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Ash Hickey آشلي

@ordinaryash.bsky.social

1.1K followers 3.7K following 1.3K posts

She/Her. Aspiring medical historian with an interest in how respectability/morality is applied to the body/illness. Based in Aotearoa. Harm reduction advocate. Dog lover. Flower afficionado. Knows how to throw together a meal. Shoddy crafter. Hot mess.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · Dec 13

Hello AoNZ/Māori/History Bluesky . Does anyone know anything about "The Māori Dentist" pictured here at Raetihi? High chance he would not be based there full time or actually a dentist as itinerant dentistry by anyone who could wield a pair of forceps was horrifyingly typical 😬😅

Photo of two photos from an archived manuscript. The top photo shows an early car on a colonial era street. The bottom photo shows a crowd gathered around a man having a tooth removed in a dentists chair in an outdoor setting.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 19h

Māori/AoNZ health academics and interested people.

Does anyone happen to have a pdf copy of the report "He Kohikohinga: A Maori Health Knowledge Base: A Report on a Research Project for the Department of Health" (1989) by any chance?

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

I often think about how bizarre mum's funeral must have seemed to the funeral director. Not many people have people from literally every walk of life attend their funeral, from a former prime minister to her friends on the methadone program with long lists of convictions.

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

He was my mum's uncle through marriage. It's telling that, despite being on the dpb in the 90s and citing this experience every election after as a reason to never vote national, I never heard her say a bad thing about him. She kept his early election flyers until her death.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Even just a few years ago you'd see other young families, 20-something aged friend groups having brunch etc. Now I pretty much only see wealthy people in their 50s and 60s eating out socially and professionals combining work meetings with coffee-no food.

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

We used to go out regularly for a coffee and cake type thing, bowl of fries maybe. Dinners out to celebrate birthdays and achievements. Almost never now. And when I do go into a restaurant it's very obvious other young (ish) people are in the same boat.

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Some symptoms have been going on for 12 years and the intensification started 7 years ago so not a covid thing, probably not helping things in general that I've had it twice now though

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Idk, maybe. There's something autoimmune happening. The health system really doesn't seem set up for these kinds of mystery, full system illnesses. I keep getting bumped between or rejected by specialists and no one takes in the full picture 🫩

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

a cartoon character with the words someone else written on the bottom

ALT: a cartoon character with the words someone else written on the bottom

media.tenor.com

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Probably because I've been wearing pants and exercising my right to vote too much 🥲

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Yes...but my derm was kind of useless. My biggest skin problem (among MANY) was all he looked at and he seemed extremely offput because it's on my vulva and bum. I also have to drive an hour to see him and he stood me up once and I eventually got sick of feeling like a gross fatty with a broken vag

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Luckily he did order blood and stool test so I'll be in a slightly better position when I see the doctor I rebooked with at the end of the month.

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Honestly IMMEDIATELY. I barely spoke to this dude and he didn't ask a single clarifying question about my symptoms. He's just like "fatigue you say? All in your head. Next!" Only a slight exaggeration 🙃🙃🙃

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

God knows how anyone who does have ongoing mental health stuff happening AND some sort of mystery chronic illness is supposed to get help 😩.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

I swear they see on my records that I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety 20 years ago (during a period where there were clear situational factors including my home being repeatedly home invaded) and, despite having no further mental health history, they think "case closed."

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Considering contacting the practice. I've written up notes.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

It was EGREGIOUS 😂😂. Like a OTT parody skit. Luckily he's just a locum filling in while they find someone to replace my recently retired doctor.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

I mean, it's kind of freeing in a way. I've been putting off going for ages, partly because I was scared this would happen. It was so blatant and he had zero right to be that confident based on our interaction. It's so obvious it's a him problem, I shouldn't have been so worried.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Very explicitly and firmly said psychological several times. No referral just a very patronising look and rolled yes. Pretty much the worst possible scenario as played out in my imagination when I was putting off going to the doctor and asking for help 😂😭

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

There's a counselling service at my university but I'd rather not clog up a free service that others need when I don't need it.

Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Ironically, to go to this appointment I took time out from writing about how quacks often appealed to women because doctors characterised them as credulous & vulnerable to the power of suggestion & dismissed their symptoms as "functional illnesses" (i.e., hysterical/psychosomatic)...Aarrrgghh!!!

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

I have health insurance which should mostly cover it *I think*. I've rebooked with another doctor but it would be nice to be able to counter this if it happens again.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, I just remembered telehealth is a thing so I guess that broadens the location. Any of my AoNZ mutuals with chronic illness experienced something like this or have recommendations for a suitable psychiatrist?

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

Mind you, this is on my first consultation with him and after barely saying ten sentences to the man about why I was there. He did not ask me about my symptoms or medical history. I'm absolutely certain my symptoms aren't psychological but I'm open to ruling it out definitively I guess.

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 1d

This is kind of an odd request but does anyone know of a good private psychiatrist in Wairarapa or Wellington with a short wait time? I just got told by a GP that the debilitating fatigue, skin, pain and digestive system symptoms I've been experiencing for many years are psychological 😒

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Ash Hickey آشلي @ordinaryash.bsky.social · 2d

This was a syphilis treatment too. We don't give nearly enough credit to just how miraculous a shift there was between the pre- and post-antibiotics eras.

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