Community Munchausen's by Internet (Malingerers, Munchies, Spoonies, etc) - Feigning Illnesses for Attention

[Free the Pedos]

I’m a failed munchie. Ask me anything/about my personality disorder.

I always thought Endora was more of a grandiose narcissist type.

How does one fail at munching?

 

[GloriousScarf]

24k members. She has the dollar amount disabled which is cringe but we can make a good estimate. The default pledge is $5/month, but some are going to pledge less and some are going to pledge more. I think conservatively she's making $100k+ a month where before December she was probably making around half that, which was still insane money.

Sometimes I wish I was this shameless.

 

[Otterly]

100k a month … just do the grift for a few years then find a miracle cure, document it and grift off that. Disappear into the sunset with a few million. Set for life.
Why am I still working a job?

 

[isalaide]

I wonder if the GLP-1 drugs like ozempic might be useful for this as well?

The 'fancy' treatment for it twenty years ago was metformin, so I would expect your forecast to be right and the GLP-1s to be deployed in due course as well. The weight loss that comes with them also drives down the hormone imbalance, so double win.

Another thing about PCOS is that it tends to cluster in families, but although being a common cause of female infertility, is easily diagnosed and generally fairly easily treated. Antiandrogens as first line, then clomifene, then IVF if everything really won't happen.

So more folk with PCOS are having kids - daughters - now than they might have done before. It is probably passed on significantly more than it used to be.

 

[Quack_Quack]

step 1: purchase one (1) bottle of affordable vodka.
Steps 2-6: ????
Step 7: wake up to digital stickers.

So, 1.5l of gutrot later....

I wonder if the GLP-1 drugs like ozempic might be useful for this as well?

The 'fancy' treatment for it twenty years ago was metformin, so I would expect your forecast to be right and the GLP-1s to be deployed in due course as well. The weight loss that comes with them also drives down the hormone imbalance, so double win.

Another thing about PCOS is that it tends to cluster in families, but although being a common cause of female infertility, is easily diagnosed and generally fairly easily treated. Antiandrogens as first line, then clomifene, then IVF if everything really won't happen.

So more folk with PCOS are having kids - daughters - now than they might have done before. It is probably passed on significantly more than it used to be.

With it being endocrine, could it be related, however tangentially, to a family history of diabetes? Maybe your generation doesn't have or develop T1 or 2, but the genetic predisposition translocates to a different area... Or it's a mosaic copy that causes, basically, acne of the ovaries.

 

[isalaide]

It is, I know, a major risk factor for gestational diabetes, which in turn is a major risk factor for type 2. So I think there must be a significant comorbidity in multipara PCOS patients.

I don't know why those things are true, though, I don't have much handle on endocrine-y stuff. @Otterly might know?

 

[Otterly]

It is, I know, a major risk factor for gestational diabetes, which in turn is a major risk factor for type 2.

I know you’re at higher risk of T2 if you’ve had gestational diabetes but I didn’t know PCOS made you more at risk too (I learn something every day…) I suspect it’s some underlying mechanism that creates insulin resistance. Everyone will get diabetes at a set point for themselves - once the lipids have stuffed all easily available niches and are spilling over and insulin resistance hits a certain point it is inevitable. I think (and this is just my opinion not really what’s known) that the changes in pregnancy can tip you over that threshold point for you very quickly.

With it being endocrine, could it be related, however tangentially, to a family history of diabetes? Maybe your generation doesn't have or develop T1 or 2, but the genetic predisposition translocates to a different area... Or it's a mosaic copy that causes, basically, acne of the ovaries.

Probably your specific genetic background gives you a set point for that threshold. It’s a different point for everyone - some people can get pretty fat and not get it, others much lighter - past that I don’t know. Maybe we have some endocrinologists on here?

 

[Quack_Quack]

PL but relevant:

Spoiler

had gestational diabetes with both live births. Had PCOS before and a direct link to diabetes on my paternal side.

I got both PCOS and T2, although the SGLT-2 drugs do help immensely and I'm losing more, albeit slowly.

That's why I'm interested in it, the endocrine disorders interest me a ton too

 

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

I know you’re at higher risk of T2 if you’ve had gestational diabetes but I didn’t know PCOS made you more at risk too (I learn something every day…) I suspect it’s some underlying mechanism that creates insulin resistance. Everyone will get diabetes at a set point for themselves - once the lipids have stuffed all easily available niches and are spilling over and insulin resistance hits a certain point it is inevitable. I think (and this is just my opinion not really what’s known) that the changes in pregnancy can tip you over that threshold point for you very quickly.

Probably your specific genetic background gives you a set point for that threshold. It’s a different point for everyone - some people can get pretty fat and not get it, others much lighter - past that I don’t know. Maybe we have some endocrinologists on here?

It's complicated, and it all feeds back on itself. Gestational diabetes is probably the easiest to understand - the placenta increases your insulin resistance in an effort to drive your blood sugar up, so that more glucose gets to the fetus (because FETUS MUST FEED). A sturdy baby is more likely to survive, provided it's not so gigantic it can't fit through mom's pelvis. Gestational diabetes is when the placenta's influence overwhelms the ability of the pancreas to compensate. And a pancreas that is already kinda on the edge is one that is more easily overwhelmed. So it's not getting gestational diabetes that is a risk factor per se, it's that women who are at higher risk for diabetes will often declare themselves first during pregnancy.

While obesity and PCOS definitely raise your risk of all forms of diabetes, sometimes the most improbable people end up with gestational diabetes. Like a rail-thin vegan gal I know.

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

There is a situation unfolding IRL that I find highly concerning. I can't detail it extensively here or it may run the risk of power level. But I have a few MBP related questions for the experts and or medfags in this thread.

The patient in question is a young school aged child. The child is in a power chair, the fully reclining type. There are a number of details about the mother and father I find vaguely suspicious and suggestive.

The parents will recline the kid all the way back in the chair, but then the child sits up, leans on an elbow, sits up with legs crossed and uncrossed, with a great deal of control over movements.

The kid doesn't seem to have trouble moving any limbs within the chair. No spasticity, no floppiness or signs of wasting. Fidgets in the chair the way a kid that age would fidget in class.

Speaks normally. Eats by mouth but also has a g or j tube. Normal looking size, facial features, behavior.

Good fine motor skills. Observed the kid drawing, writing, and coloring normally- even slightly above average- for age.

Despite no obvious reasons to do so, also wears visible leg braces.

The older the kid gets the more it looks like a normal kid being made to sit in a wheelchair, but the "gear" keeps multiplying. Lots and lots of gear and swag, pins and buttons, awareness stickers, all rainbow colored and garish.

Yada yada I know "invisible disability" is a thing, I am aware of the wide range of the conditions that could cost someone their mobility, but nothing adds up. I don't see the usual signs you would see- either floppiness or wasting or spasticity or signs of other developmental problems or chromosomal issues. Kid has good core strength- sits right up from a full recline and stays that way, until mom says lay down. And then lays back down with full control.

I spend too much time looking at the worst people in the world online. Tell me I am full of shit and there's an obvious explanation.

 

[Zemblan Physics]

There is a situation unfolding IRL that I find highly concerning.

Do you know the supposed diagnosis? It’s a little difficult to form an opinion without it but here are some things I would consider red flags:
- ubiquitous social media posting about the kid’s medical situation
- parents throwing around lingo like “complex medical issues” while vague on the actual diagnosis
- parental financial gain from the situation
- parents’ claims about child’s symptoms contradict what you see with your own eyes
- changing narrative or diagnoses, doctor shopping, mistrust of health care professionals (that’s a bit tricky because many doctors are assholes, but if every doctor they’ve met is one I’d be suspicious)
- parents always on the hunt for new interventions but less focused on the child going to school, having friends etc
- child behaves differently when parents are present

However: it’s possible to tick all the boxes but the child may actually have a severe disability anyway and the parents are just weird. PL: the hospital where I work has an absolutely insane child abuse team that has accused many innocent parents of medical child abuse, so I’ve seen what devastation that can cause. Tread carefully, fren!

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

Do you know the supposed diagnosis? It’s a little difficult to form an opinion without it but here are some things I would consider red flags:
- ubiquitous social media posting about the kid’s medical situation
- parents throwing around lingo like “complex medical issues” while vague on the actual diagnosis
- parental financial gain from the situation
- parents’ claims about child’s symptoms contradict what you see with your own eyes
- changing narrative or diagnoses, doctor shopping, mistrust of health care professionals (that’s a bit tricky because many doctors are assholes, but if every doctor they’ve met is one I’d be suspicious)
- parents always on the hunt for new interventions but less focused on the child going to school, having friends etc
- child behaves differently when parents are present

However: it’s possible to tick all the boxes but the child may actually have a severe disability anyway and the parents are just weird. PL: the hospital where I work has an absolutely insane child abuse team that has accused many innocent parents of medical child abuse, so I’ve seen what devastation that can cause. Tread carefully, fren!

Yeah I have no plans to snitch on anybody. Not nearly enough info.

They are vague and cagey. "Complex" for sure. Weirdest thing, all the "awareness" is for pieces and bits, not whatever the underlying pathology supposedly is. IE anaphylaxis awareness, feeding tube awareness. I'd expect to see a button on there for spina bifida, if that's the culprit, but no such beast has been named.

 

[Special spoonie]

Giving someone meds that they shouldn’t be having is going well. That didn’t take long.

 

[Kufungisisa]

Sorry if this has already been pointed out but the wrist thing reminds me of Amy Pohl, who has almost 3 million followers and has been documenting her wrist being stuck in that exact position since 2020 along with a lot of other health problems, including neurological health problems (FND) that she needs a power wheelchair to manage. (Amy's doctors don't think she has FND anymore)

Amy's videos first started getting major traction around June 2020, but had had a few blow up before this (March 2020 onwards) Rose's hand thing and her use of a power wheelchair seems to have started around the same time as this.


View attachment 3706191

Came across a video by this woman and munchie alarm started screaching, searched her up here and found this post.

It's fucking hilarious:

Spoiler: Too many images

Gets new wheelchair (refuses anti tip bar). Unnaturally happy.



Falls over on ramp



Mum rushes out to free her fat legs.



Cut to dad grabbed camcorder asking if the neighbours can drag her back onto the chair (he never offers).



End of video, how she got back in is a mystery.

 

[Otterly]

sometimes the most improbable people end up with gestational diabetes. Like a rail-thin vegan gal I know.

We have a rail thin T2 as well. Probably something linked to the same HLA complex as the psoriasis stuff.
I wonder if there’s a link to insulin and pregnancy via the igf parental imprinting? There’s a pressure from the mother to keep the baby non-huge (she is harmed by huge baby) and the pressure from the fathers side is larger baby (his genes care not if the mother has future damage) done of the foetal overgrowth disorders like beckwith-weidermann operate on these lines.

Tell me I am full of shit and there's an obvious explanation.

No listen to your gut.

 

[Thomas Eugene Paris]

I spend too much time looking at the worst people in the world online. Tell me I am full of shit and there's an obvious explanation.

You're not full of shit for caring about the well-being of a defenseless child, even if it turns out that your concerns are unfounded.

As you've described it, I think the situation seems a little off, and if you've noticed, at least one of your coworkers probably has, too. I don't know how long you've known this child, but you've seen an escalation in the behavior of the parents in that time (the increase in "gear" absent a clear increase in support needs), and in any case, I think you should document what you observe. You don't need to keep extensive notes, but include dates and the names of anyone else present. Don't do anything with the information yet, but keep an eye on the situation and look for patterns and inconsistencies. It's sometimes really helpful to have everything laid out in front of you, and if you do decide that you're obligated to take action, it will be useful to have concrete information.

Trust your instincts; you seem like a pretty levelheaded and rational person. Of course, this could all be nothing, but if it's something, it's something pretty bad.

Does the kid have an IEP? Will he or she return to your school next year? Are you a mandatory reporter?

 

[Dr. Nick Riviera]

Yada yada I know "invisible disability" is a thing, I am aware of the wide range of the conditions that could cost someone their mobility, but nothing adds up. I don't see the usual signs you would see- either floppiness or wasting or spasticity or signs of other developmental problems or chromosomal issues. Kid has good core strength- sits right up from a full recline and stays that way, until mom says lay down. And then lays back down with full control.

"Invisible disability" is something of a deceiving term. While a lay person might not see it, you can be goddamn sure your doctor will. A good example is cystic fibrosis. To the general public, you look like a perfectly normal functioning human. But your DNA, your pulmonary function tests, your sweat chloride test, your fat malabsorption/exocrine pancreatic dysfunction, and your sputum cultures will READILY tell the story. An astute observer might notice clubbed fingers. Small powerlevel: I casually dated a guy who had CF back when I was in college. When I kissed him, he tasted salty. It was. . .bizarre. There are lots of other "invisible" disabilities: multiple sclerosis (particularly between flares), a wide variety of autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, etc. Invisible in daily life? Yes. Invisible to your physicians? Hell no.

The munchie crowd loves the idea of "invisible illnesses" because they think their psychosomatic diseases are FOR REALZ YOU GUIZE and that they're being "medically gaslit" because all their tests are normal and their doctor says they're fine but they're NOT FINE. But no, there's no organic basis to what they're claiming.

Trust your instincts; you seem like a pretty levelheaded and rational person. Of course, this could all be nothing, but if it's something, it's something pretty bad.

Does the kid have an IEP? Will he or she return to your school next year? Are you a mandatory reporter?

This, this, and more this. If you're a mandated reporter, you gotta think hard about this. Happy to discuss over DMs if you want a medfag's opinion.

 

[Larry David's Opera Cape]

No listen to your gut.

Does the kid have an IEP? Will he or she return to your school next year? Are you a mandatory reporter?

Gotta plead the 5th on all of the above.

This, this, and more this. If you're a mandated reporter, you gotta think hard about this. Happy to discuss over DMs if you want a medfag's opinion.

Thanks for your input all of you. Feeling less cynical for being disturbed by what I have seen now.

One thing that stands out about the parents (mom, really, appears to be in the drivers' seat) is that they always choose the most visually obtrusive option even if it really doesn't look like the kid needs it. Like bulky orthotics over the pants of a kid who is already in a chair, the biggest, loudest chair even though the kid appears to have the ability to cope with a lot less, boosting meds (or something) into the line in the middle of an activity in front of the whole group rather than timing it for before or after so it could be done privately. Flourescent leopard print gear packs rather than a plain black jansport, etc.

 

[Jupiter Doughnuts]

"Invisible disability" is something of a deceiving term.

I'm automatically suspicious of anybody who exclusively uses "invisible disability," "chronically ill," or just "disabled" to describe themselves and actively avoids giving a diagnosis or specifier. Unless it's Chron's or Ulcerative Colitis, then I get dancing around it, but otherwise everybody I've known who frequently describes themselves in vague internet-speak ways has always turned out to have munchie red flag issues. People who refer to themselves frequently as simply "mentally ill" or talk about "my mental illness" to the exclusion of specific diagnoses or symptoms are pretty much always borderlines or teenagers.

The reverse is true, too. If there's more than 3 or 4 distinct diagnoses being mentioned and they're not interrelated (obesity related issues, being old, side effects of cancer treatments, genetically fucked up kids) then my borderline/munchie flags all go off.

 

[VisceraNexus]

boosting meds (or something) into the line in the middle of an activity in front of the whole group rather than timing it for before or after so it could be done privately.

This in particular is throwing the biggest red flag and ringing alarm bells for me, honestly. I can't think of any especially convincing reasons this would need to be done regularly.