#multicare

Sc3n3 k1d r4t & 3m0 r4t (4k4 b3st s1s & br0-br0 du0 (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) ^_^!!1)

By: Leor Sapir

Published: Mar 10, 2024

The Mary Bridge Children's Gender Health Clinic (@Mary_Bridge), which is part of MultiCare health system (@MultiCareHealth) in Tacoma, Washington, and site of whistleblower Tamara Pietzke, offers kids resources on binding and tucking. /1

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Tucking is the process by which boys push their testicles up into the inguinal canal, use their testicle-free scrotum to wrap their penis, and then secure their wrapped penis within their butt cheeks using methods like compression underwear or tape. /2 

The Mary Bridge gender clinic says that tucking is "normal for many identities." It admits, however, that "research on the safety" of this practice, including about harmful side-effects, "is very limited and sparse," and recommends that kids do "[their] own research." /3

Mary Bridge provides links to three organizations that help boys get genital compression garments ("trans femme shapewear"). One of these, Point of Pride, offers free tuckers to any boy "who needs one and cannot afford or safely obtain one." /4

There is no age minimum for obtaining a tucking garment from Point of Pride, and any boy age 14 and up can obtain one without parental knowledge or consent. The packaging is "discrete": "nothing with the words 'LGBT' or 'trans' appear on the package." /5

Here is the testimony of someone who tucked and experienced "permanent damage" to his inguinal canals. /6

One reported case study found possible evidence of fertility impairment due to tucking. /7

Abstract

Transwomen may elect to pursue fertility preservation prior beginning hormonal treatment or proceeding with gender-affirming surgery. To date, there has been little research specifically investigating factors influencing fertility and preservation thereof among transwomen. Here, we review the case of a transwoman who engaged in genital tucking behavior presenting with severe oligospermia, and we review the literature regarding transgender fertility preservation and the role of the heat stress hypothesis with regards to this common behavior.

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The Multicare whistleblower story:

     Having atypical cystic fibrosis is a nightmare! With just plain CF, there is no indecision or second guesses. You have a dedicated care regiment, organized therapy and policies put into place to help you during times of flareups and infections. But with aCF, there is no help...no dedication or policies to keep you healthy and safe while in the hospital. This typically leads to a shortening of life expectancy for aCF patients; just because the rules have not changed.

     All my life, I was diagnosed with asthma. Whoever, when my asthma became unmanageable and I was not responding to typical treatments, a study was done that found out that I don’t have asthma. So you’d think they’d correct their diagnosis...

     Wrong.

     For years, physicians stood by and watched my health decline. They tried drug after drug, therapy after therapy with no resolve. When they ran out of ideas or caved in; it was your fault that they failed and either dismissed you from their care or just ignored you.

     I had one pulmonologist back in 2014 who loaded me up with drugs. His philosophy was that if he could not control the symptoms, then he’d just overdose your medication. At that time, I was on Advair, Qvar, Asmanex, Spiriva, Theocron, Prednisone Regiment, Breo, Incruse, Albuterol, DuoNeb, Singular.

     It wasn’t until 2016, when I got a new pulmonologist, did he realize that this might not be just asthma. With digestive complications, metabolic issues, lung disease and a long history; he agreed that the disease sounded like cystic fibrosis.

     Without the aid of a positive genetic test and sweat test; my access to many programs was nonexistent. To correct the weight loss and muscle loss we added creon to my regiment and that stopped the muscle loss and balanced my minerals and vitamins. With the constant lung infections, we decided to add CPT to remove the mucus and in a year, he cut infection rate in half. Pulmonozyme and hypertonic saline was added to the regiment.

     For the first time in my medical history, I was actually improving.

     When my healthcare was noticed by the CF Center at Multicare, they were very hesitant with my care as they did not know much about atypical cystic fibrosis; however, the symptoms I was having matched that of a CF patient and I was only responding to CF-style treatment. In November of 2018, I was suppose to go to the CF Center for a work-up, but it was delayed after hospitalization.

     I was told over-and-over by pulmonologist that I did not have CF, yet they could not say what was causing these symptoms. The hospital doctors said that everything looked like CF and when they tried to treat it only as asthma, my health rapidly failed. With all that I’ve been told, I expected to be notified that my new CF doctor was dropping me from his care.

     That call never came, however, only 24 hours before my CF clinic visit, they canceled it. However, it was canceled due to my hospitalization and rescheduled one month out.

     Is this typical of a CF center? Typically, a pulmonologist wants to see you after a hospitalization, so I was surprised to be delayed. I checked my diagnosis codes and still saw that I was covered by the CF Clinic and seen for non-classic cystic fibrosis. A day after my canceled appointment, there was an appointment for the CF Nutrition service scheduled.

     I decided that I was no longer being followed by the MultiCare CF Clinic and was glad that I did not drop my CHI Pulmonologist. About a week later, the MultiCare CF Clinic called to reschedule a new appointment that will be my first CF Clinical appointment. They asked me to mask up and expect a long meeting with the doctor, nutritionist, social work and nursing.

      Where exactly this is going? I don’t know!