I carry many traumas, religious conditioning, family abuse, and the weight of workplace injustice. For years, I feared my own queerness, trapped by a world that told me who to be.

It took a near fatal illness to break that shell. Facing death did not just change my health, it shifted my soul. It moved me from a world of self-concern to one of deep empathy. I went back to school, unlearned old patterns, and found my voice.

I have known the cruelty of a "wallet biopsy" and the sting of being judged by doctors who didn’t see my humanity. I have stood in line for expired food and felt the bone deep cold of poverty. I know that poverty is a trauma that kills, I have lived it.

But today, I am no longer afraid. I will shout in the face of the oppressors. I will continue to speak truth to power.

#Queer #Survivor #MutualAid #SocialJustice #PovertyAwareness #MedicalJustice #PovertyTrauma #SpeakTruthtoPower #ReligiousTrauma #QueerJoy #MedicalTrauma #PovertyTrauma #SocialJustice #Resilience #ClassWar #EatTheRich #EconomicJustice #LivedExperience #Deconstruction #Exvangelical #PostReligious #PoliticalEvolution #LateBloomerQueer #Pride #LGBT #LGBTQIA #UniversalHealthcare #HealthcareIaHumanRight

As someone who has worked very very hard to learn how to cope with uncertainty,

the absolute worst part of American medical care is how needlessly long absolutely everything takes

closely followed by how many layers of gaslighting you have to punch thru to get to even understanding whats happening

and thats even when the docs are actively trying to help you

#medical #neglect #gaslighting #chronicillness #ableism #doctor #undiagnosed #medicaltrauma

Let the record show:

I made the dr appt
I remembered the dr appt
I went to the dr appt
I scheduled the follow-up

I was v scared but also brave

Go me 🎖️🎉

#medicaltrauma #traumahealing #trauma #traumarecovery #mentalhealth #doctor

Most disabled and chronically ill people have had at least one bad experience in a healthcare setting.

Those of us who rely on the system to survive have likely had many bad experiences.

When we share these stories with others, we’re invariably told to ‘just’ lodge a complaint.

Non disabled people don’t understand the spoons required to go through the formal complaint process, nor do they grasp the risk of retaliation.

If you’re labeled ‘difficult’ or ‘non compliant’, your healthcare will suffer.

My latest looks at the problems with the complaint process, reasons we may not file a complaint as well as ways we can help support people who’ve experienced trauma in a healthcare setting.

https://www.disabledginger.com/p/why-dont-you-just-lodge-a-complaint

#disability #ableism #discrimination #eugenics #longcovid #chronicillness #MedicalTrauma #ptsd

Today I had a healthcare worker tell me I was “wrong” about assisted dying. That I misinterpreted it being offered to me.

When I explained that I had death offered for an acute and treatable condition in the ER, he said that was wrong.

But then he said it was just one bad apple having a “bad day”

A doctor literally offered me medically assisted death instead of healthcare. It wasn’t one option of many, it was the ONLY option.

That’s not having a bad day, that’s eugenics.

When I pushed back & asked him to consider how many disabled people have similar stories and how many advocacy groups have raised concerns?

He mansplained. He psychologized. He “warned” me. And then he said I was paranoid.

If we can’t even have a civil discussion about the risks, we obviously can’t administer the program ethically.

I’m heartbroken this came from a healthcare worker to boot.

#maid #assisteddying #eugenics #ableism #MedicalTrauma #euthanasia #fascism #disability

Mental health junk journal entry. Acrylic and water color. poem from a Tumblr post.by Rollingblakely https://www.tumblr.com/rollingblakely/782845491714162689?source=share
(I'm leaveslikeglitter on Tumblr)

I don't post the tears at 2am.
When my body screams
And no one answers.
I don't post the meds, the mess,
The grief in grocery aisles.

I post the flowers.
But I grow them
From dirt
You'll never see.

#poem #poetry #medicaltrauma #chronicillnesses #painting #floral #flowers #handpainted #acrylicpainting #watercolor #chronicpain