Fight Me

We do get it, you know. Most of us vets were poor students at some point, and understand that money doesn’t grow on trees. Ideally our beloved pets would have regular health checks, every 6 to 12 months depending on their age and any medical conditions, but that’s not always possible when funds are limited and could be used for other things, like fixing the car, school fees, rent, your own medical expenses, etc.

Most people just do not know when something is wrong with their pet, they think it’s ‘healthy’ and are surprised or horrified or distrustful when they do get to a vet clinic only to be told there is actually something that needs addressing. Most don’t know what to look for, but many aren’t looking at all. So how can you check your pet and what can you look for to determine whether or not you can put that regular health check off by a month or so.

These at-home checks are not a substitute for a clinical exam by a registered veterinarian, and are not intended to be. They are simply an idea as to whether you can wait a little while longer before that vet check, or really need to prioritize your pet’s health asap. Always take the advice of your treating veterinarian over anything you read on the internet, including this!

These guides are for dogs and cats, and I’m going to start at the front, and work towards the back of the animal. This is not a complete exam, just a list of things I’d reasonably expect someone to be able to notice at home, if they know where to look. It is also not going to provide you a diagnosis based on these findings, that’s what a vet visit is for.

The fact that people with BPD, a majority of whom developed the disorder in part due to some sort of traumatic experience or multiple traumatic experiences (though by no means all, BPD has a high comorbidity with PTSD and people with BPD are frequently documented as being survivors of abuse or trauma of some kind), are treated with further trauma and abuse when first encountering mental health professionals and/or being diagnosed, is evidence of how much these misconceptions infiltrate the training professionals receive.

I don’t know yet if I’m going to be open with my diagnosis of having BPD in grad school. It’s certainly presented its’ challenges in my interpersonal life because most people either don’t know what BPD is or they have negative beliefs about us if they do. 

 If you don’t have bpd, it is impossible to explain how much this effects our lives. (My life at least because people casually get offended when i generalize what i mean with people like me in mind.)

Just. My point is, I am tired of having no grays.

I either try to starve myself while feeling guilty for not eating healthy or I eat 5 chocolate bars in a row and then spent the rest of the day feeling disgusting and fat.

It is just chocolate. I can’t enjoy a fucking chocholate.

And not just that either;

I don’t go out for months and then one day at a weird ass hour I am out there trying to figure out things to do so I don’t have to go back home any time soon.

I ignore cleaning my room for weeks and then I am cleaning between the tiles with a toothbrush because there may be dirt in there.

I don’t shower for days, sometimes almost weeks, and then I am busy spending an entire day with beauty products because self care is important.

I hate myself for who I became because it is my fault or I hate people who made me this way because it is not my fault.

All I need to get my life back together is just to start doing something but then I see no point in trying because no matter what I do I know it will never be enough to get my life back together ever again.