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autismserenity · 3 months

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know someone who enjoys horror stories? share this one! it's true!

hahahahahahahahahaha aarrggghhhhhhhhhh 3,000,000 deaths due to COVID-19 last year. Globally. Three million. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. The reason people are still worried about COVID is because it has a way of quietly fucking up your body. And the risk is cumulative.

I'm going to say that again: the risk is cumulative.

It's not just that a lot of people get bad long-term effects from it. One in seven or so? Enough that it's kind of the Russian Roulette of diseases. It's also that the more times you get it, the higher that risk becomes. Like if each time you survived Russian Roulette, the empty chamber was removed from the gun entirely. The worst part is that, psychologically, we have the absolute opposite reaction. If we survive something with no ill effects, we assume it's pretty safe. It is really, really hard to override that sense of, "Ok, well, I got it and now I probably have a lot of immunity and also it wasn't that bad." It is not a respiratory disease. Airborne, yes. Respiratory disease, no: not a cold, not a flu, not RSV.

Like measles (or maybe chickenpox?), it starts with respiratory symptoms. And then it moves to other parts of your body. It seems to target the lungs, the digestive system, the heart, and the brain the most.

It also hits the immune system really hard - a lot of people are suddenly more susceptible to completely unrelated viruses. People get brain fog, migraines, forget things they used to know.

(I really, really hate that it can cross the blood-brain barrier. NOTHING SHOULD EVER CROSS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER IT IS THERE FOR A REASON.) Anecdotal examples of this shit are horrifying. I've seen people talk about coworkers who've had COVID five or more times, and now their work... just often doesn't make sense? They send emails that say things like, "Sorry, I didn't mean Los Angeles, I meant Los Angeles."

Or they insist they've never heard of some project that they were actually in charge of a year or two before.

Or their work is just kind of falling apart, and they don't seem to be aware of it.

People talk about how they don't want to get the person in trouble, so their team just works around it. Or they describe neighbors and relatives who had COVID repeatedly, were nearly hospitalized, talked about how incredibly sick they felt at the time... and now swear they've only had it once and it wasn't bad, they barely even noticed it.

(As someone who lived with severe dissociation for most of my life, this is a genuinely terrifying idea to me. I've already spent my whole life being like, "but what if I told them that already? but what if I did do that? what if that did happen to me and I just don't remember?") One of its known effects in the brain is to increase impulsivity and risk-taking, which is real fucking convenient honestly. What a fantastic fucking mutation. So happy for it on that one. Yes, please make it seem less important to wear a mask and get vaccinated. I'm not screaming internally at all now.

I saw a tweet from someone last year whose family hadn't had COVID yet, who were still masking in public, including school.

She said that her son was no kind of an athlete. Solidly bottom middle of the pack in gym.

And suddenly, this year, he was absolutely blowing past all the other kids who had to run the mile. He wasn't running any faster. His times weren't fantastic or anything. It's just that the rest of the kids were worse than him now. For some reason. I think about that a lot. (Like my incredibly active six-year-old getting a cold, and suddenly developing post-viral asthma that looked like pneumonia.

He went back to school the day before yesterday, after being home for a month and using preventative inhalers for almost week.

He told me that it was GREAT - except that he couldn't run as much at recess, because he immediately got really tired. Like how I went outside with him to do some yard work and felt like my body couldn't figure out how to increase breathing and heart rate.

I wasn't physically out of breath, but I felt like I was out of breath. That COVID feeling people describe, of "I'm not getting enough air." Except that I didn't have that problem when I had COVID.) Some people don't observe any long (or medium) term side effects after they have it.

But researchers have found viral reservoirs of COVID-19 in everyone they've studied who had it.

It just seems to hang out, dormant, for... well, longer than we've had an opportunity to observe it, so far.

(I definitely watched that literal horror movie. I think that's an entire genre. The alien dormant under ice in the Arctic.)

(oh hey I don't like that either!!!!!!!!!) All of which is to explain why we should still care about avoiding it, and how it manages to still cause excess deaths. Measuring excess deaths has been a standard tool in public health for a long time.

We know how many people usually die from all different causes, every year. So we can tell if, for example, deaths from heart disease have gone way up in the past three years, and look for reasons. Those are excess deaths: deaths that, four years ago, would not have happened. During the pandemic, excess death rates have been a really important tool. For all sorts of reasons. Like, sometimes people die from COVID without ever getting tested, and the official cause is listed as something else because nobody knows they had COVID. But also, people are dying from cardiovascular illness much younger now.

People are having strokes and heart attacks younger, and more often, than they did before the pandemic started. COVID causes a lot of problems. And some of those problems kill people. And some of them make it easier for other things to kill us. Lung damage from COVID leading to lungs collapsing, or to pneumonia, or to a pulmonary embolism, for example. The Economist built a machine-learning model with a 95% confidence interval that gauges excess death statistics around the world, to tell them what the true toll of the ongoing COVID pandemic has been so far.

Total excess deaths globally in 2023: Three million.

3,000,000.

Official COVID-19 deaths globally so far: Seven million. 7,000,000. Total excess deaths during COVID so far: Thirty-five point two million. 35,200,000.

Five times as many.

That's bad. I don't like that at all. I'm glad last year was less than a tenth of that. I'm not particularly confident about that continuing, though, because last year we started a period of really high COVID transmission. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. Here's their data, and charts you can play with, and links to detailed information on how they did all of this:

Here's a non-paywalled link to it:

https://archive.vn/2024.01.26-012536/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

Oh: here's a link to where you can buy comfy, effective N95 masks in all sizes:

Those ones are about a buck each after shipping - about $30 for a box of 30. They also have sample packs for a dollar, so you can try a couple of different sizes and styles.

You can wear an N95 mask for about 40 total hours before the effectiveness really drops, so that's like a dollar for a week of wear.

They're also family-owned and have cat-shaped masks and I really love them. These ones are cuter and in a much wider range of colors, prints, and styles, but they're also more expensive; they range from $1.80 to $3 for a mask. ($18-$30 for a box of ten.)

#covid isn't over #covid 19 #disability rights #disability advocacy #wear a mask #covid conscious #covid cautious #mask up #wall of words #public health #health care

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swampgallows · 4 months

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There is more COVID-19 transmission today (January 2024) than during 94.7% of the pandemic.

💉 Please get the updated (new, not a booster) Covid vaccine. If you're in the US, ask your local pharmacy about the Bridge Access Program for free vaccines. You can also search vaccines.gov then select Bridge Access Program participant.

If you do not want an mRNA vaccine for whatever reason, consider Novavax: it is protein-based like other typical vaccines from the last few decades, and many (including myself) report minimal side effects. Talk to your doctor if you have questions or concerns.

😷 Wear a mask in public and/or any enclosed areas. "Mask" means a respirator of KN95/N95 filtration or higher, not a cloth or surgical (blue) mask. Covid is airborne, so an airtight seal and particulate filter is necessary for protection. Different kinds of respirators are used for everything from toxic fumes to asbestos removal; when worn properly, they greatly reduce risk.

Here is a guide for proper use and fitting of a respiratory mask.

Here is a short video by 3M (respirator manufacturer) on the importance of fit-testing.

🧪 Have tests ready. With the new variants it can sometimes take 5-8 days to test positive, so be sure to test twice, 48 hours apart. If you're in the US, you can get 4 free rapid tests sent to your home through USPS. Local schools and libraries also may have free rapid tests. If you qualify for the Test to Treat program, you can receive free at-home NAAT tests and treatment for both flu AND Covid, and access to telehealth. The earlier you test positive, the more likely you will be eligible for treatment with Paxlovid.

🔁 If you can afford it, air purifiers and HEPA filters can help reduce transmission. Making a Corsi-Rosenthal box is simple and inexpensive. If weather permits, keeping windows open helps. Ventilation allows fresh air to circulate.

👃 Nasal sprays and CPC mouthwash are other useful prophylactic measures when used in conjunction with PPE and other modes of mitigation like masking and distancing.

🚬There is still a risk of Covid when outside, similar to exposure from secondhand smoke or a fire. Since Covid is spread through aerosols, it can hang in the air like smoke.

🐶 As with other coronaviruses, many household pets can get Covid. If you have been exposed, avoid contact with animals.

"But I'm not old or weak. Why should I care?"

☣ Covid can still kill you or disable you for life, even if your initial sickness is "mild". Even if you are young and have no preexisting conditions. 90% of the original "long haulers" had "mild" cases.

🩺 Covid increases your risk of stroke, blood clots, and heart disease by 2 to 5 times within a year of infection. It can also cause brain damage, which is part of the loss of taste and smell and cognitive symptoms like brain fog.

🩸 Covid is able to infect multiple organ systems because it travels through the bloodstream and attacks the mitochondria, leading to dysfunction and chronic fatigue.

⚠ Reinfection doesn't make your body better at fighting Covid; it just does more damage to your immune system, akin to HIV. A damaged immune system is worse at fighting off illness, more susceptible to infection, and can lead to serious complications like pneumonia. And with every reinfection, your chances of developing Long Covid increase. Therefore, the best protection for your immune system is to avoid getting Covid as much as possible.

I know everyone is tired of this. But if there was any time to be vigilant, it is now. Please, let's protect each other.

#covid

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scientia-rex · 1 year

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Hallo!! I really appreciate your blog and how open and invested you are in wellbeing outside of medical fatphobia and other ways medicine as an institution can suck. It's also great to see a humanized side of working in medicine, so thank you for your openness :) You mentioned recently not prescribing bariatric surgery to patients except in rare, specific cases. If you have time and energy, would you be able to share a little more about what you think about bariatric surgery when those particular conditions aren't present? Also please feel free to ignore this ask if you're not up for it. Hope you have a great day! 🌸🌼🌺

When someone is fat to the point where they can't do daily activities of living like dressing themselves, walking, etc., then bariatric surgery probably has a place.

However, bariatric surgery has risks. Lots of them. To start with, there's the on-the-table risks. These are a lot lower than they used to be--anesthesia in this day and age is incredibly safe. Getting to bariatric surgery is challenging for most patients, as insurance in the US will typically only work with a few centers that have wrap-around teams including the surgeons but also other specialists, especially nutritionists. So lots of patients go to Mexico. I haven't had a single one of my own patients, since I started having my own patients four years ago, get from the phase of thinking about bariatic surgery to actually having it done in the US. I've had three patients go to Mexico and have it done. I will withhold judgment, because I haven't been to those centers, I don't know what those doctors and teams are like, but I do know the overall out of pocket cost for patients is about 5 grand, which is so much cheaper than it is in the US that it doesn't bear comparison.

Just-after-surgery risks include blood clots that can go to the lungs or the heart. There is always a risk of wound infection, which can be devastating. If a prolonged hospital stay is required, pneumonia is a significant risk.

Any time you have intra-abdominal surgery, your body develops scar tissue. Places where scar tissue fuses different structures together are called adhesions. Having a re-operation after that is more risky because of those adhesions. You are also at higher risk for intestinal obstruction, because your intestines can hang up on adhesion and twist so that they cut off their own blood supply. This is a surgical emergency. When bowel dies, it becomes leaky and lets dangerous intestinal bacteria into the otherwise sterile environment of the abdomen. That higher risk of intestinal obstruction never goes away.

People who have had bariatric surgery are also at risk for dumping syndrome. This is a condition where the small intestine becomes overly stimulated immediately after a meal, because the food is not moving smoothly through the stomach into the small intestine on the natural time scale. That stimulation leads to excessive insulin release in comparison to the amount of glucose absorbed, which can means hypoglycemia, which is life-threatening.

Rapid fat loss leads to significant amounts of excess skin. Many people who've had bariatric surgery go on to have skin removal surgery. This is actually a riskier surgery than the bariatric surgery itself, because you are tampering with the barrier between the inside of your body and the world outside it. And if it's done too early, you can end up needing your skin to stretch again, and having stretch marks in addition to the scars.

After bariatric surgery, you are also worse at absorbing good nutrients. You need lifetime monitoring for vitamin levels, including vitamin B12. If you don't have enough vitamin B12, your nerves start to die. This results in pain that starts in the feet, since the neurons running from the spinal cord to the big toes are the longest and therefore most susceptible in the body.

But perhaps the most upsetting aspect of bariatic surgery to me is that it is presented as a definitive solution.

Is it?

Not for 20-25% of people who have bariatic surgery, who struggle with significant weight regain.

So if the most extreme intervention we have--literally surgically altering your gut--isn't enough to make weight loss permanent, how is anything else going to do it?

You can be skinny. For a little while. But attempts to lose large amounts of weight, including surgically, have high failure rates. The 75% success rate for bariatic surgery is significantly higher than for any other method currently widely available, but the risks are also significantly higher. I don't think it's worthwhile for most patients, especially given how many patients are lied to by their doctors about how much their weight is likely contributing to their health problems. Most of my patients focus on their weight rather than activity levels, they beat themselves up about how they're not doing intense enough exercise but don't incorporate lower-impact exercises like swimming or walking, they try to eat less rather than eating a diet more rich in vegetables and fruits and lower in highly processed foods. You can do so much for yourself without ever framing it as being about weight.

And if you've done that--if you're struggling with being so fat that you can't live your life--then sure. Talk to your doctor about a referral for bariatric surgery. But don't be shocked if the results are not what you were told to expect. Don't be surprised when you find that you actively resent the people who suddenly find you tolerable, even desirable, now that you're not so fat. Don't let them sell you bariatic surgery as a no-downside cure-all, because it most emphatically is not.

#the attending dr. kristophine

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lostonehero · 1 month

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More of the new mech au

Because I'm thinking about it and I'm stuck at home with pneumonia

It's an absolute shitshow when the mechs (minus Nastya because she has her limits but did warn Martin beforehand because he made her a matching blanket and taught her how to get Jonny to drink tea) start working at the Institute

Jon is furious he was not informed of new assasitants he didn't approve of and he fucking hates Jonny to no end.

Martin blames himself but does appreciate GP Tim bringing in homemade bread pudding, saying it reminds him of home.

Jonny doesn't have his guns on him because he would never risk hurting Martin, but he is ready to grow out his horns to gorge Jon, and he despises growing his horns out.

Tim didn't realize GP last name was also Stoker, so he's very confused, and GP isn't helping anything by telling the truth. Tim honestly just thinks he's insane.

Sasha thinks this is hilarious but is also grateful to have other people to experience the weird things and maybe have someone check out that appearing yellow door. She has bo idea that they are aliens nor that they are immortal.

Martin only knows they are aliens.

......

New archive chat

Jonny D'ville has been added

Gunpowder Tim has been added

Jonny D'ville changed his name to Jonny

Gunpowder Tim changed his name to GP Tim

Jonny: the cooler Jon is finally here.

Jon: Why did you even get a job here? Why did Elias hire you?

Jonny: don't care

Martin: Jonny, please be nice. Also I brought your favorite mug don't steal Jon's.

Jonny: ok

GP Tim: Man, killed with kindness

Martin: Oh, right, Gp, I also baked a tray of biscuits as a thank you for the bread pudding. I'm almost done with the sleep Mas you requested.

Tim: dude don't tempt Martin. He got rid of all the starters shit in the breakroom when I accidently mentioned I was allergic.

Sasha: to be fair strawberries would actually kill you.

Tim: at least I can handle kindness I can see Gp and Jonny covering their faces. I think Jonny threw his phone.

Martin: he did. Although I didn't mean to embarrassed them. Oh, right, I do crochet and knit, so if you guys want anything, I have an overabundance of yarn from TS who doesn't understand what restraint means.

Sasha: can you teach me to knit?

Tim: Oh me too we can have a knitting club.

Jon: I know how to sew it, and it can't be much different. I shall join you.

Martin: I sure yeah that can be fun.

.....

Marius is sent down to check on everyone. He's in a posh suit, and his hair is barely able to cover his pointed ears.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" Jonny raised his brow putting down a statement.

"Mr. Bouchard requested that I uh change my wardrobe. I'll be honest I don't enjoy it, and having my hair slick back is quite er.... unfortunate." Marius can see a small twinge of sympathy from Gp Tim, who knows he had nerve endings in his hair. He found out by accident giving him a surprised haircut as a prank, and there was a lot of blood and screaming. "He asked me to come down and observe how everyone is getting along. Raphella is in artifact storage, I don't know how she got there."

"Figures." Jonny rolls his eyes.

Marius waves at Jon, who heads out of his office. "Oh, Mr. Bouchard also asked me to tell you that TS in artifact storage needs to give a statement. It said that a ring master ripped their voice out, and it was uncomfortable to grow it back."

Gp Tim mumbles. "Why would someone steal a voice?"

Jon nods. "I will head over there."

Sasha raised her brow. "Who are you?"

Marius opened his mouth and then shut it. "Marius, I'm Mr. Bouchard new assistant. How are you doing with new coworkers?"

Sasha hums. "It's fine. Weird having two Tim's."

"I'm the original Tim. Thank you very much." Tim smirks tossing a crumpled ball of paper at Gp Tim.

"Just because that's true doesn't mean anything." Gp Tim smiles, catching the paper ball.

Sasha sighs. "Boys, please."

"An assistant?" Jonny snickers.

"You're one too, Jonny." Marius huffs. "Please try not to hurt your coworkers."

"I make you no promises." Jonny scoffs crossing his arms.

Martin smiles softly, handing Jonny a mug of tea. "Hello Marius, don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on him. And Jonny finish that you need to drink more fluids."

Jonny smiles softly sipping his tea the heat not bothering him.

Marius smiles. "Are you adjusting well, Martin?"

"Oh, it's quite nice having Jonny and Gp here. Although Jonny can get a bit jealous, which isn't bad but it wouldn't really matter if he didn't keep trying to fight Jon, our boss." Martin smiles sheepishly.

"You're word than Jonny." Gp raised his brow.

Tim slides his chair over to Gp. "Tell me everything."

Sasha does the same. "Our soft boy Martin, who couldn't hurt a fly, gets jealous?"

Martin covers his red face knowing damn well he would kill for Jonny if he asked.

Jonny matches the blush, hiding his blush with his mug.

#tma podcast #the magnus archives #tma #the mechanisms #the mechs

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silverior968 · 4 months

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Vitakinetics - healers and scientists

About the discipline

Vitakinetics, not to be confused with kineticists, are on the more uncommon side of magical disciplines, as it is a difficult discipline to master. This type of adept magic utilizes life energy as its source of power. Every living thing, animal or human, mortal or sorcerer needs life energy to stay alive, and a healthy body generates a certain amount of it. It takes a vitakinetic to be able to control this life energy, however. With training vitakinetics learn to generate this energy on command, and to expel it through physical proximity. Vitakinesis is a healing-focused discipline, and those who have chosen it as their discipline usually work as doctors or scientists. While vitakinesis only gives its beholder and advantage in healing-focused science magic, many practice other types of science as well, as an extension of their profession, rather than their discipline. Some researchers consider vitakinesis and energy throwing sister disciplines due to the generation of energy within the body. Uses of vitakinetic energy can be roughly divided into three different groups: healing, defense and offense.

Healing capabilities

Vitakinetics have two different types of magical healing they may choose from. One vitakinetic doesn’t have to solely specialize in one or the other, and many alternate between the two methods depending on the situation.

Energy healing

Energy healing is vitakineticism in its rawest form, and what most people think of when they hear of magical healing. When using raw life energy to heal, the vitakinetic transfers life energy to their patient. The typical way of doing this is placing their hand near or on the wound, or if the ailment is unseen, simply placing their hand on or near the patient. This type of healing works best on acute injuries, but a talented vitakinetic could possibly use it on something like lead-based liver damage as well, or to hold back acute symptoms of illness. For example, if a patient with pneumonia was experiencing a collapsed lung, the vitakinetic treating them could heal their lung, but not get rid of the illness itself. This type of healing also doesn’t affect things like psychological damage, terminal illness, infection, disabilities, chronic pain or certain types of injury. It is not possible for a vitakinetic to heal someone’s wound and accidentally make them not need reading glasses anymore, for example. No type of vitakinetic healing is foolproof, either. Sometimes a wound may be healed, but the effects of it on the part of the body in question might persist. The advantage of energy healing is that it is very quick to take effect. It does, however, have its weaknesses and risks. For one, it takes a lot of energy from the vitakinetic depending on the size and gravity of the ailment. The average vitakinetic will be completely exhausted after healing a fully grown adult with a life-threatening injury. This leaves the vitakinetic vulnerable. When dealing with grave injuries there is also the risk of the patient ending up in a state of shock if the healing is done too quickly. This means that energy healing takes a very talented and experienced vitakinetic, and in combat situations it is advised to only use it to stabilize a patient. The appearance of vitakinetic life-energy varies somewhat, and some think that the appearance of a particular vitakinetic’s life-energy corresponds with their personality, however this is just speculation and nearly impossible to prove, as there is no objective way of assigning visual elements to something as abstract as human personality. Vitakinetic life-energy’s appearance may range from a dull glow to resembling fire or even electricity. This energy can be any color, but some notable common ones are dull greens and blues, gold, white and opalescent. When doing energy healing, the vitakinetic’s hands typically let off warmth as well.

Science magic

Science magic is the more technical, modest version of vitakinetic healing. It’s slower to take effect, but it takes less energy and can help with a wider variety of ailments. For example, a vitakinetic may channel their magic into medical plants or chemicals to heighten their healing properties. Not even science magic can heal everything, but it can often alleviate symptoms. Science magic in healing can be many things, like mobility aids that utilize sigils, painkillers that are quick and precise, more effective treatments for infections and illnesses, healing broken bones without a cast, et cetera. Not everyone who practices science magic is a vitakinetic, but vitakinetics do get an advantage in the field from being able to distill their magic into their creations. This distilled magic is more potent, and the vitakinetic can do more without being subject to vitakinetic exhaustion.

Defensive capabilities

Vitakinetics have one incredibly useful way of defending themselves: self-healing. The second that they become injured, their body starts healing itself automatically. This makes strong vitakinetics incredibly hard to kill, which is fortunate considering the discipline’s rarity. Self-healing takes a lot more time and energy than healing a similar injury on another person, as depending on the gravity of the injury the body might be working in overdrive, especially considering that larger wounds also deplete life energy. Small cuts and fractures are typically very easy for any vitakinetic to overcome, but a life-threatening injury could kill a weaker vitakinetic, and even stronger ones can typically only maintain a state of staying alive until they can be seen by another medical professional. Some vitakinetics have been known to be able to regrow small parts of themselves on their own, like eyes or fingers, but this is exceedingly rare. Things that can kill any vitakinetic are typically ones that start shutting the entire body down systematically, faster than the vitakinetic can keep up with. These things include, but are not limited to: god-killer weapons, the Sceptre of the Ancients, certain types of necromancer magic and certain illnesses. Vitakinetics are not immune to zombie bites, vampirism or remnants. Vitakinetics typically only sustain scar tissue from large wounds that take a lot of energy and time to heal.

Offensive capabilities

Vitakinetics also have one way of causing harm with their discipline, along with being able to use weapons. Some vitakinetics have a moral adversity against using their discipline to harm people, but they are capable of it nonetheless. This involves using their energy to overload the opponent, usually resulting in shock. Some experienced vitakinetics know how to simply make their opponent pass out instead, however. The downside to this ability is that it expends valuable energy on something that would much easier be done with a physical weapon of some sort. It can also leave the vitakinetic vulnerable if exhaustion starts to set in in the middle of battle. Because of this, most vitakinetics carry a weapon on the field.

Vitakinetic exhaustion

Vitakinetic exhaustion is a condition which sets in when a vitakinetic is nearing the limits of how much energy they can expend. It is the body’s way of making sure that the vitakinetic doesn’t use up the energy they need to live. Compared to the exhaustion state of other disciplines, like gist users, it is relatively mild. It can be painful, but not to an excruciating extent. Many describe it as a feeling of tenderness in the muscles, the slowing down of cognitive functions, and a general feeling of tiredness and sluggishness. It gets worse the more one tries to power through it. There have been no documented cases of uninjured vitakinetics dying from using up all their energy on healing, as the body will typically make itself go into a state of delirium or make the body faint until it has regained its energy. This condition may also weaken the immune system, and lowers the vitakinetic’s capability to heal themselves, often leading to scarring even from smaller wounds. You can tell a lot about a vitakinetic just by looking at what kinds of scars they have, if any. Perpetual cycles of vitakinetic exhaustion can leave the vitakinetic with a considerable amount of scar tissue if they sustained injuries in this state.

Vitakinetics during the war

Vitakinetics were highly involved on both sides of the war as medics and scientists, and were vital in the efforts of both sides. You could recognise a Sanctuary medic by their uniform, which was either white or light green in colour, the latter only in countries where white typically symbolizes death. The uniform belts had daisies embroidered on them, and the uniforms typically also included protective goggles. Stationary medics and scientists who stayed within the Sanctuaries were assigned uniforms with higher collars and ankle-length hems, for better protection against chemical spills. Field medic uniforms had tighter collars and shorter hems for better mobility. Both types of uniforms also included white trousers, shoes and gaiters that started just below the knee. These uniforms were generally regarded as very aesthetically pleasing. Mevolent’s side had uniforms that were similar in build, but aesthetically very different. Not all medics and scientists were vitakinetics, but it was more common than not. During the war field medics often traveled with troops on missions, and stationary medics and scientists did research in the Sanctuary facilities. Research topics ranged from weaponry, the study of different magical disciplines, remnants, and medical plants. These scientists are to thank for most that we know of gists and sensitives. Mevolent’s side’s scientists were responsible for some rather unethical experiments. The line between stationary and field personnel was not rigid: if work was slow in one area, vitakinetics would be transferred to other work, and if a particular vitakinetic’s skills were needed in one place, they would see to it, regardless of their position in the Sanctuary. Some vitakinetics underwent additional training in psychology and served as therapists and psychiatrists in addition to their roles as physical healers.

#not art #text post #skulduggery pleasant #kenspeckle grouse #death mention #this is the first in my series of coming up with more stuff for sp disciplines #most of it is not canon #but we ball regardless #also I'm specifically making these for my sp tfp au

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torturing-characters-101 · 1 year

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Hi there! My character screwed up and her boss punishes her by paralyzing her muscles so that she can’t move. She’s stuck like this for a few months, and every once in a while her boss would tend to her (feed her, let her use e bathroom, etc)

I was wondering what would happen to her body during this. How long could she go without food? How long can she go without her boss tending to her? And what would the side affects be after being freed?

So cool thing about this ask is that this situation is extremely well studied, and we know a lot about what happens to a person when they can't move for extended periods of time.

For the purposes of this ask, I'm assuming you mean some kind of magic paralysis of only skeletal muscle. Skeletal muscle is the muscle we can consciously control, like the muscles in our arms, legs, back, abdomen, etc... Other muscles, like the heart, diaphragm, muscles in our digestive tract, and muscles that control the diameter of our blood vessels would pretty instantly cause death if they stopped working.

Not to say that paralysis of skeletal muscle wouldn't cause problems of it's own, just that those problems are on a longer timescale.

De-conditioning. Muscle is metabolically expensive to maintain, so if you don't use it, you lose it. Even a few days of bed rest can cause a decrease muscle mass. A few weeks or months of paralysis and the person wouldn't be able to walk on their own. They would need likely weeks or months of physical therapy to bring the person back to baseline.

Contractures. A contracture is a shortening and stiffening of muscles and other types of soft tissue around a joint, essentially freezing it in place. This commonly happens during paralysis when a joint doesn't move for long periods of time. Contractures can be prevented if someone moves all the joints for the paralyzed person at least daily- something called range of motion exercises. Once contractures occur, though, they often need to be treated with long term physical therapy and/or surgery.

Pressure injuries. Pressure injuries (sometimes called bed sores) are sores that occur when a piece of tissue (skin, fat, muscle) is sandwiched between a surface (like a bed or piece of medical equipment) and a bone for an extended period of time. Often these occur on bony prominences, like the sacrum, hips, shoulders, and heels. To prevent these in someone who is paralyzed, the person must be turned and placed in a new position at least every 2 hours to keep pressure off of any one spot. Once they occur, they are difficult to treat and often scar badly.

Incontinence. If a person can't move, they also generally can't control their bowel or bladder. This means they're probably going to go in the bed. This can contribute to skin breakdown if not cleaned quickly and thoroughly each time (think pressure injuries combined with diaper rash and those wrinkles you get from being in a pool too long). Urine may dribble out continuously, so a lot of times its difficult to keep the person dry enough to prevent skin breakdown without some kind of diaper cream.

Aspiration. If someone can't move, they can't eat without the risk of choking. If they end up breathing food in, this can result in something called aspiration pneumonia, which is when food irritates the lining of the lungs. This can be fatal. This can be prevented by feeding the person through a tube that goes from their nose into their stomach, or for longer term situations, through their abdominal wall into their stomach (placed surgically). Formula is sold for this purpose, but well-blended whole food also works.

Clots. Staying in the same position for long periods (or even short ones, say following surgery), causes blood to pool in the legs. When blood pools, it tends to clot, and those clots can travel into the lungs, brain, and heart. A clot in the lungs is called a pulmonary embolism, one in the brain is called a stroke, and one in the heart is a heart attack. All of them are essentially the same process- blood being blocked from getting where it needs to go in a vital organ- and they can all be very deadly. These can be prevented with range of motion exercises, sequential compression devices, and blood thinning medications.

Someone who is completely paralyzed needs round the clock nursing care. Between ROM exercises, every-2-hour turns, cleaning up urine and stool probably at least as often, preparing formula, bolus feeding, and cleaning up, it would probably take about 6-8 hours of direct care spread evenly over a 24 hour period to prevent the outcomes described above.

Ross @macgyvermedical

#whump reference #writing reference #paralysis

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leeyanyanyaaan · 11 months

Text

a curtain away - han jisung

-archival-

an incomplete hospital fic i found in my notes from last year when i was admitted to the hospital lol XD can be read as romantic or platonic. lighthearted/fluffy, altho bittersweet at the end but no angst. no warnings except for the fact that this is a hospital-centered fic so there's gonna be a lot of mention of sicknesses and stuff lol. and also rushed/incomplete ending oof honestly if someone wants to yoink this idea and make it better then by all means feel free to XD

"a curtain away"

han jisung x reader

platonic/romantic/friends to lovers - reader's interpretation

fluff, crack, sickfic, hospitalfic, bittersweet ending?

warning: hospital jargon, mentions of asthma (both reader and jisung are asthmatic), pneumonia, and other sicknesses, but no deaths or anything graphic/severe.

first person pov

"great. here i am again." i thought to myself as the nurse led me into a single room in the emergency department.

though it was nothing compared to the asthma attacks i had as a child, it was still rather painful to breath with the intense tightening in my chest paired with this high fever i have, so here i was.

to be honest, i didn't think it was bad enough to be sent to the hospital for, but being an asthmatic, i understood my parents worries.

i wanted to go home soon though...

after the nurses' many testings and medications, in the end, they admitted me to an overnight stay in the ED. then they extended my stay for another day, moving me to the assessment and diagnostic unit. well, at least it wasn't a ward.

in fact, this is where i met han jisung.

the room i was moved into was a four unit room, two of which already being occupied, with one being ready to moved into a ward, as i heard on the way in. after setting everything up, the nurses left me be to rest.

second person pov

you never planned on poking my nose into the other patients' businesses, no one does really, but hearing a loud crash from beside you raised a lot of concern, i mean what if someone was hurt?!

it didn't take long for you to debate with yourself before coming to a decision. slipping on your shoes and putting on a medical mask just in case, you get off your bed and step out from your curtains, now standing in front of another. you inhale nervously before opening the curtains of your roommate.

on the other side of the messy, unoccupied bed, was a boy on the floor, who seemed to be around your age, rubbing his backside in pain. he fell...

"uhm... are you okay?" you ask meekly. realizing that someone was in his space, his eyes widen and turn to you, frantic.

"dude! you'll get in trouble if they see you in here and not in bed!"

"i-i know! but how could i not be worried when i just heard a huge crash?!"

then the boy turned away, face now flushed with red. oh no, was he having a fever this whole time? or-

"...i fell trying to get out of bed to the toilet..."

you look at the toilet in front of him. so that's what it was... you look back at the boy who was yet to get off the floor.

"are you okay though? you seem to be in a lot of pain..."

"i-i'll be fine... i'll get up... soon..." was his weak response.

you briefly glance at the unlit "call" button above his bed. there you also saw his name.

'jisung han...'

you wanted to help the poor guy up off the floor, but like he said, you'd probably get in trouble for being in another patient's space.

"i think you should call your nurse just in case."

you see jisung's hand peak out and silently press the green button next to his bed, which you chuckle quietly at.

"alright, i'll leave you alone now neighbor. but if no one comes in five minutes i'm going out there to ask for a nurse."

thankfully one came in at four minutes and 30 seconds (you we're checking your phone, ready to go out there and cause a fuss /hj).

after everything was sorted out, you wanted to see how the jisung guy was doing. but you didn't want to risk anything more by entering his space again, and talking/shouting between each other from your beds felt kinda silly. then you got an idea... though yes, it did require a bit of shouting lol

"hey neighbour?" he hums in response; you've gotten his attention! "by any chance do you have discord?"

"i do, why?"

"wanna be friends and chat there?"

he chuckles at your straightforwardness, but agrees nonetheless. after verbally exchanging discord ids, you moved your conversation to dms.

HANJI

This is the beginning of your direct message history with @/hanji.

----- Jul 10, 2015 -----

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:06 PM

(you send the wumpus wave sticker)

hi :D

hanji Today at 12:06 PM

hiii :)

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:07 PM

lol u have a cute usrname XD

fits very nicely w ur name hehe

hanji Today at 12:07 PM

oh? how do u know my name 🤨 should i be concerned 🤨

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:07 PM

your name's written above your bed on the whiteboard dummy.

hanji Today at 12:08 PM

you couldn't help but burst into laughter at his response. you heard jisung shout a begrudging "hey" at you, but your contagious (not a nice word for a hospital setting lol XD) joy has reached him too as he laughed along in the end.

hanji Today at 12:09 PM

hey, but if you know my name, then i think you should let me know yours too!!!

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:09 PM

hmmmm 🤔 lets see...

maybe u should wait for the nurse to come in so u can hear her say it 🥰

hanji Today at 12:10 PM

heyyyy noooo dont leave me like this 😩😩😩

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:10 PM

ahaha i was just joking XD

my name is (y/n) (l/n)!

nice to meet you 😊

hanji Today at 12:10 PM

sweet, nice to meet you too (y/n) :)

actually, i think im registered here w my korean name, but u can call me by my english name if u want to

which is peter

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:11 PM

mmmm i think id like to call u by ur korean name instead

or even ur discord usr

its cute ;)

hanji Today at 12:11 PM

awh, you think im cute? 🥺

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:11 PM

i said ur usrname but yknow what maybe i should take that back 🙄

(you lied, you did think he's cute)

hanji Today at 12:12 PM

WHAT

DONT I WAS JUST KIDDING AJSBSKSNS

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:12 PM

AHAHAHAJDBKA

anyways

whats your story? how did you get here?

so jisung told his story. he's an asthmatic like you, and unfortunately he just went through an asthma attack the night before. luckily, he responded to treatment well and wasn't needed to be brought into the intensive care unit. you sighed in relief for him, glad he was fairing well. then he asked about you. you told him everything from when you got admitted to the hospital, about how you have a bacterial infection, but was also diagnosed with pneumonia, which is a no-no especially for asthmatics.

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:20 PM

so since being admitted here theyve been giving me antibiotics thru the iv line to help w the infection and probably avoid it from getting as more serious

ngl theyre also probably keeping me here bc of my asthma aksnamnsms

hanji Today at 12:21 PM

man

us asthmatics gotta stick together 😔✊

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:21 PM

indeed *holds up blue inhaler* 😔✊

after hearing each other's stories, you two move on to more lighthearted topics: your interests, hobbies, music, school; being the same age, it was pretty easy for you two to get along well. despite chatting online, you would react as if he was physically talking to you, and he'd do the same, filling your hospital room with joyous sounds of laughter. it'd even amuse the nurses who come to do their regular check up on you and him when they heard that you were having a nice time with the other patient (though they'd occassionally tease you, asking if you were in a romantic relationship with him, or that it was fate (the latter made your heart race oop))

your mom came to visit you in the middle of the day too, so you had to put your phone down to have some bonding time with her. with her being a nurse, you laughed at the image of her pretty much acting like one with all her nurse-like questions, receiving a playful slap from her. she brought you some spare clothes, toiletries, your tablet and charger (though no earphones) as well as some snacks for you to eat in case you got sick of the hospital food.

'ooh chips! i'll try share some with hanji!' was your first thought when you looked through your bag. then you blushed realizing what your first thought was. god you could not be this down bad for the hospital boy already, you just met him three hours ago!

although you tried to hide it, your mom instantly spotted your reddening face. you saw her see it. you try to act normal, but there was no way you could fool your mom.

"you know dear, on my way in, one of the nurses told me you're on good terms with your room neighbor. you two aren't up to anything are you?"

"mom! he's right there! he can hear you!"

"ahaha i'm just joking, dear! gosh your face got even redder, must i call the nurse to check your temperature?"

you, who now has your face burried into your hands to hide from your mom's teasing, shouted a muffled "no!" only to her amusement. after your mom's laughter died down, she checks her watch.

"oh dear, it looks like i'll have to leave now. rest well, love, and get better soon."

"alright, safe travels mom. and thanks for the stuff!"

your mom sends you a flying kiss on her way out of your space and you play along and catch it, putting it on your cheek with a grin. your mom smiles, giving you one last loving look, before closing the curtains and walking out. you sigh, already missing your mom, but your thoughts are cut short as a nurse comes in not long after with your dinner. yay! hospital food!

"here's your dinner for tonight: chicken and rice, with strawberry jelly and vanilla ice cream. enjoy your meal!"

you take off the lid of your plate and immediately squint at the portion of rice in comparison to all the microwaved vegetables. this is a crime! but then again, what can you ask from hospital food? you wouldn't even be surprised if the ice cream was already melted (spoiler alert: it was)

you shrug and start eating, turning on your tablet to watch (choice of anime) while you eat (i watched hunter x hunter!). not long after, you receive a ping from jisung. you almost forgot about him oops /j

hanji Today at 6:16 PM

bruh i can hear anime playing from ur side r u watching (anime)? 🤨

[Y/U/N] Today at 6:16 PM

help i forgot u existed

hanji Today at 6:16 PM

HEY!!!

that hurt my kokoro 🥲💔

[Y/U/N] Today at 6:17 PM

AHAHHAJSNAKSN IM JOKING IM SORRY 😭😭

also yeah im watching (anime)

im surprised u figured out

hanji Today at 6:17 PM

how could i not

the opening is blasting through this room

[Y/U/N] Today at 6:17 PM

IS NOT

its less than half volume ok

u just live next to me thats why

...also my mom didnt bring any earphones so i have no choice </3

hanji Today at 6:18 PM

ok fair enough

cant complain anyway, (anime) has the best ops 😤

what did u get for dinner?

[Y/U/N] Today at 6:18 PM

chicken with an illegally small proportion of rice

pretty sure we all get the same thing tho

and just like that, the two of you carried on your long discord chats, your silly laughters filling the room once again (in addition to your anime playing in the background). for once, you actually enjoyed your hospital stay over the past multiple times you've been admitted. for once, you were ironically glad to be here, meeting him.

time flew by and it was already midnight. your nurse just finished the regular routine of checkup and replenishing your antibiotics. after making sure she left, you pulled out your phone and texted your neighbor.

----- Jul 11, 2015 -----

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:02 AM

pssst

hanji

han jisung

peter han

are you awake

hanji Today at 12:02 PM

yeah

why?

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:02 AM

ur nurse alrdy came in to check on u right

hanji Today at 12:02 AM

yeah?

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:03 AM

then...

is it okay if i come over to your side a bit?

please 🥺

wait no why did you send a text like that. you silently kicked yourself. stupid, what if he thinks you're a weirdo now! why'd you have to word it like that???

unbeknownst to you, the boy next door was flustering silently, his blushing face hidden in the dark.

[Y/U/N] Today at 12:04 AM

SORRY

I TOTALLY WEIRDED THAT WRONG

*WORDED

AJSNAMSNMS

i just... i actually was just hoping we could take a photo together...?

neither of us know when we'll be discharged or moved out of the room right?

i was just hoping we could take a photo while were both still here

AJSBAMBSMS BUT ITS OK IF U DONT WANNA

hanji Today at 12:05 AM

NO NO ITS FINE, I LIKE THAT IDEA

really!

so yes pls come over, i'd like to take a photo w u too :D

you'd better send them to me too 😤

you huff a silent sigh of relief, glad that he interrupted you before you rambled any longer. you shuffle out of your bed quietly, slipping on your shoes, before making your way to his side, your phone tight in your grip. inhaling nervously, you pull the curtains to the side. (de ja vu much? hehe)

if you hadn't already fallen for this boy, you sure were falling hard now. underneath the small hospital light sat jisung in his bed. he was smiling warmly at you, welcoming with chubby cheeks puffed out a bit, as his eyes twinkled with delight. you didn't notice at first, since he was mostly scrambled on the floor when you first met him, but jisung is... actually quite handsome. attractively cute. you really had to stop yourself from blushing so much so you didn't make yourself more of a fool than you already are lol.

on the other hand, this was jisung's first time properly seeing you. despite your slightly sickly complexion and just being dressed in a hospital gown, he still think you looked sweet and bubbly, just as cheerful as you were in text. that was enough to take the boy's heart. your uncharacteristic shyness made you look even cuter, he thinks to himself.

since his food table was on his right side, jisung scooches to give you room to sit on his left. you scurry over and lift yourself onto the bed next to him. you couldn't help but blush at your guys close proximity.

"s-so... ready?"

jisung grins, taking your phone off of you to take the photo for you, since your arms were shorter </3

"ready! now three, two, one...!"

snap!

jisung hands you back your phone, and the two of you smile at your cute selfie. even if you two were in hospital gowns in a hospital bed in a hospital room; it's a reminder of how you two met.

"hey, send it to me too okay?"

"definitely!"

and so you return back to your side of the room with a silly grin on your face, happy with the photo you two took. you send the photo to jisung just as requested and turn in for the night, the happy smile never left as you drift off to sleep.

it was three am when you woke up to the nurses doing their regular routine. only you were puzzled at the sight of more than one nurse. was something going on.

"hey (y/n), sorry to disturb your sleep. i'm hana, your nurse for tonight, and we'll be moving you to a single room in the ADU after this alright? we'll be needing to clear this room out for the new patients that are coming in."

"oh... okay..." was all you can say, still dazed from being half asleep, though truthfully, you were already getting sad at the thought of being away from jisung. everything went by so fast, you were already being rolled out of the room. just before you were out, you caught a glimpse of a confused jisung peaking from his curtains, eyes questioning your departure. you could only give him a small wave and a sad smile before you were out into the hallways.

it wasn't even a long travel since the room you're now in is in the same department of the hospital of the last room. still, it felt far more lonely being in a single room, without jisung.

it was three am still. you wonder if jisung would be up. you check your phone. he is.

hanji Today at 3:05 AM

you got moved out D":

did you know???

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:05 AM

no not at all

they only just told me before they moved me...

hanji Today at 3:05 AM

oh ok

man its gonna be so lonely here tho =3=

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:06 AM

lol not like we rlly talked physically anyways, were still on discord XD

but i get what you mean... especially now that im in a single room, its weird that youre not a curtain apart

its just me alone in this single room

hanji Today at 3:06 AM

yeah... its weird just knowing ur not next to me anymore

you both sigh at the same time, looking up at your ceiling. in your case, you knew that they wanted you to stay here for one more day before discharging you... but what about jisung?

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:08 AM

hanji...

do you know when you are being discharged from the hospital?

hanji Today at 3:08 AM

uhmm

actually, i have a feeling theyll discharge me today

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:08 AM

oh ok

that's good to hear :D

hanji Today at 3:09 AM

omg do you want me to go so badly

i am hurt 💔

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:09 AM

BRUH 😭

hanji Today at 3:09 AM

AHAHAHSJJSKS

hbu tho?

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:09 AM

since they moved me to this new room, im gonna be staying here a lil longer :”)

hanji Today at 3:10 AM

heres to hoping for your speedy recovery too 😔✊

fighting!!

[Y/U/N] Today at 3:10 AM

fighting!! ✊

now get some sleep before a nurse catches u up XD

you send jisung one of those cute wholesome good night memes before shutting off your phone for the night. you could only heave another heavy sigh as you stare at the blank ceiling, the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor beside you slowly lulling you to sleep, yet the thin blankets could not keep away the cold of the loneliness you felt in your solitary room as you miss the company of your neighbor, and once again you’re reminded of your dislike of the hospital that’s practically become your second home.

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flyonthewallmedstudent · 3 months

Text

Psittacosis

Let's open with a case report, like we're on an episode of house.

Case Report

35 yo otherwise well, suddenly presents with 2/52 of high fevers and a headache (usually this means > 39)

a/w chills and rigours, responsive to medication/presumably panadol and intermittent (would resolve then come back)

no respiratory symptoms

She had neutrophilia and intrestingly, a CRP of merely 30.

CXR revealed nonspecific consolidation in 2 lobes, they followed this up with a CT revealing pretty impressive ground glass opacities (or GGOs)

She was empirically treated on IV tazocin only (I'm used to atypical coverage empirically started if there's even a whiff of resp, which she may not have had symptoms but her CXR confirms this)

eventually she was on referred to the authors, who felt her CT findings with consistent with psittacosis and treated her with doxycycline which resolved her symptoms in 48 hrs

on further history, it was revealed that she had parrots at home, one had died 2 days preceding her symptoms and she was sleeping next to its body at night (crazy)

What is it:

psittacosis is a zoonoses (transmitted by animals, animals = reservoirs), in this case, transmitted by birds. Orthinoses if birds in general, but psittacosis if referred to macaws, parrots etc. YOu can also catch it from chickens and turkeys.

Some what related is Bird fancier's lungs. Which just sounds fancy.. I'm sure it's just an old term.

Bird fancier's lung refers to a hypersensitivty pneumonitis (ILD) caused by bird exposure. DIfferent disease process, but birds is the come denominator. INhaled bird particles

Psittacosis specifically refers to the infective disease process caused by a bacteria. It was 'identified" or reported in the 1870s, when a cluster of 7 swiss patients developed the same symptoms and found to have possessed tropical birds.

Similarly, in the 1930s there was an outbreak in the US with a mortality of up to 20% (80% in pregnant women), also attributed to parrots from South America.

Eventually, with further scientific development, the causative pathogen was identified as chlamydia psittaci, an atypical intracellular organism.

Psittacosis is a significant differential to consider in community acquired pneumonia as it has a high mortality if left untreated. But it is rare, and causes about 1% of cases in the US. Part of this is due to improved hygiene practices and strict importation guidelines of tropical birds.

It's spread through the inhalation of dust with either dried faeces or respiratory secretions from infected birds.

Clinical features

Variable! but the key thing on history is birds

incubation time can be anywhere from 2 days to 20

Flu-like (fevers/chills/myalgias/arthralgias/malaise/headache)

high fevers is key

respiratory symptoms - does not always present as per the case report, and can be mild on spectrum (dry cough) to more severe

if systemic, can also get photophobia, deafness and epistaxis

Rare (particularly where doxycycline or azith are prescribed at a low threshold): hepatosplenomegaly (look out for LFTs), GI symptoms (remember CAP can present with diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting --> always do a CXR)

even rarer: endocarditis or myocarditis, encephalitis or hepatitis (usually the complications of untreated disease)

Increased risk groups:

pet shop owners

bird owners

farmers

zoo, lab workers where birds are kept, vets, avian quarantine station workers

poultry handlers/workers

So ask if they live or work with birds, or had recent exposure.

INvestigations

serology is gold standard - so looking for antibodies in blood tests

it's intracellular - so hard to culture if even possible on standard blood cultures

elevated ESR/CRP may see LFT derangement and creatinine rise in systemic illness

CXR- usually lower lobe changes, if CT is done, you can get pulmonary infiltrates with GGOs

Treatment:

usual culprits for atypical coverage: azithromycin 3 days or doxycycline 100 mg BD for 14/7

Differentials

always broad if systemic features only (also consider IE and other causes of sepsis)

with resp symptoms - legionella, Q fever, mycoplasma, tularaemia (except for tularaemia, the rest are also covered by doxycycline)

In clinical practice, I'm so used to just having atypicals on board for any cases of atypical pneumonia. I really take it for granted. But will consider this differential more myself in cases of PUO - but I feel like there should be at least CXR findings regardless.

Anyway, prognosis is very good so long as it is treated.

Sources:

CDC guidelines

Case Report: Importance of Clinical history in Psittacosis

StatPearls

Wiki

#psittacosis #chlamydia psittaci #community acquired pneumonia #infectious diseases #infectious disease #medblr

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localplaguenurse · 1 year

Text

Pantalone Health Headcanons

This is a smorgasbord of headcanons about how fucked up pants' health would be. Most of them are inspired by @madamemachiko's pants fics/headcanons and the fic Alien Blues on ao3. Those two are my favourite flavours of Pantalone and they have permanently become part of my mental image for him.

I did my best research wise but I'm not an expert so I'm open to corrections/insight, and also wanna hear your thoughts!

ANYWAYS discussions of starvation and health complications

Starvation and diet

As a child on the streets he would either have no access to food or only access to scraps

He would go through long periods without sufficient nutrition and as such developed starvation ketoacidosis, which burned through all his body fat and ate away at his muscle mass as well.

He’s also almost died of refeeding syndrome once or twice, which is when you overload your body with too many calories/nutrients after a period of starvation.

To this day his body still cannot properly metabolize. He puts on weight very easily and it is difficult to gain muscle mass.

I wouldn’t say he’s fat or pudgy, no no, but because his body naturally clings onto all the fat it can get, he doesn’t exactly have a sculpted, defined body, and is kinda soft as a result. The only “definition” he has is his bonier features and whatever muscle he has managed to develop.

This, combined with a sensitive stomach from years of eating… dubious meals, means he is very particular with portion control and dietary restrictions. Some meals he has developed an intolerance/inability to digest, and others he simply can’t stomach as they remind him of worse times.

It has gotten better as he can a) afford food, and b) afford medical treatment, but by this point he’s accepted that this is just how his body is going to be for the rest of his life.

He takes supplements, vitamins, and medicine to cover anything he’s missing as a result of his restrictions.

Bonus: I headcanon Pantalone doesn’t actually care much for bougie dishes. His favourite foods are actually the really, really, really cheap meals he could barely afford when he was younger. They would have been the only hot fresh meals he could get his hands on aside, and they provide a sense of security and warmth. He would never admit he likes commoner meals, though, so whenever he’s asked what he likes, he defaults to whatever fancy dish he can think of off the top of his head.

Stress and illness

Pantalone doesn’t have a canon age, I personally hc him as like 27 at the youngest, but regardless of how old you think he is, he has spent his entire life Stressed and there’s no way he isn’t suffering from it

Maybe the white is his hair is from his age, depending on your headcanon age for him, but a lot of it is from the stress of constantly working himself to the limit

He would never admit this, but he actually has a significant amount of white hair, he just dyes it black to hide it. He keeps the one streak because it makes him look sexy- I mean, it looks charming.

He also constantly suffers from migraines, especially when he’s trying to meet a deadline. He takes medication to counter it, but it can only do so much.

They can get so bad that his eyes start to hurt, his vision blurs and he starts getting dizzy

He’s susceptible to respiratory infections, namely he is asthmatic and at risk of catching pneumonia. He’s had too many close calls as a child.

His heart is also at risk due to the aforementioned stress and disease that has plagued him since his youth.

Similar to his diet, he is able to manage all of his conditions now that he can afford top of the line medical care, but he’ll never be 100% and he knows he has to work around that.

The cold weather of Snezhnaya is not good for him, if he’s outside for too long he starts to get short of breath because of the asthma.

He will also neglect sleep and hunger if he gets too absorbed in his work, he would actually work himself to death if you let him.

In spite of this, he carries on like nothing is wrong. He’s smiling, going about his day, attending meetings with his fellow harbingers and filling out paperwork for the Northland Bank like it’s nothing. He refuses to let the mask slip, no matter how bad his health issues can get.

It helps that he also has a pretty good self care routine to maintain his porcelain complexion and silky hair. Helps with the illusion that Everything Is Fine.

#pantalone genshin #pantalone #genshin impact #pantalone headcanons #regrator #genshin headcanons

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cowboyrainy · 1 year

Text

Tuberculosis in Red Dead Redemption 2

In the beginning of the 20th century, Tuberculosis, also known as consumption, was the second leading cause of death, after Pneumonia. It caused 25% of all deaths, throughout the 1600-1800's Europe. The disease has been around since antiquity and has been discovered in 17,000 year old bison.

On March 24 1882, German physician and microbiologist Robert Koch, identified and described the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. Today, March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day. Before this discovery, it was believed (commonly in New England) that the disease was caused by vampires or curses.

During chapter 2, when you collect the depths from Thomas Downes, he'll cough on Arthur, transmitting tuberculosis. Tuberculosis takes a few months or even years to develop and to start showing symptoms, but in poor living and health conditions it can take only but a few weeks for symptoms to show. Active infection occurs more often in people with HIV/AIDS and people who smoke. Today a diagnosis of active TB is based on chest X-rays, microscopic examination and culture of body fluids. Common symptoms include, chronic cough, fever, cough with bloody mucus and weight loss.

Living in the countryside in 1899 could certainly be unhygienic and put you at risk in many ways, especially when you live outside, like the Van Der Linde gang does. The first sign of Arthur's TB is often considered to be in chapter 4, Shady Belle, when he talks to Herr. Strauss about the depths. If you choose to rob a homestead with Javier in chapter 2, you can hear Arthur cough at the end as well, but since you can complete this Companion Activity before confronting Downes, the only way Arthur could have contracted the disease, is when Thomas Downes breaks up the fight between Arthur and Tommy during "Americans at rest", but it seems unlikely this is a TB cough, due to the short period from exposure to disease (Let me know your opinion :) )

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In chapter 4 after "Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten" Arthur writes in his journal,

"Keep feeling sick but I'm sure it's nothing".

There are three stages of TB. Exposure, latent, and active disease. Exposure is simply when you are exposed to the bacteria. Latent is when the bacteria is in your body, but you don't feel sick. Latent can then develop into the disease, where you do feel sick. The symptoms can be mild for months. This means Arthur could experience coughs, fevers, night sweats, weight loss and feeling sick or weak, for a while without the bloody coughs and chest pains. I think one reason that his TB develops fast is, like mentioned earlier, poor living conditions, bad hygiene and stress. There was no cure for TB back then and the only thing the doctor can prescribe Arthur is rest and getting somewhere warm and dry, which is the exact opposite of what Arthur's been doing / is going to do.

In 2021, 10.6 million people were diagnosed with turberculosis and around 1.6 million passed away from it. It's the second deadliest infectious disease, after Covid-19.

Trivia

The doctor in rdr2 who treats Arthur, Joseph R. Barnes, is likely named after Joseph K. Barnes, a US physician and surgeon general, who served President Lincoln and Garfield.

The doctor's appearance looks sort of similar to Robert Koch

TB was also known as "the romantic disease". Many romanticized the disease, finding the bed written, skinny people beautiful. Some also believed the fevers and toxemia from TB assisted the artistic talent, allegedly helping people to "see life more clearly" and "to act decisively".

Hello! Thank you if you've read this far. I've been trying to make this blog my primary, but that's not really an option, so i might make my primary a bit more personal, so i can interact more with the community lol. I enjoyed writing this alot and hope someone else found this as interesting as i did. Might make a part 2 to this post, but i'll definitely keep posting "essay" or what ever you wanna call them, because they are great fun to research and write (my autistic brain is happy) . Have a great evening :)

Also! Here are some great videos about TB, the victorian view of illness and fashion, that i think you should watch :)

youtube

Sources:

#rdr2 #rdr2 fandom #rdr2 arthur #red dead redemption 2 #history #Youtube

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skyloftian-nutcase · 2 years

Note

So, for the Sicktember prompts, could you do pneumonia/bronchitis/general respiratory infection with Wars and Twi? I love their dynamic but sickfics with them are so rare! Thanks in advance ^^!

Brotherly bonding time! <3

(Click here to read on AO3)

He’d known it was going to be unpleasant when the coughing had become productive. Warriors had done everything in his power to isolate himself from everyone else; he didn’t want to get anybody sick. He’d offered to patrol the perimeter and still be useful while also maintaining a safe distance from everyone. He figured it wouldn’t take long for some of the others to notice he was sick, but if he assured them that he had the situation under control they’d probably leave him be.

Probably. Hopefully.

Warriors coughed again, feeling his chest rattle with congestion. He just couldn’t get the blasted stuff up.

“That doesn’t sound fun.”

Warriors sighed. He’d heard the oncoming footsteps and already had a hand on his sword, but the subtle drawl in the voice gave it away. Turning, he said, “Yes, well, it’s all right, Rancher. Just a cough.”

“Uh huh,” Twilight huffed, crossing his arms. “I know. I’ve heard you coughing for the past couple of days. Did you think we wouldn’t notice?”

Warriors glanced around uncertainly, making sure no one else had tagged along for this confrontation. When he only observed the rancher, he sighed again. “I don’t want to get you sick. Just leave me be, okay? I’ll be fine.”

“You practically missed dinner because you were too busy avoiding everybody,” Twilight noted, his brow furrowing. “If you’d just admit you were sick then we’d get stuff for you.”

“Yes, and then get too close,” Warriors immediately interjected. “Look, you haven’t traveled in large groups like I have, so trust me: when one person gets sick, if you’re not careful, everyone gets sick. This stuff can spread like wildfire. The entire operation is crippled at that point, and if we’re all ill we can’t help each other. I’m—I’m not—”

Here his breath hitched, and he tried again, miserably, to bring up the junk clogging his lungs. He managed to spit out a little phlegm, but the majority of it was still stubbornly planted in his chest. He leaned heavily against a tree, exhausted.

“I’m not risking that.” He finished with a little defeat in his tone.

Twilight sighed and tutted like a mother with an unruly child. “And here I thought you were trying to maintain that pretty knight in shining armor façade. Captain, you of all people should know that being part of a group means we look out for each other.”

“Yes, you’re doing a great job of that,” Warriors commented, panting a little to catch his breath. “Splendid, even. Congratulations. Your concern is noted. Now get back to camp, please.”

Twilight watched him a moment longer, narrowing his eyes. Then he took a deep, exasperated breath, and reached into his tunic, pulling out a black pendant. “You underestimate a lot of us, Captain. I am more than capable of taking care of you without getting sick.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Warriors snapped before coughing some more. Blast, his chest was hurting so much. “You can’t just assume you won’t get sick.”

“I don’t have to assume,” Twilight replied evenly. “Wolves don’t get sick like Hylians do.”

The captain started, confused. “Wait, what?”

Grasping the pendant itself, Twilight started to bend down towards the ground, being encased in a familiar bizarre shadow he’d seen once on that horrid day two weeks ago. Warriors watched, alarmed, as the cloud coalesced into a wolf.

Warriors’ mouth dropped open. “That’s how you do it?”

Wolfie—Twilight—snorted, his ears a little peeled back in annoyance. Then they perked up as he walked towards him calmly. Out of sheer habit, Warriors shuffled away, holding out a hand. “N-no, Rancher, don’t—”

He doubled over as another coughing fit tore through him. A cold nose sniffed at his cheek tentatively, and he heard a small whine.

Blast it all, he could easily say no to a Hylian, but not those eyes.

This was a cruel move.

Grumbling, Warriors slumped to the ground, leaning against the tree. “Fine. But I don’t see how you’ll be able to help much as a wolf, you cad.”

Wolfie wagged his tail and traipsed off happily. Warriors watched him go, confused. Just as he was starting to accept the fact that he might be in the clear, Twilight came prancing back, still in wolf form, carrying Warriors’ bedroll and supplies slung over his furry back.

Exasperated, Warriors took his supplies and glared at the wolf. “Now what?”

Wolfie pointed sharply at his bedroll with his nose. The captain rolled his eyes. “Come on now, I don’t need to sleep, it’s not that bad.”

His lungs decided to argue against his point, making him finally cough hard enough to nearly throw up. Admitting defeat, the captain wordlessly set up his little sleeping space and sat down. Wolfie nipped at his scarf and bopped his armor with his nose. The captain grumbled, pulling the articles off, and glared irritably when the wolf wagged his tail in victory.

“I can see the smug look on your face,” Warriors harumphed as he settled against the tree, crossing his arms.

Over the course of the next hour, Wolfie came and went with delivery runs, bringing food and water. When there was nothing left to do, the wolf stretched out with a loud yawn and settled beside the captain, nearly throwing himself to the ground. Warriors automatically reached over to pet him and then paused, remembering who it actually was. Sighing, he slid into his bedroll and tried to ignore the burning in his chest. He fell into an uneasy sleep, the soft fur beside him keeping him warm.

He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but it didn’t seem to be long enough when he woke up hacking and spitting up some phlegm.

A wet nose sniffed at his cheek, and he turned and saw blue eyes staring at him. It was uncanny seeing Twilight’s eyes in the wolf’s face, seeing the familiar markings, having the realization that it was so obvious who the wolf was slam into his skull. Sighing, the captain waved his friend away. “S-sorry. I’m okay.”

The wolf’s ears peeled back, his fur ruffling a little, hackles clearly raised. He let out an entirely too grumpy sounding woof.

Warriors narrowed his eyes. “Are you… back talking me?”

Twilight snorted, sitting. Warriors sighed, rolling his eyes. He was about to respond when his throat caught on even more phlegm, making it suddenly difficult to breath, and he wheezed, sitting forward with his hands on his legs. He took a deep, shuddering, involuntary breath and then coughed so hard he grew dizzy.

The coughing fit lasted entirely too long. Warriors got on his knees, trying to open his lungs up as much as he could, and he felt guiding hands assist him to sit up more. By the time he was finished he was crying silently from the effort and completely exhausted.

“You know, you don’t have to be the captain all the time,” Twilight muttered as he rubbed Warriors’ back. “You can just be Link. You can just be a part of the group. You can just be our brother.”

Warriors felt his heart clench, but instead of commenting, he asked between little coughs, “Why—are you in—your Hylian form?”

“Because I can’t do this as a wolf,” Twilight answered as he pulled him into a side hug.

“Rancher—”

“Relax,” Twilight interrupted him with a low, rumbling tone, setting the captain at ease despite his best efforts. “You’re not going to give me your sickness, Captain. It’s okay.”

Warriors sighed in defeat, resting his head on Twilight’s shoulder. “You don’t know that.”

“Well, if I do get it, then you’ll look out for me, right?”

Warriors smiled, closing his eyes. “Of course I will.”

The two sat in stillness, listening to the crickets come forth from their hiding places as evening fell. Warriors wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but when he awoke the next morning wrapped in a wolf pet with the younger Link curled into his side, he didn’t bother arguing the fact that he was still in his Hylian form. Feeling more relaxed than he had in weeks, the captain—Link pulled his brother closer and fell back asleep.

#you ask skye answers #writing #sicktember #ask game #writing prompt #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu warriors #lu twilight #I love these two <3

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librathefangirl · 1 year

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Glad you like that silly little mute Mel thing I made awhile back, your tags really interest me about things like how would Mel handle things like eating, breathing, and talking. Things I never even considered!

Oh. I'm so glad you sent this ask actually. Because when I wrote those tags, I was like Ooh I could have thoughts about this, and, well, I do. This basically gives me the opportunity to combine my love for Meliodas whump with my actual university studies. (So buckle up people, this will probably get long).

Okay, so what we are talking about here is an AU where Meliodas got an injury during the battle with the gods that damaged his vocal cords, right? And the DK, being the absolute asshole that he is, made sure it was permanent. Not just so it remained through Meliodas' resurrections but also so it was immune to any healing magic or whatever else Meliodas might try over the years.

Now, I might not have much to add about Mel becoming mute that hasn't already been said here (amazing post for anyone who hasn't seen it). But! The potential struggles for him doesn't end there. Say, for instance, instead of rendering him mute, the injury causes vocal cord paralysis (loss of movement in the vocal cords).

What does this mean for Meliodas? Well... (I'm just gonna add a quick read-more here.) Continue reading for a breakdown of how an injury like that would effect Meliodas' speech, voice, breathing, eating, and what else I might think about!

Before we start, I feel like I should mention that I don't have any personal experience with vocal cord paralysis. I am, however, an SLP student, which is what I'm basing this off.

Now then. I'm first gonna give you all some information (about vocal cords and vocal cords paralysis), so we're all on the same page before we get into Meliodas' specific scenario. If you do not care about that, feel free to skip ahead to the bold text for just the AU stuff.

Okay. So the vocal cords (or vocal folds). Incredible little things, aren't they? But what do they do? Well, as you might know, they help us produce speech. When we speak air from the lungs passes through the voice box and causes the vocal cords to come together and vibrate, which creates sound that is then formed into words. But that's not all they do! They are also crucial in our breathing (since we cannot breathe if they are closed) and in protecting our airways (they close when we swallow food and drinks).

What about vocal cords paralysis? Now the term might sound complicated, but it just means that one or both vocal cords are paralyzed, meaning they can't/don't move. One possible cause of this is nerve damage caused by, you guess it, neck trauma (among other things). One-sided paralysis is more common, while both sides being paralyzed is more serious/potentially life-threatening.

So what would all this mean for Meliodas?

Well, it all depends on the paralysis itself, of course. It could be as mild as just a hoarse voice and all the way up to actually life-threatening issues. Does he have a one-sided or two-sided paralysis? In which position are the vocal cords stuck? If his vocal cords are in a more or less closed position, his voice would be less effected but he would have serious issues with his breathing, since the vocal cords need to be open for air to pass through. (He might even need to get a hole cut in his throat to breathe through instead!). If his vocal cords instead are in a more or less open position, he could struggle to produce any voice at all, as well as get winded really easily and probably have issues with eating/drinking as well, since he can't properly protect his airways anymore. He might risk getting pneumonia as a result of drink and food ending up in the lungs instead of the stomach. Even a one-sided paralysis could seriously impact these areas (voice/speech, breathing, eating).

For simplicity's sake, let's focus on one specific scenario. During the battle with their parents, Meliodas suffered an injury to his neck. That the DK then made sure was permanent. This injury damaged some of his nerves, resulting in a one-sided vocal cord paralysis. One of his vocal cords can still move as normal but the other is stuck where it is, immobile. This means that Meliodas can no longer properly close his vocal cords and air leaks out between them. Because of this Meliodas struggles to keep his breath. He gets winded way easily than before, loses his breath more often, struggles with shortness of breath and has a much more noisy breathing. When he speaks, he needs to do so in shorter sentences than before, or stop in the middle of his sentences to breathe - because the air just isn't enough anymore.

He also can't speak as loudly as before or in a high pitch. His voice itself is now hoarse and breathy. A lot of days, Meliodas also suffers from vocal fatigue. You know how your legs will get tired and ache if you run too much? Yeah, that. Except its his voice and his neck muscles instead. Actually, he gets more tired in general than he did before. He has to put so much more effort and energy into speaking nowadays. When Meliodas eats or drinks, he ends up choking and coughing a lot more often than he did before. He also clears his throat more frequently too, and when he coughs it isn't as efficient as it used to be.

Of course, this is all taking its toll emotionally as well. It's all very frustrating for him. I mean, speaking, eating, breathing - these are all things we take for granted. Until the day they don't work as they should anymore. Meliodas also finds himself avoiding places he would otherwise enjoy, like taverns and festivals. They're just too noisy. It takes too much effort to make himself heard in those places. He much more prefers it when it's just him and the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins back at home. Or when he doesn't have to speak/use his voice. Some days, it's hard enough with training and making himself heard in the castle's big rooms or when he has to address a lot of people. The other Sins are supportive of course, even if they don't understand how he ended with an injury like this and why healing magic won't work on it, but it's still hard. Especially when Merlin's only remaining ideas start with breaking curse, which they're still not sure how to do even after all these years. Well, except with the Commandments, but that's not an option Meliodas is ready to face.

(Now I could also get more into Meliodas' communication with others and different ways he and they could help him make himself heard. It's especially interesting to think about given the canon time and setting. But I feel like this post is long enough as it is. Who knows, maybe I'll make a part 2 to this AU.)

---

Now, did you actually ask for a looong essay-story answer? No, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. (That goes out to anyone who made it all the way to the end!)

#angsty and educational whump #meliodas gets vocal cord paralysis #nnt au #meliodas nnt #nanatsu no taizai #seven deadly sins #libra talks #libra answers #soniclozdplove

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dhaaruni · 1 year

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i'm curious to hear your thoughts on the demisexual podcast

So we're talking about this article, and its corresponding podcast.

Here's my response under the cut.

I read the article and listened to the podcast and I still honestly think demisexuality is fake lmao. It doesn't make you queer or otherwise ~unique that you wait to have sex until you know and trust the person, especially as a woman where there are substantial risks to casual sex, and I don't just mean pregnancy and STIs. I said this a while ago but for the first month or so when I'm seeing a guy or going on a first date, I always let someone know, whether it's a friend or my parents, because the reality is that many men are violent, and having sex with someone you don't know puts you in a vulnerable state where it's easy to be victimized. The way I frame it to men, namely those who'd never dream of being violent to women, is that 1/4 of women are victims of sexual violence but 1/4 men are not sexually violent since most predators are serial assaulters. Does that make sense?

I totally agree with the idea that it's really cringe and even harmful that we're encouraging teenagers to construct permanent identities to temporary feelings. Plenty of young teenagers are uncomfortable about sex, and claiming that state is permanent will only mess with their minds as they grow older and more comfortable with their sexualities. If you're 14 and uncomfortable with the idea of sex, you aren't demisexual, you're just 14 lol. I think parents should validate their children's identities obviously but allowing them to define themselves on things they may not even feel in a few years is detrimental to their development.

I think that there is kind of a tie between demisexuals and incels, both male and female. There's been a lot of focus on male incels, who want to have sex with women but can't do so for a number of reasons, but I think that female incels do exist although of course, a major difference is that male incels traditionally blame women while female incels blame themselves. It's not female incels who are shooting up colleges over not getting laid, it's the Elliot Rodgers of the world. But that said, I almost feel like female incels will cling onto demisexuality or even asexuality in a way to detract from the pain of social rejection. Like, if they're demisexual or asexual, they can rationalize their not being considered sexually attractive by others as a moot point since they only feel sexually attracted to those they have emotional connections with anyways or not at all. It's kind of a coping mechanism, you know?

There's also something to be said about adults who still identify as demisexual like it begs the question: why? Why do you need a unique identity that literally means "I only have sex when I feel comfortable with my partner?" That doesn't make you unique, that makes you a normal person. I think there's something to be said where women are uncomfortable being like, sexual adults but not sexually available like it's almost as if women are conditioned to feel apologetic for not being sexually available at the beck and all of men, so they construct this whole silly identity so they have an excuse to say no so to speak.

Speaking anecdotally, I've honestly a lot of hate for being selectively sexually available like I 100% got more slander (so to speak) in college than either women that were celibate or women that were very promiscuous because I always had agency. It was my choice, and I don't mean that as a feminist statement or anything, I just was conditioned to not do anything unless I felt like it, and that carried over from not taking my medicine as a little kid and ending up in the hospital with pneumonia as a result to refusing to have sex with people in college unless I felt like it in which case I'd have sex with them 2 hours after meeting them lmao.

Sorry for rambling but I hope this was interesting to you! Let me know what you guys think as well.

#answered #anonymous #sex cw #podcasts #links

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meret118 · 6 months

Text

Earlier this month, a study in Lancet showed that 54% of those infected in the first months of the pandemic were still experiencing symptoms over three years later.

. . .

Papers showing that COVID-19 caused a significant depletion in critical elements of the immune system go back to the early months of the pandemic. There are now over 100 studies showing this effect. That includes evidence that COVID-19 causes an effect on the immune system similar to abrupt aging. That effect could be why survivors of COVID-19 have a higher risk of death that extends at least a year after their infection.

. . .

A year after COVID-19 surged across the United States, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials noted an unusual wave of RSV virus in the United States. That disease is usually seasonal, striking over the winter along with the flu. Something similar happened the following year, with both flu and RSV surging well ahead of their regular season. In fact, NBC News noted that children were having severe symptoms not just from this early resurgence of normal respiratory diseases, but seeing infections from “parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, rhinoviruses and enteroviruses in ways never before imagined.”

Scientists soon put forward an idea that became heavily promoted by news media and angrily talked up by pundits. That idea, as reported by CNN, was that there was an “immunity gap” caused by “lockdowns, physical distancing, wearing masks, washing hands.” This supposed immunity gap was blamed for the early surge in RSV and the resurgence of other diseases. As The Washington Post put it, “Experts agree that people did the right thing by wearing masks and socially distancing because of the coronavirus, but the lack of interaction with germs also made our bodies far less resilient to disease.”

This is, to put it kindly, bullshit. To put it more precisely, it’s deadly disinformation.

As that World Health article notes, the immune system is not a muscle. It doesn’t benefit from exercise and it doesn’t get stronger from repeated use. In fact, fighting off infection can leave the immune system depleted, even when that inflection doesn’t include a virus that directly attacks the components of the immune system. And COVID-19 directly attacks components of the immune system.

. . .

while COVID-19 infections in children are more likely to be asymptomatic than in other age groups, that doesn’t mean children aren’t carrying high viral loads. In fact, young children often show higher levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, even while displaying few symptoms associated with COVID-19 in adults.

An early study of children who suffered severe effects from COVID-19 infection found a direct connection to changes in the immune system resulting in “hyperinflammation.” That finding is right in line with the findings of a study reported by the National Institutes of Health in August showing that COVID-19 alters the expression of genes within some immune system cells, leading to high levels of inflammation.

. . .

In 2022, The Washington Post reported that pediatric hospitals had a shortage of beds. There was a specific shortage of ICU beds for children suffering from severe pneumonia or other respiratory illness. One doctor who specialized in infectious diseases said he hadn’t seen anything like it during his 30-year career.