Category: Don’t do this

Why viruses are scarier with mast cell disease

While the new year promised a fresh start, my mast cells were still reacting to what happened in 2019.

Around Thanksgiving, I caught a virus. I dragged my feverish body to urgent care and asked for a flu test. I needed to know if I should pack my hospital bag, which should not be confused with my emergency room bag. My ER bag is always ready and with me.

“Good news, it’s not the flu,” the doctor said.

“How long do you think this virus will last?” I asked.

“Generally, about 5-7 days and then you should be fine,” he said.

“I’m not worried about the virus,” I said. “I’m worried about my mast cells’ reaction to the virus.”

He sputtered a bit and tried to use “degranulate” in a sentence.

“I have prednisone at home,” I said, as I grabbed my coat.

Most people are used to hearing the dangers of the flu and other viruses for people with weak or suppressed immune systems. The flu is just as dangerous for me, but not because I’m immunocompromised. In fact, just the opposite.

My mast cells fight wars they’ve already won. They swiftly kill the virus, and then proceed to kill me. My immune system doesn’t know when to stop.

After seven days, the fevers waned, but I did not feel better. I attempted to go back to work, but the floor started bouncing. Benadryl every four hours wasn’t enough. I worried the pressure in my head would cause another CSF leak. So, I dug out my favorite poison: prednisone.

Maybe Ebenezer Scrooge just needed some prednisone, because within two days, I was buzzing with the Christmas spirit. As the prednisone tamed my mast cells, I shopped, wrapped, and decorated like one of Santa’s elves. Usually the holidays are a nightmare of unrealistic expectations, but this year I crushed my to-do list with energy to spare, confusing everyone. Don’t get used to it; you’re all getting unscented deodorant and a “bah humbug” next year.

The time between Christmas and New Year’s, when no one needs a calendar or real pants, is the perfect time to taper prednisone. For me, tapering prednisone means laying on the couch and staring at the wall, as optimism drains from my soul. I aimed to get it over with before the new year, because I wanted to start the year off on the right foot. Or left. At least standing.

Within a few days of coming off prednisone, my ear tubes began to ache. My mast cells were still reacting to the virus they killed a month and a half ago. I ignored it, hoping they would calm down, but the congestion in my head continued to build.

One night, after hours of painsomnia, I dreamed I went on a girls’ trip. The five of us innertubed from northern Italy to California (via the Mississippi River, obviously). The water must have been pretty rough, because I woke up with a subluxated jaw. The inflammation in my ear had gotten so bad that my jaw slipped out of the socket. I tried to ignore that pain too, but a spoonful of rice left me crying for another round of prednisone.

So instead of starting the new year motivated, I medicated. Luckily, this was just a cold. In 2016, I caught the flu and needed an ambulance and hospitalization.

I wish my mast cells had a reset button. I wish people kept their germs to themselves. I wish I could take prednisone for the rest of my life and become the most productive person in the history of the universe. Instead, I’ll embrace my solitary confinement and remind you not to kill me.

 

Choose your own (mis)adventure

“You and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens in this story.”

This is the ominous warning given at the beginning of each Choose Your Own Adventure book, the popular 1980s children’s series. I used to check these books out of my elementary school’s library by the armful, enticed by the idea of being in charge. I carefully weighed the potential risks and rewards of each option at the end of a chapter, imagining my fate. Do I run for the nearest escape or defend myself? Should I ask the sorceress for help? Morocco or Boston?

The authors punished greedy and cautious readers alike. This pissed off my impulsive younger brother, who inevitably succumbed to flipping through the books in search of the most appealing outcomes. Then he would back track, memorize the best choices, and declare himself the winner.

To my disappointment, adult life is a lot less adventurous, aside from an occasional vacation and professionally led excursions. Instead, I am in charge of mundane misadventures. There are no new planets or ancient jewels. Basically, I’m just trying to stay alive and support my Etsy shopping habit.

My recent misadventure in healthcare reminded of these books and their valuable lessons: life is illogical and totally unfair. Oftentimes, health decisions are a gamble. Some options end up being a huge waste of time and money, returning you back to the original situation. Other times, all of the choices suck. To demonstrate what I mean, I present to you…

Choose your own (mis)adventure: Abdominal pain

You can no longer ignore the pain in your upper right abdomen. It has throbbed with increasing ferocity over the last two weeks, but you cannot recall any new changes to your diet or exercise routine. The Internet suggests it could be your gallbladder and upon inquiry, it seems like everyone you know has had their gallbladder removed. One friend warns you of the possibility of a gallbladder rupture. You wonder if this is related to your mast cell disease. Your back begins to spasm.

If you hope the pain can wait until you see can your primary care doctor, click here.

If you go to the emergency room, click here.

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Emergency room

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You check into the emergency room. Forty minutes later, you are ushered into a room and describe your pain to a doctor. The doctor orders an ultrasound and it looks normal. Blood and urine tests are normal, too. The nurse administers mast cell medications, but they have no effect on the pain. The doctor recommends following up with your primary care doctor. Although it cost you $100, at least you’ve confirmed you’re not dying. Right?

Click here to go to your primary care doctor.

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Primary care appointment

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In the clinic, your primary care doctor examines your abdomen and agrees your gallbladder is the likely culprit. She orders a HIDA scan to measure your gallbladder’s functionality. You drink 20 ounces of a milky sludge and lay still in a narrow tube for an hour. The HIDA scan is normal. You pay the $100 imaging deductible.

Meanwhile, the pain is affecting your ability to work and move. You research mast cell related gallbladder issues and discover half of MCAS patients feel better after gallbladder removal. Half of patients feel worse. Your primary care doctor recommends you consult a surgeon.

If you schedule a surgery consultation, click here.
If you decide to give up, click here.

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Surgery consult

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The surgeon acknowledges all your test results are normal, but agrees to remove your gallbladder with the recommendation of a gastroenterologist. You know two things to be certain: surgeons love removing organs, and this was a waste of time and $25.

If you schedule an appointment with gastroenterology, click here.

If you follow up with your primary care doctor in hopes of non-surgical solutions, click here.

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Emergency room 2

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The pain is shooting up to your shoulder and your back is spasming. Near tears, you hurry to the emergency room before the pain renders you unable to walk. The doctor reviews your chart. Blood and urine tests are normal again. The nurse administers pain medication and you have some relief, but no answers. Another $100 emergency room copay.

If you schedule a surgery consultation as recommended by your primary care doctor, click here.
If you get a second option in gastroenterology, click here.

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Primary care follow up

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Your primary care doctor examines your abdomen again. You break out in hives when she pushes in the center of your belly. She reassures you it is not a hernia, but suspects a muscle spasm. She says sometimes Botox injections can help muscle spasms in the abdomen. You hate needles and have no idea if you’re allergic to Botox.

If you give up and accept a life of pain, click here.
If you decided to try Botox in the stomach, click here.

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Gastroenterology

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The gastroenterologist tells you your gallbladder is fine and he doesn’t want to treat you because you have mast cell disease. He informs you that the clinic has hired a gastroenterology psychologist. He suggests she may be able to help you to learn how “food affects your mood.” You just wasted $25 and two hours of vacation time to be referred to a poop shrink. Your current psychologist agrees.

If you give up and accept a life of pain, click here.
If you follow up with your primary care doctor in hopes of a non-surgical solution, click here.

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Botox

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You died from Botox, but at least your stomach isn’t wrinkly. You didn’t leave a will for your poodles.

(Author’s note: It is unlikely you would die from Botox, but you really chose the worst option. Click here to give up and endure instead.)

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Give up and endure

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You swear off all doctors. You can’t afford them anyway. You self medicate with baths, HBO, and ready-bake chocolate chip cookies. If you could just figure out how to never move again, you would be pain free.

Four months later, a friend with MCAS recommends a chiropractor. You decide to go, because the pain is now causing your ribs to subluxate. The chiropractor adjusts your ribs, and you mention the pain in your abdomen. She palpates the pain and tells you its an adhesion. You wince and grit your teeth, as she massages the tender area. When she stops, the pain is gone. Forever.

The End.

(Based on a true story. What the hell.)

Mac and cheese and other drugs: why ingredients matter

Macaroni and cheese is my one true love. It always has been.

When I was seven and it was socially acceptable for me to eat neon noodles every day for lunch, I’d stick my head in laundry chute and yell, “DAAAAAAAAD!”

“What?” he’d shout from the basement. (We use cell phones these days.)

“I’m so hungrryyyyy. I’m starrrrrrving. Feed me. Feed me. Feed me,” I’d chant, while stomping on the floor until I heard him coming up the stairs.

In the kitchen, I’d hand my dad the box of pasta and assume my supervisory chair at the table. I imagined the best thing about being an adult was knowing how to make macaroni and cheese. I had tried on my own, of course, but noodles, water, and the magic powder were surprisingly disappointing. I watched my dad carefully, trying to learn, but the counter was too high. I begged him to teach me.

“What comes next?” I asked, while he poured the cooked noodles back into the steaming pot.

“It’s top secret,” he said.

“Tell me!” I cried.

“Secret ingredients. That’s why it tastes better than mom’s,” he said. (Years later, I would learn mom skimped on the butter, but I would never understand why.)

“C’mon!” I demanded.

“All of your favorite things,” he said.

“Like what?” I asked.

“Peanut butter, “ he said.

“You’re lying,” I accused him. It didn’t taste like peanut butter.

“Well, what do you think makes it taste so good?” he replied.

I didn’t have an answer. I stood on my chair, trying to see for myself.

“Now the ice cream,” he said.

“Stop lying!” I cried. “Tell me how to make it!”

He went to the refrigerator, retrieved a half of gallon of vanilla ice cream, and set it on the counter next to the noodles. Turning his back to me, I saw him scoop the ice cream. I contemplated everything I knew about food. I had never tried this. Maybe he was right. My mouth watered imagining the peanut butter and ice cream mixing together.

“How much ice cream?” I asked hesitantly.

“Two cups,” he said.

I believed him.

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Fours years later, I finally was old enough to babysit. I was certified by the Red Cross, and eager to earn money. Unfortunately, my parents still hadn’t taught me the most important skill of babysitting: how to make macaroni and cheese.

“Do you know how to make macaroni and cheese?” my first client asked.

“I think so,” I said. “You mix the box with peanut butter.”

And yet they still let me watch their child.

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Making macaroni and cheese whenever I want is one of the best things about being an adult. However, my macaroni and cheese is no longer neon orange. Although it still comes in a box, it’s gluten-free, and I mix it with lactose-free milk.

I am no longer blissfully unaware of the ingredients in my food and medicine. As digestion became increasingly painful in my 20s, I began vigilantly reading labels in grocery stores. However, I never thought to read the all ingredients in my medications.

One of the first lessons my mast cell specialist taught me was many patients react to the inactive ingredients in medications. These ingredients (also called excipients) can include fillers, dyes, binders, and preservatives – not the actual medicine itself. I used to think brand name and generic drugs were the same, yet I had awful experiences when my pharmacy changed my prescription. While the active ingredients are the same, the inactive ingredients can vary greatly. Now I only use dye free medications, and have memorized a list of manufacturers my body tolerates.

The same applies to supplements. I learned this the hard way two years ago when I tried quercetin, a mast cell stabilizer. The brand I chose used the least ingredients: just quercetin and cellulose, a common binder made from plants. I even checked it out on their website: “hypoallergenic plant cellulose.” Sounds great, right?

Three days of flu-like lethargy and one seizure-like reaction later, I discovered the plant they used was Southern Pine. Pine is one of my most severe allergies. Why the hell would you put a Christmas tree in medicine?

Know what’s in your pills. It’s not sunshine and happiness. Or peanut butter and ice cream.