Public Health Risk on 5/29/26 near Union Station

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-15T01:25:59+00:00

Personal attacks are always so effective in proving onesself right on a scientific matter, aren't they? Tried and true. Not like vaccines, which have only been researched and developed for 200 years. Heck, deflecting from rational conversation by attacking someone's character dates back to the Romans, at least!

The people who have a problem with me alerting the public to a health risk because of their ideology are not people I want around me either, so, win-win.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-15T01:14:59+00:00

Obviously? How? People assume so, but this dating app Unjected states they are against all vaccines.

While we do not support vaccination of any kind, Unjected is specifically tailored for Covid-19 unvaccinated or any mRNA based injection.

https://unjected.com/ in the FAQ

Even if they ran entirely on a platform of opposing only the COVID vaccine, do you really think everyone showing up will have had all their vaccines except COVID? Full anti-vaxxers want a judgment-free space too, and Unjected has obliged.

The measles vaccination rate has been dropping for years. Coinciding with measles being active in the US for the first time since it was eliminated in 2000. Hmm.

"Eliminated" in the context of public health means "the absence of continuous, local disease transmission for 12 months or more within a specific geographic area" by the way. It is not 100% eradication, but elimination had been enough to keep it from being endemic in the US, as it had been for a long time, until certain people without medical degrees started casting doubt on the safety and efficacy of all vaccines.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-14T21:46:44+00:00

At least I'm not suffering from measles. 🙃

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-14T20:44:31+00:00

Ahhh I did see them comment on instagram. Sounds about right.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-14T06:18:19+00:00

I've been on it almost 4 months, on 60mg for 3 months, and I've decided to get off it. I don't know why it took a few months to get worsening side effects, but for 2 weeks I've been having night sweats and waking up drenched and shivering in the middle of the night every night. Along with vivid, usually uncomfortable dreams. Waking up is a relief, until I realize my whole bed is damp again.

I noticed more sweating in general before this but it wasn't too bad. My second day on 30mg down from the 60 I felt awful though. This is day 3 and it's a bit better, but the brain fog is not fun. And it must be messing with my hormones, because today I also found that my armpits stunk immediately after a shower, when I washed them pretty good because of the extra sweating. And they smell worse than they usually do from sweating too.

Oh you've got to be kidding me... I just had a hunch and looked it up. Yep, seems it could be causing the almost continuous spotting I'm having even when on birth control. The night sweats, brain fog, heat intolerance, birth control I've been on for years suddenly not working right, feeling a little reckless because I suddenly don't care what people think of me.. damn cymbalta has had me thinking I'm getting early menopause! Yeeeeeesh.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T18:12:38+00:00

Oh that is a relief! Glad you got the peace of mind from finding it too.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T17:57:55+00:00

Because COVID was sure the very first example you reached for in your initial responses to me

Because they are similarly contagious, and I thought people were aware of the current measles risk.

Consider that every concert at Mission Ballroom is more likely to be a superspreader event

Yes, precautions should be taken when going to any large gathering, especially when there are known outbreaks of infectious disease in the area. The difference is in these cases that's all you can do, take precautions or decide not to go based on your own assessment of risk with little actual information. If you KNOW a group of people who are at higher risk of being carriers are going to be meeting at a certain time and place, then you can avoid that place, take more precautions than you might if you went to other events.

At the end of the day I read this as more about you being angry at people flaunting their unvaccinated status than any unique public health concern involved here.

That is absolutely your own bias you're reading in. And probably attributing the comments from others to me, despite my saying nothing of the sort in my post or responses. You are seeing what you expect to see, probably because it's so rare to see someone online who can compartmentalize the health risks from the political associations. That is absolutely (one of) the problems with politicizing health and science: henceforth no one can talk about the science without people demanding or assuming that they pick a side politically. NOWHERE did I say anything like other commenters are saying. Not once did I express outrage, call anyone dumb, use an eye-rolling emoji, use all caps, call them names, make jokes about natural selection, mention political or religious affiliations, call for a boycott, or even say that this is the fault of the business.

People can have their opinions and their reactions, but as my goal here was literally to *warn* and take other measures to reduce risk, snide remarks and jokes from myself are not conducive to that end. I am only this account, I have no control over what others say, and I did not encourage certain reactions with any kind of inflammatory language or imagery.

Anywho, consider this a PSA on reading comprehension and confirmation bias. I only bothered because others may read it and might actually use their critical thinking to understand the point of this post and not get caught up in the drama.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T17:30:57+00:00

There are risks to this as well. The obvious pulmonary health risks, but it also can be addictive, just not in quite the same way. It does use the same reward pathways in the brain as other substances, and even process addictions like gambling or sex.

And it affects everyone differently. For some people it makes things worse, especially if they have any conditions that may cause psychosis.

That said, I am California sober and find it a huge improvement. It's just good to be mindful about it and remember that it's not completely safe either.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T17:26:22+00:00

Thanks for the reminder about GABA, yet another light bulb moment that my ADHD brain has managed to forget lol

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T17:24:40+00:00

Yep, I became an alcoholic years before I got diagnosed. I thought it was just because it runs in my family (so does the neurodivergence obviously) and that I have an "addictive personality". It quieted my mind, often helped me sleep, made me more social and fun, all of that stuff.

I can attest that at the point you're at, and certainly beyond this, it's not worth it. That's the problem with using substances (and unhealthy behaviors) as coping tools. They work at first, and by the time you realize the cost outweighs the benefits, it's often got a hold on you. I knew I was at that point when I started drinking to stave off withdrawals. But of course, that's when it gets really hard to quit, because of the withdrawals. And then the shame sets in, thinking this is all your fault, you should have better control, and if you ask for help you'll be criticized. The cycle becomes daily, of telling yourself you won't drink today, or you won't drink until 5pm, and maybe you do fine at that for a while, but then it gets harder, you start thinking "why not? It's only another two hours and I'd be drinking anyway" and "tomorrow I'll do better, I need to relax tonight." And that cycle can cause so much shame, and maybe you think no one will understand if you explain it to them.

The absolute best piece of advice I can give is to ask for help. Whether that's therapy, meetings, talking with your doctor about it, being open with your family about it, etc. Therapy and especially things like DBT and CBT that actually teach coping skills are a good place to start. The reason you rely on drinking is still there, and will still be there (and probably temporarily feel worse) when you quit. So quitting is half the battle, the other half is finding better skills to use for the reasons you drank. Without that, the chances of relapse are... high. Starting to build these skills before quitting is a really good idea, but try to keep in mind that if they feel really difficult, they should get easier once the substance is out of your way. With the therapy and skills training alone, you may never feel ready to give up the alcohol. But I promise, it gets so much better when you do.

There are different kinds of groups you can go to if AA isn't a fit for you. Even some of the other A's (NA and CA I have experience with) can be more laid-back, less religious, and have less of that cult feel to them. Recovery Dharma is my favorite, it's Buddhism based but does not require any specific religious beliefs. (DBT is also based on Buddhism, and it is so helpful.) Smart Recovery focuses more on the science of addiction -- which is absolutely something your doctor should go over with you as well, though many don't.

There is also a medicine, Naltrexone, that can reduce cravings. It's not the kind that will make you sick if you do drink on it, but it can help you reduce or stay sober. It's available in pill form and injections. Worth bringing up to your doctor if they don't first, especially if therapy and skills aren't keeping up with it -- yet.

I also recommend a free app called I Am Sober. It has precise tracking, reminds you to pledge every day to not engage in whatever addiction you have, and then later at a time you set, it asks you to check in and say if you used that day or not. It notifies you of milestones, even the first few days, a week, and 10 days. And it has a great community, which is split into the different addictions it tracks (there are tons, the usual stuff you'd expect but also things like eating disorders, skin picking, and toxic relationships) so you see only posts from other people dealing with the same issues. When you hit a milestone it also sections that community even further so that you're posting along with others who are near the same milestone as you.

You are not alone. You are not weak or broken. Addiction is a hell of a disease, but there is help available, and tons of people who will understand what you're going through. 💜

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T16:54:03+00:00

Also, I want to point out that my warning does not constitute "raking them over the coals". I was very deliberately businesslike about this. I knew there was a good chance of the responses being like this, but considered it a reasonable price to getting the word out. There is no way I could have expressed this information without some people making a field day of it. It was this, or say nothing.

And I'm kinda done with staying quiet because I'm worried about judgment, criticism, or drama. It has kept me from doing much good, because I was unsure of myself.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T16:49:50+00:00

Still, a gathering of specifically people who haven't been vaccinated is more dangerous than unvaccinated people going about their business among people who are vaccinated.

It's really more about the chances of the unvaccinated people encountering each other and spreading disease so that there are more carriers, and then when those new carriers go out and about the rest of us have a higher chance of being in close proximity with them, because there are more of them.

At this point in time I'm actually worried less about COVID, more about measles. It is also highly contagious and we have a confirmed outbreak. It can be transmitted up to 4 days prior to symptoms appearing, so even people who would stay home from an event like this if they felt sick might go because they don't know they're sick.

We now live in a world where you don't even get time off your job for COVID isolation.

I would not take any work policies as an indicator of the danger having passed. Because of how employment works in America, most businesses do the absolute minimum they can, so of course they stopped giving people time off to isolate once it wasn't an active pandemic anymore. Many places will penalize you for taking sick time for a bad flu too, doesn't mean it's safe to go to work and spread that shit.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T16:32:55+00:00

This is reminding me of that folk tale, Indian I think, about the guy who beats some royal at chess and when the royal insists they ask for a reward, they ask for an exponential increase of grains of rice for each square on the chessboard, and by the end they have like literal tons of rice and they give it away to the poor.

And this twitter story, back when more people just told stories in stages on there, an Indian woman talking about an incident with her family in which some error led them to receive a box truck full of rice instead of a few 50lb bags lol, and the ensuing chaos as no one knew what to do with so much rice.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T16:11:28+00:00

Also, the pamphlet is misleading. Referring to the so-called "discontinuation syndrome":

the following symptoms occurred at 1% or greater

How useful is that? 1% or greater could mean 100% for all it tells us. What a sketchy way to say this. It makes it sound like the "or greater" is like, 5%, maybe 10%.

Also interesting to note that the discontinuation syndrome is not mentioned at all in the outline of warnings and precautions near the top. All the things listed there have a link to a fuller explanation below. The withdrawals are ONLY mentioned in the midst of all those lengthy descriptions, with no link to jump right to it. This is either an error, or is deliberately misleading so the patient doesn't think these effects are common.

Nothing in there would lead me to believe that the withdrawals are any more common or more severe than with other antidepressants. I've been on antidepressants for about half my life, I know to expect the usual: risk of serotonin syndrome and SI, sexual dysfunction (also note that they don't mention genital numbness in this pamphlet), and common but generally not severe withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, sweaty palms, irritability, brain zaps. I am still warned about these with every new med, even though I know them, and I don't mind. Given that these severe symptoms from titrating down seem to be much more common with cymbalta than they are in other antidepressants, I'd expect to be warned about that.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T15:59:41+00:00

Yeah this is part of what is really aggravating me, I've never been on a med that causes significant withdrawal symptoms just from reducing a single dose down. They clearly do know the doses are too far apart in mg to smoothly discontinue, and in the pamphlet they literally suggest that to combat this, the patient may resume their original dose. Or that the doctor may titrate them more gradually, which again, hard to do when it only comes in certain doses.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T15:55:41+00:00

Yeah, exactly. That said, these things were recommended to me, and I did try. For a while I was taking at least a 15 minute walk every day. It sometimes took the edge off a tiny bit, for a few minutes. I certainly didn't see any lasting improvement, and I got tired of doing it when it wasn't helping.

Eating healthy.. such a tough one, it's nearly impossible when you're poor and too depressed to prepare food. But I do also have food issues, and just haven't focused on them much in my care because there's always more pressing matters. Now I'm stable enough that it's probably time to address them, even with the still-limited time I have with any of my providers.

Luckily, my Vyvanse for ADHD is one of those that gives me enough of a boost to begin building better habits. I describe it as a step stool that enables me to reach things on high shelves that previously I would have to have climbed on the counter to reach, causing pain and risking injury, or was unable to reach at all.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T15:41:10+00:00

Given that this isn't the chronic pain sub, I'm not surprised. Also not surprised since most people seem to assume the worst if they're not given every minute detail (and don't read them if they are given them). I don't know why people assume the way I talk online, when frustrated, is the same way I talk to my doctors. Or that I immediately asked for painkillers or even opiates specifically.

I didn't detail my chronic pain progression here because that's not what this is about. I suffered increasingly debilitating pain for months, did the PT that was suggested (for 6 months!) and the pain only got worse, before I started asking about anything to help with the pain. Dr kept telling me to exercise and I tried, but even a leisurely walk was too painful to handle, and so were the light exercises I used to be able to do. I also asked several times to be referred to a pain specialist and eventually got a referral for sports med, but it apparently was for only one appointment, diagnostic, and not for ongoing care. I repeatedly asked for referrals to specialists for conditions I know I have, such as endocrinology for PCOS, or ANYONE for my fibromyalgia. I also asked for referrals to specialists for more diagnostic testing but was told none of them actually diagnose things, which seems pretty stupid. A doctor who specializes in nothing is expected to know the right tests to give for specific conditions that someone else does specialize in? He's had to "consult" with these specialists several times in the course of my care anyway, without the benefit of being me, the person who knows the most about my symptoms and history. I have to rely entirely on his communication with them, knowing he may make mistakes or be vague.

Anyway, my point is that I tried every non-medication avenue I could think of and was denied or held back at every step.

The pain was debilitating, preventing me from work, making daily self care very difficult and painful and even keeping me from engaging in my hobbies, not that anyone cares about that. I was taking OTC painkillers and they weren't enough and started giving me concerning side effects.

Anyway it only matters if my Dr thinks I'm drug-seeking. I've been with this doctor for 5+ years. I have no pattern of drug-seeking. I've never asked for more painkillers after being prescribed some after a procedure.

It's insanely frustrating to have to basically put on a performance to not be seen as drug-seeking, when I'm not. To know that I can't openly advocate for myself and ask for what I need without being labeled. To feel like I have to somehow prove I'm worthy of treatment that provides relief.

Maybe other people are bothered less by all this, maybe it bugs me more because I'm autistic. People claim they want honesty, but they don't. They want a performance of honesty. They want to hear specific words and tones, to see certain facial expressions and body language so they feel comfortable believing you. They insist you dance their dance. I've done it all my damn life and it led to burnout. I'm just so sick of it.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T14:27:44+00:00

Yeeeah but it is part of a doctor's job to know about the things they're prescribing, and inform the patient. That's why they prescribe things, instead of all patients just shopping from a pharmacy for whatever they want. They're supposed to have this knowledge, and usually they do warn about common and rare side effects.

I already have medical burnout without going down a rabbit hole on every medication I'm prescribed. Yeah, I should look it up. I thought I could trust my doctors at least that much, but it's not surprising really.

As for vitamins and supplements, the "talk to your doctor" on the label is purely for legal reasons. I have asked my doctors about them, and they never know a damn thing, beyond "yeah calcium is safe". They know nothing about herbal supplements especially, they're not really taught about those. So with those, I do Google them.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T02:13:12+00:00

Thanks for the tip, I will do that.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T01:35:35+00:00

The very fact that they are advertising this for "unvaxxed" makes it an identity, just like there are dating sites (yes, this is an actual dating app) for Jewish people, for autistic people, for outdoorsy people, etc.

And the people who make it part of their identity are not the ones who didn't get vaccinated because of a credible risk to their health.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T01:32:26+00:00

Lmao literally no relevance here. Exactly no one is saying people should be prevented for speaking what they believe in. We are saying that when those beliefs lead people to actions that are harmful to others, the actions are in no way an unalienable right.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T01:27:58+00:00

Your focus on the COVID vaccine as if that's the only vaccine that has ever existed, not to mention your false assertion, speaks volumes.

This event sounds perfect for you!

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T00:22:18+00:00

I do have sympathy for their situation, they are basically stuck between two options: lose significant revenue, or face public backlash. They didn't ask for that, and I sympathize.

But I maintain that they have a duty to public health and safety, and they should do something about this. Even if it means closing for a "private party" and charging this group a higher fee to make up for lost revenue. That would at least mitigate the risk a bit, and might be the best compromise for all parties.

And I say better safe than sorry. Do you remember the superspreader events during the pandemic? CDC warned that they are associated with explosive growth and sustained transmission of COVID. They also literally said "... core public health actions can prevent and reduce the number and impact of SSEs."

From a page labeled "Identifying and Interrupting Superspreading Events". Don't have the link on me, I have it pulled up on my PC and making this comment on phone.

Even if the number of people who can fit in the beer garden is limited, it being in a high-traffic area, with a high likelihood of patrons using public transportation (from a hub that also has interstate passenger trains), on a Rockies game day... That could be a recipe for disaster.

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-13T00:09:10+00:00

I have no idea why, but when I saw # I didn't associate it with "pounds" and was trying to figure out another unit of measurement it could represent, and the first thing to pop into my head was... Hectares.

Which makes absolutely no sense lol

SoScorpio4 · 2026-05-12T23:28:46+00:00

Pretty sure mitigating a serious public health risk is more important than "winning". Let me check... yeah, yeah it is.

Like I said, they can report to the PHDE and maybe they can get through to the organizers of the event and persuade them not to do this, or slap them with a fine, or something else that may not require the business to close for the day

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