Morgan (#TeamMorgan) and her mother are also big fans of Dr. Bolognese.
Community Munchausen's by Internet (Malingerers, Munchies, Spoonies, etc) - Feigning Illnesses for Attention
- Thread starter Petronella
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2021
The absolute state of modern medicine. Its no more advanced than it was during ancient Greece, its just won the propaganda battle.
When before normal people would tell a doctor to fuck off and take his leeches with him, now patients will literally fight for the reputation of a doctor that destroyed them.
When before normal people would tell a doctor to fuck off and take his leeches with him, now patients will literally fight for the reputation of a doctor that destroyed them.
Cold Waffle
kiwifarms.net
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- Jul 9, 2019
Medicine has changed astronomically and for the better. The change you're referring to is in patients. The two are very different.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2021
After much delay, let's dive into a munchie-surgeon legend.
Meet Dr. Fraser Henderson aka Dr All Cash Henderson aka The Butcher
Name: Fraser Cummins Henderson SR
Other known aliases: Fraser C. Henderson Sr., Fraser Henderson
Age/ DOB: 67, March 1954
Location: Chevy Chase, MD., Silver Spring, MD., DC area
Home address: 6705 S Osborne Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD
Personal phone: (301) 627-0717
NPI Number: #1063404788
Medical license:20803 (DC)
Business name/ links: Metropolitan Neurosurgery Group
Business address: 8401 Connecticut Avenue Nw., Chevy Chase, MD 20814
Business phone: (301) 654 9390
Summary:
Dr. Fraser Henderson is a neurosurgeon in Maryland. He's notorious in the EDS community, has a cult-like fan club, makes patients sign NDAs (nondisclosure agreement) before treating them, and is especially idolized by the munchie crowd. This is likely because of his eagerness to diagnose patients with occult tethered cord (OTC), craniocervical instability (CCI), or Chiari Malformation in just about anyone for the right price. His #1 requirement for operation on a patient is that they claim consistent headaches rated 8+/10. Radiographic and reflexive evidence isn't a requirement for Dr H, although he will make you pay for imaging anyways. Initial consultations are $500-1,500, cash only of course. He's partial to aggressive treatment for OTC/ CCI/ Chiari, like spinal fusion surgery.
Formerly worked at Georgetown University Hospital, but now operates out of a lower-tier hospital called Doctor's Community Hospital. This community hospital is known to be awful, and most of Henderson's patients end up recovering in a hotel room or in an airbnb that they pay out of pocket for.
Patients never seem to have just one surgery with him; he creates customers for life. When patients complain of worsening symptoms post op, he passes off their symptoms as a result of other issues unrelated to his procedures. He then recommends a revision or different surgery to help those symptoms.
Subjects from this thread that have been chopped by god himself:
Meet Dr. Fraser Henderson aka Dr All Cash Henderson aka The Butcher
Name: Fraser Cummins Henderson SR
Other known aliases: Fraser C. Henderson Sr., Fraser Henderson
Age/ DOB: 67, March 1954
Location: Chevy Chase, MD., Silver Spring, MD., DC area
Home address: 6705 S Osborne Rd., Upper Marlboro, MD
Personal phone: (301) 627-0717
NPI Number: #1063404788
Medical license:20803 (DC)
Business name/ links: Metropolitan Neurosurgery Group
Business address: 8401 Connecticut Avenue Nw., Chevy Chase, MD 20814
Business phone: (301) 654 9390
Summary:
Dr. Fraser Henderson is a neurosurgeon in Maryland. He's notorious in the EDS community, has a cult-like fan club, makes patients sign NDAs (nondisclosure agreement) before treating them, and is especially idolized by the munchie crowd. This is likely because of his eagerness to diagnose patients with occult tethered cord (OTC), craniocervical instability (CCI), or Chiari Malformation in just about anyone for the right price. His #1 requirement for operation on a patient is that they claim consistent headaches rated 8+/10. Radiographic and reflexive evidence isn't a requirement for Dr H, although he will make you pay for imaging anyways. Initial consultations are $500-1,500, cash only of course. He's partial to aggressive treatment for OTC/ CCI/ Chiari, like spinal fusion surgery.
Formerly worked at Georgetown University Hospital, but now operates out of a lower-tier hospital called Doctor's Community Hospital. This community hospital is known to be awful, and most of Henderson's patients end up recovering in a hotel room or in an airbnb that they pay out of pocket for.
Patients never seem to have just one surgery with him; he creates customers for life. When patients complain of worsening symptoms post op, he passes off their symptoms as a result of other issues unrelated to his procedures. He then recommends a revision or different surgery to help those symptoms.
Subjects from this thread that have been chopped by god himself:
- Ellen @mysteryelles
- Dani @bendwithitrockwithit
- watercolormeimpressed
- (there are more, please feel free to add to this list)
-Henderson is talked about like a god all over online forums and social media groups. He is a munchie magnet. So keep that in mind as you read. Some of the reviews/ ratings are a little dramatic, but helpful nonetheless. Finding negative reviews, complaints, and lawsuits against him was a little difficult for a variety of reasons, mainly because of his requirement for patients to sign NDAs. Here we go,
-Henderson performed the wrong surgery on a patient, and there are other reviews that mention similar issues.
-Since roughly 2014, he's been requiring his patients to sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) before he'll treat them.
- One loophole around the NDA is to give him a nickname, The Butcher
-Henderson is known to perform unnecessary surgeries with little to no clinical evidence to justify the surgeries. Charges $5,000+ up front for surgery out of pocket, and puts patients on a payment plan for the rest of the cost. If you're a good paying patient (customer), but tethered cord doesn't appear on your scans, say less! Good ole Dr H will diagnose and chop you anyways. He will just diagnose you with an "occult tethered cord". OTC is diagnosed when patients report the same symptoms as regular tethered cord, but have normal imaging. He even sometimes bypasses referring patients to see a rheumatologist, and diagnoses hEDS right in his office!
-He often leaves patients to recover in hotel rooms or air bnb's that they of course pay for out of pocket (sidenote, the amount of gofundmes that come up when googling Dr Henderson are insane, usually asking for $150-200,000). Initial consultations are $500-1,500 cash.
He makes every issue sound like life or death, and rushes to get patients under the knife quickly. Several reviews mention him being unreachable post op, especially with patients experiencing complications. Several mentions of hardware issues.
-He currently practices out of a low-tier hospital called Doctor's Community Hospital. Raising the question, why would a world renowned neurosurgeon choose to work at a lower tier community hospital when major hospitals like John Hopkins and Georgetown are also in that area? He left Georgetown University Hospital after a lawsuit.
Probably unrelated to Henderson, but this review about Doctor's Community Hospital made me lol
-Carol Davis case, malpractice and negligence. Surgical equipment/ hardware misplaced, nerve damage, foot drop
Separate malpractice lawsuit:
-His cult following in the EDS/ CCI community is strange. He's a god that no one wants to go up against. He can do no wrong in their eyes. Almost all of the fan girls on the forums report trouble swallowing and breathing. Henderson tells them it's normal after anesthesia, even with some having issues a week or more post-op.
-Not sure if she is a munchie, but she has been mentioned in this thread before. @watercolormeimpressed is a lifelong Henderson patient with her entire spine fused
-There are some reports of him hitting on his younger female patients, general creepiness, and there was even a comment on a forum suggesting you take a male with you to see him.
-He suggests patients wear a collar for several weeks at a time, basically guaranteeing the need for surgery. Ellen @mysteryelles is a perfect example.
-Random review mentioning Dr. Bolognese being more trusted than Dr. Henderson so make of that what you will.
-In 2015, one of Henderson's patients died while in Maryland consulting with Dr H for another surgery. She had already been operated on by Henderson in 2013. Patient was 22F, and died of a stroke. She had previously undergone over 30 surgeries with various doctors, Henderson being her last. While the death was never directly linked to Henderson, there was speculation of an investigation. Nothing came of it to my knowledge, and to be fair her death was quite possibly unrelated. Same patient had been accused of munchausen in the past, and her mother had also been accused of munchausen by proxy. Henderson is praised by the mother in a blog post, saying he was the only doctor to finally give them the diagnosis and answers they had been praying for. If chick hadn't fucked around and got dead, she would've probably been an interesting subject for this thread lol. Here's the mother's blog post:
blog post of dead Henderson patient's mom
-Another one of his patients suffered a massive blood clot right after surgery with Dr. Henderson, the clot was only found when he referred her to a different surgeon who sent her for MRI. Patient had to have 3 stents placed by the other surgeon.
article about the case
-Patient died after vertebral artery injury incurred during surgery, and it's recorded in the infamous study he conducted. He uses this study to justify his chops. The Henderson Method-
- Imgur album of some of the negative reviews before they get zapped
-To top it all off, Dr Henderson's one true protege, Dr. Shamji, murdered his wife in front of their children. Patients were left high and dry apparently.
And there we have it, the legend of the butcher- Dr. Fraser Henderson. I know that it might be missing some things, so feel free to add on obvs. Trevino is next on my list, so lmk if you all are still interested in these write ups. Fair warning- it might take me a week, or it might take me a few months idk yet.
Edited to fix spoiler
wow edited again bc typos/ retard
-Henderson performed the wrong surgery on a patient, and there are other reviews that mention similar issues.
-Since roughly 2014, he's been requiring his patients to sign NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) before he'll treat them.
- One loophole around the NDA is to give him a nickname, The Butcher
-Henderson is known to perform unnecessary surgeries with little to no clinical evidence to justify the surgeries. Charges $5,000+ up front for surgery out of pocket, and puts patients on a payment plan for the rest of the cost. If you're a good paying patient (customer), but tethered cord doesn't appear on your scans, say less! Good ole Dr H will diagnose and chop you anyways. He will just diagnose you with an "occult tethered cord". OTC is diagnosed when patients report the same symptoms as regular tethered cord, but have normal imaging. He even sometimes bypasses referring patients to see a rheumatologist, and diagnoses hEDS right in his office!
-He often leaves patients to recover in hotel rooms or air bnb's that they of course pay for out of pocket (sidenote, the amount of gofundmes that come up when googling Dr Henderson are insane, usually asking for $150-200,000). Initial consultations are $500-1,500 cash.
He makes every issue sound like life or death, and rushes to get patients under the knife quickly. Several reviews mention him being unreachable post op, especially with patients experiencing complications. Several mentions of hardware issues.
-He currently practices out of a low-tier hospital called Doctor's Community Hospital. Raising the question, why would a world renowned neurosurgeon choose to work at a lower tier community hospital when major hospitals like John Hopkins and Georgetown are also in that area? He left Georgetown University Hospital after a lawsuit.
Probably unrelated to Henderson, but this review about Doctor's Community Hospital made me lol
-Carol Davis case, malpractice and negligence. Surgical equipment/ hardware misplaced, nerve damage, foot drop
Separate malpractice lawsuit:
-His cult following in the EDS/ CCI community is strange. He's a god that no one wants to go up against. He can do no wrong in their eyes. Almost all of the fan girls on the forums report trouble swallowing and breathing. Henderson tells them it's normal after anesthesia, even with some having issues a week or more post-op.
-Not sure if she is a munchie, but she has been mentioned in this thread before. @watercolormeimpressed is a lifelong Henderson patient with her entire spine fused
-There are some reports of him hitting on his younger female patients, general creepiness, and there was even a comment on a forum suggesting you take a male with you to see him.
-He suggests patients wear a collar for several weeks at a time, basically guaranteeing the need for surgery. Ellen @mysteryelles is a perfect example.
-Random review mentioning Dr. Bolognese being more trusted than Dr. Henderson so make of that what you will.
-In 2015, one of Henderson's patients died while in Maryland consulting with Dr H for another surgery. She had already been operated on by Henderson in 2013. Patient was 22F, and died of a stroke. She had previously undergone over 30 surgeries with various doctors, Henderson being her last. While the death was never directly linked to Henderson, there was speculation of an investigation. Nothing came of it to my knowledge, and to be fair her death was quite possibly unrelated. Same patient had been accused of munchausen in the past, and her mother had also been accused of munchausen by proxy. Henderson is praised by the mother in a blog post, saying he was the only doctor to finally give them the diagnosis and answers they had been praying for. If chick hadn't fucked around and got dead, she would've probably been an interesting subject for this thread lol. Here's the mother's blog post:
blog post of dead Henderson patient's mom
-Another one of his patients suffered a massive blood clot right after surgery with Dr. Henderson, the clot was only found when he referred her to a different surgeon who sent her for MRI. Patient had to have 3 stents placed by the other surgeon.
article about the case
-Patient died after vertebral artery injury incurred during surgery, and it's recorded in the infamous study he conducted. He uses this study to justify his chops. The Henderson Method-
- Imgur album of some of the negative reviews before they get zapped
-To top it all off, Dr Henderson's one true protege, Dr. Shamji, murdered his wife in front of their children. Patients were left high and dry apparently.
And there we have it, the legend of the butcher- Dr. Fraser Henderson. I know that it might be missing some things, so feel free to add on obvs. Trevino is next on my list, so lmk if you all are still interested in these write ups. Fair warning- it might take me a week, or it might take me a few months idk yet.
Edited to fix spoiler
wow edited again bc typos/ retard
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- Joined
- Sep 11, 2021
I cant quote you but this ^ summary is great. Reminds me of that Dr Death case.
Munchies are mentally ill and would have any procedure offered them and the more i learn the more shocked I am that there isnt more discussion in medical circles about it.
Any systems of safeguarding are almost entirely informal and, dare i say it, dangerously cynical.
The cynicism is perhaps born out of an understandable resentment on the part of highly trained clinicians who find themselves held hostage by patients who could destroy their careers if they dont get what they want, forced to perform treatments that they dont believe are necessary.
Flip side of that are doctors like the one above that see this as free real estate.
In its rush to show the world that medicine is no longer the paternalistic profession that has caused harm in the past, its surrendered itself to patient activism which will result in it causing the same harms again.
The world is ludicrous and reports of possible astroid strikes, climate change, and nuclear war are starting to become a source of hope for me rather than threat.
Munchies are mentally ill and would have any procedure offered them and the more i learn the more shocked I am that there isnt more discussion in medical circles about it.
Any systems of safeguarding are almost entirely informal and, dare i say it, dangerously cynical.
The cynicism is perhaps born out of an understandable resentment on the part of highly trained clinicians who find themselves held hostage by patients who could destroy their careers if they dont get what they want, forced to perform treatments that they dont believe are necessary.
Flip side of that are doctors like the one above that see this as free real estate.
In its rush to show the world that medicine is no longer the paternalistic profession that has caused harm in the past, its surrendered itself to patient activism which will result in it causing the same harms again.
The world is ludicrous and reports of possible astroid strikes, climate change, and nuclear war are starting to become a source of hope for me rather than threat.
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RacerDee
kiwifarms.net
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- Nov 29, 2019
How can it not be illegal to send post brain surgery patients to a hotel for recovery because of insurance??? wtf
TheBigZee
kiwifarms.net
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- Jan 25, 2021
Cervical fusions can be outpatient procedures. Even if they keep you overnight, chances are really high you're in "observation" rather than in the hospital proper. You can save yourself a little money by bringing your own tylenol and medicine with you.
Cold Waffle
kiwifarms.net
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This. A cervical fusion isn't literal brain surgery. It's just stabilizing a section of the spine with some hardware; it's just an incision down the back of your neck. People go home next-day for more invasive and complicated procedures. Because Henderson doesn't accept insurance*, this means you're paying 100% out-of-pocket. I don't think they even bill through insurance. A hotel or airbnb nearby is likely more cost effective and comfortable. It's common knowledge that sleeping in a hospital is literally the worst. No salt to nurses and PCAs who do vitals and meds 'round the clock. Just doing their jobs. But out of a hospital, you manage stuff like pain and hydration using normie methods.
*You can probably submit claims from his "work" as out-of-network on your own with your own paperwork sent to insurance, but the deductible is often pretty much infinity for out-of-network. He's raking in cold, hard cash, without insurance-negotiated rates. I'd be interested to see what he bills vs. what BCBS or another common insurance provider would pay.
TheBigZee
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Any surgery involving the spinal cord is a neurosurgery, although usually you associate that with the brain. Even a "diagnostic" brain surgery like an sEEG means a day or two in the real hospital after they close it up with much larger risks. Cervical fusion it just hurts like a bitch when sitting up in bed.
I am familiar with Dr. H. I always assumed the hEDS angle was to try to get the insurance to cover the other costs for the facility fees, the anesthetist, the hardware, etc. Even if you pay the surgeon cash everyone else bills separately, If you're convinced you have chiari or CCI and it's causing your debilitating migraines or pots or w/e and your willing to do anything who cares what they diagnose you with to get it done. I got the impression a fair mix of his patients were the absolutely desperate (like chronic lyme people) alongside munchies.
I guess he was probably getting paid upfront and leaving everyone else involved to either send it to collections or write it off. Wonder how many "emergency" surgeries he left the hospital on the hook for before it was a big enough cash sink it topped the administrative agenda to get rid of him.
I am familiar with Dr. H. I always assumed the hEDS angle was to try to get the insurance to cover the other costs for the facility fees, the anesthetist, the hardware, etc. Even if you pay the surgeon cash everyone else bills separately, If you're convinced you have chiari or CCI and it's causing your debilitating migraines or pots or w/e and your willing to do anything who cares what they diagnose you with to get it done. I got the impression a fair mix of his patients were the absolutely desperate (like chronic lyme people) alongside munchies.
I guess he was probably getting paid upfront and leaving everyone else involved to either send it to collections or write it off. Wonder how many "emergency" surgeries he left the hospital on the hook for before it was a big enough cash sink it topped the administrative agenda to get rid of him.
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pineapples_are_evil2
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From my understanding, he possibly charges upfront on somewhat of a sliding scale? I've seen people say their out of pocket costs range anywhere from $500-$1500 for consultations alone. I've seen mentions of patients submitting on their own to their insurance companies for reimbursement. I'm also under the impression that maybe the hospital charges insurance separately from Henderson's out of pocket fee. Here's some reviews I found related to insurance:
I forgot to add this in the OP, but found it interesting. It gives validity to the claims of Henderson recommending these series of unnecessary surgeries (to the tune of $200k). A reputable surgeon in Canada disputes Henderson's recommendations, and adds that they likely cause more harm than good.
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TheBigZee
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In the US a surgeon at a hospital typically only bills for their time, the assistants they directly employ, and possibly the implant/hardware. A lot of the costs are billed by the hospital. "Emergency" is a great way to bypass "prior authorization". Hospitals want to get paid so they try to get the procedure authorized in advance. If the insurance won't pay after the fact, and a patient has no assets the hospital has a variety of avenues to try to get paid under indigent care programs after they write off the debt.
If you've ever been to the ER, you get a bill from the hospital (nursing, imaging, labs, disposables, medicines, etc), a seperate bill from a radiologist, another bill for the ER. Doctor/NP/PA, and a bill if you needed crutches or a splint or something. Most people never have to deal with it before they are on medicare. Private insurance and medical billing is an absolute pain in the ass.
Most of the $200k surgery is owed to the hospital and other specialists, garaunteed. Wonder how many of his patients he's slept with. Apart from pure narcissism IDK what else he'd get out of this that would matter besides sex. 1,000 surgeries sounds like a lot, but over the ten years he's been butchering people it's really not. Some neurosurgeons supervise three-four ACDFs a morning. Any neurosurgeon that goes to work in a corolla does it because it's a nice car.
Cold Waffle
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Yes, this is why I said that a cervical fusion is not brain surgery -- not neurosurgery. Dude's not digging around in someone's skull or dissecting the contents of a spinal column(unless it's a discectomy, followed by fusion -- but that's not the typical munchie platter). You are correct in that it's neurosurgery in nature, but ain't no brain surgery going on in a cervical fusion. Even I know this, as a non-medfag. Cervical fusion's are typically a two-day hospital stay, then you're home to recover, with follow-ups and PT appointments. Henderson's greatest creations stay in their braces far too long and seem to shy away from PT. Enter: Ellen.
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- Apr 18, 2021
Absolutely fantastic post, pred plug. Read it all including the links. Super interesting stuff. Other than suing, what accountability practices are in place in the States for doctors? Can a patient take a complaint to a licensing board? What stops any of the above and with all these complaints why wouldn't an unhappy patient have tried it yet?
A little off topic but having read those reviews...the EDS crowd are a peculiar people. The review section is not for you to tell us about why you needed to find a leaf blower from Home Depot. Or to dump your entire medical history. Perhaps the narcissist surgeon and the narcissist munchies who think their bloggings are really that interesting to anyone but themselves are a good match after all.
A little off topic but having read those reviews...the EDS crowd are a peculiar people. The review section is not for you to tell us about why you needed to find a leaf blower from Home Depot. Or to dump your entire medical history. Perhaps the narcissist surgeon and the narcissist munchies who think their bloggings are really that interesting to anyone but themselves are a good match after all.
RacerDee
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Thanks for the info! I had no idea fusion was an ambulatory surgery. But that does make more sense.
Cold Waffle
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- Jul 9, 2019
It's considered a major surgery (because spine), but it's not one that defaults you for a week-long hospital stay. The narrative munchies live will have you believe otherwise, but it seems like an average is maybe 1-2 nights, with a third as a CYA situation (or if there are other factors). And when we're talking the Henderson fangirl crew, there are gonna be other factors because muh EDS and muh CRPS and muh mast cells. I imagine discectomy involves a longer stay, but the majority of his frequently flyers are there for stabilization and/or decompression of some sort.
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With the way he's got things set up he'd be the one paying OR fees. Those aren't cheap and hospitals will literally send surgeons to collections over them.
If you're a surgeon doing elective procedures then the actual time spent in the OR is a cash sink. Your income comes from consults before the operation and post-surgical visits. People see these massive bills for surgeries and think Henderson rolls around in a vault full of gold coins but...that's not really the way things work in our medical system.
This makes things even weirder if you think about it. He could fuck off and work for a spine group doing T3/T4 laminectomies all day but he's decided to butcher munchies instead.
I suck ass
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In other news, the UK has announced a relaxing of all current coronavirus precautions (compulsory mask wearing etc) and the uk munchie lot are losing their minds.
Don’t really know why they’re doing that, considering the most ‘dangerous’ illness the bunch of them have seems to be Fibro. Funnily enough, the people I know with cancer or dangerous autoimmune disorders aren’t breaking down on Instagram stories because I suppose they realise that they’re the minority and of course governments tend to cater to the majority.
Insta user @busybeingdisabled made this nice multi slide power point nightmare that’s being shared all over the app right now, which is interesting seeing as they’re a full time electric wheelchair user for their CFS/ME - again, I didn’t realise that makes you so at risk for covid?
Personal favourite munchie Jess/@thechroniciconic is going off on her stories at the moment about it, and apparently she’s been shielding since the very start of the pandemic (aka March 2020). Don’t know why, given I believe her most disabling condition is her soooooper severe EDS which doesn’t make her any more at risk of covid than any other average britbong.
anyway, that’ll be the Brit munchies entertained for the next few weeks at least.
Don’t really know why they’re doing that, considering the most ‘dangerous’ illness the bunch of them have seems to be Fibro. Funnily enough, the people I know with cancer or dangerous autoimmune disorders aren’t breaking down on Instagram stories because I suppose they realise that they’re the minority and of course governments tend to cater to the majority.
Insta user @busybeingdisabled made this nice multi slide power point nightmare that’s being shared all over the app right now, which is interesting seeing as they’re a full time electric wheelchair user for their CFS/ME - again, I didn’t realise that makes you so at risk for covid?
Personal favourite munchie Jess/@thechroniciconic is going off on her stories at the moment about it, and apparently she’s been shielding since the very start of the pandemic (aka March 2020). Don’t know why, given I believe her most disabling condition is her soooooper severe EDS which doesn’t make her any more at risk of covid than any other average britbong.
anyway, that’ll be the Brit munchies entertained for the next few weeks at least.
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- Mar 23, 2021
They never leave the house. Why do they even care, other than the pleasure of imposing inconvenience or hardship on others?