For those of you who aren’t aware of it already, “Don’t bet against Occam” is Dr Afrin’s book, published last year. Occam (Okham) was a friar and philosopher in the 14th century. (Here is Brittanica’s blurb if you want to know more). There’s some debate of he was the first one to write about it,… Read more My ‘Occam’s List’
http://www.athinkingpatient.com/somatic-disorder-misdiagnosis-mast-cell-activation-conversion/ Last week this topic popped up everywhere. I have been fighting the ‘it’s all in her head’ for years, and had such stunningly similar experiences. Several patients with MCAS have gone public, and said ‘NO. This isn’t okay. I’ve had enough. This is utterly illogical. It is cruel. It is wasteful of human lives… Read more Ditto: Time to say ‘enough’.
“No. But yes.” (Helpful, eh?). The longer answer is “Yes, I have had it my whole life. But I didn’t know it, and it was nowhere near as bad as it is now.” It’s amazing what you can see in hindsight. I have had relatively minor ailments my whole life. They were always ‘atypical’ or… Read more Street Corner Conversation #4 “Have you always had this?”
It was too good to last, of course, but that only highlights how wonderful it was. There was no huge event, or exciting surprises. It was normal. And what a luxury 'normal' is. And it would appear that a poorly timed crash has turfed this post. The same crash posted some articles that weren't quite… Read more A Banner Week
Grace and Frankie is a fun show on Netflix. It's well done, all around. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin play off each other beautifully, and it's a rare bird, that can show depth and emotion and be hysterically funny at the same time. It's made me laugh hard enough that Hubby comes in to check… Read more Grace and Frankie: I bet Allison has MCAS.
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
I just looked out my back window. It’s a beautiful veiw. We look out across a valley. There are three ‘layers’ of mountains, with a foreground of trees- framed by the trunks of tall cedars. When I try and paint it, it looks fake because the ‘layers’ of mountains are remarkably even. I live just… Read more The Big Smoke
If my genes come from the Baltic, why am I eating eating like a Mediterranean? Amber. Yup. Amber. That’s what finally tipped the scale. I’m ready to put my ideas out there, confident that I won’t get laughed off the stage, at least. I have tried to write this about ten times, and I… Read more The Nordic Connection: A Starting Point
Today was my son’s graduation from grade seven- he’ll start highschool next year. A year ago, going into that gym would have ended with me in the hospital. I premedicated myself like hell, and pulled my mask on tight, and I did it! Well, I watched him get his service award and his certificate, and… Read more I’m going to be paying for this one.. it was worth it!
“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