#tw healthcare

[schizopositivity]

Why it's hard for schizophrenic people to get treatment and diagnosis for physical health problems:

• Having "schizophrenic" in our charts makes a lot of medical professionals automatically not believe us. Especially if it is a problem that they can't instantly see themselves. They may think we are either delusional or having some kind of tactile hallucinations. They could see it more as a "psychiatric problem" rather than the physical medical problem that it is.

• If you have flat or blunted affect, they may not believe you, especially if you are describing pain. They have the expectations that you would be screaming, crying, grimacing, etc. When you are straight faced and monotone and say "I am in extreme pain right now" they will likely not believe you. And this paired with medical professionals views of chronic pain just makes them not believe you even more.

• Alexithymia makes describing your symptoms very hard, and even harder to describe how the symptoms affect you. The medical professional goes off of what you tell them, if you are vague or don't have the words, they will not understand you or not believe what you are describing. Either way that will hinder your road to treatment and diagnosis.

• Having memory problems, or trouble keeping track of things can also hinder your care. If you can't remember, or even remember to write down how often a symptom occurs, how long it lasts, how it felt in the moment, and how it impacted your life at the time, they may once again not believe you. Diagnosis often requires some sort of timeline or prevalence of symptoms, and not keeping track of that could keep you from diagnosis.

• They may avoid prescribing pain killers (even if you need it) because the fact that schizophrenic people are more likely to abuse drugs than the general population. And while that fact is true, it doesn't mean that someone in extreme pain does not deserve the right to pain killers just as much as anyone else who needs them.

• Being part of a disenfranchised group while also being schizophrenic can have compounding affects on your physical health treatment. Being low-income, being a person of color, being assigned female at birth, being transgender, being intersex, any other disenfranchised group or any combination of these will impact how you are treated by the healthcare system.

• Fear of medical professionals, or fear of Dr.s offices can impact the quality of your visit. You may feel too frightened to tell them how you really feel, you may just completely avoid going into the building at all. This can happen to anyone but is especially common for schizophrenic people due to our paranoia, inability to advocate for ourselves, lack of self esteem, historical medical abuse or personal experiences with medical abuse. Plus we can have doubts about the quality of our care because of any of the other reasons listed above.

And all this occurs while we as schizophrenic people, are at higher risks of several physical health problems (you can read about it here):

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Denying a patient the right to a diagnosis just bc the disorder you suspect they have doesn’t have a cure is ableist and abuse of power.

Patients have the right to know what is going on with their body. If you aren’t prepared to help them, there is an entire community who can provide them with the knowledge & skills you lack (symptom management, clinical trials, latest research, emotional support, list of specialists and treatment options, etc).

The least you can do is give them the diagnosis.

[donna-wants-to-be-an-alien]

I'm really tired of feeling like I'm not taken seriously in health care

I feel on my arm, it hurts like hell to move it, it hurts like all the other broken or half-broken arms did before

They moved my elbow for xrays and I cried

But this is what happened

Doctor "I don't see a break"

Me "ok"

Come back tomorrow between 8 and 9 for a check-up, I'll give you the doctors account/diagnosis letter then, I need to go to the operation room."

So it's not broken, that's good, but apparently that means that there is nothing wrong

At all

Maybe I'm imaging my pain and problems of using my hand

I'm thinking so many things rn and I'm just tired

I'll go to my regular orthopaedic doctor tomorrow, but I'm so sick of healthcare

[maudeboggins]

i had such a bad chemo infusion today. the nurse was super rough with the iv, moving it around a lot while he was pumping it, because there was no "flash back" of blood (apparently they can tell the iv is in the vein if blood is drawn back into the iv) but he kept saying he was "confident" it was in the vein as the saline wasn't pooling so he went ahead with the injection even after i voiced concerns maybe two or three times (like something clearly was not working. i even asked him to tape down the iv because the movement was hurting and he said he couldn't). first the infusion began leaking on my skin and he just said "that will be fine" and wiped it up and kept going even though i've been told that while the infusion is good to be injected as it fights the cancer it is toxic (nurses have to put on protective gear before handling it and i can't even kiss my husband for a week because the trace amounts in body fluids are toxic to people not on chemo). every time i've had this infusion they say it should NOT hurt and if it does they'll stop immediately. so he is injecting it and i say it hurts and he goes "oh that's normal," and i stop him again and he says it's normal for it to irritate the veins. at that point i got him to re-poke me somewhere else because it hurt too much. finally another nurse did it and it was fine

idk i guess i just needed to vent about this. healthcare people are on the whole much nicer in the cancer world than elsewhere (i've dealt with a lot of mental health care and that's pretty dire). but i feel like i'm getting repeatedly dismissed. something hurts and they go "oh thats fine. that's normal" and keep going. even when i got my second biopsy, the freezing didn't work fully and when i said it hurt, i could feel it, the nurse just said "don't worry we're almost done" even though just before i had been told that if i could feel ANYTHING they would stop and refreeze. last week when i saw the oncologist i said i was nauseous two weeks after my chemo infusion and he just said "that's not supposed to happen it's probably just heartburn" when like, idk if it is or isn't supposed to happen but it IS HAPPENING! i'm super nauseous! and they keep just saying "oh that's odd!" when before this whole thing they told me that if i ever felt too nauseous they would definitely help out. and when i said earlier this week i was feeling too unwell to get my infusion because i had a cold the nurse i spoke to just said "it won't matter, chemo won't impact your ability to heal" while the oncologist an hour later said it WOULD impact my ability to heal and i should postpone until i feel well enough.

it's just really hard. i have such a hard time advocating for myself, and it feels like every time i do, by saying i'm in pain or nauseous or uncomfortable, the nurse or doctor i'm seeing just goes "i don't think that's a big deal i'm just going to continue with what i was doing." like everyone is for the most part really nice to me (which is a big difference. in mental healthcare, they are not nice to you lol) and i'm also so fortunate to be able to get treatment especially so soon after being diagnosed. but it just keeps happening!! i will say the cancer psychiatrist i'm seeing is the nicest and most understanding psychiatrist i've ever seen which is something

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

so I keep learning about The Horrors™️ of American healthcare and I keep hearing Americans talk abt this shit like it’s totally fine and let me tell y’all. It’s not. Apparently and ADHD or Autism test costs like 500$ for you guys? And then when you do get diagnosed you gotta think abt shit like “okay but do I actually need meds?” Bc apparently that’s a financial decision? But it,,, it shouldn’t be right? Right okay bc

I live in Europe, specifically Austria, and this is how healthcare works here: if you have a job you have healthcare. Your employer pays for it. They have to. It’s absolutely illegal and unheard of not to. They do take about 20% out of your pay-check every month to pay for that and other legal things that I don’t quite understand (my dad explained it to me once but I’m 20 so I still don’t get it bc I don’t really have to but every cent they take out benefits me I think so it’s fine).

Now irl this is a lot more complicated but basically, you have public healthcare and private healthcare and then just stuff that’s up to the government (like ambulance rides, I think. Even if you don’t have insurance u don’t pay for that. I know this bc an American friend of mine didn’t and had to go to the hospital and called a cab and when they told me I was like “??? BRO WHY NO AMBULANCE” this is also how I found out that Americans have to pay for ambulance rides. wtf.)

Basically your insurance covers all medical expenses from doctors who are in your network (public practice). This is your GP, hospitals, and pretty much all specialised docs (dentist, internists, cardiologists, etc.). However, the public offices are much busier than the private ones (obvi) so if you’re in a rush, want special treatment, or just be a little fancy you can CHOOSE to pay for private doctors. And even then you can hand in those bills to your insurance and you get part of the money back (abt 30% which you receive abt 4 months after handing the bill in).

If you keep your bills for private care doctors you can hand them in to,,, someone somewhere somehow (idk man) and get a bigger tax return. (bc we don’t calculate our taxes ourselves. it just gets taken out of your pay-check by your employer every month and then at the end of the,,, fiscal year??? I guess?? Idk man idk how shit works — you get any money that was like,,, extra (????) back)

Now you might ask yourself: “phi, why would I pay for doc if I can go to free doc?” Which is an excellent question. Again, for most people it’s about waiting times but there is one field where it just really makes more sense: mental health services. Private practitioners have less clients and more high quality care than public ones because they choose their own funding, which, surprise surprise, is better than public funding.

I will now take you through my own personal journey so you can have a practical example of how good healthcare CAN AND SHOULD BE (keep in mind here I have parents who after messing me up and being terrible but learning their lessen once I became an adult and told them how horrible they were are very supportive of me pursing my mental health)

When I was about to turn 20 I went to my GP and had a conversation with her about how I think I might have ADHD. She asked me about my complaints and agreed there definitely are symptoms indicating it. She wrote me a referral to a Psychiatrist. When I got to my Psychiatrist she tested me and because of the referral she could tell the insurance company that this test was necessary and not elective, meaning insurance payed for it in full and I never even saw that bill.

Now I had a diagnosis all but a week later. I spoke to my parents who agreed to support me in finding private care. My Psychiatrist charges 160€ (insurance returns 48€) per appointment which my mum graciously pays for. I see him once every couple of months to check in on my use of medication and how I’m responding and to see if my dosis needs adjustment. If and when I need a refill, I only have to write him an email. Before he could put me on medication I needed a blood draw and cardiac test, to ensure that I qualified for a stimulant, since they can be harmful in some cases. He wrote me referrals and I went to my GP and a public cardiologist for those tests, which were all free of ANY charge.

I was then cleared to take my meds within a few weeks (cardiologist had a bit of a waiting list). I was prescribed Ritalin and some sleeping pills by my psychiatrist. He gives me the prescriptions and a letter to the insurance company asking them to cover the cost, as I have a diagnosis which he confirmed again in his initial assessment of me. Now that I’ve gotten approved, all I pay for is the prescription, not the actual medication. Which is about 6-7€ for the Ritalin and 4-5€ for the sleeping pills (monthly supply each).

My Therapist is also a private doctor. She charges 120€ per session and I go twice a month, which is 240€ per month. My dad contributes 100€ and my mum contributes 30€, which means I’m down to 110€ per month. Insurance pays 30€ per session (so 60€ per month) so I pay a grand total of 50€ or 25€ per session.

So my medical treatment each month costs me just about 62€ AT MOST (since I don’t always need my sleeping pills refilled).

Now, just for fun, let’s assume my parents don’t support me and I see both my therapist and my psychiatrist in the same month and need both my meds refilled. This would come to just about 304€ (because of insurance deductions).

But you have to consider that I DON’T see my psychiatrist every month, so the more realistic monthly cost would be 187€. And should I decide I can’t pay for that I can still get on a waiting list for public mental health practitioners, in which case the only thing I’d ever need to pay for are the prescription costs for my medication which would still be up to 7€ for the Ritalin and up to 5€ for the sleeping pills putting the grand total at 12€ PER MONTH.

My family and I simply chose the quicker, more efficient option, but no one twisted our arm into paying this amount of money FOR BASIC CARE.

And yes, it’s a lot of bureaucracy (it took me WAY too long to spell that) and paperwork, but I’d much rather that than have to decide between mental well-being or being broke.

So, my conclusion: Cancel America, move to Europe, OR just tell the American People In Charge Men that it is that easy and they really should try a little harder and you citizens shouldn’t settle for the shit you have to put up with right now because wtf

if you wanna cry a little it’s okay lemme know I’ll come sit with you and offer a hug but you can say no if that’s not your thing

anyways love ya

phi

[18thcenturythirsttrap]

The Tories are really pushing this kind of 'culture war' cr&p now, as Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson said a while back that they would, because it's all they have left. The UK is clearly on its knees after thirteen years of Conservative Government. The problem is the very real harm they will do along the way, and that they'll drag Labour after them (because Keir Starmer has all the backbone of a tapeworm).

Also, The Guardian can get f--ked if it thinks we'll believe it cares. Both it and its sister paper The Observer have platformed transphobia for several years now.

[writer-in-theory]

Nothing says USA quite like actively trying to study to be a healthcare professional while sobbing over medical bills and vowing to never get emergency care ever again even if I need it✨

[aibidil]

A lot of people like to talk big shit about how self-diagnosis and self-treatment of medical problems using internet research is the height of narcissistic internet absurdity and an example of millennial and gen z women letting the internet rot our brains

Meanwhile

A friend of mine with a dad, brother, and two kids formally diagnosed with ADHD and a lifetime of symptoms finally went to get a diagnosis for herself and was told that her problems were due to being unhappy in her marriage, not ADHD

A friend of mine in an excruciating flare of chronic pain including recovery from a vulva biopsy was asked by a doctor if she'd tried yoga

A doctor once told me that I should go ahead with a radiation treatment that wasn't indicated for young women because "well, it'll probably make you infertile, yeah, but you'll have enough money to do IVF in like ten years so that's ok"

Doctors routinely prescribe antibiotics to breastfeeding moms who have thrush even though antibiotics make fungal infections worse

Every new doctor I tell I have EDS asks me to do the hypermobility party tricks because they want to see them, even though they should know that doing those movements isn't good for my body

Doctors refuse to advise parents to give their constipated kids enemas, one going so far as to tell me that it would give my kid psychological issues, blatantly allowing a homophobic fear of penetration to stand in the way of proper medical care for kids who don't respond to miralax

An old man obgyn once told me, when I informed him that I was going off the pill, that he was sure he would see me soon, because I would change my mind because "women are happier on the pill."

Girls with autism and adhd are completely underdiagnosed and parents' concerns dismissed because the girls are too smart or too good at masking

I have friends whose doctors will refuse to even discuss treating infertility until they lose a certain number of pounds, quite literally refusing medical care on the basis of weight

Sure, there's a lot of misinformation on the internet, and you need to be careful and sift through it all. And at some point you'll need the input of doctors and tests to confirm your hunches, etc. (Which you may only have access to if you have $.) But how can you honestly look at this situation and NOT think the only solution is for us to research everything ourselves? To diagnose ourselves? To figure out what the best-practice treatment is so that you can question suggestions? When misogyny is so rampant in a Healthcare system, how can women ever make sure we're cared for properly? And if you're also poor, or uneducated, or fat, or bipoc, or trans, or a non-native-English speaker?!?! FORGET IT

I'll be over here in my internet groups where women put in countless hours compiling medical research with citations and sharing health conditions and treatments and experiences. Because the village witches have always been the ones to figure this shit out and also the ones to get blamed whenever something goes wrong—only now the village witches are compiling 100-page detailed guides on Facebook groups on how to combat iron deficiency, while the doctors refuse to even test our ferritin levels. I'll brave the medical offices when I need to, armed with my advance research to combat the bullshit I will inevitably encounter as I try to access to care I need

[ayahimes]

since it's nurse's week i feel the need to say : give a nurse you know some love !!

[dreamsclock]

man i don't talk a lot about top surgery stuff on here (though once again. i MEANT to. i just haven't made a post yet skdnfsdk whoops) but i just want to stress how exhausting it is being trans in the uk. even aside from the horrific recent surfacing of terfs in positions of power / authority over us, and even in a country that is WAY more accepting of trans people than england, i've had to wait four years to even GET on the top surgery list. and i'm not even on the list yet. i came out as trans at thirteen. i am turning twenty one in june. going private is my only option at this point because i'm scared by the time i wait another year, my body/chest/ribs will be too damaged to get the surgery.

this isn't like a Pity Post to force anyone to donate to my kofi or anything like that !!!!!!!! i just. man. trans people everywhere i see u and i understand u and i am holding ur hand. healthcare is exhausting but one day we will all get the medical care we want (if you want it) and we will be happy it's inevitable

[anauro]

hi roc!! i finally have the time and emotional capacity to type my very long "Thoughts" re: dass into your ask box :) i sent you the previous ask right after finishing my reread and i kid you not -- life immediately dipped right after. sooooo, here i am. a few days late :[[ -------------- 1) Regulus as a doctor. Okay, OKAY. I cannot tell you how much i appreciate the way you've written regulus as a doctor. Dass!Regulus -- through representation -- provides such an honest insight into some of the pits of most healthcare systems. I've never gotten to see the depth in his characterization as a doctor until MY sister started having trouble with hers. There is one flaw to regulus as a doctor that i think shines: The way he falls back on textbook knowledge when it comes to james. It's such a good and well thought out flaw. He likens, the hit of nicotine from a cig to that of what james usually takes -- or at least thinks they're somewhat comparable. And james finds this amusing. He refuses to acknowledge the doctor in charge of the clinic concerning James' dental visit. He falls back to what he knows as hard facts through what he's learned in med school, thinking it simply is the most logical approach, when simple, rigid, textbook knowledge often lack/s important insight. what happens? james ends up in pain much, much, faster than he should've had. when james was clearly struggling with withdrawal, the way regulus simply offered anti-sickness medicine and paracetamol to james just. felt. so. off. detached? and i know, in that particular scene, it may also have something to do with his and james' early relational distance. but, it does, very much tie into the fact that regulus, even with all his medical knowledge, has much to understand regarding james' needs and current condition. he thinks the science is "sciencing" but it's not. the thing is, regulus isn't stupid! gosh he's so far from that. and you've continuously established reg's prodigal skills. aside from him being a junior anaesthetist, dass!regulus simply mirrors today's reality. we see doctors as great scholars. surrounded by all that knowledge, sometimes it's hard for them to see how what they know, isn't always enough. they're not all-knowing. and for the science to science -- you need insight and empathy. otherwise, there can be observational gaps. for doctors, it's a tight line they have to walk between asserting their professional knowledge and, well, taking into account a patient's unique needs. when they lean far too much on the former it's the patient who suffers.

i think, the way you've taken the time to write regulus out this way is so... very cool of you. i wish i could've noticed much sooner. P.S. this ask was supposed to have more than one item but -- hehe i've made this one wayyyyyy too long!! sorry T^T i do believe that i have to send this one out first ~

Hiya!

Omg, thank you so much for popping back!! 🫶🏼 I do hope life picked up again now 🤞🏼

This answer turned out to be a bit long so I’m gonna put it under the cut and content warn it as addiction talk and inequalities in healthcare (also pls do not reblog)

So yeah, doctor Regulus and addict James really can be summarised as “science isn’t sciencing”. You’re right, Regulus is smart and not just smart enough to be a doctor, but one of the smartest in his hospital (I think it’s Marlene who mentions it that he’s the youngest to pass the exams and anaesthetics is known for having the hardest exams) and yet James puts him in his place really easily.

Regulus tries to break down James’ problems into biteable chunks and fails to realise that’s not how James experiences it. He doesn’t want anything for the nausea or the pain or the insomnia, and part of it is cause he genuinely doesn’t want to bother Regulus and doesn’t think he deserves help with these, but also that’s not what bothers James the most. He’s not gonna go and take drugs cause he’s vomiting, he’s gonna do it cause he can’t cope with the Harry situation, his parents, his crush on Regulus…. And Regulus’ sole reaction to it is “everybody has problems. Go to therapy.” Which is probably very reasonable and kind of what James needed to hear, but also does highlight Regulus’ lack of understanding of how people who struggle with addiction process things and deal with problems.

And James remarks on how Regulus already treats him better than doctors at the hospital did, whilst at the same time Regulus chastises himself for not being understanding enough. And as Regulus’ feelings towards James develops, he starts to compartmentalise James into his and addict, failing yet again to realise these two are the same person. Which. As you may have predicted, will cause issues further down the line as James can’t hide the addict side of himself deep enough.

But the overarching theme of doctors and other healthcare workers in all healthcare systems lacking to distinguish textbook knowledge from what’s in front of them is a huge topic and a sad one. It doesn’t affect just addiction, but also ethnic minorities, people with disabilities (ask any diabetic how easy it was to do their insulin whilst in a hospital and you’ll know) and members of the LGBT community, especially trans people. Ranging from basic nomenclature issues (only having F or M as gender or font on paperwork being too small or otherwise inaccessible for disabilities) to blunt oppression (not respecting pronouns, asking questions not related to current health needs).

I understand there’s only so much that can be taught at universities (or else the courses would be 10 years long lol) and just the pure clinical knowledge is heaps to learn, but I think that’s a poor excuse for not teaching healthcare workers basic empathy and understanding of challenges they might face whilst looking after patients outside of the “white, rich, able bodied and cishet” population.

Anyway, its a topic I could talk on forever and I don’t think anyone would be particularly interested, but the bottom line is: healthcare workers are amazing and brilliant people, but they need to constantly educate themselves on topics that are not pure science, but yet are inseparable part of their jobs. And the healthcare system should encourage that, both by providing resources as well giving time off to learn all those things and reward those who do. Needing to go to a hospital is stressful enough without having to worry about being, bluntly put, disrespected.

[illyth]

✨✨✨ Two days until I get to find out if I'm bleeding internally ✨✨✨ and then only 6 days before I start weekly iron infusions for possibly the foreseeable future ✨✨✨

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Don’t mind me. Just sitting at the pharmacy while my doctor and insurance play phone tag 🥴

Took her gear off bc it’s going to be a while. Might as well get comfortable.

[scenicphoenix]

I stop my break for the express purpose of saying.... I hate the goddamned weight-loss industry, be it "beauty" or "health" oriented. I hate it with a passion, why is it so normalized for people to slowly kill themselves for something like this. Why is my health providers recommending me to drink water when I feel hungry, why are they recommending things like super foods that are goddamned expensive and meticulous weekly meal planning that is impossible for rural people in poverty like me. Why are they demonizing calories when they are just a unit of measurement for energy. Why are they using a dogshit stupid system like body mass index, and isn't that fucking bullshit eugenics based I am positive it is. Why is it normal to hear people say very worrying shit about food, like "i can't eat this it has to many calories. I have already eaten my calories for the day" and "what if I fast for couple days since I gained an unnoticeable amount of weight if I didn't weigh myself daily." I fucking hate that we fat people are considered unhealthy just by what we look like, and goddammit unhealthy people are human beings to and deserve goddamned basic respect and human rights. I hate that beauty and health standards are literally killing people. I hate that the health care industry believes bullshit based on eugenics. I hate how it's all ableist, classist, fatphobic, and white supremacist based. I hate that you have to be a thin white neurotypical able bodied person to be considered normal and in many cases a human being. I HATE IT

[kaitycole]

US healthcare is ass. That is all.

[genderdoe-sly]

om gosh so entitled so unnecessary !

breaking news! Already dysphoric minor wants benign tumor out of their body. Dr who admits to not knowing much about this says that none of their other patients have gotten their benign tumors removed so it would be sooooo silly to get this one removed. This is despite patient and parent saying that the patient is extremely uncomfortable, there being no financial boundaries, and the patient being otherwise healthy. Ofc, parent immediately stops taking patient seriously after this, as expected after years of inconsistent respect of offspring’s bodily autonomy. Shocker.

(teen also mentioned wanting to get tumor out before they were taken often parents heal care for fear that the tumor could become malignant. Dr dismissed the idea this could happen even they previously made it seem that that was likely.)