Intimidation & retaliation towards #chronicallyill & #disabled pts is an #epidemic w/in the #healthcaresystem. Dare advocate for yourself, you're labeled as difficult/aggressive. After filing a complaint at the direction of another clinician, I received this threatening letter.🧵 I will start off by saying, I did not sign this letter. I’ll probably lose access to 20+ clinicians for refusing to do so. I will not be threatened into settling for subpar or absent care, nor risking life threatening complications because a clinician cannot take accountability.

Here comes the “feral COVID babies acting out” tag lines instead of the “disabled, orphaned, and underserved children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and Long COVID” truth and accountability.

A 🧵 about the 6M + children in the US with #LongCOVID
1/ A study from the NIH RECOVER Initiative found that 20% of infected school-age children and 14% of adolescents met the threshold for probable Long COVID-19.
2/

My son has been + since last Wed. I did a rapid test last night & just now on him, and both were negative. I did a Lucira & it was positive. This is the same experience over and over and over again. Quality tests matter, and so does accessibility to them! 1/4 It’s been 5 years and we have not updated the tests that 99% of the population is using.

We are missing so, so, so many cases. Ppl can say “oh wastewater tells us,” but does wastewater tell Jane specifically she is sick and to isolate from others or to begin taking meds? No. 2/

Today, on #LongCOVIDAwarenessDay, I hit my 4 yr #COVID anniversary, which resulted in me becoming #disabled from #LongCOVID as a healthy, 30 yr old firefighter/ paramedic & single mom. Here is my story& todays feelings. 1/18 On my journey, I’ve been diagnosed w/ all the things in #LongCOVID world- #POTS, #MCAS, #MECFS, #EOE, #NDPH & Migraine, #dyssenergicdefecation, #IBS, #Fibromyalgia, #SmallFiberNeuropathy, #CognitiveImpairment, #hEDS, 2+ yrs of #myocarditis, #atelectasis, & more (yes more). 2/18

🧵

For all of middle school, my son did virtual school to avoid getting #COVID for the first time, and avoid reinfecting me, struggling severely with #longCOVID +.

After 2 weeks of being back in person, he now has COVID, and I am devastated. 1/5 He came home today saying he didn’t feel good and was super stuffy & congested, sneezing, and said his throat & nose were itchy and burning. I immediately seabed him, and low and behold, he was positive. Currently, I am negative but I anticipate that will change in a few days 2/