Ana. Ana fits into the same category as Aunt Flo; the frequent but unappreciated guest with awful timing (apologies to any men who aren’t familiar with the term). Except Ana is less predictable, less frequent (usually) and more dramatic than Aunt Flo. Fortunately, when Ana comes to visit almost every day, the drama is spread… Read more What’s Ana? (Who? Where?) Street Conversation #5
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
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
My journey has been quite unexpected. Along the way though, there are points that deserve a pin on the map. Times when you choose to take a different direction, or you meet new companions. Sometimes they are only seen in hindsight, some that are immediately obvious. The last two weeks have turned things upside down.… Read more A Milestone: A new allergist.
Hello, and welcome. I’m Karen, and I would like to invite you to walk with me along my journey. It isn’t always the easiest hiking trail, but it is rarely boring. When I was in school, Rick Hansen was doing his around the world journey in his wheelchair, to raise awareness for spinal cord research. When… Read more Welcome!
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…
“I don’t care if you call it an allergy or a sensitivity. I don’t care which immunoglobulin set it off. All I know is that I’m not getting enough air!” Ahh, the power of language. I said that when I was in the ER, and having an anaphylactic reaction. The nurse chose that moment to… Read more Definition of ‘Allergy’