☮ Social ☮ [PD Social General Talk Thread] Observation Tank for Fractallized Redundancy Modules

[yepyepwoah]

Lifehack 101. If you feel the need to go to a doctor for antibiotics. They sell many of them at pet stores, fuck a doctor.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Finally back from California guys. I had a lot of fun, and learned I have a very real fear of flying. Tonight was probably one of the scariest experiences of my life. I'm too tired and frazzled to tell all about my trip, so I'll leave it till tomorrow. Glad to be back though.

Gonna go eat some chow and smoke some pot to calm my nerves.

 

[spacejunk]

Lifehack 101. If you feel the need to go to a doctor for antibiotics. They sell many of them at pet stores, fuck a doctor.

I'm no expert, but considering the threat of antibiotic resistance, this doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

God, the American health system is terrifying if you guys seriously have to resort to this sort of measure.
One of the wealthiest countries in the world and you guys have to juggle money and prioritise when it comes to something as simple as seeing a doctor.
Without wanting to digress into some political or nationalistic discussion - i gotta say i feel sorry for my stateside friends (and family) when it comes to the cost of healthcare over there.
I've always lived off very, very little money, and to think that this alone would have prevented me from getting necessary medical care (if i were american) is really sad. I've had so much medical treatment that hasn't cost a cent.

Spent a month all-up in hospitals last year; weekly CBT, inpatient detox, MRI and EEG scans...not a cent out of pocket. Sometimes i forget how lucky i am to be in a country that demands universal health care for its people.
There shouldnt be a dollar value on your health
I hope you feel better soon xork.

 

[Img_9999]

I've always lived off very, very little money, and to think that this alone would have prevented me from getting necessary medical care (if i were american) is really sad. I've had so much medical treatment that hasn't cost a cent.
.

If you are scarred of the northamerican health system, try living in Southamerica

We have all of the failures of a private health system, an incompetent public system, but live with much less money.

Yeah, not to turn this into a political discussion, but our health system is beyond fucked up.

 

[spacejunk]

Yeah, i hear you. That sucks.
I totally neglected to mention the health situation in less wealthy nations - overlooking the sorry state of much of the world's medical services makes me realise all the more how lucky i am to live in Australia, with our health system.
It's nothing to take for granted or be complacent about

I wish people's basic needs were a higher priority in this world.
So much time and money spent on all the wrong things.

Walked through a new waterfront development in my hometown last night - and man, it's ugly.
Meanwhile the health system (which is overseen by the same state government that paid for the pretentious waterfront) has cut thousands of staff in our hospitals.
Doesnt just cause medical problems, but worries my girl, who is a nurse and will be looking for work in July.

Is anything more fundamental to human society than health? I cant see that there is.
...likewise - health should be a point of major consideration for us drug users, more than it is for most.
Though, i find people primarily interested in psychedlics often have a healthy outlook on matters of personal wellbeing.
I know that my psychedelic phases have often brought health considerations to the forefront of my mind.

Tripping has given rise to new perspectives on lots of health issues for me personally.
Whether it has been having greater concern for my teeth, eating healthy or deciding to quit alcohol - i feel psychedelics (overall) have had a positive influence on my health.
Which isn't to say i havent taken some stupid risks in my psychonaut adventures. But as i get older, the whole HR thing comes more and more naturally into my thoughts.

 

[vortech]

Vortech checking in. Wow what a load of processing has been done on my end in the last couple months. 2016 has been a year of seeing the light in so many ways, and I'm sure it will continue as such.
Love has healed me. Real love, man, people don't know the real value of it and utilize it enough in the first world, sometimes, but just when things feel like they are at they at their darkest ends, we see the light and all becomes well and connected again. Anyway its hard not to speak in metaphors and such in order to encapsulate the magnitude of shifting tides on this planet. Today was a big shift in tides for the better, and I am grateful to be alive to experience it, to be a part of it, to share it, to help it all connect. I pray that we all hold hands in this wave of change and persistence of life. If I'm starting to sound a little loose on the sockets, well its because I am, but I hope the message gets through all the same. Presently I am sparked up on a combination of tianeptine and 3-meo-pcp, a magical concoction that hits the love receptors, and to see it manifest as a projection of love all around me is a gift from God. Bless it.

 

[Xorkoth]

Careful with tianeptine, man... I know you've had opiate issues before, and tianeptine hits the mu opioid receptor. My friend got addicted to it and she said it was the worst withdrawals she's ever felt, and she used to be addicted to IV heroin.

God, the American health system is terrifying if you guys seriously have to resort to this sort of measure.
One of the wealthiest countries in the world and you guys have to juggle money and prioritise when it comes to something as simple as seeing a doctor.
Without wanting to digress into some political or nationalistic discussion - i gotta say i feel sorry for my stateside friends (and family) when it comes to the cost of healthcare over there.
I've always lived off very, very little money, and to think that this alone would have prevented me from getting necessary medical care (if i were american) is really sad. I've had so much medical treatment that hasn't cost a cent.

Spent a month all-up in hospitals last year; weekly CBT, inpatient detox, MRI and EEG scans...not a cent out of pocket. Sometimes i forget how lucky i am to be in a country that demands universal health care for its people.
There shouldnt be a dollar value on your health
I hope you feel better soon xork.

Yeah it's pretty messed up. I'm lucky too, because I have good health insurance (though it costs me ~$150 a month through work), and I just have to pay copays of $20 for a GP visit, $40 for a specialist, and $100 for an ER visit, once my $400 yearly out of pocket has been met. Some of my friends don't have health insurance at all... they only go to the doctor in an emergency sort of situation, as a last resort, and then end up saddled with big bills. Some of my friends do now have Obamacare, my girlfriend pays like $7/month for insurance that's almost as good as mine (but she has to deal with a lot of bullshit because everyone in that system seems inept, asking for the same documents to be sent in multiple times, no one ever seems aware of previous interactions she's had with them, etc).

But anyway, I started feeling better last night and this morning I feel pretty much fine, my throat still hurts a bit but it's 90-95% better, and I don't feel sick anymore either. So I didn't go to my appointment. I'm trying to determine why I've been having so many throat issues lately, and the only thing I can think of that's different is my eCig vape, I've been doing it for a few years now and I increasingly have a really bad feeling about it. It feels bad for me, not benign at all. A couple of months ago I had my uvula swell up massively and hurt really bad, and now my tonsil did the same, both cleared up pretty quickly because I stopped using it during those times. I think I just need to break that thing and stop using it, I haven't used it for 2 days now and I only miss it a little. I've never had nicotine withdrawal even when I smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day (and I hit that vape near-constantly sometimes), and I don't have it now either. It seems like the writing is on the wall for me with it. I have been saying for a while now that when my current battery dies I will be done with it, well, my battery has been on its last legs for months, my setup is ghetto right now, I literally have to hold the tank against the battery contact because the threading in it has worn away somehow. So... yeah I'm done. Vaping has started to creep me out... who knows what effect chronic inhalation of hot propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin has on the lungs and throat? Not to mention whatever else is in there for flavoring... all I know is, it has been feeling really bad for me for a while. Several of my recent trips centered around it for a while and I actually resolved to stop after my last LSD trip, but mere hours later I was hitting it again.

 

[vortech]

Wow yeah thanks for giving feedback about your vaping, we really don't have long term data about it, scientific reports of its safety have been mixed, so I would say go with your intuition and cut it out!

And also thank you for the warning about tianeptine, I just got 5g a few days ago after not using it for a few months, and yes you know my past with playing the opiate receptor game; I rationalized getting it as a lesser of evils compared to going back down the hard opiate path, and we know where that train leads to in the end if we don't get off it. It's a little too seductive for those of us with certain brain circuitry. I will try to not make a habit or cycle with it, and only use it when the need for it crosses the red line. Hope you get to 100% soon Xorkoth!

 

[maxload]

That awkward moment after you have just dropped and the neighbors start jackhammering their bathroom.

Time to escape into the wilds of the neighborhood for a couple of hours me thinks

 

[Just A Guy]

Yeah, Xorkoth -- I had been vaping and smoking -- a pack of cigs a day and then after work vaping until morning. On Feb 18th I gave up all tobacco/nicotine products, and I feel so much healthier in the lungs (no cravings now) than I did when I quit smoking but kept vaping (as I did for about a year). I also started feeling like the long-term use of the e-cig was starting to cause different problems, and especially with certain flavors over others. My favorite flavors seemed to cause the most problems, unfortunately.

ugh, I can only imagine putting up with that during a trip, maxload.

 

[yepyepwoah]

I'm no expert, but considering the threat of antibiotic resistance, this doesn't sound like a good idea at all.

God, the American health system is terrifying if you guys seriously have to resort to this sort of measure.
One of the wealthiest countries in the world and you guys have to juggle money and prioritise when it comes to something as simple as seeing a doctor.
Without wanting to digress into some political or nationalistic discussion - i gotta say i feel sorry for my stateside friends (and family) when it comes to the cost of healthcare over there.
I've always lived off very, very little money, and to think that this alone would have prevented me from getting necessary medical care (if i were american) is really sad. I've had so much medical treatment that hasn't cost a cent.

Spent a month all-up in hospitals last year; weekly CBT, inpatient detox, MRI and EEG scans...not a cent out of pocket. Sometimes i forget how lucky i am to be in a country that demands universal health care for its people.
There shouldnt be a dollar value on your health
I hope you feel better soon xork.

I have never do e it myself, just putting it out there as an option for someone. I do not really like doctors, except when I brake bones. Ever since a doctor told my uncle he had colitis and would end up with a colostomy bag no matter what, and my uncle cured himself, I've beeb leaning towards " fuck those doctors"

He took the pills for a while, then started fasting, changing his diet, doing all sorts of stuff. Quit taking pills. Doctors test showed his condition was reversing, then dissapearing. Incredulous Doctor couldnt believe it, especially without the precious "hey stay sick forever" meds from big pharma. My uncle just stopped going to the doctor and is healthier than ever.

Do you think that doctor told his next colitis patient " Hey you can probably cure yourself, no need for you to keep giving me your money?" Easy money is on fuck no.

Couple other personal experiences with doctors makes me think they are juat trained to keep us sick and never really cure, and probably think thats the best to hope for. I refuse to accept that. So unless I brake something... Fuck them.

Now I either get to pay an extra mandatory tax for not having insurance, or purchase worthless insurance with an insane deductable. They could only be fucking this up so bad on purpose.

 

[vortech]

Ha maxload I have experienced that as well. That is why whenever I am on dissociatives or psychedelics I make sure to have either a good plan set up with the music to be loud enough, or to be out in nature so I can listen to the sound of the earth. Otherwise all I hear is the electrical appliances and the electricity going through the wires of the house.

 

[vortech]

I have never do e it myself, just putting it out there as an option for someone. I do not really like doctors, except when I brake bones. Ever since a doctor told my uncle he had colitis and would end up with a colostomy bag no matter what, and my uncle cured himself, I've beeb leaning towards " fuck those doctors"

He took the pills for a while, then started fasting, changing his diet, doing all sorts of stuff. Quit taking pills. Doctors test showed his condition was reversing, then dissapearing. Incredulous Doctor couldnt believe it, especially without the precious "hey stay sick forever" meds from big pharma. My uncle just stopped going to the doctor and is healthier than ever.

Do you think that doctor told his next colitis patient " Hey you can probably cure yourself, no need for you to keep giving me your money?" Easy money is on fuck no.

Couple other personal experiences with doctors makes me think they are juat trained to keep us sick and never really cure, and probably think thats the best to hope for. I refuse to accept that. So unless I brake something... Fuck them.

Now I either get to pay an extra mandatory tax for not having insurance, or purchase worthless insurance with an insane deductable. They could only be fucking this up so bad on purpose.

Man this thread keeps hitting my personal buttons. Yeyepwhoah I am sorry to about your family also being afflicted, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 9 when I became very sick with it, and after years of trying medications , steroids etc. the only option left was to completely take out my colon. I had a colostomy bag for 6 months, yea it was a hell to deal with, and then had the ileo-anal anastamosis surgery that reconnected my small intestines to my rectum. I had a lot of good years after that, just recurrent pouchitis which is a bacterial infection of the internal j-pouch the surgeon constructed from my insides. It's been 18 years and it's hard to say but I feel like the effects of the root disease are running their course and I am on my last days/months/years now. I have a degenerative liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis which is highly correlated to people who have also Ulcerative Colitis. Basically Crohn's and Colitis is a spectrum of intensity of the same autoimmune disease, when it is diagnosed as crohns it tends to hit harder and faster, with colitis it is mainly directed at the colon at first. I was able to keep the progression at bay for many years with a restrictive diet gluten and dairy free, but inevitably it is showing many symptoms again these days.

 

[vortech]

Yepyepwhpah I would love to have a conversation with your Uncle to hear how he managed to beat it. I am still looking for ways to find the balance and fight whatever it is the root cause of my disease. I have an intuition that it is actually chronic Lyme's disease, after reading enough about it, the syptoms line up with my own. Lyme's is hard to diagnose for about half of the people who have it and it ends up being misdiagnosed as any number of other autoimmune disorder such as fibromialgia and crohns/colitis. Shoot me a PM if you can connect me w your Uncle.

 

[Xorkoth]

Couple other personal experiences with doctors makes me think they are juat trained to keep us sick and never really cure, and probably think thats the best to hope for. I refuse to accept that. So unless I brake something... Fuck them.

I definitely think the system, especially because of Big Pharma, is wired towards keeping people sick and managing symptoms without actually curing them. Preventative measures are not emphasized and often not covered by insurance, but they've got all sorts of things that can mask symptoms or make them slow or be less severe. Total body and mind health, as opposed to treating symptoms, is often thought of as some sort of new age nonsense. But, there are good doctors too. Many doctors became doctors because they wanted to help people, and some of those remain that way throughout their lives. Still, it's a crapshoot, depending on where you are that can be really hard to find.

Man this thread keeps hitting my personal buttons. Yeyepwhoah I am sorry to about your family also being afflicted, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 9 when I became very sick with it, and after years of trying medications , steroids etc. the only option left was to completely take out my colon. I had a colostomy bag for 6 months, yea it was a hell to deal with, and then had the ileo-anal anastamosis surgery that reconnected my small intestines to my rectum. I had a lot of good years after that, just recurrent pouchitis which is a bacterial infection of the internal j-pouch the surgeon constructed from my insides. It's been 18 years and it's hard to say but I feel like the effects of the root disease are running their course and I am on my last days/months/years now. I have a degenerative liver disease called primary sclerosing cholangitis which is highly correlated to people who have also Ulcerative Colitis. Basically Crohn's and Colitis is a spectrum of intensity of the same autoimmune disease, when it is diagnosed as crohns it tends to hit harder and faster, with colitis it is mainly directed at the colon at first. I was able to keep the progression at bay for many years with a restrictive diet gluten and dairy free, but inevitably it is showing many symptoms again these days.

Oh wow, I'm so sorry you've had to deal with that and are having to deal with it again. I hope you can find some way through it.

Yepyepwhpah I would love to have a conversation with your Uncle to hear how he managed to beat it. I am still looking for ways to find the balance and fight whatever it is the root cause of my disease. I have an intuition that it is actually chronic Lyme's disease, after reading enough about it, the syptoms line up with my own. Lyme's is hard to diagnose for about half of the people who have it and it ends up being misdiagnosed as any number of other autoimmune disorder such as fibromialgia and crohns/colitis. Shoot me a PM if you can connect me w your Uncle.

Lyme is scary, really scary... my girlfriend got it when she was like 12 or something, but they caught it right away because of the bullseye marking. She was put on an intense course of medication and it appeared to be gone. She doesn't worry about that, but like a year ago she started having issues, it started with pain in her uterus that would come and go, and then moved to her stomach or lower GI tract somewhere and gives her recurring bouts of it being very difficult to eat and very painful. They haven't figured out what it is yet but she's getting an endoscopy on Tuesday (she's been resisting going to a specialist, I think out of fear of what they'll find). It really scares her (the fact that something unknown but significant is happening), and it makes her really sad while it's happening, and she's pretty skinny because of the recurring inability to get enough calories. I'm scared too, I really want it to be something they can identify and cure/treat effectively. She has really low energy most of the time too, though I think it's largely the malnutrition and the fact that she hasn't been able to exercise like she used to. But I'm kind of terrified it's Lyme and it didn't all go away when she was younger. I know it can be really degenerative.

It's really weird too, there are still doctors who think it's not a real thing. No one debates other tick-borne illnesses. I don't get it...

 

[Xorkoth]

So I broke my vape and threw it away this morning... I haven't been using it for a few days, but I realized it was still sitting there, plugged in and ready to use. I really barely miss it, and like every other time I've stopped using nicotine, I have no withdrawals whatsoever. My lungs already feel better than they did. I started this morning with a jog on a mountain trail near my house, ran with occasional brisk walking to catch my breath for about 40 minutes. I did it a few days ago too, before I got sick. I'm gonna do it every morning I think, what a great way to start the day. I've kept working out in terms of doing weights and working on muscle, but I stopped doing cardio this winter, and I realize how much less in shape I am than I was then. So I'm going to run in the mornings (feels good to get up earlier anyway when it's warm and the world's coming back to life), and continue to go to the gym every 2-3 days.

My throat feels almost totally better today, yesterday it only hurt a little. The swelling is all the way down. I started taking my amoxicillin a few days ago in case it was bacterial, not sure if it was, but it did start getting better quickly. I have a feeling though it was related to the vape... a month or two ago I had my uvula swell up in a really similar way, and it hurt really badly (not as badly though), and also faded in a few days (I got the antibiotics then but it was already getting better so I didn't take any). I got sick with throat-related things 5 times since the Fall, and I am sure it's because of the vape. I really don't think they're safe at all, I feel better smoking an occasional cigarette that I do vaping. Cigarettes don't feel good for my lungs but vaping feels like it's doing something different in worse in some ways. Glad to be rid of it.

I think I'm gonna make some bread today... I've had some pre-ferment sitting in the fridge for 4 or 5 days, gotta use that shit.

 

[Img_9999]

I definitely think the system, especially because of Big Pharma, is wired towards keeping people sick and managing symptoms without actually curing them. Preventative measures are not emphasized and often not covered by insurance, but they've got all sorts of things that can mask symptoms or make them slow or be less severe. Total body and mind health, as opposed to treating symptoms, is often thought of as some sort of new age nonsense. But, there are good doctors too. Many doctors became doctors because they wanted to help people, and some of those remain that way throughout their lives. Still, it's a crapshoot, depending on where you are that can be really hard to find.

Totally agree, but I don't think it actually is a matter of a conspiracy being played upon us in order to keep us sick and sending money, but rather than this post-modern society of ours is kind of possesed by the idea of efficiency in everything. Even in terms of human health. Got sick ? Hey, pop a pill and you'll feel better. You'll still be sick, but you can feel good enough to keep on working and keep up with the productivity.

It easy to see how that mentality lead us to a medicine primarily focused on attacking symptoms, not disease. I actually believe in our science-founded, biochemically rationalized, materialistic modern medicine. It don't think you can cure cancer praying to the earth or eating weeds or something. You can't replace your rotten teeth without a surgical intervention based on anatomical knowledge. But I do see that our symptomatic medicine is a flawed model based on flawed intentions which spread to almost all the aspects of our society.

To make matters worse, no-one teaches us to stay healthy. We are fed garbage, we live in neglect of our bodies, we are always in a hurry, and those of us who live in the monstrous metropolitan areas breath poison everyday. Nowadays it's almost subversive to choose to eat healthy, pay attention to the body, work a healthy amount of hours and keep a healthy mind. Mental health actually plays a really important role in maintaining a functional body. Chronic stress can cause immunosuppression.


Sorry about the rant but is something I feel very passionately about and it really pisses me off.

 

[Solipsis]

Cool that you're baking bread, X, making some sourdough and dark rustic bread on sunday with my dad..
And cooking partridge...

I cooked pigeon breast as well for first time, last tuesday.

And @ all you guys: I got an apartment, almost sure and expect to become crew after this week!
So my actual sabbatical begins soon.. SOOON :D

sorry i havent really been around here

hope you are all well

 

[Just A Guy]

All right, that's it. I'm going to make some bread this weekend, as well. "Tony's Loaf" -- everyone seems to like it. I'll post a photo later. Be pretty sweet to get a photo of Xork, Slip, and I together in the kitchen with flour all over ourselves, baking bread with deep, soulful, tripped-out eyes. nohomo

 

[Solipsis]

Haha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3JTr1A2Yko

Ill try to get a photo too