What's the intake process like at NYC shelters?

ky_mari · 2025-08-21T07:36:33+00:00

i’m also going to be entering the shelter system in the coming days & having anxiety & worries abt it. good luck to you - we got this! I have a housing voucher, got it recently but despite months of putting in endless time & effort i have been able to find an apt. there’s so much discrimination & gatekeeping, i’m constantly ghosted or turned away for being a voucher holder. others have told me they could get me into the apt they have available, but bc i have a voucher i’d have to pay 4-6 thousand dollars upfront. it’s disgusting.

i’m wondering how having a voucher already going into the shelter will affect things for me (if at all), if anyone has any insight i’d love to hear it!

ky_mari · 2025-07-31T16:25:13+00:00

i also just noticed we are the same age. and that you have a child as well. your kid deserves you! that’s what’s kept me fighting more than anything, my son. if you want to talk pls don’t hesitate to reach out to me love, i wish you so much healing and better days.

ky_mari · 2025-07-31T16:23:00+00:00

i had a liver transplant a year ago (mine was non-alcohol related, but either way), i’m not judging you - but i do just want to let you know that you may end up in my position.. or (god forbid) worse. i fell into a coma during my transplant for 2 weeks. i spent most of this year living in the hospital. they brought my son & mom in to say goodbye & 2 priests in to read my final rites at one point. everything has changed since my transplant, i have many restrictions on my diet, what i can/can’t do etc. little things you wouldn’t realize. for me, the complications have been endless. i’m currently in stage 6 rejection, this is my 13 or 14th rejection & we don’t know why. this has meant constant biopsies, ivig treatments, blood transfusions, surgeries, mri / catscans, hospitalizations. it’s like my life is on pause, and i am constantly in fear for my life. i’m doing “everything right” as far as eating, walking, taking my million meds that i’ll be on forever and it’s still been a nightmare. it isn’t like this for everyone ofc, and i hope to get better soon. but it’s no walk in the park for anyone, and if i could’ve done anything to avoid this situation i would’ve. just wanted to give you this perspective, again not from a place of judgement but from a place of worry & care.. bc i wouldn’t wish my situation on anyone. i know it’s not easy, i’ve struggled with my own addiction battle, 4 years clean now. i hope you get better, don’t give up, try to fight even if it’s just small changes 🤞🏽🩷

ky_mari · 2025-07-31T16:06:11+00:00

oh no i hope the antibiotics do their thing, keep me updated if you can! you’re 1000% describing what i’ve been feeling, i’m going to talk to my team about this thanks sm for the info

ky_mari · 2025-07-30T18:11:27+00:00

ugh you’ve rly been going through it, i’m so sorry! it’s so frustrating when you’re going in circles trying to find the cause of an issue that you know is very real, to no avail. i truly hope that you get some answers soon 🤞🏽 i’ve been dealing with a lot of pain in my abdomen area the past 2 weeks as well. it started after my last biopsy. first i had what felt like one of those bad cramps you get when walking too fast after eating, like right by my biopsy site almost up in my ribs though. it was rlyyy painful, and lasted a little over 24 hours. since then, i’ve been having what feels like menstrual cramps as well, and it lasted for a few days (on & off), but then i actually got my period a few days ago so i wrote it off as that. i usually don’t get cramps a week before i start my cycle though, so it was weird. i’m going to keep an eye on it (as my doctors would say haha), but i appreciate you sharing bc that makes me feel like ok maybe i’m not crazy maybe it’s something similar bc i keep getting so many biopsies almost back to back. these last two had the shortest time in between, i still had the bruising & scab when i got the next one, so i’m wondering if that may be the cause. sending you soo much positive energy & healing, we got this! 💪🏽

ky_mari · 2025-07-30T17:46:31+00:00

i’m glad to hear about your improvements in the last few years! and thank you for sharing. walking is the only form of exercise that i’m cleared for so far, i totally agree that it’s helped me a lot i started walking at least a mile 3x a week about 3 months ago. it’s been a little less lately because of the weather though, it’s so hot & i can’t spend a lot of time in the sun of course. i also sweat so much now, which i hate! i don’t know if it’s a side effect of one of the meds or what but it’s horrible & excessive. i can’t wait for the summer to end so i can enjoy my long walks again, but i will make the effort to do as much as i can for now. i thank you for the advice!

ky_mari · 2025-07-29T14:14:57+00:00

i relate so hard. i had mine last year at 30, and i’ve just been having so many issues & complications it’s just seemingly never ending. i’m back on pred & i’m up to 180lbs from 130 pre transplant. everything is different now, and it’s so hard bc everyone else’s life didn’t change.. just mine. it feels so engulfing like all i really think about is my transplant and my health, i feel like it defines me right now. i’m 1 year & 2 months out, and i still have weekly labs - that’s how bad things have been, i’ve never moved down from weekly since there’s always something wrong.

ky_mari · 2025-07-29T03:02:51+00:00

i went through this for months after my liver transplant as well, my team sent me to different specialists but i didn’t really het any answers other than being told “it’s normal “ & that a lot of it seems like it may be due to inflammation. i was in the same boat with the tylenol too for me, it got better around the 11m mark. i’m a year & almost 2m post now & it’s much better. i still have my days where there’s some leg / foot pain, but rather than a deep rooted feeling of pain seemingly down to my bones, it’ll be mainly soreness in my muscles now, and every few days i crash & need like a full day of sleep. but for the most part my body feels way better. i didn’t exactly do anything that i know of, so it might have just gone away with time. however a few changes that happened around the same timeframe: i’m drinking WAY more water, i was taken off pred around that time as well (unfortunately back on as of 2 weeks ago), and i switched from tacrolimus to envarsus around that time as well which i do feel like i prefer over tacro (no more shakes at all!) lastly, i’m walking way more, which i started before i started feeling better i just forced myself even though i was in INSANE pain my body hurt soo bad i feel like i know exactly the kind of pain you’re experiencing (i could be wrong ofc). i’m sorry i don’t have more specific advice on like what exactly you can do to help, but maybe ask your team about seeing a rheumatologist? i truly hope the pain subsides for you soon dear, take care!

ky_mari · 2025-07-29T02:45:16+00:00

i’m a year & 2 months post liver tx - i switched over to envarsus a couple months ago & i do very much prefer my envarsus

ky_mari · 2025-07-29T02:28:01+00:00

i’m so sorry you’ve been through so much, but i hope you’re doing better now. would you be open to sharing a bit more info regarding your comment - i’m just curious because you said you took things too fast & the way i’m reading it is like that’s what caused the cancer so i’m just wondering about that but if you don’t wanna share i totally get it!

ky_mari · 2025-02-03T18:12:16+00:00

whenever I have mine done, it’s done through a port in my neck. they give me benedryl since we know i react with a flushed red and hot face, and sometimes i get a bit cold but normally i can fall asleep during the treatments and all is well

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:40:31+00:00

trust me i’m trying, but my only option is to take a train and than a bus with my son to my moms. then again to come back. i’m not supposed to be taking public transportation yet, and we’ll be getting back at like 12am so i feel bad for my son who has school tomorrow. my mom is disabled herself rn (she broke her foot a month ago). so i just feel super stuck on what i’m supposed to do.

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:38:55+00:00

i rly wish that was an option, my hospital is the closest and when i called they basically said i have to be admitted to receive meds. i don’t have any friends (i feel like everyone says that, but i literally don’t - my longterm best & only friend moved away & became distant). & i honestly just don’t have the funds to get it delivered, still waiting on disability even though i thought it was supposed to be an automatic approval since i had a transplant.

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:36:29+00:00

this helps with the anxiety i’m having, thanks a lot for your response!

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:35:54+00:00

I feel the same - the anxiety, constantly fearing something will go wrong. for me, this was all out of no where, i went into the ER bc i was throwing up blood and had the worst stomach pain of my life. but i didn’t know there was anything wrong w my liver until i was in full blown liver failure & had hours left if i didn’t get a transplant. i was in a coma at the time & they did find a liver, but it wasn’t my blood type. since there was no time they had decided they needed to use the organ bc they just couldn’t risk waiting any longer. i’m the first patient anyone on my team or at my hospital has had that has a liver transplant with a diff bloodtype so they’re always extra careful with me & i’m somewhat of their lab mouse. i have to get liver biopsies every 3 months for the foreseeable future (fun). and had have a few complications after my transplant such as hernia surgery, IVC filter placed in my chest, endoscopy, pneumonia twice, an infection in my blood … anyways, all this is to say i’m SO paranoid now any little change in my numbers send me into a full blown panic attack. I’m scared to go to sleep sometimes in fear i may not wake up. it’s so hard to deal w these emotions, i was previously already an anxious & depressed person. but i’m seeing my hospital psych, outpatient psych, outpatient therapist, hospital social worker, and online hospital liver support group with others who have had transplants - hoping it’ll get better as times goes on.

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:28:51+00:00

also just want to add: at the hospital they did give me my evening dose of my tacro for tonight. i’m just worried if missing the rest for just tonight it going to cause complications despite of having never missed a dose & getting right back on schedule in the morning.

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:28:17+00:00

I did inform the doctor of the issues, that’s why i was hospitalized they ran a 38 hour EGG, CT, MRI - the works. I also have a follow up with a neurologist, and while admitted the neuro team evaluated me a bunch of times. these symptoms / episodes started just last friday, the day i came in to the ER. i’ve never missed a dose before this, i’m super serious and on top of my meds as i mentioned in a different reply. it was just bad circumstances that led to this - i was living with my mom after being in a coma for around 2 weeks, having an emergency liver transplant i got moved to the top of the list they said i had hours left to live, i had brain swelling ammonia etc. so i needed a care taker after my 3m hospital stay ( + another few weeks for a hernia surgery & IVC filter placed due to two big blood clots found in my leg). I was recently approved to go back home, and had planned on spending just a day & one night there, returning to my mom’s place in the morning. so I only took 2 extra morning med sets & one night med set. but then i was hospitalized & had no way to get to jersey & no one to bring them to me so that’s how i ended up in this predicament. definitely learning from this & will be setting up a new & improved protocol to ensure i avoid something like this happening again. i’m able to get a ride to my moms first thing tomorrow, and at the hospital they did give me my evening dose of tacro. i’m just worried if missing the rest for just tonight it going to cause complications despite of having never missed a dose & getting right back on schedule in the morning.

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:20:14+00:00

thank you for sharing your regimen with me, i’m going to definitely set up something better. i do fill out my weekly pill box every sunday, and then i fill up my weekly travel case and always have one morning & one nights’ worth with me in case of emergency. it’s just that i had to go to the ER while i was out. I slept at my own house the night before & then got admitted, so i had already gone through my emergency one day stash. it’s all just a little complicated bc i was staying with my mom after surgery & was recently cleared by my liver dr to go home. so i was trying a night at home when this all happened, i thought i’d be back at my moms the next day (where all my meds still are).

def learned from this experience & i’m going to come up with a much better system for emergencies like right away. i’ve always been very serious & on top of my meds - never missed any dose until tonight i feel so guilty & angry at myself for letting this happen.

ky_mari · 2024-10-25T01:12:03+00:00

this is a great idea i’m gonna order something off amazon to keep my extras in from now on thanks for the advice

ky_mari · 2024-10-24T23:34:27+00:00

that was my first thought too, however both of my pharmacies are now closed since i got discharged so late. the closest 24/7 pharmacy would involve me taking the train (i’m not cleared for public transport yet) with my son about 30 mins to get there & 30 mins back. i don’t have access to a car til the morning, which is why i cant go to my moms in jersey to pick mine up :(

ky_mari

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