Aw, thanks!
This might be a silly question, but is the mast cell stuff related to other allergy stuff? It says on the site that you linked that asthma is also related to mast cells dysfunction. Would nasal allergies be too? I see sinus/lung infections listed on some of the most extensive lists of co-occuring problems with EDS, and I have asthma and bad allergies with lots and lots of respiratory infections in addition to everything else. When I saw that on the lists I wondered what the connection was.
As a side note, I’m amused that emotional upset, exertion, and stress are on the list of potential triggers on the mastocytosis page. So all those years I was right–I really am allergic to final exams, gym class, and unrequited love. ;-P
HA! Em, that’s hysterical (but oh, so true!). Mast cells are sort of like “allergy cells from hell”. Sort of. They can cause allergy reactions (they release histamine), but they also release a lot of other very bad chemicals (cytokines, chemokines, heparin, etc) that can actually kill us. Cytokines can also help us heal, though, so if they are in check, all is well. In mast cell activation disorder (MCAD) or mastocytosis, the mast cells are abnormal and multiply almost like cancer. And they continue to get worse as we get older. That’s why we can plug along OK for a while, then BAM, down we go. And who is this crazy person who didn’t return your love?! Big hug,