nerdgasrnz:

jedijenkins:

airagorncharda:

petralemaitre:

derryderrydown:

bomberqueen17:

bedbugsbiting:

My face is having uncontrollable spasms. Great. It hurts really, really, really bad.

I think part of why I have trouble explaining pain to the doctor is when they ask about the pain scale I always think “Well, if someone threw me down a flight of stairs right now or punched me a few times, it would definitely hurt a lot more” so I end up saying a low number. I was reading an article that said that “10” is the most commonly reported number and that is baffling to me. When I woke up from surgery with an 8" incision in my body and I could hardly even speak, I was in the most horrific pain of my life but I said “6” because I thought “Well, if you hit me in the stomach, it would be worse.”

I searched and searched for the post this graphic was from, and the OP deactivated, but I kept the graphic, because my BFF does the same thing, uses her imagination to come up with the worst pain she can imagine and pegs her “10″ there, and so is like, well, I’m conscious, so this must be a 5, and then the doctors don’t take her seriously. (And she then does things like driving herself to the hospital while in the process of giving birth. Probably should have called an ambulance for that one!)

So I found this and sent it to her. Because this is what they want to know: how badly is this pain affecting you? Not on a scale of “nothing” to “how I’d imagine it’d feel if bears were eating my still-living guts while I was on fire”. 

I hate reposting stuff, but I’ll never find that post again and OP is deactivated, so, here’s a repost. I can delete this later, i just wanted to get it to you and I can’t embed images in a chat or an ask. 

This is possibly why it took several weeks to diagnose my fractured spine.

Pain Scale transcription:

10 – I am in bed and I can’t move due to my pain. I need someone to take me to the emergency room because of my pain.

9 – My pain is all that I can think about. I can barely move or talk because of my pain.

8 – My pain is so severe that it is difficult to think of anything else. Talking and listening are difficult.

7 – I am in pain all the time. It keeps me from doing most activities.

6 – I think about my pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.

5 – I think about my pain most of the time. I cannot do some of the activities I need to do each day because of the pain.

4 – I am constantly aware of my pain but can continue most activities.

3 – My pain bothers me but I can ignore it most of the time.

2 – I have a low level of pain. I am aware of my pain only when I pay attention to it.

1 – My pain is hardly noticeable.

0 – I have no pain.

It’s also really important to get this kind of scale to people who have chronic pain, because chronic pain drastically lowers your perception of how “bad” any kind of pain actually is, and yet something like this pain scale is extremely user friendly. 

For example, if someone asked me how much pain I’m in at any given time, I’d say hardly any, and yet I’m apparently at a chronic 2.5, and it only goes up from there depending on the day. 

There’s also a similarly useful “Fatigue Scale”

I haven’t been below a 5 on this scale for 4 years 

Here’s the fatigue scale

meldaburke:

positivelyandrogyne:

mikstapes:

billnihilism:

disembodied-doll:

billnihilism:

We really have harmed a whole generation of trans and gnc children by failing to communicate how serious a decision binding actually is, how there’s no ACTUALLY safe way to bind, how it permeneantly damages the body, how it can make top surgery more difficult in the future. I don’t think we should be keeping trans kids from binding (we let kids do all sorts of things they’re really not old enough to understand the potential consequences of) but we owe them the ability to make informed decisions at LEAST

So this is definitely an important conversation to have, but can you point me at some reading about “permanent damage”? I might just be lucky, but I had zero lasting effects from binding. I’d like to at least read up on it so I can have this conversation and be more specific than “be careful.”

Of course! I can’t easily source right now but I am more than happy to provide further info when I am not at work and on mobile. Unfortunately, like a lot of trans healthcare, a lot of what we know about binding is anecdotal and word of mouth. BUT permeneant damage can include:

-Musculoskeletal damage. Binders are indiscriminate compression tools; they can’t flatten the chest without applying pressure every other anatomical structure underneath including the spine, ribs, lungs and heart. Many people who bind experience chronic back pain, shoulder pain, sharp stabbing chest pains, permeneantly decreased lung capacity, literal spine deformation, etc etc.

-A continuation of the above but the ribs are actually jointed bones. Their ability to flex is absolutely vital to their ability to withstand trauma and protect your vital organs. Imagine the damage that would be done to your elbow if your bent your arm to full flexion and then tightly bound it closed like that, for six, eight, twelve hours per day, every day, for weeks or months or years. And you don’t NEED a functioning arm to live!

-Tissue atrophy. Forcing chest tissue to lay in an unnatural way can and will change the way that tissue looks, even to risk of atrophy. Some people who bind and only moderately dislike the way their chest looks find that they HATE the way it looks after binding for a period of time. Tissue atrophy can also make top surgery more difficult in the future, and increase the risk of complications like nerve damage.

-Worsened dysphoria. Once someone starts binding and becomes accustomed to seeing themselves with a flat chest, it can be much more difficult to see yourself without one, and dysphoria that much more intolerable. You can imagine the psychological feedback loop of binding more in response.

The typical safety measures passed around about binding are harm REDUCTION measures and should not be advertised as making binding “safe.” Binding is not safe. It is a very serious health decision with long term consequences and should be treated as such. That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision, but it should not be considered the DEFAULT decision for chest dysphoria which is frankly how it’s currently treated.

gonna drop some links to read more:

Health impact of chest binding among transgender adults: a community-engaged, cross-sectional study

Inside the Landmark, Long Overdue Study on Chest Binding  

Binding FAQ

Health Consequences of Chest Binding

I will not tell you not to bind, as I do, but I just want everyone to have all of the information before they make the decision to do so.

This post was very informative, and I’d love to add something, if I may. 

Knowing about the health effects of binding can help others, too. It is vital information to people who suffer a medical condition called gynecomastia.

I don’t know if anyone on here has heard of it, but it causes men to develop breasts during puberty and can persist throughout adulthood. It can be psychologically damaging for some, a point of low self-esteem, especially when so many in our society choose to mock those who suffer it.

So, some men who suffer it may choose to bind (my husband included), and/or constantly wear compression shirts. My husband has terrible back problems and, after reading this post, I suspect that the constant binding may be the culprit.

Young men shouldn’t be shamed into silence, nor should the dangers of binding be glossed over when it comes to trans people. I have heard horror stories of people using duct tape to bind or binding so tight they have trouble breathing…Having proper health information will hopefully help everyone!

anerdyquestionmark:

abusiveparenting101:

friendly-neighborhood-patriarch:

hominishostilis:

friendly-neighborhood-patriarch:

hominishostilis:

fifiaintapunkname:

comrade-jiang:

kukachoosays:

himynameisrollin:

hipsandheartbreak:

spork-of-humanity:

dangerbabegang:

FOOD

• Find your nearest food bank or mission, for food
• grocery stores with free samples, bakeries + stores with day-old bread
• different fast food outlets have cheaper food and will generally let you hang out for a while.
• some dollar stores carry food like cans of beans or fruit

SHELTER

• Sleeping at beaches during the day is a good way to avoid suspicion and harassment
• sleep with your bag strapped to you, so someone can’t steal it
• Some churches offer short term residence
• Find your nearest homeless shelter
• Look for places that are open to the public
• A large dumpster near a wall can often be moved so that flipping up the lids creates an angled shelter to stay dry

HYGIENE

• A membership to the YMCA is usually only 10$, which has a shower, and sometimes laundry machines and lockers.
• Public libraries have bathrooms you can use
• Dollar stores carry low-end soaps and deodorant etc.
• Wet wipes are all purpose and a life saver
• Local beaches, go for a quick swim
• Some truck stops have showers you can pay for
• Staying clean is the best way to prevent disease, and potentially get a job to get back on your feet
• Pack 7 pairs of socks/undies, 2 outfits, and one hooded rain jacket

OTHER

• first aid kit
•  sunscreen
•  a travel alarm clock or watch
•  mylar emergency blanket
•  a backpack is a must
•  downgrade your cellphone to a pay as you go with top-up cards
•  sleeping bag
•  travel kit of toothbrush, hair brush/comb, mirror
•  swiss army knife
•  can opener

Reblog to literally save a life

if there is a Dollar Tree near you, they have entire food aisles

Planet Fitness also has $10 memberships. you can shower and they have free food days! pizza night 1st monday every month, bagel tuesday the 2nd tuesday every month.

Save a life reblog

i am so glad that i renblogged this however so long ago. i saw this post and shared it with others in mind, but now i am the one who really needs this. id like to think of this as good karma i guess

also a good list if anyone ever needs to run away from home for whatever reason.

Reblogging again because I’ve been living by a lot of these guidelines the last month. If you suddenly find yourself homeless, don’t give up. You have options.

Wet wipes especially are life savers – crotch rot isn’t pleasant.

Take care of your feet – if you can’t walk, you stand a very real chance of dying. That’s not an exaggeration, take care of your feet.

Keep them dry, and if you can manage it try to change your socks daily – I had three pairs I would wash – more or less – and hang to dry so that I always had a dry pair to replace the ones I had on if they got wet.

Even a cheap plastic water bottle is a water bottle, fill it from public fountains and stay hydrated. If you can carry two and have room, keep one in your bag.

Your bag is your life. Do not put it down. I used to sleep with it on my front, it helped a little in terms of staying warm.

Newspapers torn up and stuffed into your jacket can help you stay warm. Layers are your best defense, you don’t want to sweat because that will compromise your ability to stay warm and dry. If you get overheated you can peel off a layer and put it in your bag.

DONT overburden yourself. A heavy bag full of stuff might make you feel more prepared but it will also wear you out, trying to haul everything around. Pack smart, pack light.

Ziplock bags get thrown out all the time, grab them. You can pack anything you don’t want to get wet in them, and you can also suck the air out of them and seal them so they take up less space.

Learn to build shelter; this is a skill I personally think everyone should learn Just In Case, because dumpsters are great but they’re also dumpsters. You don’t want to sleep behind one unless you really, really have to.

Protein is great but if you can manage it, remember to eat FRUIT. Something with vitamin C at least; my teeth started getting loose in their sockets because I wasn’t getting enough vitamin C. Scurvy can kill you.

srsly about the Wet Wipes

I met somebody in Harvard Square. I didn’t wanna give him money but I bought him wet wipes, a new reusable bottle, and a sammich.

The guy took Wet Wipes like manna from heaven

Wet wipes are fucking GOLD, I got into the habit of keeping a pack in the trunk of my car even after I got off the street. And towels.

I can’t stress enough about staying dry, especially in the colder months.

News about that fella. I ran into him 2 years later a few months ago. He’s getting his shit together as a barback in Harvard. I know this cuz he recognized me in his bar.

Be kind to homeless folks. They might just make you feel like an angel

If you need to run away from home, this is handy.

Take care of yourselves.

Also, AIRPORTS. I do not see airports mentioned anywhere but one of my friends would “camp out” at them whenever she needed a break from her parents. They’re open 24/7, they probably won’t kick you out, they have bathrooms, some even have showers and gyms and people won’t even look at you weird if you sleep because people constantly sleep at airports. They’ll just assume your flight got delayed or something. Also, they’re SHELTER. Warm and dry.

If your city has an airport, it’s an option for a night or even a day or two.

I really hope nobody needs this, but good luck to anyone who does.

kagetsukai:

yournewapartment:

thesnadger:

Since once in a blue moon I actually discover a decent rule for adulting, and since I know I have followers a few years younger than me who are just entering the workforce, I want to tell you about a very important phrase. 

“I won’t be available.”

Imagine you’re at work and your boss asks you to come in on Saturday. Saturday is usually your day off–coming in Saturdays is not an obligation to keep your job. Maybe you were going to watch a movie with a friend, or maybe you were just going to lie in bed and eat ice cream for eight hours, but either way you really, really don’t want to give up your day off.

If you consider yourself a millennial you’ve probably been raised to believe you need to justify not being constantly at work. And if you’re a gen-Z kid you’re likely getting the same toxic messages that we did. So in a situation like that, you might be inclined to do one of three things:

1. Tell your boss you’d rather not give up your day off. Cave when they pressure you to come in anyway, since you’re not doing anything important.
2. Tell your boss you’d rather not give up your day off. Over-apologize and worry that you looked bad/unprofessional.
3. Lie and say you’ve got a doctor’s appointment or some other activity that feels like an adequate justification for not working.

The fact is, it doesn’t matter to your boss whether you’re having open heart surgery or watching anime in your underwear on Saturday. The only thing that affects them is the fact that you won’t be at work. So telling them why you won’t be at work only gives them reason to try and pressure you to come in anyway.

If you say “I won’t be available,” giving no further information, you’d be surprised how often that’s enough. Be polite and sympathetic in your tone, maybe even say “sorry, but I won’t be available.” But don’t make an excuse. If your boss is a professional individual, they’ll accept that as a ‘no’ and try to find someone else. 

But bosses aren’t always professional. Sometimes they’re whiny little tyrants. So, what if they pressure you further? The answer is–politely and sympathetically give them no further information.

“Are you sure you’re not available?” “Sorry, but yes.”

“Why won’t you be available?” “I have a prior commitment.” (Which you do, even if it’s only to yourself.)

“What’s your prior commitment?” “Sorry, but that’s kind of personal.”

“Can you reschedule it?” “I’m afraid not. Maybe someone else can come in?”

If you don’t give them anything to work with, they can’t pressure you into going beyond your obligations as an employee. And when they realize that, they’ll also realize they have to find someone else to come in and move on.

IMPORTANT!! PLEASE READ!!

Just like with many other parts of life, learn to say ‘no’ to people. You are important. Don’t kill yourself for another person, esp. if they are your boss.