First if you are a woman or if you are someone who loves a woman in whatever capacity, I want you to feel empowered to speak up for your right to appropriate health care. Your body is yours, you are well within your right to refuse care that infringes upon your bodily autonomy. You are not at the behest of your healthcare professional. You are well within your right to question, ask, and fully understand what is happening and why before you give consent.

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What is your liver? Let’s get to know this friendly fella that lives on the right upper quadrant of your abdomen. Your liver is your friend and is incredibly vital to your overall health. You may have heard that the liver can regenerate itself, but it is not magical. Years of abuse to your liver can impair its ability to heal itself. Damage to your liver can happen through over the counter medications, prescription medications, a poor diet or obesity, hepatitis infections, uncontrolled diabetes, and of course alcohol misuse.

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When I was in nursing school, 2008, I had an instructor who dedicated a lot of her nursing career to palliative care. Something she said really resonated with me–often cries of “I just want to die” and begging to be “put out of their misery” were the result of unimaginable pain and suffering. She went on to explain that these pleas are fleeting and in-the-moment. My bedside experience solidified her teachings that once we get our patient more comfortable, those desires to die will lessen.

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As we entered into lockdown during 2020 amidst a pandemic, we found a common theme that occurred as a result of government-mandated social isolation—an increase in overdose deaths. While we can speculate on the many reasons why the two corresponded with one another, we will first aim our focus towards understanding what “addiction” actually is.

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