spoon 🥄

A lot of you have been asking me to do a "how to take care of yourself when you're sick" post. There's a lot to that ask, so I'm going to be breaking it up. You can read the one I did on colds here.

This post will be about taking care of yourself when you have nausea/vomiting/diarrhea. Those symptoms aren't limited to just the infectious kind of stomach bug, so take this as more general knowledge.

When we are talking about the infectious kind of stomach bug, you want to be very careful about cleanliness. Wash your hands with soap and water (notably, not hand sanitizer in this case- many GI pathogens just laugh at hand sanitizer) every time you go to the bathroom or vomit. If you are sick, do not handle food other people will eat. If you are the only person who can possibly handle food and there is no way around it, wash your hands extremely well, wear nitrile gloves, and cook any food you have touched thoroughly.

Nausea/Vomiting:

Nausea is the sense of discomfort in the abdomen, chest, or throat that often accompanies vomiting. You can have nausea without vomiting too. It can come from things like infectious stomach bugs, but it can also come from things like motion sickness, chronic GI illness, emotional distress, or side effects from medications. Nausea is multipurpose like that.

Generally the biggest thing with anything GI is that you want to stay hydrated. With vomiting, it can be hard, especially if you are vomiting frequently. Always start by waiting about 30-60 minutes since the last episode of vomiting, then taking very small sips of plain water every ten minutes or so. If you vomit again, start over. If you can't hold down plain water for 24 hours (or less if you have other symptoms of dehydration like very dark, infrequent urine, or your skin stays tented when pinched) seek medical care. You should also seek medical care if there is blood in your vomit (red or "coffee grounds" appearance) or if you have a fever.

If you have nausea/vomiting often you should also see a healthcare provider about that. It's not normal to have nausea/vomiting regularly.

Once you're tolerating water though, branch out to other clear liquids. Clear liquids are things you can see through (or theoretically see through) and are liquid at body temperature. This includes black coffee and tea, juice without pulp, soda, broths, sports/electrolyte drinks without resin (not cloudy), gelatin, and popsicles.

Once you're doing well on clear liquids, move to full liquids. These include everything listed above and also milks, puddings, thin yogurts, ice creams, and custards without chunks.

Once you're doing well with full liquids, move on to pureed foods (like pureed soups without chunks, juices with pulp, and smoothies), or if you're really feeling good move on to soft foods like mashed vegetables.

This progression helps give your stomach time to rest and gradually build up tolerance to foods. Most people can go for a many days as long as they're getting fluids with calories and electrolytes, so don't worry about protein/fiber/vegetables/vitamins as much in the acute phase of nausea/vomiting.

There are a lot of things you can do to reduce nausea and make you more likely to tolerate liquids.

Tasting/smelling things:

Ginger is pretty good for nausea. You can chew or suck on raw ginger (which is pretty intense for most people) or get ginger chews or tablets. You can also consume strong ginger tea hot or iced. Notably, you generally have to taste the ginger instead of just swallowing it.

Mint is also a good option. You can eat mint candy or smell peppermint oil.

Smelling isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol works well too. They sell alcohol wipes for prepping skin prior to injections, and these are super convenient (and often pretty cheap) ways to carry around isopropyl alcohol.

Coca Cola. This one is less about taste and more about the phosphoric acid content and carbonation in Coke. Because of this, it does need to be brand name or it won't work. Phosphoric acid is a great nausea reducer. Do not flatten the Coke prior to drinking. The bubbles are actually really good for nausea too. You do have to basically continually sip it for it to work.

Other sodas/Seltzer water. For the bubbles.

Other strategies:

Hot water. Sipping water or tea that is as hot as you can stand can very temporarily relieve nausea. Like with the Coke, you have to do this pretty much continuously.

Pressure points: pressing on the inside of your wrist can help. Generally the bands designed to do this don't put enough pressure on the spot, so try on your own and experiment with how much pressure you need.

Heating pad: this is more for abdominal pain/cramping, but having a sensation like heat or cold can provide some physical distraction and improve nausea.

Cool damp wash cloth: On the face or back of the neck.

Very hot baths/showers: This is mostly useful for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome.

OTC Meds: Emetrol. This is just phosphoric acid. If Coke is working for you, just use that, it's cheaper and you can take it more often.

Bismuth subsalicylate: Pepto-Bismol. Works by reinforcing the mucous layer in the lining of the stomach and reducing inflammation. It also "collects" (adsorbs) bacteria like H. pylori and prevents it from doing damage. It also thickens poop to treat diarrhea. Don't take with aspirin or if you're allergic to aspirin. Ask before taking with other NSAIDs like ibuprofen.

Dimenhydrinate: Dramamine. This is a first generation antihistamine, which blocks histamine in the part of the brain that causes nausea. Contrary to popular belief this works for all kinds of nausea, not just motion sickness. Don't take it with other antihistamines, but you can take it with phosphoric acid or bismuth subsalicylate.

Diarrhea:

Diarrhea excessive liquid or very loose stools.

You can lose a lot of fluids very fast with diarrhea, so it's important to consume more fluids than you're losing. Drink a cup or two of electrolyte drink with every stool, if your stomach can tolerate it, and watch out for signs of dehydration.

A lot of people are afraid that if they stop diarrhea with diet or meds they won't "flush out" the bacteria, virus or parasite causing it. Because any infection is in the lining of the GI system and can't be flushed out, that's not how diarrhea works. That said, before starting an antidarrheal for acute diarrhea (diarrhea that comes on due to an infection or immediate problem), talk to a healthcare provider. Slowing the diarrhea has advantages in that it prevents dehydration and prevents the spread of certain pathogens. But if the diarrhea is caused by a pathogen that produces a toxin (like C. difficile) or if the diarrhea is caused by a food intolerance or allergy, you do want to get rid of the toxin or offending food. So you need to see a healthcare provider to rule this out.

If you have more than about 24 hours of severe diarrhea or can't stay hydrated, you should see a healthcare provider. They can give you better meds for diarrhea than over the counter, and antibiotics/antiparasitics if you need them. Other reasons to see a healthcare provider include blood your stool (which can be red or very dark black), a fever, a lot of mucous in the stool, pain in the abdomen that is sharp or hurts when you move, or significant changes to the color of the stool (like turning orange or white).

There are a number of things you can do about diarrhea:

Diet:

The BRAT diet is a diet to help make diarrhea more manageable. It is primarily a low-fat, low-fiber diet that classically includes Bananas, (white) Rice, Applesauce, and (white) plain Toast. You can also include things like skinless potatoes, white flour noodles, and lean meats without skin.

Caring for the Skin Around Your Anus:

One of the problems with diarrhea is that your butt hurts due to the constant irritation from the diarrhea itself and the wiping. There are a couple of things you can do here, and you can do basically one or the other at any given time. You can alternate them, though:

Protect the skin: Get zinc oxide cream and apply it after every stool. This protects the skin around the anus from moisture.

Soothe the skin: Use witch hazel or pramoxime pads to make the skin feel better. This makes the blood vessels in the area smaller and prevents pain.

Additionally to one of the above, try using baby wipes or water to clean yourself after pooping instead of dry toilet paper.

OTC Meds:

Bismuth Subsalicylate: Pepto-Bismol. Thickens stools. Don't take with aspirin or if you're allergic to aspirin. Ask before taking with other NSAIDs like ibuprofen.

By definition you can't accidentally queerbait. Queerbaiting is specifically using a same sex pair from the show to market the show to queer audiences with no intention of ever following through on a romantic relationship.

There is officially licensed Destiel merch signed off on by Kripke. Teen Wolf had a commercial with the actors for Derek and Stiles draped over each other talking about being "on a ship." Both shows actively used scenes between them as marketing while actively mocking fans for wanting them together. Sherlock has multiple characters refer to Johnlock as a couple, including characters we're supposed to believe are never wrong about human behavior and pushed those scenes in marketing. Then they acted insulted when fans saw them as a couple.

That's queerbaiting.

Done on accident it would just be queer subtext. Done because they had no other choice due to censorship is queer coding.

The specific meaning of the word is really starting to get lost and it's a pretty important one to keep accurate. It describes a very specific phenomenon that was done repeatedly and maliciously for decades and is meant to examine that specifically.

She literally went “debate me! Debate me!” Over and over like the grifter she is and when she couldn’t get what she wanted and when “no” wasn’t enough she resorted to retaliatory sex-pestery, posting an image of somebody’s body with intention to shame and embarrass and spawn more waspish tittering from her internet followers.

The Indigenous people who farmed and hunted here (and still farm and hunt in what land they have been able to keep and reclaim) were able to grow miles of upon miles of crops with multiple harvests a year, encouraging this biodiversity by creating forest gardens with incredible amounts of food from staples like corn and squash to local fruits like pawpaws to European imports like apples alongside controlled burns which allowed fields and buffalo ranges to expand.

Nowadays my state is known almost exclusively for its fields of nothing but corn and soy beans. Driving through in between the comparatively small cities you'll see nothing but fields where the plethora of different trees and plants were chopped down mile by mile, the remaining wetlands drained and flattened, and the rich black soils robbed of their nutrients through decades upon decades of monocrop agriculture now preserved through the life blood of petrochemical fertilizers which destroy the surrounding environment.

This process was done mile by mile as the tens of thousands of Indigenous people were killed and displaced by settlers and the US army, the land measured and sold acre by acre to white settlers who raped the land as described, filling the pockets of wealthy land speculators (like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson) who bought the land directly from the government in schemes so corrupt historians have dedicated entire careers to mapping out their dramas.

"robby should kill himself. save everyone the hassle of them and us dealing with him."

"everyone has struggles, he's not special. he should shut up and get on with it!"

"i have mental health problems and id never shout at people like that! he's just misogynistic and weaponising it."

Your brain is a 25-watt computer.

>research shows testosterone HRT is not a contraceptive so you still need to use protection!

>ok. do you know if it has literally any effect on fertility whatsoever?

>lol no

>ok. so hypothetically how would a trans man on HRT know if he's pregnant?

>well silly girl :) you just check your period :) if you missed your period you might be pregnant! duh!

>ok. testosterone HRT stops your period after, like, 3 months though

>[windows error sounds] well then you can usually feel your breasts get heavier and more tender :)

>ok. what about people who don't have mammary glands anymore? how would that even work?

>listen i don't know. why don't you have a pregnancy test?

>those tests work by detecting a specific hormone. does HRT interfere with this hormone by either making it undetectable or stopping its production entirely or anything? how do i know the test itself is reliable?

>have you tried the morning after pill?

>the morning after pill is also hormone-based. how do i know it's reliable? does taking testosterone HRT have any impact on its efficiency? could it potentially cause an adverse reaction? could a trans man with updated ID documents even access it in the first place since the pharmacy only delivers it to people they think, at a glance, could be pregnant?

any time someone is in any kind of crisis or upheaval, offer to feed them. tell them they don't have to choose what it is if they can't make decisions, just ask about allergies and preferences and tell them you're just gonna make food happen at their house.

friend having a baby? delivery gift certificate to order food to the hospital after the kid shows up.

someone's relative passes away? offer to make them dinner.

buddy gets laid off? ask if you can order them lunch.

pal stuck in a depressive episode? offer to drive them to fucking mcdonalds, if that's what they want.

people in crisis are tired and sad and angry and the last thing most of them are doing is thinking about feeding themselves. so if you have the ability or time or money, providing that is always, always a good move.