject it. the nurse writes back and says i mean i guess we can try. whats their fax number (this is because insurance doesnt reject a medication to the doctor, they reject it by 1. not filling at the pharmacy and 2. not telling you about it except via paper mail you may or may not receive within several weeks). so the doctor does not have the fax number of insurance. ok. i find the rejection letter by some miracle and send the nurse the fax numbers for both "Grievances" and "Appeals" (two separate departments apparently), but note to her that the medication was rejected weeks ago and they wont honor appeals that occur more than 10 (ten) days after the claim is rejected. i, the patient with no medical billing or medical diagnostic qualifications, advise ****her **** (the cardiac nurse who is handling billing, with a college degree presumably) to skip the appeals fax and just 1. put the diagnoses of "palpitations" and "right atrial enlargement" on my medical file because i assume no one has bothered yet (i didnt say this part) and 2. submit a NEW prescription with the new diagnostics attached. the diagnostics that say "patient has heart condition and need drug to not faw down pls :[".

so she writes me back and says "Dr. Heartguy has decided to send a new prescription with the new diagnoses attached" thats great man im glad you thought of that. thats why youre the nurse and im the cringing pewling little ghoul that crawled into your office after spending 30 minutes (i counted) on hold in your phone tree on the way there because my $50 Uber ride (3 miles) was stuck in traffic. when i got to the front desk i said "Does your phone work?" and the receptionist, who was not busy, nor cradling 5 comically oversized 1960s analog phone receivers with tangled spiral wires while chainsmoking, gave me the ol' shit eyes and said "yes it does". "Oh good," i said politely, taking my phone away from my head and hitting End Call. "I was just on hold with you for half an hour on the way here so I'm glad your phone works." the Google Maps reviews for this clinic are 60%, and for the last ten years, complaints about the shitty receptionist and how the clinic simply does not pick up the phone. multiple reviewers state they had to reschedule heart surgery with another clinic specifically because they couldn't spend another day on hold. interesting! anyway i told the cardiologist about the phone thing and he said "yeah that's why i always see the patients even if the appointment is delayed". in the tones of helplessness usually reserved for someone being held captive by bandits

[averysmolkirbo]

if i could have like ONE day where i have more than 23% energy then that'd be greatttt

[iluvgargoyles]

the number of times I've seen people who have ME or people who have Long COVID with PEM post for the first time in some forum saying "hey I'm new here and my doctor recommended [some version of graded exercise therapy by another name or slightly watered down] and I'm actually getting worse--does anyone know what's up with that?" induces truly rageful thoughts in me

[confessions-of-a-poet]

Viltrumite Sick Day

Mark Grayson x Latina Reader!

TW: sfw and pure fluff :3

Synopsis: When your boyfriend gets sick, you volunteer to look after him, and what better way to cure him than with unbridled affection and passed-down home remedies?

(Featuring remedies my grandma and mom would make me while I was sick)

………………………………………………………………………………….

Mark has faced countless villains, his own father, Conquest, and even variants of himself!

But nothing could have prepared him for his biggest challenge yet.

The common cold.

With his mom and Oliver gone for who knows how long, Mark was left to fend for himself.

He was miserable, absolutely miserable! His nose was congested, his throat was scratchy, his head hurt, and he was freezing! Mark lay shivering on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by tissues.

He didn’t even know how he got sick, he thought Viltrumites were immune to getting sick! Well..full blooded Viltrumites anyways.

He cursed his human genes.

He just wanted his sinuses to be clear and cuddle with you and kiss you without worrying about contaminating you!

As he was wallowing in his misery, the front door opened and his gaze was immediately drawn to the person who came through.

Hearing that your poor boyfriend was sick, you made it your mission to take care of him.

Mark’s eyes lit up immediately.

“I heard someone was a sick.” You said concern seeping through your voice.

“Babe you have no idea…sniff…I feel like I’m dying.” He groaned, his head hitting the pillow.

“Well, now I'm here to take care of you.” You set your bag down on the table and walked over to where Mark was lying.

Gingerly, you placed the back of your hand on his forehead. Mark shivered at the contact, his burning skin warm against your flesh.

You winced, definitely a fever. "You just stay put, I'll get some cold towels."

You rummaged for some small cotton towels and drenched them in cold water before wringing them out.

You made your way back to Mark and removed the blanket from his chest, sliding his shirt up.

"Whoa there, babe...sniff...at least buy me dinner first." Mark joked before wincing as the cool towel made contact with his warm skin.

You looked at him apologetically. He really did look pale and weak. "Mark, have you even eaten at all?"

He shook his head, "(Name), I've been living on tea and honey-lemon cough drops."

"You know how about I make you caldo? It's a go-to sick food for me, and I think it'd benefit your immune system."

"Ugh...sniff...yes please, I'm so hungry." He looked at you gratefully.

You walked to the kitchen, grabbed a pot, and filled it with water. While it was boiling, you chopped up potatoes, zucchini, cabbage, garlic, onion, cilantro, and corn.

Adding it to the boiling water, you seasoned it with chicken bouillon, salt, and garlic powder. Separately, you cooked chicken until it was barely done and dropped it into the pot with the other vegetables.

The smell alone brought a lot of nostalgia and made you hungry.

Scooping it into a bowl, you walked back to where Mark was and sat next to him. You removed the towels from his chest and forehead noticing that his fever went down.

"I can't smell the best, but that soup smells and looks really good." His mouth watered.

"You're pretty weak, so I don't mind feeding you." You gently blew on the soup before holding the spoon to his lips.

Mark eagerly drank up the soup, groaning in pleasure. "(Name), that tastes so good." If he wasn't thinking about making you his wife, he definitely was now. "You're an angel...sniff…please marry me."

You smiled, glad that Mark was enjoying your cooking. "In the future, Mark, in the future."

He smiled giddily at the thought. However, his thoughts about you, were interrupted by a coughing fit. “Fuck, I hate being sick. My nose is runny and my throat hurts and I can barely breathe.”

You thought for a moment. “Actually I have something perfect for that.” You dug through your bag pulling out a small dark blue jar with a green lid.

Mark looked confused “What is that?”

“The cure to all human illnesses. Vicks VapoRub.” You held the jar like it was more precious than diamonds.

“And how exactly is that going to make me feel better?” He questioned.

“Just sit back and let me work.” You scooped out some of the medicinal jelly rubbing it over Mark’s chest and back.

“What the heck why is that actually working?”

“I told you it’s the cure to all human ailments.” You put some on a q-tip and smoothed it below his nostrils.

Mark took in a huge whiff, his sinuses clearing up a little. “I can finally breathe! That thing is a lifesaver.”

You put the jar away and cleaned your hands.

“Thank you for taking care of me (Name), I was dying without you.” He groaned.

You kissed his cheek softly, his skin warm but not feverish.

Mark missed your affection so much. He wanted more than just a kiss on the cheek, but it was probably for the best that he kept his distance.

“Any other remedies for this sore throat? And don’t tell me cough drops.” After this, he was staying away from all things honey-lemon flavored.

“Well there is a drink that really helps with that, but you’re not going to like it. It’s probably worse than cough drops.”

He looked at you to continue

“It’s a tea made from onion, garlic, ginger, lemon, and honey.” You described a tea that sounded like torture to drink.

Mark’s eyes widened “(Name), please don’t tell me you’re going to make me drink that! Please don’t! I’ll eat all my cough drops and soup! I’ll rest for as long as you want! Just don’t make me drink that!”

“I’m sorry Mark, but if you want to get better, Im making you that tea.” When it came to your poor boyfriend’s health, you’d make him drink straight up gasoline if it cured him.

Mark groaned, it was going to be a long day.

[bisexual-engineer-girl]

having great big clods of mucus in your throat ❌

coughing up great big clods of mucus and getting rid of them ✅

[squisheebugdoodles]

Went to the consultation today for the gallbladder surgery this morning and I'm so glad that they are pushing it through so fast now!! The surgery is scheduled for wednesday!! Wahee!! Got some sickass validation that what I've been going through is insane too because apparently they pretty much NEVER see a refraction rate/functioning rate as low as mine is or have people go through as much as I have before surgery. so. Y'know. validating as fuck!!

so this is great news!!! I will hopefully be back to normal within just a couple of weeks i'm so excited!!!

[beyond-andromeda]

Going on an entire week of being sick with a weird mystery thing and all I can think about is luke taking care of you when you’re not feeling well like damn bruh why can’t he be real I just know he’d make this bearable 🥲