#photos of our health insurance

[thistlecrimes]

Things I've learned from getting covid for the first time in 2023

I wear an N95 in public spaces and I've managed to dodge it for a long time, but I finally got covid for the first time (to my knowledge) in mid-late November 2023. It was a weird experience especially because I feel like it used to be something everyone was talking about and sharing info on, so getting it for the first time now (when people generally seem averse to talking about covid) I found I needed to seek out a lot of info because I wasn't sure what to do. I put so much effort into prevention, I knew less about what to do when you have it. I'm experiencing a rebound right now so I'm currently isolating. So, I'm making a post in the hopes that if you get covid (it's pretty goddamn hard to avoid right now) this info will be helpful for you. It's a couple things I already knew and several things I learned. One part of it is based on my experience in Minnesota but some other states may have similar programs.

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The World Health Organization states you should isolate for 10 days from first having symptoms plus 3 days after the end of symptoms.

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At the time of my writing this post, in Minnesota, we have a test to treat program where you can call, report the result of your rapid test (no photo necessary) and be prescribed paxlovid over the phone to pick up from your pharmacy or have delivered to you. It is free and you do not need to have insurance. I found it by googling "Minnesota Test to Treat Covid"

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Paxlovid decreases the risk of hospitalization and death, but it's also been shown to decrease the risk of Long Covid. Long Covid can occur even from mild or asymptomatic infections.

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Covid rebound commonly occurs 2-8 days after apparent recovery. While many people associate Paxlovid with covid rebound, researchers say there is no strong evidence that Paxlovid causes covid rebound, and rebounds occur in infections that were not treated with Paxlovid as well. I knew rebounds could happen but did not know it could take 8 days. I had mine on day 7 and was completely surprised by it.

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If you start experiencing new symptoms or test positive again, the CDC states that you should start your isolation period again at day zero. Covid rebound is still contagious. Personally I'd suggest wearing a high quality respirator around folks for an additional 8-9 days after you start to test negative in case of a rebound.

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Positive results on a rapid test can be very faint, but even a very faint line is positive result. Make sure to look at your rapid test result under strong lighting. Also, false negatives are not uncommon. If you have symptoms but test negative taking multiple tests and trying different brands if you have them are not bad ideas. My ihealth tests picked up my covid, my binax now tests did not.

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EDIT: I'd highly suggest spending time with friends online if you can, I previously had a link to the NAMI warmline directory in this post but I've since been informed that NAMI is very much funded by pharmaceutical companies and lobbies for policies that take autonomy away from disabled folks, so I've taken that off of here! Sorry, I had no idea, the People's CDC listed them as a resource so I just assumed they were legit! Feel free to reply/reblog this with other warmlines/support resources if you know of them! And please reblog this version!

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I know that there is so much we can't control as individuals right now, and that's frightening. All we can do is try our best to reduce harm and to care for each other. I hope this info will be able to help folks.

[cweercrippledcrafter]

Hey, I know a load of us are broke so you can't donate, but even sharing this would mean a lot to me.

Our puppy Yenn (yes, she's named after The Witcher, they're my fiancée's favourite games) needs multiple surgeries to improve her quality of life (and hopefully her lifespan) and the insurance is refusing to pay out.

We've nearly lost her to pneumonia three times this year, and the most urgent surgery (BOA, to fix her throat,) should dramatically decrease the chances of that happening again. The total for future surgeries is going to be between £5400 and £7000, but if we can get her throat sorted, which will be £2650-£4150, the chances of her making it through so that we can save for the others are much greater. (We're trying to get her booked in for the initial investigation, which is part of the price listed above, so that we can get a more accurate estimate for how much it will cost.) (EDIT: the investigation is on Monday. Fingers crossed it goes well.)

Yenn is just over a year old and an absolute sweetheart. It's been difficult to find ways to train her due to her health issues, but honestly she's trained herself. You can set food down and leave the room and she won't touch it, and she would do anything for my fiancée. I've never seen a dog as devoted to her mum.

Her favourite activities are people watching out of the window, playing with her mum or other dogs, and cuddling with our cat Pip. She's a wonderful girl and she deserves to grow up.

This gofundme was set up by my fiancée's friend (Lyyka is the name she goes by online), not either of us, so if you have any questions it's best to message me here.

If you read this far, thank you! Here's some photos as a reward, and thanks again for the shares.

[lost-technology]

To Those Lost and To Those Who Remain Trigun Ace Week Prompt 6: Found Family / Queerplantonic Relationships [IMG ID: Black and white image with grayscale background. From left-hand to right-hand in the background - silhouettes of Meryl Stryfe, Vash the Stampede and Milly Thompson. In the foreground is Wolfwood's wrapped Punisher, a massive weapon in the shape of a cross covered in fabric and belts. It leans as if placed as a headstone to a grave. Digital painting done in Corel Photo Paint / END IMG ID] With any family, blood or found, loss and grief are a part of it. Once upon a time, an improbably-pacifist gunslinger, a pair of insurance agents / disaster investigators and a priest/assassin formed tight bonds and a strange little family together. By the end of their story, one of them was gone, leaving those who remained with the memories. This piece was done and scheduled to post as it has a reality-subtext for me. On this day, January 19th, 2023, I lost a vital member of my own found family. My partner, his adult nephew and I were three geeks in a pod - and then we learned that our nephew had died suddenly. He'd had some health problems, but he had been getting better and his heart just giving out on him wasn't something we'd expected. Matt was the one who told me that Trigun, which he knew I was a nut for, was getting a reboot and one of the little things I miss is the fact that we didn't get to talk about it together, even though his classic anime reboot of choice was the new Lupin III. Matt loved Eevees and Transformers, dogs, cooking shows and good food. He has been missed every day. _ This piece is not so much a memorial to him as it is just a fulfilment of one of the prompts for Trigun Ace Week (regarding the importance of found families), but I chose to do something sad and regarding memorials. Vash, Meryl and Milly met Wolfwood and from then on out, their lives were never going to be the same. Their lives shaped his and his life shaped theirs. The rest of the odd little family remains, and this is a tribute to their remaining bonds. The price of love is grief. We keep those we love alive in the countless ways they affected us.

[jmdbjk]

Jimin's mail

I would like to take this opportunity to address the Jimin's "stolen" mail incident and perhaps dispel some misinformation circulating about it in this day and age of shouting sabotage for everything.

This whole topic might be boring to everyone, but my brain won't let go of it so here it is:

This incident occurred early 2022.

For reference: Jimin purchased his apartment at Nine One Hannam in May 2021. It was a brand new building and he is the first owner of his unit. He paid in cash approx. $4.5 million USD.

In January 2022 this apartment unit was seized temporarily by the South Korea National Health Insurance agency (NHI) due to unpaid insurance premiums.

Boring but important: South Korea provides universal healthcare which is funded several ways including citizens paying a percentage of their monthly income. These premiums also fund the Medical Aid program for those who cannot pay.

The controversy: According to the NHI, Jimin was sent four notices by registered mail of his unpaid insurance premiums. But somehow, this correspondence from the NHI never made it to Jimin. BigHit took full responsibility for this "mishandling of the mail". A portion of the BigHit statement reads:

"Regarding this matter, the company is the first to receive all mail that arrives at the artists’ dorms, and in the process of relaying it to the artist, a portion of the mail was omitted by mistake. Due to Jimin’s activities abroad starting at the end of last year, his extended period of rest, and his scheduled activities abroad after that, he was unaware of matters such as [his premiums] being overdue. As soon as he found out, he paid the arrears in full, and at present, the situation has been resolved. We apologize for the fact that we have given the artist and fans cause for concern due to our company’s negligence."

Another source stated that some mail does go directly to members' homes and is retrieved by company staff where it is included with mail sent in care of the company which is then distributed to the respective member if necessary. This corroborates with the above statement by Bighit.

In an artist/agency relationship, one of the things the agency (company) provides are staff/managers who MANAGE their day-to-day business. Managers make it so artists can lead the crazy lives they live. Makes sense as the members are too busy to take care of mundane things like paying bills.

Was REGISTERED mail taken/intercepted/stolen four times from the mail room at BigHit/HYBE? I don't have clarification on that. But seems like taking someone's registered mail would be a punishable crime.

What was going on during this time: The group was on a winter break that began early December 2021 after their activities in Los Angeles concluded. Jin, Jimin and Jungkook returned to Korea almost immediately and entered self-quarantine for ten days before they were free to do what they wanted within the scope of Covid restrictions.

Refreshing everyone's memory about Bangtan and Covid: Dec. 24: Yoongi tests positive for Covid. Dec. 25: Jin and Namjoon test positive. Jan. 30: Jimin's Covid happens simultaneously with appendicitis. Feb. 15: Tae tests positive. Mar. 24: Hobi goes down for the count. Mar. 27: last but definitely not least, JK AFTER arriving in Vegas.

The members, including Jimin, were starting to post on their individual Instagrams in December. Between Dec. 21 to Jan. 9, Jimin posted photos of himself on both Instagram and Weverse at various places from his visit to Jeju Island. We don't know about the timing of the photos, whether they were posted immediately after he snapped them or posted them days/weeks later.

He posted Jan. 7 on Instagram and then his next post, this time on Weverse, wasn't until Feb. 2, immediately following his emergency appendectomy. He was in the hospital between Jan. 30 and Feb. 5 so he posted a message from his hospital bed (sweet baby).

If he did not get his apartment back until April, then he did not know about his apartment situation while he was in the hospital.

But the NHI sent four notices. So backing up further chronologically, if they seized his apartment on January 25, that means the first overdue payment notice was possibly sent in September 2021?

Sept. 13: receiving diplomat passports.

Sept. 20: UN visit and speech in New York

Oct. 24: online PTD concert

Preparations were then focused on PTD LA. They departed Seoul for Los Angeles on November 16, 2021.

They were busy. They depended on their staff to take care of their personal business.

All that time, Jimin was not aware that there was a lapse in his insurance payments. When he was made aware of the situation, he paid it all immediately.

I have no source that states exactly when this payment was received by the NHI or when it was processed.

They left March 28, 2022 for Las Vegas and returned to Seoul on April 18. There are conflicting media stories about exactly when the apartment seizure was resolved. Some say April 22.

When he was still in Seoul and not traveling to the States, where was Jimin sleeping between January 25 and April 22? Where did he recuperate when he was released from the hospital? Where was he watching "The Notebook" for the nth time? Whose sofa was he laid up on? Hmmmmmm? Did he still have access to his apartment even though it was seized? What's the point of seizing it if he still had access to it? Did he even live there? Maybe that's why he didn't know anything about the seizure because he didn't even live there to begin with? But if he did live there and couldn't access his apartment to sleep there because it was seized, why didn't it get resolved sooner than April 22?

I have so many questions.

We also need to remember that it is said during their time in Las Vegas is when Jimin confided in the members about his challenges. And he's said that these feelings ended up being expressed in the songs on his Face album. Maybe he didn't learn about the apartment mess until he was in Las Vegas and that was the catalyst that made him spill his guts to the members. Still doesn't answer a lot of the above questions....

Media broke with the news about the apartment seizure on the day that "With You," an OST for the TV drama "Our Blues," was released, April 24. Despite all this, "With You" became the fastest song in history to reach #1 on iTunes in 100 total countries, breaking the record held by "Dynamite". It is well known that even negative publicity is publicity. Personally, I don't think it had much effect on the success of the song. But Jimin's character did take a hit. Also in my opinion, he has since recovered well from all that crap. Just me talking about this is probably reminding people that this even happened. Sorry. Just forget I said anything. Ha ha. What apartment? Ha.

Whether the timing of the media breaking the story was on purpose or coincidental... we don't know. Stating purposeful sabotage of Jimin's song is speculation. A news outlet will break a story if its titillating enough regardless of timing. Jimin losing his apartment due to unpaid bills is intriguing and high drama involving a member of BTS, of course they were going to push that story out ASAP.

If the apartment seizure was resolved 2 days before the story broke, we don't know how this information got to the media. THAT is the big question. Is there some sort of process that allows this information to be released somewhere accessible to the public (and therefore the media). If so, what is the timing of that? Or did a news media outlet learn about the incident on April 22 and hold on to the information until April 24? We don't know.

Saying the media sabotaged Jimin's OST "With You" is not the full truth. It is misinformation at this point.

With the information I know of, I do not believe there was a break-in at Jimin's apartment. I can't find a reliable source to confirm anything about a break-in, suspicions of a break-in or any mention of one. Nine One is very locked down and secure so a break-in is unlikely. You cannot waltz into the apartment complex and snoop around. Unlike Hannam The Hill, Nine One is surrounded by a high wall with security stations at the entrances. However, someone who had access to his apartment such as a personal assistant or housekeeping could very well have entered without his permission. But we don't know.

If someone was determined to intercept his mail, they may not have needed access to his apartment but only to his mailbox. Where ever that is. We are told all mail is collected by staff or it is sent directly to the company... it is possible it was a mistake but what kind of idiot was handling the mail and "misplaced" registered mail four times? I do not have a reliable source confirming anyone was formally accused of stealing the mail at BigHit. They most likely dealt with it internally. At the time of the incident, I blogged that people were fired and security protocols were reviewed. I stand by that declaration. Since then, Jimin has been unyielding in maintaining his privacy. Only very recently have we seen him relaxing enough to show us glimpses of his matching gaming chairs, ceiling and edges of his television. We even got a quick view of some decor above the tv.

I am still unclear about the doxxing but I myself disturbingly did see an image online of some documents that seemed to have Jimin's personal information on them. I think this information is included in the NHI documents that never made it to Jimin. If those images were really his information and still exist on the internet, I cannot find them. These documents would have his resident registration number on them. I am assuming it's a total pain in the ass to be issued a new one.

I do not have a reliable source confirming that a news media entity is responsible for stealing the mail and also revealing Jimin's personal information. Saying news media broke into the HYBE building during this incident is misinformation.

All of these things that can't be confirmed can only be called hearsay and speculation.

Everything I have stated here is my opinion from information I witnessed as it unfolded in real time, as well as information available if you search for it.

If you lean toward conspiracy theories regarding sabotaging of everything Jimin does you will come to certain conclusions. And if you just take things at face value without speculating beyond that then you will come to a different conclusion. We won't all agree as to what exactly went down. If I come across information that is new to me regarding what happened, I may modify my opinion depending on what the new information is.

What I've stated is all I have to go on. I have questions. But I won't say someone broke into his apartment. I won't say someone stole his mail but I am still skeptical because I have too many other collateral questions about the whole incident.

If anyone else has any confirmed information about the incident and you want to talk about it, my DMs are open, asks are open, or you can discuss in the comments of this post as long as everyone stays respectful. I would love to learn about anything else if you have links to sources with new information.

And apologies for the long ramble because my brain is constantly including details that might not be pertinent but who knows...

[ellascancerjourney]

ELLA’S THYROID CANCER SURGERY FUND 

Donate Here 

$2,500/$2,500 raised for my flight/food

$774.77/$2,500 raised for my wife to accompany me 

UPDATE: My airline funds have been raised on Facebook. However, I still need to raise money for my wife’s ticket and visa/passport so she can come with me. She is Brazilian, but we are married.  Hello Tumblr! My name is Ella. I’m 23 years old and I have thyroid cancer in both sides of my thyroid. I don’t currently know if it has spread or not. I am an American citizen who is currently overseas in Brazil. I discovered this cancer on accident when trying to figure out why my throat was swollen and why I had a lump in my neck. 

Unfortunately, I cannot afford the cost of a plane ticket back to the US. It would cost 2,065 dollars to go to Missoula, Montana from Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil as a round-way ticket. That’s what I am raising money for, as well as for food while I am there. My housing is already covered (I will stay with family or friends). 

The reason I need to go back to the US is to get complete thyroid removal surgery and radioactive treatment afterward to check for cancer spread. My health insurance in the US covers my treatment 100%, but if I were to stay in Brazil, I would owe over 4,000 dollars in treatment costs. The thyroid surgery alone is R$19,400. I also do not feel safe getting my life-saving surgery here where I have seen very unsafe medical conditions.  

As I receive donations, I will be updating my post with the amount that has been donated on several sources (here on Tumblr, Facebook, and Tiktok). I will provide screenshot proof of my bank account after all the funds have been raised and sent to me, as well as photos of me after surgery and on my flights. 

If I make any money over 2,500 it will be used to bring my wife on an emergency tourist visa to the US to support me in all my medical appointments. I love her and wish she could go with me, but I cannot currently afford to pay her plane ticket or visa application or emergency passport (around 2,500-3,000 dollars for all her expenses). I will also be needing to pay our rent in Brazil, which I will do through limited work hours at my job (15 hours a week from home). 

Please share this post if you are unable to donate. It would be a blessing for me to be able to get help sooner rather than later. 

Note: I cannot create a GoFundMe at this time due to not being in the US (VPNs don’t work unfortunately), so I can only accept donations via my paypal donation link below. However, 100% of the donations will go to me and my fundraiser. I also have a Facebook fundraiser here 

Follow me on this blog for updates and posts about my journey. 

DONATE HERE

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 24 November 1995, French workers took part in a massive general strike against welfare and pension reforms. A movement arose in October to oppose measures by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Alain Juppé which aimed to reduce France's budget deficit to the three percent limit set by the Maastricht Treaty on European Union. The most controversial proposals were to cut public sector pensions, and increase the minimum retirement age to 60. Some schemes allowed employees to retire at 50 or 55. Short protest strikes and demonstrations against the plan took place in October, and escalated to a general strike on November 24. Transport workers shut down most rail, subway, bus and air travel, and marched in the streets chanting "Bye, Bye Juppé". Gas, electricity and postal workers joined the strike, and in early December private sector workers in banking and insurance began to walk out as well. Health workers launched "safe strikes", maintaining staffing levels to care for patients, while joining picket lines, hanging banners in the wards and talking to patients about the dispute. Police attacked striking workers, who fought back in the Channel Tunnel and in mining towns with makeshift weapons like crowbars and rocks. Many unemployed workers joined the protests in solidarity, and the Pompidou Centre in Paris was occupied by homeless and unemployed workers, who held joint meetings with strikers. Eventually, on December 15, the government agreed to scrap its pension reforms. However, it refused to back down on planned welfare and health cuts. And despite many workers continuing to strike, the unions called off the dispute, and people largely returned to work by December 23. * We only post highlights on here, for all our anniversaries follow us on Mastodon: https://mastodon.social/@workingclasshistory https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/2143131729205299/?type=3

[piratical-princess]

This is just personal whining but I need to let some stuff out.

Our house slowly flooded because the previous owners installed a pipe wrong. Mold everywhere. Now our bedroom floor is gone, bathroom is gone, kitchen is gone. Everything is in boxes. Luckily, insurance is helping pay, but I am the one who deals with them so it's on me to make the phone calls and send the emails and take photos of everything and make sure the contractors are on board and schedule appointments. Meanwhile, we are both using the Murder Bathroom, so named because it looks like a prison cell only much much much smaller, and there is no sink so we are washing hands and dishes in the shower. The gent doing the rebuilding on our house just told us he couldn't start work till the insurance company sends him payment, which could take two weeks, and then it's two weeks for him to get the work done, give or take. My baby is due in seven weeks.

Also, being pregnant, I'm fighting every day with my shitty health insurance company, and my doctor's office who does not want to work with my insurance company, and trying to get my application for Medicaid to go through but they are making me jump through every hoop, be on hold for hours, go to local offices and wait as their system crashes, accuse me of not reporting my pregnancy on the application because they simply didn't read it, then gave me forms for my employer to fill out which, because my employer is a paranoid lunatic, he is reading every line with his lawyer a hundred times before he will sign something as simple as a form proving that I am employed, and acknowledging that I soon will not be.

And speaking of my employer, because he is a sexist dick, he will not provide maternity leave, and when I told him I was pregnant his first response was that I should look for a different job before I start to show, even though I have been faithfully working for him for five and a half years. Then, he began fighting with me because he wanted to add a bunch of physical labor heavy shit to my duties and I told him I can't because, you know, pregnant, and he accused me of coasting because he simply did not want to hire anyone to replace our last kennel tech and expected me to pick it up in spite of having my manager duties and being super hugely pregnant, so now it's just a given that I will not be returning to work once I have the baby.

On top of all that, I have gestational diabetes due to this baby, so I can't eat any sugars or breads or pastas but because of other pregnancy risks I also can't eat lunchmeat or beef or eggs that isn't cooked to death or anything else I can think of besides carrots and lettuce, but because I don't have a kitchen, I can't cook or prep anything healthy. I also have carpal tunnel in both wrists, also pregnancy related, and can't pick up so much as my dumb cat without shooting pain. Then there's the pain from standing, and also the pain from sitting, but I can't lie down too much either.

And - which should be good news - I was accepted into the largest comic convention in Florida that should hopefully bring in a good amount of money to help with the joblessness and the baby, but it is HUGE, busy, at a venue two hours away, and mere weeks before my due date, so now I have to book a hotel, go through the box city that is our house to get all my art stuff ready to go, research hospitals near the convention center in case the kid comes unexpectedly, and order hundreds of dollars in supplies.

Oh and my bank account got hacked into for the third time.

If anyone read all this, thank you and I'm sorry. It just helps to write it all out. I just want to be excited to have a baby, and spend time getting ready to have him in our lives, but our lives have been such a gigantic screaming mess. I have never been so stressed. Sometimes I do not have it in me to be a sturdy oak tree.

[doggernaut]

100 first dates?

This is a fun little Zimbits fic inspired by a wedding announcement that mentioned the groom had been on over 100 blind dates and the bride had decided to “commit” a minimum amount of time each week to dating. Something about the idea of “committing” to dating as if it’s something to be practiced really struck me as Jack-like.

A snippet:

On a scale between Christian Singles (sneakily added to his phone by his mother when he’d accidentally left it unlocked in her presence) and apps strictly designed for hookups, this one was squarely in the middle, maybe even a little boring (some of those Christian singles were more adventurous than expected). Scrolling through the list list of potential matches, Eric noticed the user base seemed to be a little older than the users on some of those other apps. But maybe that was a good thing. Eric wasn’t in his early twenties anymore either. He wanted stability. Commitment. Somebody with health insurance. (Bad date 87: Former frat bro who probably broke both wrists while attempting to do clapping pushups. He hadn’t let Eric take him to the hospital because he’d “forgotten” to sign up for his new consulting firm’s health plan.)

He uploaded a profile photo, one taken by his co-worker Larissa during an after hours “team bonding” event at the new “21-and-over” bowling alley their company had done some marketing work for. Eric thought it checked all the boxes. The bowling alley setting would appeal to a certain type of guy, while the trendy decor and neon lights would attract a different demographic. Plus, it was a good picture. All those neon lights were better than any filter, and Eric had been pleasantly relaxed, floating on the feeling one gets after two drinks and two strikes in a row. He looked cute, like somebody who knew how to have a good time. 

Eric opened the app after work on Monday to discover five potential matches. Unfortunately, three were guys he’d been out with already. Of the remaining two, one was a guy whose profile indicated he was in town for two weeks on business: “Here for a good time, not for a long time,” was the intro to his bio.

Nope.

The fifth match, a guy named Jack, had potential. Early thirties (if he could be believed … Bad date 32: Gordon, whose “39” was not his age, but his year of birth), lived in Providence proper, interested in “men or women.” That wasn’t a deal breaker so Eric read on:

“I’m interested in a potential long-term relationship with somebody who shares my values and interests. I like sports, museums, and exploring the lesser-known parts of our city on my weekend long runs. I travel frequently for work but always make an effort to prioritize and support my partner.”

Okay, so he sounded a little boring and the partial (?) long-distance relationship was a potential red flag (bad date 63: Paul, who had a wife and three kids in San Antonio), but maybe boring was exactly what Eric needed. Besides, the guy’s profile photo was a shot of his bare torso. With abs that could grate cheese, who cared if he was a little boring?

[carrickbender]

A LATE TT...(And photos)

- H made the recipe for the Venetian porkchops called braciola all'Arturo from Phil Rosenthal's cookbook that accompanied the show "Somebody feed Phil". All I can say is that my mouth is still happy, a few days later. Thanks to @frenchbulldogmama for the info about the book. And buy it if you don't own it.

- School is kicking my ass in a good way, and is making me appreciate this time off. I'm trying, ok?

- Also though: I am losing my health insurance later this month, and I have a lump above where my intestinal blockage was repaired. It's large, and it's not subtle, and to be fair...

I'm trying to use humour to not let it eat me up. I'm sure it's nothing...mostly sure.. Getting an appointment is hell, so please send good thoughts.

- the pic of me with glasses I actually don't hate, which is rare.

- The train pic was a gift as the engine right behind it is old and very few are still in rolling stock. Our local railroad is like an Easter egg for old cars and engines that are either long out of business or far away. Being "train'd" in Aberdeen has its benefits.

- Truth: Lauren Boebert being on any congressional committee about accountability will always be funny to me. And also sad.

- Also truth: Buggy is growing up way too fast.

- much love to yall, and local hummingbirds were a perk that wasn't listed when we bought the house.

[answrs]

in better news, I don't want to jinx any of it by talking too much about it but im getting an MRI soon to see if there's anything else they need to remove besides the obvious (read: uterine cell clusters growing on my spine or other organs) in an upcoming long-awaited surgery

pretty sure the doctor is sure I'm in/actively seeking a lesbian relationship so my theoretical cis partner can carry our also-theoretical children instead of me needing to though, lmao.

I didn't bother correcting her¹ since A) I didn't want to argue the existence of my sexuality/gender identity when I didn't have to and possibly compromise her "okay" on the surgery, B) I didn't even know she did anything besides endo tissue removal, but apparently it's a lot easier to do both yeetings at the same time through the same hole, C) she's apparently one of the top doctors in the state for these surgeries, and D) I can skip the endless wait-list and begging for a doctor to do this as its own separate surgery.

also like. apparently it's easier for insurance billing to get this stuff covered if you do it all at once? I'm taking her word on that atm, I don't have anywhere near the spoons to dig through coverages right now. I'll definitely be following up on it after the scan and obviously will need a written pre-approval for the whole shebang in general, just not dealing with it right now before we know if the scope of it is larger than expected (rogue cell clusters outside the lining they're usually in). if nothing else, it means I'm only having to pay the non-covered amount for the hospital/surgeon/anesthesiologist/hundred-dollar-bandaids/etc *once* instead of twice.

¹ [ I *did* mention it wasn't a sudden "yes" decision, that I've been wanting this since I was like seventeen, and gave the Noble Sacrifice™ "I wouldn't want any child to have to deal with my fucked up genetic issues/disabilities and the pain that comes with them just because I wanted a kid of my own" Speech. which dgmw is legitimately true, and I believe it wholeheartedly! but it sure as hell ain't my main reason for wanting this shit gone, ya feel. ]

[also fuck that obgyn that told me this doctor was mean and terrible, this is only like the third doctor in nearly thirty years that's bothered to actually listen to me and what my concerns about my health and treatment options were. she actually pulled up diagrams and photos to make sure I understood everything about it and answered all the questions I could think to ask her.]

[asleepinawell]

this is exactly the sort of question i'm happy to answer. I included a readmore since it got long but I tried to include all the stuff I would want to know in advance

there's obviously going to be differences to all of this depending on what country you live in and what state if you're in the US. i live somewhere with better insurance coverage laws than many places, and the company i work for has made a point of letting us know it's covered by our work insurance. so i'm very lucky on that front and not everyone is. I would recommend looking up the laws where you live so you can tell if anyone is lying to you and denying you coverage/access they're legally required to provide

here's an outline of everything i had to do:

1 - I started out by talking to my regular doctor. I had recently switched to a doctor who listed lgbtq health in her specialties. If you possibly can I would highly recommend trying to find a doctor you feel comfortable with. It can be kind of stressful to switch but it was a huge help for me both for this and that my new doctor helped me with a lot of other health problems my previous doctor hadn't

2 - My regular doctor gave me a referral to a surgeon (plastic surgeon). The referral isn't strictly necessary for me with my insurance, but I felt better getting a referral from a doctor I trusted. If you can't do this, depending on your insurance (if you're in the US at least), you can probably look up available surgeons on your insurance company webpage and take a look at their specialties (you can also potentially see doctor reviews online though i find that people only leave reviews if they're mad about something so it's not always helpful)

3 - I met with the surgeon's assistant who went over all the things I'd need to take care of including having a breast exam, getting clearance from a psychologist/social worker, planning to take medical leave from work, having someone to drive me to and from surgery and help me for the next few weeks. The surgery doctors submitted the claim approval to insurance for me. They also had some initial questions about do I have reference photos, do I want nipple grafts, do I want nipple size reduced. These are good things to think about before you go

4 - The insurance company rejected my claim, which they legally can't. They made a whole fuss about codes etc and in the end the surgery board at my doctor's had to make a meeting with them and hash it out. They took care of this and got it sorted out eventually but it was stressful

5 - I contacted my local lgbtq resource group to get a psychological approval letter for surgery (you should also be able to get this from your psychologist if you have one who you talk to about this). This is a service a lot of groups like this provide for free. It was an interesting experience and a little strange.

They were after some very specific information to establish that I had dysphoria (see the following paragraphs for my thoughts on this), that I was mentally capable of making the decision (bullshit but required), and then the part that I'd say is actually a good thing to have which was making sure I understood how being visibly trans might affect my job/relationships and making sure I had a support system of some kind. They sent me a letter that I sent to my doctor to submit with the insurance coverage claim

They also insistently asked me if I identified as trans, which is a really odd question for me to get. I'm agender and while agender technically falls under both trans (as an umbrella term) and non-binary, I only use agender for myself and only begrudgingly. I don't want a damned gender identity label, that's the whole point! But that's not really what they're interested in and saying "I'm agender" didn't cut it for them. They just want to check the not-cis box so they can write their letter I think. Annoying but whatever

To go into the dysphoria thing a bit, something I ran into multiple times was doctors being astounded that I was not seeing a psychologist for gender dysphoria. This was very unusual based on their experiences. I'm a case where I do have dysphoria but it wasn't causing me crippling depression or anything, it was just constant lowkey discomfort that I didn't know the source of for a long time. Once I knew what it was I was like ah okay makes sense and started thinking about top surgery. I didn't feel the need to discuss it with a doctor because there wasn't anything to discuss. My focus was more on how happy the idea of having surgery made me rather than currently feeling bad about myself. There was a lowkey attitude of why would someone do this if they didn't hate themself??? from a bunch of people. They weren't knowingly being transphobic and no one ever questioned if I should get surgery, it was more a total inability for these particular cis people to comprehend my situation. I mostly found it mildly amusing

6 - Breast exam stuff. I'm including a bunch of details because this part was a little scary. I'm still a little young to be getting a regular one so it was a new experience for me. Nothing terrible but they're gonna smush your boobs in a medical thing to take pictures. They also took reference pictures. Hopefully they don't find anything. In my case there were a couple of what they call "complicated cysts" which meant I needed an ultrasound. In my case it was like a less than 1% chance they were anything bad (they're fairly common) and they gave me the option of either having another ultrasound before surgery or having a biopsy taken. They recommended the former but i went with the latter because I was like I'd rather not have anxiety about this and just know asap. That process involves getting a HUGE needle stuck in your boob (you are pretty numbed up so after the numbing shot you don't feel it) and they take some samples. That all came back normal so I was cleared. Not everyone will have to deal with all that, but it's worth knowing you might have to do some of it

7 - Talked to my brother and asked him to come stay with me for 2 weeks post surgery. It's very very good to have someone stay with you for at least that long. Even a couple days if you can manage it. You're going to feel really fucked up after and not be able to lift your arms or open jars or pick things up (I think it starts at nothing 10lbs or over). I was mostly okay on my own after 2 weeks but had to have someone help me carry a heavy box once

8 - Got surgery scheduled. I had to find a time when my brother could come stay with me and had to wait about 3 months for it to all work out.

9 - A slew of pre-surgery appointments where I talked to the surgeon and got reference photos taken (topless pictures basically) and was told what to expect during and after.

10 - Attempted to figure out the labyrinthine process of getting medical leave approved at my job. This is another one that will obviously vary but oof. Definitely look into this early if you have to do it. I took a month off work. I'd recommend at least that much if you can swing it. They say 2 weeks minimum but I was really grateful for the extra time

11 - You'll have to do some pre-surgery prep. Nothing crazy. Use a body wash the night before and morning of. Don't eat/drink after midnight (most meds okay though)

12 - Got surgery. You will have to talk to ten million doctors on the day of. There are the ones doing the mega numbing stuff, the anesthesiologists, the breathing tube guys, the actual surgeon…it was a parade

13 - I was not in much pain for about 24 hours after surgery and then it kind of hit all at once (I'm guessing stuff wore off). They'll give you oxycodon or something similar which will really help. They'll also give you anitibiotics which made me nauseated and miserable. I stuck to rice for a few days because food looked gross. You may also look kinda gross. Like random lines drawn on you, skin discoloration from medical stuff, random pieces of tape. It's like damn I went through an Experience huh

14 - Post-Surgery care. You'll have a compression vest over the bandages. It's not that comfortable. They may tell you that you can use a binder instead if you have one. The bandages and tape started itching like crazy after a week (my skin hates medical tape).

You'll also have 1-2 wound drains in which look like little plastic grenades. You empty them twice a day and record how much blood/goop comes out (they should give you instructions for this). They come out after 2-3 weeks depending on how much the wounds are still draining. I think it was 3-4 weeks that the bandages came off as well. I still had to wear the compressions vest for 6 weeks total.

Like I mentioned in my other post, getting the bandages off was a bit shocking. Had to process the change for a bit and my mood was all over. More than anything else I think that's what I would have liked to have been prepared for in advance. Like, I completely freaked out for 20 minutes and then was a little weirded out for a day or two and then was completely fine and I'm now super happy. But it was a big holy fuck moment

It's likely you won't be able to shower until the bandages are off/drains are out. I get cranky if I can't wash my hair so I worked it out by putting a raincoat on and carefully washing my hair under the tub faucet (sink might work too but my sink sucks). Better than nothing

Also you have to sleep on your back for a good long while. I'm a stomach sleeper so this was hell for me to adjust to. I'm only just able to go back to sleeping on my stomach now and it's still a little uncomfortable (rapidly improving though)

15 - Got the rest of the stitches out. You have to rub aquaphor or something similar on the wounds twice a day to help them heal. Around 6 weeks they also recommend using silicon strips to help with scarring

I think that's most of it. It was definitely A Lot, but it was stretched out over 7 months at least.

[freebooter4ever]

how's the job hunt going? would you ever relocate for a job love?

Oh wow what a question lol! Honestly i dont expect to be able to find anything new till this strike is over, the competition is insane right now. In the meantime my plan is to teach myself faster hard surface sculpting in z*brush using hockey gear \o/ mostly because i dont want to pay the $150 a month for maya, that shits insane. Like a fucking health insurance payment.

For the second question - i dont think i've ever experienced love like that. I think it would take a lot of devotion and sacrifice to give up your dreams for someone else. Admirable, for sure. And also a sacrifice that historically women are the ones expected to make. Every time. :( For a job? Lol, i would move in a heartbeat. I stayed in pittsburgh 6 years after college for my dream job - i only left when i lost it. Knew the next dream job wasnt going to be there, so made my way to LA. And now im having to come to terms with the idea that the dream job doesnt exist as i imagined it - or only exists for a very VERY select few.

And actually, thats not totally true about me and love. I think if i thought for one second that nick could love me back like i diid him, id already be in new england. When i applied to this one job, that sounded like a dream come true it listed the salary, and brian and i just read it and gaped. We looked at each other and i was like i dont even know what the fuck i would DO with all that. And of course the first thing that popped into my mind was i could buy that sailboat nick always talked about. When i was writing my programming textbook a decade ago, and really going through it, and nick and i were up until 3 or 4am every night painting theater sets, he'd talk about his sailing adventures, teach me rope knots, that sort of thing, basically a mental escape. And so last week i texted him like 'hey no promises but what if im suddenly actually making good money. Do you still want that boat?' Because, nick's worked so long and so hard and all he's gotten to is the point of still working on boats other people own, and its just not fair how devalued physical labor is, you know? And his immediate reaction was to launch into our very old daydream - the whole 'yes and you're coming with me, sail off into the sunset' stuff. And that hadnt occured to me - my idea was just- id give him the boat, and he'd fix it up, and id maybe demand photos or a visit or two every so often. Because i think finally -finally- im at a point in my life where being in love isnt enough - i want the other person to love me back. And lol definitely not someone who declares love one minute and then stops talking to me for weeks or months, and the cycle repeats over and over. I think its possible to love someone enough that you recognize you arent the one for them, but still want them to be happy? Happier than you could make them.

So long answer is yes, i would relocate for love, but i have learned the hard way to know when i shouldn't.

[northwestmutt]

I finally got a leather harness from YupCollars recently! Thankfully, my insurance was willing to cover it after I filled out a bit of paperwork for their health related services program. It took a few months from applying to approval and then for the harness to get made, but it was worth the wait. The harness is a custom straight-front guide harness with a fixed semi rigid counterbalance handle. I got the harness in brown, brown thread, honey sheepskin, and silver colored hardware which I believe is nickel. The counterbalance handle is 3 inches, and the guide handle is a 12 inch off-set handle. Photos of the harness and short video of the harness in use below! I'm not used to brand new leather and it feels odd grab and hold onto so I'm holding onto the guide handle super awkwardly in the video. I'll have to get a handle cover for it eventually. Also please ignore the weird holes/scratched areas on my computer chair, we used to have a cat and she loved to scratch that chair up.

I didn't pull those fabrics out and leave them that btw, they were like that when I got to the store. Our Joann is often a little messy because customers don't put things back where they belong. Warning for the sound of small metal objects (probably my keys) jingling, footsteps, and the muffled speaking of strangers in this video. This is more of a "these sounds may annoy you" warning.

We've been in this particular store many times, so she knew where to take me without much directional input from me. We always go to the back of the store to the fabric section, and that's directly in the back of the store.

[travishuggett]

Over on my Substack, I wrote about @tumblr (@staff), and why I plan to keep posting on here forevr. Shout out to the @lensblr-network and everyone who follows this account and/or @lastnightatthebusstop

[fuck-your-proana-blog]

i just wanted to thank you.

i discovered your blog last night and it gave me the last push i needed to accept recovery. thank you for making me realize i have ednos and should stop striving for anorexia or bulimia as the superior disorder, that romantisizing in the pro anorexia community is problematic, that i don't need to be sicker to recover, that if i struggle to recover for myself i can recover for others (this one thing literally pushed me so much i have a few months old nephew i carry his photo in my phone case so everytime i feel suicidal i think of how he would eventualy have to be told he has dead aunt so now i have to eat so i can play with him and be the aunt he deserves) that i was in fact miserable during my ED, i wasn't happy and even if i got skinny i wouldn't be, that I'm gonna either recover or die and lastly for giving me safe space on tumblr that isn't "pro recovery just not for me" kind of stuff

i just wanted you to know you saved a life

I'm so glad to hear this! Every ED is hell, we all suffer no matter what our weight is. I'm so proud of you for choosing recovery and turning your back on the pro ana community, and you can always talk to me if you feel alone or need to be reminded that recovery is always the right choice, because no one EVER thinks they're sick enough- trust me on this. You are worth recovery NOW, and your nephew and the rest of your loved ones will be so grateful every time you choose life over the torture and death caused by your ED. I recommend seeing an ED specialist therapist and maybe a psychiatrist if you need one, or finding a hospital program near you for support if you have insurance or can afford it (don't know if you're in the US where health care is shit). Try to find a support system of friends, family and healthcare professionals so you have the best chance at recovery as possible. It will be scary telling people and even going inpatient if you or your team feels you need to, but it's the best choice to let go of the disordered behavior and be monitored as you do so- especially since you suffer from suicidal ideation and recovery often brings our troubling feelings out since we've been numbing them with behaviors for so long. I have lived for my husband ever since we met, and having people (or even pets) to live for when you don't feel you can live for yourself is so important when the self harm thoughts come around. Best of luck, my inbox is always open! ❤️

[bongbubbles]

Life update!

We got married in the courthouse and moved across the country together! It's been interesting trying to adjust and get insurance and healthcare figured out... Work in progress. We still smoke but not as much and not inside as the house we are living in is brand new. One of our cats passed away about 5 months ago, and then 3 months ago our new litter of kittens were born! We found a home for one of the three so far, little Stache. We still have two of them though as we try and find homes for them. We have visited our home state once since moving for about a week, and plan to visit again in November. We still staff a minecraft server in our free time and even found a new server that we have enjoyed playing. I don't write much anymore... But I hope to again at some point. Right now.. I am trying to focus on my mental health.

That's about it... So enjoy kitten photos!