Firstly, I took some better snapshots of my view. Photography is definitely not my best medium, but it should give you a better sense. I definitely could never afford this view, but it’s easy to see why everybody wants to live here. The more important… Read more Well That’s Better!
This is for the young man at JJ Bean today. Thank you for noticing. Thank you for making others notice, thank you for caring. I went to JJ Bean today after picking up my daughter from school (coffee shops are a way of life here, JJ Bean is a local company- and they have access… Read more A Letter to the Man in the Peacoat
Hello fellow Masties! I could use your help with a question that’s been on my mind. As you probably know, MCAS often follows a ‘stair’ shaped progression, marked by a sudden increase in severity followed by some partial improvement with changes in your medications and trigger avoidance. But then you see another sudden increase in… Read more MCAD/MCAS Progression Survey
On Christmas Eve, Hubby was reading ‘A Visit from St Nicolas’ (The Night before Christmas) he got to the line “His cheeks were like roses”, and made a joke about Santa having MCAS. As these things can go with over-tired children and punchy adults, we started to diagnose Santa, with lots of giggles… Didn’t exactly lead… Read more Merry Christmas! Top Ten Reasons to Suspect Santa has MCAS:
When I was six, I fell out of the big maple tree in our front yard. Anyone who has known me for a millisecond knows this story, my apologies to those who are sick of it! I had been hanging from my knees on a branch, only a few feet off the ground, but upside… Read more The Tale of the Broken Arm (or, My Weird Pain, Part One).
MCAS and our current medical paradigm clash. It can’t be treated ‘system by system’. I need to see SO many different specialists, and I have to be the go-between, referee, and decision maker. As I’m sure you can guess, I’ve had a few bumps with physicians. People with MCAS are notorious for ‘burning through’ specialists.… Read more So THAT’s How it’s Supposed to Go! Specialists and MCAS, Part One
Disclaimer: This is one of those times where I actively disagree with the standard veiws held by many physicians. I'm not a doctor, so don't take my advice, don't not take my advice, don't blindly follow my thinking, stop and think things through; most importantly, err on the side of caution. I will never forget… Read more Skin Scratch Tests and MCAS
“Everything and anything”. At this point, the person I am talking to goes one of two ways. One group says “That must be hard.”. It’s usually a pretty clear conversation ender. If they say “What? Do you have food allergies, or environmental stuff, or meds. Or???” “Yes.” “Actually, it’s probably; easier to tell you what… Read more “What are you allergic to?” Street conversation #3
April 2017 So, this all began on November 21, 2011. No, maybe it was August of 1991 (nasty upper respiratory infection), oh- or September of 2001 (when I had reactive arthritis). Maybe it was the flower bee when I was 6 or 7? Well, so perhaps starting at the beginning is a very good way… Read more Let’s Start at the very Beginning…