#Compression fracture

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

Ooh I'll be interested to see Kim go from thinking about shooting Harry to defending him and the Hardies in the tribunal. Really looking forward to this fic

thank you!! I am very glad to hear that you’re excited for it (you gave me the idea so I want to do it justice)

I’m definitely treating the tribunal as a turning point in how Kim sees Harry, for a variety of reasons— most of which he doesn’t figure out until after the fact, because the man is being held up by the sheer force of his emotional repression at this point and processing any of the stuff that has happened to him within the last couple hours is Not Happening until he gets the chance to sit down for a sec

[forensicfield]

Types of Bone Fractures

The various types of bone fractures exhibit distinct characteristics and can be classified accordingly. #Typesofbonefractures #forensicscience #forensicfield #forensicbiology

Continue reading Untitled

[medifact]

The bones or vertebrae of the spinal column can sometimes fracture owing to trauma or a disease condition that causes the bone to break. Compression fractures can cause a collapse of the vertebrae. On a side-view X-ray, a compression fracture usually looks like a wedge-shaped vertebra.

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

been a few weeks since I did this! finished up one WIP and decided not to start another so I just have one lonely filename this week:

Compression Fracture

Snippet from chapter 3:

OBSERVER (Hearing) — As you tie off the bandage, you can make out the word “apricots.”

Ask him about it. 

Let it go.

YOU — “Apricots? What about them?” 

HARRIER DU BOIS — He looks up at you with bleary, red-rimmed eyes. “They’re everywhere, Kim… It’s all over you too. Your jacket— the way it almost seems to glow…”

NOTE KEEPER [Medium: Success] — But it’s not apricot-colored, not really— it’s a very specific shade of blaze orange. 

ELOQUENCE — The exact color isn’t the point. There’s some other association he’s fixated on. 

HARRIER DU BOIS — “Maybe you should have just killed me. I… I’m not entirely sure what happened when she left, but I don’t think I do so well with that kind of hurt. And it really fucking hurts, Kim…”

WIP Wednesday Game

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

Requested/Friend event mentions under the cut! If you'd like to be pinged next week, let me know!

Friends @fiore-della-valle @redbirdblogs @greenbergsays @idkfandomwhatever @luckyspike

@obaewankenope @mad-madam-m @anonymousdandelion @geometricfractal @prettybirdy979

@eriquin | Requests @aparticularbandit @madnessfromthemountains @makeroftherunes @1attheedge

@whimsicalmeerkat @kidsomeday @lizhly-writes @skyderman @adhdavinci

@owlbearwrites @anachronismstellar @anyctibius @rilannon @lazinesswrites

@zyrafowe-sny @dreaminghour @blue-eyedbeta @candyskiez @dreamerking27

@kalira @virgulesmith @i-want-delfeur @selkies-world @exceedinglygayotter

[ophthalmotropy]

Pain and serious injury are so terrifying, tbh. I'd probably do anything to avoid it.

[ryanthedemiboy]

If NASCAR can make stock cars (this means chassis and shape that are the same as yours) that can go 200mph and wreck head-on and do a dozen flips in the air, and the worst that happens is a concussion, with the car even still almost intact, then you can make a street legal car do the same at 40% of that speed.

Here's one of the wrecks btw. He was taken to a local hospital for observation, not even a concussion (NASCAR reports injuries to everyone for transparency), and he raced the next week. (Although he did have a couple bruised eyes iirc)

He climbed out of the car almost completely under his own power.

[chicagoneuropain]

Living with Fibromyalgia: A Guide to Managing Chronic Pain

What Is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, often invisible condition that affects how your nervous system processes pain signals, characterized by central sensitization, where there’s an abnormal increase in the excitability of neurons within the central nervous system. This leads to enhanced pain perception in response to non-noxious stimuli (causes that actually don’t cause any tissue damage and pain) like light touch or gentle pressure, temperature changes, mild sounds, light, normal joint or muscle movement, pressure from normal clothing, and mild smells.

People living with fibromyalgia often describe it like this: "It’s like my whole body is bruised—but there’s nothing to see."

Clinically, fibromyalgia is understood as a neuropathic pain condition, meaning the pain doesn’t always originate where you feel it. Instead, the nerves amplify ordinary sensations into chronic, widespread discomfort.

For many patients we meet here in Chicago, getting a diagnosis is the first time their pain is taken seriously. That moment—when pain is really understood—can be the beginning of real healing.

Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

While fibromyalgia looks different for everyone, some hallmark signs tend to appear again and again. You may recognize:

Persistent muscle pain and tenderness

Fatigue that doesn’t go away with rest

Brain fog ("fibro fog") — trouble focusing or remembering things

Headaches or migraines

Sleep disturbances

Sensitivity to temperature, touch, or light

And here’s the tricky part: many of these symptoms mimic other conditions, which often leads to years of misdiagnosis or dismissal. We hear it at times:  "My labs came back fine, so I figured it was in my head." or "I thought I was just getting older." But you know your body. And if something feels off—if the pain, exhaustion, or fog is interfering with your daily life—you deserve clarity and care.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

The honest answer? We're still learning.

But science has made strong progress in understanding the possible triggers and mechanisms behind fibromyalgia. It’s tied to an overactive nervous system, specifically how the brain and spinal cord process pain and sensory input.

Some contributing factors include:

.Widespread Pain Without Structural Damage: often described as deep, aching, or burning. ➤ This “pain with no clear source” is a red flag for central sensitization, as seen in fibromyalgia.

 Coexisting Central Sensitivity Symptoms: Non-restorative sleep; Cognitive fog (“fibro fog”); IBS-like symptoms (bloating, constipation, diarrhea); Sensitivity to sound, light, and temperature ➤ Their presence suggests widespread CNS involvement rather than isolated pathology.

History of Trigger Events: Often preceded by Emotional trauma (abuse, PTSD, grief), Physical trauma (car accident, surgery), Severe infection (e.g., EBV, Lyme) ➤ These are known to alter pain processing networks and activate glial cells, setting up for central sensitization.

Personal or Family History of Functional Somatic Syndromes: Patients or close relatives may have Irritable bowel syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Migraine, Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) ➤ This pattern suggests a shared vulnerability—possibly genetic or stress-related—to dysregulated pain and sensory processing.

The key idea here is central sensitization. Your nervous system becomes hypersensitive, overreacting to even mild pain signals. And when that switch flips, it’s tough to turn it back off without proper treatment.

Diagnosing Fibromyalgia: Why It’s Often Misunderstood

Fibromyalgia doesn't show up on standard blood tests or imaging. That’s why diagnosis relies heavily on symptom history, patient interviews, and ruling out other conditions. But let’s be real—this leads to frustration. We’ve worked with countless patients in Chicago who’ve seen multiple specialists, only to be told:

“Your tests look normal." "Maybe it’s anxiety." "Try yoga or sleeping more."

And while movement and sleep hygiene can help, they don’t treat fibromyalgia. Not alone. So, if you might be reading this article to finally make sense of the untraceable pain and strange sensations that no test seems to catch, we completely understand, as this whole condition is just as mysterious but hiding in plain sight, only revealed with a different approach to diagnosis. At our Pain Management Clinic in Chicago, we take time to understand the full picture—your physical symptoms, emotional toll, lifestyle, and medical history. Because your pain is real. And it deserves a diagnosis that leads to action.

Treatment Options for Fibromyalgia

Treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all. And it’s rarely a “quick fix.” Instead, we help you build a multi-layered, sustainable plan to improve your quality of life.

Common treatment approaches include:

Medications: Certain antidepressants and anti-seizure drugs can help regulate pain signals and sleep.

Physical therapy: Customized movement to reduce stiffness and maintain flexibility.

Psychological therapy: Especially CBT, to manage stress and improve coping tools.

Neuropathic pain interventions: These may include advanced options like ketamine therapy, which has shown promise for chronic pain syndromes.

Lifestyle changes: Diet, sleep patterns, and gentle exercise (like yoga or swimming) can be foundational.

We work alongside you to test, tweak, and tailor what actually works—for your body, your schedule, your goals.

Tips for Managing Fibromyalgia Day-to-Day

You don’t have to “push through” pain just to prove you’re strong. Living well with fibromyalgia is about learning to support your body, not fight it.

Here are daily strategies that make a real difference:

Pace yourself: On good days, it's tempting to do everything. But overdoing it can cause crash days. Listen to your limits.

Establish routines: Consistency in sleep and meals helps stabilize your system.

Track your symptoms: Notice patterns—what flares your pain? What soothes it?

Prioritize rest and hydration

Join a support group: Whether local or online, talking to others who get it is powerful.

We often say: “Don’t aim for perfect days. Aim for manageable, meaningful ones.”

When to See a Pain Specialist

 If your pain lasts more than three months… If it’s disrupting your work, relationships, or confidence… If your doctor keeps saying, “Everything looks normal”—but you don’t feel normal…

It’s time to see a specialist.

Chronic pain, especially neuropathic pain, requires a nuanced, expert-led approach. You deserve a care team that believes your story and is equipped to help you heal.

Final Thoughts: Living Better with Fibromyalgia

At our Pain Management Clinic in Chicago, we walk alongside people just like you every day. People who’ve struggled for answers. People who’ve been told to “just deal with it.” People who are tired of waking up exhausted.

Fibromyalgia doesn’t define you. It doesn’t end your story. But it does ask for something different—more understanding, more patience, and more strategic care. At our Pain Management Clinic in Chicago, we walk alongside people just like you every day. People who’ve struggled for answers. People who’ve been told to “just deal with it.” People who are tired of waking up exhausted.

We don’t promise a magic cure. But we do promise to listen. To personalize your care. To stand beside you as you take back your life.

Because living with fibromyalgia is hard. But living better with it? That starts with one real, human conversation.

And we’re here when you’re ready.

[stormyrainyday]

this is prob such a long shot but im writing a fic where a character suffers an injury in his foot leading to disabling nerve pain. I've been doing research on the nature of the pain, exacerbating and relieving factors, management and prognosis, and any kind of aid that can help, but I'd like to get a firsthand account for realism and sensitivity reasons (as my own chronic illness is not even remotely related). if anyone is okay with me asking some questions I'd really like to know how such pain can affect your day to day and especially ambulation. no pressure but please lmk I really really would like it to be true to life and not over-medicalized in writing

directing to a page or resources where I can learn more is also welcome btw !!!

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

🌹

OBSERVER (Sight) — Your reflection matches your internal state better now, at least. Cracked, distorted. A large piece of it is missing entirely.

[htxpaincare]

Is My Pain Normal?: Understanding Neuropathic Pain and Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It

Persistent tingling, stabbing, or burning sensations? You might be living with neuropathic pain. Learn what it is, why it happens, and how we treat it at HTX Pain Care.

Introduction: It’s Not “Just a Pinched Nerve” – Your Pain Deserves a Closer Look

If you’ve been brushing off tingling, shooting pain, or strange electric shock-like feelings in your hands, feet, or back, let me stop you right there—your body is trying to tell you something. And it’s not “normal.” These aren’t simply signs of aging, overwork, or “just stress.”

I’ve met many patients who delayed getting help because they assumed these sensations were trivial or that they had to “just live with it.” I want you to hear this from a pain specialist who’s treated thousands of cases: neuropathic pain is real, diagnosable, and treatable.

So let’s talk honestly about what’s happening inside your nerves, why that pain lingers, and how we at HTX Pain Care approach treatment with compassion and precision.

What Is Neuropathic Pain?

Neuropathic pain occurs when your nerves are damaged or not working properly, causing them to send faulty pain signals to the brain. This can happen even in the absence of a clear injury.

It’s a pain that doesn’t always make sense—it may flare up suddenly, persist after a wound has healed, or worsen with seemingly harmless contact like bedsheets brushing your skin.

Unlike short-term pain that protects you, neuropathic pain can become chronic and exhausting.

Why Does Neuropathic Pain Happen?

Your nervous system is like an intricate highway of electrical cables. When these cables fray, misfire, or get inflamed, pain signals may fire uncontrollably. Common triggers include:

Diabetes (often causing diabetic neuropathy)

Infections like shingles (post-herpetic neuralgia)

Trauma or surgery (nerve entrapment or damage)

Spinal cord injuries

Nerve compression syndromes

Autoimmune diseases

Cancer or chemotherapy

Idiopathic causes (yes, sometimes we can’t find a cause—but the pain is still very real)

In some cases, like Small Fiber Neuropathy, people experience widespread pain and autonomic symptoms (such as changes in sweating or heart rate), often without obvious nerve test abnormalities. Many of these go misdiagnosed for years.

Symptoms: What Does Neuropathic Pain Feel Like?

Here’s the thing—it doesn’t feel like the pain you’re used to. Neuropathic pain has a character of its own. It may show up as:

Burning, stabbing, or shooting pain

Numbness that feels “deep” or icy

Pins and needles (paresthesia)

Hypersensitivity (even a breeze can hurt)

Electric shock-like jolts

Pain that worsens at night

Twitching or muscle cramping

Feeling like you’re wearing a glove or sock when you’re not

Worsened balance or coordination issues

Why Awareness Matters – Especially for the Aging and the Unaware

Here’s a pattern I often see:

In reality? Their nerves are degenerating, and the pain is not psychological or inevitable. It’s neuropathic—and very treatable.

And it’s not just seniors. I’ve seen young adults with post-viral neuropathy, women post-chemotherapy, and athletes with nerve entrapments all suffering quietly because no one told them what neuropathic pain feels like.

How We Diagnose It at HTX Pain Care

Every patient’s pain story is different and deserves detailed investigation. At HTX Pain Care, we use:

Nerve conduction studies & EMG (to measure electrical activity)

Imaging (MRI/CT scans) to rule out compressive causes

Quantitative sensory testing for sensory threshold mapping

Skin or nerve biopsies, when necessary

Thorough clinical history & neurological exams

We also screen for underlying conditions like diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, autoimmune disorders, or prior viral exposures. Identifying the “why” behind the pain helps us personalize your treatment.

How We Treat Neuropathic Pain at HTX Pain Care

You deserve relief—and we believe in layered, patient-specific treatments backed by the latest science. Here’s what we offer:

1. Medications:

Gabapentin or Pregabalin

Duloxetine or Amitriptyline

Topical agents like lidocaine or capsaicin

2. Interventional Treatments:

Nerve Blocks: https://htxpaincare.com/injections-blocks-specialist/

Steroid Injections: https://htxpaincare.com/pain-center/

Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS): https://htxpaincare.com/pain-center/

3. Regenerative Therapies (as applicable

4. Lifestyle & Supportive Therapies:

Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory diet and sleep restoration

5. Patient Education and Emotional Support

When to Seek Help

If you’re:

Feeling unexplained burning, stabbing, or numb sensations

Losing sleep due to pain

Finding your balance, mood, or daily function declining

Frustrated that nothing seems to help

It’s time to speak to someone who listens and understands.

Conclusion: Relief Isn’t Just Possible—It’s Within Reach

Pain can be isolating. But you don’t have to endure it alone or assume it’s your “new normal.” If something feels off—whether it’s your skin feeling “weird,” your feet always tingling, or your sleep becoming unrestful—trust your instincts.

At HTX Pain Care, we combine empathy, science, and experience to help people like you reclaim comfort, control, and quality of life.

Let’s start a conversation. We’ll listen. We’ll investigate. And we’ll treat you with the respect your pain deserves.

[mcmansionhell]

we've found it folks: mcmansion heaven

Hello everyone. It is my pleasure to bring you the greatest house I have ever seen. The house of a true visionary. A real ad-hocist. A genuine pioneer of fenestration. This house is in Alabama. It was built in 1980 and costs around $5 million. It is worth every penny. Perhaps more.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Come on, Kate, that's a little kooky, but certainly it's not McMansion Heaven. This is very much a house in the earthly realm. Purgatory. McMansion Purgatory." Well, let me now play Beatrice to your Dante, young Pilgrim. Welcome. Welcome, welcome, welcome.

It is rare to find a house that has everything. A house that wills itself into Postmodernism yet remains unable to let go of the kookiest moments of the prior zeitgeist, the Bruce Goffs and Earthships, the commune houses built from car windshields, the seventies moments of psychedelic hippie fracture. It is everything. It has everything. It is theme park, it is High Tech. It is Renaissance (in the San Antonio Riverwalk sense of the word.) It is medieval. It is maybe the greatest pastiche to sucker itself to the side of a mountain, perilously overlooking a large body of water. Look at it. Just look.

The inside is white. This makes it dreamlike, almost benevolent. It is bright because this is McMansion Heaven and Gray is for McMansion Hell. There is an overbearing sheen of 80s optimism. In this house, the credit default swap has not yet been invented, but could be.

It takes a lot for me to drop the cocaine word because I think it's a cheap joke. But there's something about this example that makes it plausible, not in a derogatory way, but in a liberatory one, a sensuous one. Someone created this house to have a particular experience, a particular feeling. It possesses an element of true fantasy, the thematic. Its rooms are not meant to be one cohesive composition, but rather a series of scenes, of vastly different spatial moments, compressed, expanded, bright, close.

And then there's this kitchen for some reason. Or so you think. Everything the interior design tries to hide, namely how unceasingly peculiar the house is, it is not entirely able to because the choices made here remain decadent, indulgent, albeit in a more familiar way.

Rare is it to discover an interior wherein one truly must wear sunglasses. The environment created in service to transparency has to somewhat prevent the elements from penetrating too deep while retaining their desirable qualities. I don't think an architect designed this house. An architect would have had access to specifically engineered products for this purpose. Whoever built this house had certain access to architectural catalogues but not those used in the highest end or most structurally complex projects. The customization here lies in the assemblage of materials and in doing so stretches them to the height of their imaginative capacity. To borrow from Charles Jencks, ad-hoc is a perfect description. It is an architecture of availability and of adventure.

A small interlude. We are outside. There is no rear exterior view of this house because it would be impossible to get one from the scrawny lawn that lies at its depths. This space is intended to serve the same purpose, which is to look upon the house itself as much as gaze from the house to the world beyond.

Living in a city, I often think about exhibitionism. Living in a city is inherently exhibitionist. A house is a permeable visible surface; it is entirely possible that someone will catch a glimpse of me they're not supposed to when I rush to the living room in only a t-shirt to turn out the light before bed. But this is a space that is only exhibitionist in the sense that it is an architecture of exposure, and yet this exposure would not be possible without the protection of the site, of the distance from every other pair of eyes. In this respect, a double freedom is secured. The window intimates the potential of seeing. But no one sees.

At the heart of this house lies a strange mix of concepts. Postmodern classicist columns of the Disney World set. The unpolished edge of the vernacular. There is also an organicist bent to the whole thing, something more Goff than Gaudí, and here we see some of the house's most organic forms, the monolith- or shell-like vanity mixed with the luminous artifice of mirrors and white. A backlit cave, primitive and performative at the same time, which is, in essence, the dialectic of the luxury bathroom.

And yet our McMansion Heaven is still a McMansion. It is still an accumulation of deliberate signifiers of wealth, very much a construction with the secondary purpose of invoking envy, a palatial residence designed without much cohesion. The presence of golf, of wood, of masculine and patriarchal symbolism with an undercurrent of luxury drives that point home. The McMansion can aspire to an art form, but there are still many levels to ascend before one gets to where God's sitting.

If you like this post and want more like it, support McMansion Hell on Patreon for as little as $1/month for access to great bonus content including a discord server, extra posts, and livestreams.

Not into recurring payments? Try the tip jar! Student loans just started back up!

[gay-victorian-astronomer]

kim looking at telescope (I think he'd think it's neat)

both of them

go nuts, just credit me. I wanna see where they go