Random thing you loathe right now.

Very likely they’re prepping me for a procedure but they haven’t said anything yet. But they’re doing a lot of tests: ekg ct scans and even a MRSA test. So it’s very likely they’re gonna open me up. So it’s the scan tomorrow and then we’ll know.

Oh no. Praying for you.

Sorry to hear Dr. Incurable but glad you got in there so they could help you deal with it. Good luck with the next steps.

You can do it, Dr. Incurable buddy! Good luck and hope the recovery is fast.

We have a pretty much official diagnosis: Omphitis and it seems a bit advanced in my case: been 2 weeks since the symptoms were noticed, possibly even longer. We are waiting for a ct scan before anything is finalized. I’m a bit upset I had to bother the nurses to get this info, but now we atleast know the problem and there’s a better idea of a plan than we had previously. Still I’d put my money on a procedure because it’s likely an abscess.

Doh!

Keep us as up-to-date as you can. <3

So procedure is likely tomorrow, the abscess has doubled in size even with the antibiotics. Edit: Despite the fact we’ve been hitting it with vancomycin and zosyn for four days.

Damn it. Sorry to hear, Dr. Incurable. Don't worry, buddy. They'll take care of you and you'll be right as rain soon.

Come back even stronger. Flex on that abcess!

Hope it all gets sorted for you as soon as possible Dr I.

The one good thing that happened today (well second I guess) is we got one of the vascular access people to get a proper IV in instead of what everyone agrees is a sh*t IV. Now I can use my hand (it was in my wrist fold), and as I recover I’ll be able to use my switch.

Alright. Early am procedure tomorrow. No specific time given. As of rn I am not on the official schedule, probably being slipped in between patients.

This is an odd one.

I have friends who loathe the Q in LGBTQ and thus I utilise LGBT. Their loathe? Queer was (is) a hurtful slur. They do not recognise it as anything other.

I have friends who embrace the Q in LGBTQ and thus stopping short at LGBT is hurtful and exclusionary to them.

To query either, as a straight cis-male, can be problematic. I try to bounce between the two usages per each individual, but I slip up.

My loathe is people speaking on behalf of minorities as if they speak for the entire minority, and with complete confidence.

(It's also not a huge deal. We don't fall out over it. But it is corrected often, and I do not know which to settle on.)

Yeah, the reclamation of "queer" is going to take some time to fully stick - especially since it is still in use in some places solely as a slur.

The simplest answer is that, for the time being, and for the sake of your friends, you can't settle on one or the other. You're going to have to use, or avoid using, those labels when speaking specifically to those friends.

"LGBTQ+" is generally acceptable when speaking to wider audiences. Honestly, though, the whole designation is flawed. Our understanding of human sexuality and gender is progressing so fast that the old, umbrella terms are either getting longer and longer (see QUILTBAG) or just remain insufficient (LGBT vs. LGBTQ, vs. LGBTQ+ vs. LGBTQIA, etc.).

One of my personal favorite catch-all terms is "non-heteronormative," basically meaning, "I am an individual who does not subscribe to the strict male + female gender and sexuality socialization."

I've also heard “two spirit” used by our aboriginal/indigenous people in that non-heteronormative context. I figure that was covered by the “+”.

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

I've also heard “two spirit” used by our aboriginal/indigenous people in that non-heteronormative context. I figure that was covered by the “+”.

Two-spirit is a specifically Native term that shouldn't be used by outside groups (tossin' it out there so people know). But yes, that would be one of many terms that's catchall'd into the +.

I've settled on queer as a self-descriptor just because I don't want to explain myself to people or pin something this nebulous down to a word salad of other labels that only sorta apply. It's the first word that I really like how it feels. I do get that it's used as a slur that pains people, so I try to be sensitive to that. "Non-heteronormative" is a very good term that avoids the issues of the various acronyms, but it's a bit of a mouthful as well.

I have learned a lot, thanks Mike, Moon and Wink.
On my end I’m safely back in my room and on pain meds, clear liquid diet. Paleocon should be hailed as a saint cause he’s getting me the good chicken broth. The best is sadly unavailable, so this will have to suffice.

Clear liquid diets suuuuuuuuuck.
At least speaking from present experience.

pyxistyx wrote:

Clear liquid diets suuuuuuuuuck.

That's why they come with a straw.

#dadjokes
#ilgetmycoat

I dunno, I spent a winter in Russia living on a pretty much clear liquid diet and it was the best winter of my life.

Dr.Incurable wrote:

I have learned a lot, thanks Mike, Moon and Wink.
On my end I’m safely back in my room and on pain meds, clear liquid diet. Paleocon should be hailed as a saint cause he’s getting me the good chicken broth. The best is sadly unavailable, so this will have to suffice.

Woo! Glad you're doing alright, buddy. And happy to hear you'll be able to play games and such now with the new IV stuff. Kick ass!

My partner bought me some really nice tiramisu since she knows I love the stuff. She then left it on the counter all night thinking it'd be fine. She excitedly told me about it the next morning, and I feel like I crushed her when I said I was wary of eating dairy and eggs left out that long.

Her mother was there, and she too thought it'd be fine...But her parents always leave meat and dairy out all day with the justification "Oh it's cold weather so it's safe". I don't know how they aren't constantly suffering from food poisoning. I just said I'd put it in the fridge and see how I go later.

I feel terrible, but it's not worth risking food poisoning over.

Sorry to hear, Unicycle! Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, so that's a shame.

BoogtehWoog wrote:

Sorry to hear, Unicycle! Tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts, so that's a shame.

Yeah. Heartbreaking to toss it, but not worth a trip to the ER.

My wife can't stand the smell of bacon anymore.

I forgot to close the bedroom door so the smell wouldn't get to her when I reheated some tonight, so she had me spray air freshener outside the door.

Few minutes later, she asked me for something, so I got up to go help her, and found out that stuff stays slippery on concrete for a bit, then proceeded to headbutt the floor from six feet up.

Don't think I broke my nose, but it sure looks like it from the blood.

Oh, damn! Sorry to hear, Bonus. Hope it heals up fast.

It's two am on a Saturday and I'm working. So that.

Sunday night and house inspection tomorrow, I've been cleaning all day but still have a large chunk of floors and work to go. There's stuff everywhere. Finding it hard to push myself to keep going. Start work at 8am tomorrow.

PS the "cleaning requirements" checklist they send in advance is ridiculous, like remove all light fittings and clean, clean the inside of all cupboards (no thanks they're already not dirty), on top of them doing inspections every 6 months. Things are more or less clean and there's no damage, that's all you get.

Also the neighbour is blasting some terrible music. Thanks dude.

Ok, time for a real loathe because my mental health is really slipping.

I've been sorting out my ADHD diagnosis, which has required multiple doctor and psychologist visits. Both of them agree so far, and I'm in the process of seeking a psychiatrist which can write me up some medication. The former two have been free (go Australian healthcare!) but the psychiatrist will cost a minimum of $200 per session, with multiple sessions being a possibility depending on how they want to assess me.

I didn't struggle too much with my studies last year as I was able to complete them online. This meant I was free to fidget or go for bushwalks while I listened to lectures! It was also structured into nice little bite-size pieces. I always took a lot longer to complete things than my peers, but I did really well!

Now that I'm in honors and tackling a thesis, it's just so overwhelming and too much for me to handle. I can't keep focused on any one thing because it's all so self-directed and vague. It's a massive project which I'm left to navigate with minimal structure. Self-set goals, few deadlines etc. It's an ADHD nightmare.

I have a presentation on fMRI data analysis this week and despite how important it is I seem to be drawn to everything else but it. I know what I need to do, I know that I need to set goals, but I legitimately can not seem to sit still long enough. Of course, this makes me feel terrible about myself and then I get really anxious and it becomes a cycle.

I'd love to just have that $200+ free to see a professional in hopes I could focus like a regular, functioning human. But being a student and caring for a partner with a disability means we have very limited funds.

Sorry to hear that you're finding it harder to manage your studies this year. Is your institution being helpful when it comes to structuring your studies in a way works with your circumstances? Sound like you had an appropriate arrangement that set you up to succeed last year.

It was a perfect storm of well-structured course work and the ability to tackle it at my own pace, within the appropriate settings which allowed me to focus. Online study was just amazing for me!

The nature of a thesis is very different. It involves lots of days in a lab, constant writing, re-writing, and way more reading than I've ever done before. I can't just revise little chunks, I need to gain a massive amount of knowledge about a topic which was completely new to me at the start of the year.

Instead of giving me, say, 2 weeks to learn a concept, it's given me a year to just...work consistently around something bigger.

My supervisor has been great, but he's also a little bit...Not sure how to put it, "off-centre" he's a bit weird socially and doesn't fully understand my struggle. He's amazing most of the time, but other times he just contributes to the problem.

Due to some mental-illness related events with my partner earlier this year I have a solid claim for a month-long extension on my final submission, so there's that. It'll help, but it's not easing my anxiety about the presentation I'm giving in 2 days. I just hope I can get medication sorted before starting my next year (provided I make it through this one!)