Disabled Doctor
PhD. Gamer. Gardener. Clinician-Scientist. EDS. ADHD. CCI. TBI. MCAS. TN. 🏳️🌈
- Openly discussing something that people would rather ignore is generally annoying to people trying to ignore it. But that’s what activism looks like. It’s often thankless, even results in scorn or harassment, but it’s done for the greater good.
- That’s why many of us won’t shut up about Covid and other infectious diseases: We’re trying to help. For what it’s worth, I genuinely wish we were wrong though
- “You are more than your disability!” No. I’m exactly the same amount. I am disabled and it doesn’t make me less than
- Reminder as we blaze toward the new year that it’s OK if 2025 was just a blur of pain and chaos instead of a productive era to reflect on. Being alive is particularly rough right now. You’re doing your best and that’s enough
- Scented products are a disability rights issue. Before you light that candle, do your laundry with scented detergent, or spray perfume, ask yourself: Who else will breathe this in? 1/2
- For many, scent is a barrier. Fragrance (even essential oils!) means volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can trigger a cascade of chemical reactions with indoor air. Scents can trigger migraines, asthma, MCAS, and more. Access starts with awareness. Please be mindful of your scent. 2/2
- If you still wear a mask at all, even just when sick or at the hospital or on public transit, THANK YOU! If you still try to isolate or protect others when you are sick, THANK YOU. If you still test for COVID when you have any symptoms, THANK YOU.
- You don’t have to be perfect to do better. But doing anything at all really means a lot. It shows disabled people that you care about our lives. That you see us as worth protecting. And it means the world.
- Not so friendly reminder that Trump doesn’t see your ableist comments making fun of him for having XYZ condition or needing a catheter, but disabled people like me who have dealt with incontinence sure do. Don’t be ableist. There’s far better things to critique him for
- I had two medical appointments and one prescription pickup today and it took about 5 hours in total. Being disabled or chronically ill is like having a full-time job you have to pay to do. And for many of us (myself included), holding an actual full-time job on top of that simply isn’t accessible.
- Why hasn’t someone invented a “rent a cis white man to pretend to be your partner to help advocate for you in medical appointments” app yet? This would honestly be a great way for cis white men to use their privilege for good.
- If you’ll bend over backward to “rescue” a three-legged dog but can’t be bothered to care about disabled humans (or toss a dime to disability mutual aid) you’re not compassionate, you’re just collecting props.
- Trump has chronic venous insufficiency. Get ready for a wave of ableism from the left. 🫠
- The worst part of being disabled with a complex medical condition requiring many different specialities, numerous appointments, and many medications every week? Automated clinic, hospital, and pharmacy phone systems. 🫠
- In a world that worships productivity, choosing rest is rebellion. Accommodating yourself is resistance. Honoring your limits is power. It’s Disability Pride Month, and I’m proud as fuck of you for taking care of yourself even when the world tells you not to.
- In grad school, I was told by my supervisors and professors to ensure that I hid pretty much everything about myself from my patients, including factors relating to my being disabled. 1/
- I’ve since realized that is bull. I cannot simply will away the fact that I am human too. And I cannot just push my way through things that I need accommodations for. 2/
- Now? I PROUDLY accommodate myself. I’m proud to be disabled in general. And I’m a better clinician for it. 3/3
- My mom is FINALLY acknowledging that her AFib, brain fog, extreme fatigue, and other health issues that onset after she was sick with COVID almost 2 years ago are actually post covid issues. It only took me telling her this for 2 years and then a single provider at a hospital saying it once. 🫠
- One of the most difficult parts of being disabled or chronically ill is realizing that there really isn’t much help out there. From the medical system to the government to your family and social networks, you’re not going to get much care.
- There are no miracle cures, and most people won’t believe you or, at best, will think you’re being dramatic at least some of the time. There’s a reason disabled people have their own culture and community… and this is part of it.
- Is that patient really “difficult” or do you just suck at your job?
- Did you know that the reason most physicians don’t mask is because they are immune to long COVID? Wild, right? It’s just us lowly patients who succumb to it — especially the disposable ones. 🫠