hypebot
boosted
What Doesn't Kill You Mutates And Tries Again.
Mince Pie Butty
and 1 other
boosted
It should be a given that we don't catch an infection at hospital but here we are, begging for safe access to basic healthcare!
Please sign #MaskUp NZ's petition for mask mandates and #CleanAir in healthcare settings.
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/a-call-for-safe-air-and-masking-in-healthcare-settings
What Doesn't Kill You Mutates And Tries Again.
Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:
boosted
Weight Loss Is Not a Substitute for Healthcare: Part 1- The Basics
https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/p/weight-loss-is-not-a-substitute-for
"The idea that higher-weight people can reach whatever weight healthcare wants them to in order to access care is questionable at best (and we’ll discuss that later,) but even if they could, the idea that people do or do not deserve care based on their body size is still horrifying and is still at the root of suffering and even death for higher-weight people.
This has been going on for a long-time - from holding healthcare hostage for a weight loss ransom, to recommending weight loss surgeries for type 2 diabetes in higher-weight patients (when thin patients with the same diagnosis and labs are not asked to take the major risks and life changes of those surgeries), to tools and equipment that aren’t properly rated for higher-weight patients, and more.
That said, with the advent of the new generation of GLP-1 weight loss drugs (and their relentless marketing as “miracle” weight loss drugs), I’ve been seeing and hearing about this even more, with providers, facilities, and insurance companies treating these drugs as a substitute for providing proper care to higher-weight people.
I want to be clear that I take a firm view of bodily autonomy in general as well as specific to this situation, I would never shame or blame a patient who attempted to lose weight in order to access healthcare or for whatever their reasons or sincerely held beliefs about weight loss might be. I also take a firm view of what constitutes the ethical, evidence-based practice of healthcare, including informed consent, and that’s where we run into an issue with this substitution of weight loss for healthcare.
One clear and obvious example is BMI-based denials of care. This happens when a patient is told that they cannot have a procedure they need or want (for example joint surgeries, spinal surgeries, or gender affirming care) unless or until they reach a certain BMI or percentage of weight loss.
Rather than creating healthcare for the patients who exist, the suggestion is that higher-weight patients don’t deserve care unless and until they become thinner patients. This also quickly becomes a matter of privilege and resources - a patient’s access to care can determine their fate - some patients can get a procedure and/or accommodation at a BMI at which another patient will be denied. Those with better insurance, the resources and ability to travel etc. have a better chance of accessing care.
The other issue is with accommodation. This occurs when higher-weight patients don’t have access to the same things that thinner patients have. This includes everything from a chair they can sit in, imaging equipment, a bed in the emergency room or hospital, a table in the cath lab, an overbed and/or hoyer lift and/or appropriate staffing ratio to help providers move patients in ways that keep both safe, and more.
Higher-weight patients can face a healthcare system that was not built for them. This can also be life or death. I was advocating for a patient meeting with a cardiologist at a very highly-regarded cardiology center. The cardiologist told that patient that if she did have a heart attack, the table in the cath lab was not appropriately weight-rated for the patient and there would be “nothing to do” but medically manage and “watch.” (The facility has since acquired tables rated for higher weight.)
For those who can’t access appropriate, accommodating care, the recommendation is often to lose weight. And I’m using the term “recommendation” loosely here because at this point the patient's healthcare is being held hostage for a weight loss ransom. We have to start and keep asking questions about the ethics of this, the potential coercion (and the ramifications for patients and providers when, for example, a surgeons is being begged by a patient to give them a weight loss surgery that the surgeon knows the patient doesn’t want to have.
We have to ask questions about an attitude that the provider/facility/insurance will not treat the patient who exists and needs treatment, and will only treat a hypothetical patient that they believe/hope this patient might possibly become (after enduring difficult and sometimes risky interventions). And if the patient will not subject themselves to the risks of (trying) to become that (thinner) patient, healthcare will allow the patient to suffer and even die and blame the patient.
Certainly the paternalistic and coercive nature of this is a huge issue here, but even if someone believes that weight loss is an appropriate substitute for care or accommodation, there would be some questions they would need to answer around both the denial and delay of care."
#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice
hypebot
boosted
I'm not talking to habitual maskers here - I know you mask all the time anyway. But if you don't mask any other time of year, this is the moment - the next 45 days are the time to mask up in public spaces. Yes, I know it is awkward when other people aren't doing it, but the pain and suffering, and long term health consequences you are going to spare yourself and your family, the better holidays you are going to have, the higher chance that you won't harm a medically vulnerable or elderly family member, are worth it, no?
Honestly, given an unending, immune damaging pandemic, the only sensible strategy would be to to offer OPTIONAL work from home and online school from Thanksgiving to January 15, allowing families that CAN protect themselves to stay home, and those who can't to have much smaller classes with less exposure, and obviously good air filtration and masking.
We aren't going to do anything so sensible, and now we're all fucked by that. But if you can mask, if you can get your kids to mask, do it now. So you get to enjoy your life.
Facebook post from Sharon Astyk:
Tomorrow, y'all are going back to work and your kids are going back to school. Meanwhile, everyone and their Grandmother has been together in groups celebrating, out shopping, flying, visiting etc... Tomorrow, a lot of contagious people will still feel fine, since Covid, Flu, Norovirus and RSV ALL have periods before you show symptoms where you are contagious. The H3N2 flu seems to be hitting people VERY hard.
Tomorrow, they will spread those diseases in their classrooms and workplaces, at stores and businesses, and in holiday gatherings, and those get brought to you, and your vulnerable loved ones.
Statistically speaking, you can either wear a mask and get your kids to mask, or you can stay home for December (most of us can't) or you can plan to take a week to two weeks off when you and your family are sick in December and then again in January when you are sick again.
Ready to see the neighbours.
It should be a given that we don't catch an infection at hospital but here we are, begging for safe access to basic healthcare!
Please sign #MaskUp NZ's petition for mask mandates and #CleanAir in healthcare settings.
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/a-call-for-safe-air-and-masking-in-healthcare-settings
Weight Loss Is Not a Substitute for Healthcare: Part 1- The Basics
https://weightandhealthcare.substack.com/p/weight-loss-is-not-a-substitute-for
"The idea that higher-weight people can reach whatever weight healthcare wants them to in order to access care is questionable at best (and we’ll discuss that later,) but even if they could, the idea that people do or do not deserve care based on their body size is still horrifying and is still at the root of suffering and even death for higher-weight people.
This has been going on for a long-time - from holding healthcare hostage for a weight loss ransom, to recommending weight loss surgeries for type 2 diabetes in higher-weight patients (when thin patients with the same diagnosis and labs are not asked to take the major risks and life changes of those surgeries), to tools and equipment that aren’t properly rated for higher-weight patients, and more.
That said, with the advent of the new generation of GLP-1 weight loss drugs (and their relentless marketing as “miracle” weight loss drugs), I’ve been seeing and hearing about this even more, with providers, facilities, and insurance companies treating these drugs as a substitute for providing proper care to higher-weight people.
I want to be clear that I take a firm view of bodily autonomy in general as well as specific to this situation, I would never shame or blame a patient who attempted to lose weight in order to access healthcare or for whatever their reasons or sincerely held beliefs about weight loss might be. I also take a firm view of what constitutes the ethical, evidence-based practice of healthcare, including informed consent, and that’s where we run into an issue with this substitution of weight loss for healthcare.
One clear and obvious example is BMI-based denials of care. This happens when a patient is told that they cannot have a procedure they need or want (for example joint surgeries, spinal surgeries, or gender affirming care) unless or until they reach a certain BMI or percentage of weight loss.
Rather than creating healthcare for the patients who exist, the suggestion is that higher-weight patients don’t deserve care unless and until they become thinner patients. This also quickly becomes a matter of privilege and resources - a patient’s access to care can determine their fate - some patients can get a procedure and/or accommodation at a BMI at which another patient will be denied. Those with better insurance, the resources and ability to travel etc. have a better chance of accessing care.
The other issue is with accommodation. This occurs when higher-weight patients don’t have access to the same things that thinner patients have. This includes everything from a chair they can sit in, imaging equipment, a bed in the emergency room or hospital, a table in the cath lab, an overbed and/or hoyer lift and/or appropriate staffing ratio to help providers move patients in ways that keep both safe, and more.
Higher-weight patients can face a healthcare system that was not built for them. This can also be life or death. I was advocating for a patient meeting with a cardiologist at a very highly-regarded cardiology center. The cardiologist told that patient that if she did have a heart attack, the table in the cath lab was not appropriately weight-rated for the patient and there would be “nothing to do” but medically manage and “watch.” (The facility has since acquired tables rated for higher weight.)
For those who can’t access appropriate, accommodating care, the recommendation is often to lose weight. And I’m using the term “recommendation” loosely here because at this point the patient's healthcare is being held hostage for a weight loss ransom. We have to start and keep asking questions about the ethics of this, the potential coercion (and the ramifications for patients and providers when, for example, a surgeons is being begged by a patient to give them a weight loss surgery that the surgeon knows the patient doesn’t want to have.
We have to ask questions about an attitude that the provider/facility/insurance will not treat the patient who exists and needs treatment, and will only treat a hypothetical patient that they believe/hope this patient might possibly become (after enduring difficult and sometimes risky interventions). And if the patient will not subject themselves to the risks of (trying) to become that (thinner) patient, healthcare will allow the patient to suffer and even die and blame the patient.
Certainly the paternalistic and coercive nature of this is a huge issue here, but even if someone believes that weight loss is an appropriate substitute for care or accommodation, there would be some questions they would need to answer around both the denial and delay of care."
#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice
I'm not talking to habitual maskers here - I know you mask all the time anyway. But if you don't mask any other time of year, this is the moment - the next 45 days are the time to mask up in public spaces. Yes, I know it is awkward when other people aren't doing it, but the pain and suffering, and long term health consequences you are going to spare yourself and your family, the better holidays you are going to have, the higher chance that you won't harm a medically vulnerable or elderly family member, are worth it, no?
Honestly, given an unending, immune damaging pandemic, the only sensible strategy would be to to offer OPTIONAL work from home and online school from Thanksgiving to January 15, allowing families that CAN protect themselves to stay home, and those who can't to have much smaller classes with less exposure, and obviously good air filtration and masking.
We aren't going to do anything so sensible, and now we're all fucked by that. But if you can mask, if you can get your kids to mask, do it now. So you get to enjoy your life.
Facebook post from Sharon Astyk:
Tomorrow, y'all are going back to work and your kids are going back to school. Meanwhile, everyone and their Grandmother has been together in groups celebrating, out shopping, flying, visiting etc... Tomorrow, a lot of contagious people will still feel fine, since Covid, Flu, Norovirus and RSV ALL have periods before you show symptoms where you are contagious. The H3N2 flu seems to be hitting people VERY hard.
Tomorrow, they will spread those diseases in their classrooms and workplaces, at stores and businesses, and in holiday gatherings, and those get brought to you, and your vulnerable loved ones.
Statistically speaking, you can either wear a mask and get your kids to mask, or you can stay home for December (most of us can't) or you can plan to take a week to two weeks off when you and your family are sick in December and then again in January when you are sick again.
Current dilemma:
My brother is, as always, making a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. Unlike other years, he's invited a few other folks to join us, after checking that I was OK with that.
But my brother and sister-in-law have both backed off on their Covid precautions, and I don't know anything about what these other folks are doing. My brother has agreed they could all take Covid tests before we get together.
Now: Do I take off my mask, or do I leave it on and take my meal outside to their patio? It'll be warm enough that I could certainly do that, but it's likely to upset folks a bit.
But I've had Covid zero times, and I'd really like to keep it that way, if possible. And yes, I’m fully vaxxed.
For everyone on team #maskup for my Thanksgiving dinner at my brother's house: Would bringing my two good air filters and running them be a reasonable alternative, as @metagrrrl suggested? I would still leave my mask on except for when I'm eating, as I'd set up the filters in the dining area. Assuming there are outlets conveniently placed.
@TalktoBeverley @huskify @vivvo @juliewebgirl @dentangle @fae2535
Billy Smith
and 1 other
boosted
It’s crazy how quickly people were convinced that a deadly virus that killed millions is now just a “mild cold”
It’s crazy how quickly people were convinced that a deadly virus that killed millions is now just a “mild cold”
Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:
and 1 other
boosted
For the first time ever today we got a mildly aggressive dude on the train saying "Take the mask off the kid, they can't breathe!"
To which I responded, "Not your problem, dude."
"Yes it's my problem, I'm in the military" and he pointed to his camouflaged hat (whut?)
"Still not your problem."
And he walked away mumbling.
The three of us (partner, kiddo, and me) ALWAYS mask on the train. And pretty much anywhere we go. Other people today told the Little One "I like your mask", which is a more common event. 😷
Never before in NZ had anyone bothered to confront us, and this guy went away quickly.
Only remarkable for being the first in nearly 6 years to have a problem with our masking.
Mre. Dartigen [maker mode]
boosted
Hi all, one of our members made this radical guide for Covid safer events! If your organization has not acknowledged the harmful impact of infectious diseases prior to now, it's "okay to acknowledge this past while stepping into a new responsibility of doing what is needed rather than what is popular."
https://www.fairairnetwork.com/a-guide-for-covid-safer-events/
The guide is here to help people make their community events and spaces more accessible to all people. Give it a read. :)
For the first time ever today we got a mildly aggressive dude on the train saying "Take the mask off the kid, they can't breathe!"
To which I responded, "Not your problem, dude."
"Yes it's my problem, I'm in the military" and he pointed to his camouflaged hat (whut?)
"Still not your problem."
And he walked away mumbling.
The three of us (partner, kiddo, and me) ALWAYS mask on the train. And pretty much anywhere we go. Other people today told the Little One "I like your mask", which is a more common event. 😷
Never before in NZ had anyone bothered to confront us, and this guy went away quickly.
Only remarkable for being the first in nearly 6 years to have a problem with our masking.
Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:
boosted
In 2020 somebody scrawled "PCR-Test = Idiotentest" onto this wall. They had added other anti-measure sentiments on the footpath but in chalk, so those are no longer there.
Because this uninformed and incurious attitude has become more prevalent, I #MaskUp
#CovidIsNotOver #MaskUpMonday #SaltingTheVibes
In 2020 somebody scrawled "PCR-Test = Idiotentest" onto this wall. They had added other anti-measure sentiments on the footpath but in chalk, so those are no longer there.
Because this uninformed and incurious attitude has become more prevalent, I #MaskUp
#CovidIsNotOver #MaskUpMonday #SaltingTheVibes