drmel.bsky.social
🇦🇺Microbiologist in 🇬🇧 again adrift from Academia…. Disabled STEMMinist who has grown weary of discrimination in STEMM. #FuckMS #OneHealth 🌈 pan&poly she/her
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I’ll only be able to do it until my next viral infection, when I’ll have to have (another) 6-8 weeks off. It’s twice a year in my immunocompromised life. Waged work even at 50% FTE is hard to ‘hold down’ as I need 3 months out of 12 ‘out of action’ every year. The guilt compounds stress impacts.
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It’s rubbish. I had the same experience previously in Oz. But I’m lucky to have a ‘rich’ vaguely abled partner to support me and the kids ATM. But I’m having to find low paid PT admin jobs to replace the dole (that I am entitled to, but got rejected as one employer slow with P60)
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After extracting the information that I needed to attend the Citizen’s Advice Bureau (inaccessible without a car/taxi in my rural area) I finished the call with ‘I guess me and my kids will have to just starve then? DWP operative: *ineffectual apologies*
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You have to be in active employment to use them. I said for the benefit of the tape, ‘So, I’ve recently been knocked back for PIP, ESA and no your services. I see the new Govt in rushing through VAD legislation, so I’m getting the impression that you’d like me dead?’ DWP: ‘Sorry you feel that way’
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I finally got my first ‘meeting’ last month. After applying in Oct 2024. I stopped it early by saying my health had deteriorated during the wait and I no longer worked. I was then told I was not eligible for their service. I was like, ‘But I want to start my own business now, can’t you help me? NO
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The scared well is more like the footings of a wall in my mill workers cottage in a village in Lancashire, TBF. No one is ever going to find them encased in concrete…. As humanity will have wiped itself out with ignorance by then….
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Time to seal my microbiology tech manuals in plastic then lead and bury in scared well, to be found by future generations to re-invent tests & treatments for ancient diseases….
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Lovely pics! Congratulations!
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Morning Ian,Kitty & Unit
Woke up to rain, wild wind now some sun giving much welcome warmth so Crowded House mood began the day.
Have a great day 🎵
youtu.be/si3dBlNdifE?...
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I used it to help write MCQ distractors. And I designed a whole interactive ‘snakes and ladders’ game for teams to play in class, on the trials and tribulations of running a biotech start up for Pharmacology. But agree AI etiquette bot putting the BS grovelling expected of women in academia works!
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I used to use Halothane on mice for my experiments, back in the day. I was not allowed to carry out any procedure under UK law on those mice until I checked that they were deeply under (by pinching toes).
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I know the ones you mean. I saw one recently at a train station here.
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But agree data linkages can be powerful for teasing out new avenues for research (I taught my pre-med students about it). And agree that AI should first be used for useful things like crawling notes. One of the earliest uses was to spot MS earlier than human docs as I recall. (Years back?)
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It’s defo airport design. UK airports (and some bigger train stations) all now have multiple sunflower labelled hubs just inside the front doors. It’s a concierge type service.
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I’m sure the US Govt had all of the safeguards then DOGE interns turned up with hack sticks. It’s far too easy. And data mistakes are being made often by the NHS systems. They reverted me back to an address from 2011 with some kind of update recently. Took ages to sort out to get my drugs!
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There’s a big disconnect at the GP level I think. Mostly caused by fears around GDPR issues? And I’m really not a fan of who is getting their hands on my data. (Looking at you, Palantir) I don’t trust the anonymity. I half expect a murder drone to be loaded up with my biometrics as I cost too much
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I gave birth to that song once….
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I was like ‘Shit, this guy is trying to strangle me!’ Then blackness.
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I had this done to me before I was fully under once as a patient (UK circa 2001). Last thing I remember on the table before losing consciousness. Not a fan.
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Indeed!
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It’s the callow intern thinking it’s top notch graphic design (or using AI without checking the results!)
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Excellent policy! I’ve got severe bile acid malabsorption and I’m constantly trying to change the composition of my lower gut microbiome, but it’s pretty much impossible when my body is basically feeding excess bile to make it a happy home for the bad bugs. *sigh*
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Phew, I honestly thought you meant you were going to try & treat an infection of H.pylori with probiotics instead of using antibiotics. And yes, antibiotics will impact your lower gastrointestinal bugs. But it’s best (only) way to get rid of H. pylori
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(Abx = antibiotics sorry, using shorthand)
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There’s a few different Abx that can be used. But probiotics alone will not work. Abx plus probiotics to help colon microbiome recover best option.
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(I studied this bug for many years) There’s no other probiotic good bacteria that lives in the same host location you can use to displace them (parietal cells deep in a specific part of the stomach)
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No, this will not work. You need the Abx. Untreated H.pylori infection causes iron deficiency, ulcers and can lead to a couple of types of cancer.
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I picked a basic one up on my local ‘waste savers’ group recently. I haven’t used it as yet but I’m going to take it to a music festival in August. The ‘back rest’ doesn’t seem very supportive - but need to field test! I hope it doesn’t rain as not an ‘off road’ version