Disabled Community Megathread from May 12, 2025 to May 25, 2025

Hello all! All I have to say for now is that the megas must flow

As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

86 comments

I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting Big Pharma's New Golden Goose today. Or rather, it's the plantinum goose, insulin is still the golden goose. As it turns out, ozempic makes a lot more profit for Big Pharma. A relevant, yet minor detail is that ozempic and insulin share some chemicals. While ozempic is not necessary for survival for a large group of people on this planet, insulin very much is. Chemically produced insulin has been modified so much since its inception that it is, at this point, possible to develop allergic reaction to some of of them. Guess who has had an allergic reaction to quite a few insulins over the years? Exactly. Now, guess next which insulin I have no allergic reaction to? Yes, the one that is produced by the company that makes ozempic and is currently churning it out in gallons. And to conclude, guess now which group of people has to conserve insulin for a few months not because of the prices (alone) but also because their survival is not as lucrative as some people wanting to take almost the same chemicals to lose weight? Exactly, diabetics like me.
This shouldn't be this way. I don't mind people having access to ozempic, nor do I mind them using it to lose weight. What I do mind tho is that profit made with this drug is evidently more important than keeping people alive that really don't have to die anymore in a "modern" society. Nobody needs to die of diabetes anymore, heck, nobody has to go blind because of diabetes anymore, nor do they have to lose limbs from this shitty disease. There's enough medical expertise, medication and care to go around and save everyone from long term follow-up diseases. But no, again, profit is more relevant than anything else.
- This is appalling. Just when I think I can't be shocked any more. Sorry you have to deal with this shit. Depending on medication for survival is awful enough already. I can't imagine the stress of having to pay for it too. This world is sick.
  
  Thank you sweetie, I appreciate it
  The good news, after a couple of hours of calling different pharmacies, I finally found one that could actually get their hands on one last package of insulin. So I'm set for some time. Let's hope that by mid-June, the company will keep their promise of restocking their insulin reserves. Or alternatively, just fucking produce more of the substances.
  
  I go through a similar thing with my thyroxine, but not due to cost, it's because there's only one brand that agrees with me and sometimes it's out of stock, sometimes the pharmacy just ignores my request for this brand and gives me a random one, which takes ages to sort out and the whole thing is a nuisance. I try and stockpile a bit for times like these. I'm glad you got yours sorted for now. I hope the insulin company gets their act together.
  
  Me too, and thank you
  
  The thyroxine is so difficult to adjust to. Had a family member who had to take it too and it took them years to figure out which brand actually did the trick. It's horrible, how little care is being taken to make sure people get the medication that works for them.
  
  Yeah even with this brand I still have problems and don't feel good (but the others are much worse). It gives me heart problems, brain fog and the endo says likely contributed to or even caused my stroke and the food intolerances and autoimmune issues I've developed. But doctors don't care, they just want their paycheque. What angers me is I wasn't even warned about these known side effects in advance. I didn't even make an informed decision to have this treatment.
  A lesser issue is that I have bad eczema (so bad it gets really infected and I've ended up in hospital countless times because of the infections) and the eczema cream that works for me seems to be no longer available. The pharmacist hasn't been able to get it in months. And usually they tell you when they can't get something and offer that part of the prescription back so you can try to get it elsewhere. This time they didn't even bother mentioning that they couldn't get it again, or give the script back. Just opened the bag to find it wasn't there again.
  
  It's always the same, isn't it. I hope you can get the brand you "get along with", or possibly find one that doesn't mess with you at all.
  And making informed decisions is so essential but seemingly never really possible with what doctors refuse to tell you or just "forget" or leave out. It's insane to think we live in a world where these side effects are known but disregarded when people need to be informed.
  
  When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, it was actually a relief rather than devastation because I had known there was something seriously wrong with me for a long time but no-one had been taking me seriously. So I didn't do the typical thing of breaking down crying. I felt no emotion at all other than relief that i finally knew what was wrong with me. And rage that i had been dismissed for so long. And because I had been ill for so long, I didn't even care about living any more. So I wasn't like the people you see on TV who get diagnosed with cancer and are so desperate to be saved they will try anything, accept any treatment. So I wonder if the doctor left out the side effects because he thought I might not accept any treatment and just accept death if I knew how bad the treatment would be? Still should have been my choice though.

86 comments