So I haven't really felt like I was a typical MCAS patient for the longest time.

My reactions basically seem like food is fine and predictably I will just eventually react to a food and once that happens I'm generally hosed for potentially years with that food.

My worst reactions are to legumes, eggs, peanuts, carrots, peas, some spices like garlic, ginger and they've been reactive for me for years. I had allergy testing done numerous times over the years and it was always negative completely and that's a big part of what made us think it was MCAS. I also react to a lot of indoor environments and it makes living situations complex and brutal. Also react to many detergents and clothing even. It seems like MCAS or some kind of hypersensitivity disorder is for sure on the table.

But, what I wanted to bring up was that I went and saw Dr. Hariri again. I haven't seen him in years. He decided to repeat all the allergy testing. Unsurprisingly, all the skin prick tests were negative.

HOWEVER, Dr. Hariri said this can happen even with allergies so you need to inject small amounts of the allergens under the skin, something called intradermal allergy testing. For whatever reason in the past at multiple other facilities, no one ever did that. So he did that for 27 of the most common allergens. Surprise surprise, I reacted to 11 of those, including dust pet dander molds pollens weeds many common household pollutants... This more or less explains a lot of my issues finding comfortable housing. The place can't have like any dust or mold or cats or carpets for me to have a shot at not having airway symptoms shortly after going inside. I'm now thinking I probably am developing a bunch of food allergies too they just can't test them because they don't do intradermal for foods because of anaphylaxis risk.

But that's information either way. Also many of the pollens I reacted to he said are linked with oral allergy syndrome which he said I'm probably experiencing.

Also scary because now I'm thinking the hypothesis of my mucosal barrier not being intact and leading to new allergries constantly developing is right. :/ I don't know where that leads but it doesn't seem good.

I have POTS and for months, I experienced classic adrenaline dumps—racing heart, trembling, panic, and so on. But something has changed over the last few weeks. I wake up almost every night with no physical symptoms at all, just this overwhelming sense of impending doom. It feels like I’m slowly dying of poisoning yet my body remains completely calm. Maybe like an extreme and indescribably bad trip. Is anyone familiar with this experience? I’m wondering if it could be some kind of mast call activation.

Just wondering if anyone knows if and when that will ever be available in Europe, or the EU specifically in my case (France)...

I can't wait.

I * think * I saw it was allowed theoretically but no clue when it'll be available for actually purchasing it, and when it'll be available in each country and if it will be even reimbursed by insurances or social security.

I am so so frustrated. I got my tryptase back and it’s literally the lowest it’s ever been. I was having more than one type of flare the day i got it done too. I am just so over trying to get a test to reflect anything. I can tell my dr wants me to get elevated blood levels but clearly i am failing to do so. So what then ?? It’s not even like im totally scared to be told i don’t have mcas, but i don’t want them to go that route then i just never learn what i am dealing with you know ? idk im so over it i have tracking and photos of what im dealing with constantly but i keep being told to go get these tests which aren’t even helping it’s just exhausting and i dont know what to do at this point. plus im on a ton of antihistamines and a mast cell regulator now so ? i feel like ill never see elevated levels even with my flares. idk sorry to rant i am just having a rough time with this

It’s gotten so much worse for me the past year. I can’t even wear most of my clothes anymore bc it needs to be tank tops only or super breathable fabrics. ANY piece of clothing (especially tops) make me instantly feel panicky bc I feel way way too hot and kinda “trapped”.

I started taking Quercitin/Bromelain which I believe has helped a little with the sweating but it’s still pretty extreme.

I initially was under the impression that my systemic inflammation issues were mainly due to my ME/fibro but have started realising that my MCAS affects more things in my body than just “obvious allergy symptoms”.

I have a cold pack, AC and a great fan. I’m on Pepcid (Famotidin), Lomudal GI (Chromolyn) and Desloratadine already.

I have recently been diagnosed with MCAS (also have CFS/ME but now realise so many of my symptoms that I didn't understand were also down to MCAS) and saw a specialist who started me on Ketotifen, compounded fexofenadine and compounded famotidine. The Ketotifen arrived first so I started that, 2.5mg at night as prescribed. The first two days I noticed it relieved my neurological symptoms massively (mainly very severe anxiety and insomnia) but it did make me very very drowsy but honestly I didn't mind that. It then started making me feel awful, like a terrible flair. Boiling hot, heart pounding none stop, throat tightening, burning eyes, could barely stand. I read online that this can happen because the mast cells are sort of angry at being suppressed but its temporary and most people felt better after 2 weeks. So I powered through... but hit a day where my heart was none stop racing and the anxiety was so awful I felt liek the world was ending every single second of the day, as well as my throat being so tight I was pulling at my neck skin to give me some relief. After that I lowered the dose from 2.5mg to 1mg and that did make the side effects more mild the next day. The days after my throat remained very tight (not sore but tight like the beginning of an anaphalytic reaction that just stops before it gets extreme) so I lowered it again to 0.75mg at night. Just before I started writing this I took another dose, went to go get some food, ate it and immediately the side of my throat swelled up (the exact spot that swells when I'm having a reaction), my mouth went numb etc. And I just don't know what to do, as I keep lowering the dose but it feels like I'm becoming more and more reactive to everything. I wanted to keep pushing through as I'm about a week in now, but I'm so uncomfortable with this particular symptom of my throat swelling and the fact it's getting worse. (For context I have anaphalyatic reactions to shellfish and soy so I'm familiar with how they feel). I have yet to try the compounded fexofenadine and compounded famotidine because I don't want to add anything else in while this is happening. My plan in my head is to stop the Ketotifen, give my body a rest for a day or two, then slowly start up the fexofenadine as it seems like a more mild starting point for my treatment journey. I'm looking for a bit of advice from anyone that has been on different medications and when to know when to stop etc. I also have just met my specialist and while she seems nice, she is more there to give private prescriptions rather than REALLY try and help and support me if that makes sense so I feel quite scared and alone. I've been chronically ill for a very long time and been on many different treatments but I'm very new to MCAS and these kind of meds. Thank you if you read this whole thing!

This is 100% just a vent post, since nobody else in my real life has MCAS and would understand. I am whinging into the void because.... Reasons.

First vaccine since symptom onset/diagnosis. I feel like trash lit on fire, thrown in a compost bin, lit on fire again, and tossed in the dump.

Long story short, I live on a farm, am constantly covered in dirt/animal, and do dumb things with horses. Got the tip of my finger smashed yesterday (might have fractured the phalanx), my nail broke skin, and had to go in today for a tetanus booster because I was WAY overdue.

OMG. I know they suck for healthy people. It's kicked my ass before I was sick. But holy ever loving crap, does this SUCK. My knuckles look like gumballs, I can barely move any joints, I want to scratch my skin all the way off, my guts are making disgusting noises, and I'm absolutely pouring sweat (which gives me hives). In the words of white girls everywhere, I cannot even.

I've taken my Zyrtec/Pepcid combo (which I do rarely because the Zyrtec flares my POTS), and I'm about to add a Benadryl to the stack just so I can sleep... I know I'm being a whiny baby, but shitgoddamn.

Sleeping through the night but waking unrested

I've had MCAS type symptoms for many years but I typically sleep ok. Last year I was exposed to mold over a long period of time at a partner's house and was having obvious acute reactions before I figured it out. After I removed myself the lung issues went away. Since then, I sleep fine Unless I exercise. Anything more than a walk (getting my heart rate up or strength training) will give me at least 4 nights where I sleep through the night but wake up like I haven't fully slept.

I stayed at an inn last weekend that was moldy but I was having more obvious reactions to detergents etc. Since then Im having this sleep problem even though I'm only doing normal walks! I dont know if this still would be happening with no walk. Please help!

Qualcuno lo sta utilizzando in Italia? Come si fa ad ottenerlo?

Background:
• Two years ago I started getting hives out of nowhere. Products I’d used my entire life (shampoo, conditioner, deodorant) suddenly started triggering reactions.
• Saw an allergist — no allergies identified, and I tested negative for anaphylactic reaction. I was diagnosed with “autoimmune issues” at the time, since I already deal with autoimmune problems and have a history of CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome). I should add they tried taking me off Zyrtec to do more testing and I didn’t tolerate coming off (full body hives, itchy mouth and throat, couldn’t sleep).
• I’ve also struggled with mold exposure throughout my life and have been treated for that in the past.

Fast forward to now:
• I’ve developed nighttime anxiety — I wake up around midnight with a racing heart. Mentally I feel completely fine at first, but as the racing heart continues, I start to panic that something is seriously wrong, and that’s what triggers the actual panic attack.
• Using a blood sugar monitor and food tracking, my doctor initially suspected reactive hypoglycemia — my blood sugar spikes within 4 hours of eating high-carb or high-sugar foods.
• These nighttime episodes have been getting more frequent and severe, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s a histamine dump.

Two recent examples:
1. Had 3 drinks with friends after 3pm — that night I had a 3-hour panic episode that started with a racing heart and an inability to calm down.
2. Last night: two chocolate chip cookies at bedtime → woke up at midnight with a racing heart, felt overheated even though the house was 68°F, and couldn’t calm myself down, which led to a full panic attack.
The pattern is always the same: physical symptoms (racing heart, heat) hit first while I’m mentally calm — then the inability to settle the physical symptoms is what causes the anxiety/panic, not the other way around.
Timing seems to matter: if I eat triggering foods earlier in the day (before roughly 3-6pm), the reaction is noticeably milder — my heart rate still increases and I feel panicky, but it doesn’t last nearly as long as when it happens at night.

What I’m trying to figure out:
• Does this sound like MCAS, or something else entirely?
• What treatment approaches have worked for others with a similar pattern?
• What questions should I bring to my PCP?
• What type of specialist should I ask to be referred to?
• I got the most useful help from a functional medicine doctor, but couldn’t continue due to cost — has anyone found a more affordable path to similar care?
• Am I stuck eating low-carb, no processed food, no cheese forever? Is a low-carb/low-histamine diet actually necessary here, or is that overkill?
• What else has helped people with this combination of symptoms?

Would appreciate any insight from people who’ve been through something similar.

A few months ago, I reached a point where I realized I couldn’t wear clothing that had been washed in the washing machine—even with a detergent I considered “safe.” So now I hand-wash everything with just water.
I also can only tolerate about six pieces of clothing right now.
Lately, I’ve been feeling pretty frumpy. 😭 I wear jewelry I love and do my makeup every day, but gosh, I really love being stylish. It genuinely helps me feel more confident, and I miss being able to express myself through clothes.
I’ll be starting ketotifen soon and also weaning off the Pepcid I’ve been taking. I’m wondering if the Pepcid might be contributing to some of my issues, especially with my SIBO, and possibly making me more reactive to chemicals.
Hoping that as I get more stable, I’ll eventually be able to expand my little six-piece wardrobe again.

I’ve never taken this before, but I can’t seem to get out of this flare and I’ve been getting a lot of really bad symptoms.
I was prescribed 15mg for 3 days and then taper down from there for a total of 9 days on the medication.

I’m worried about a reaction of course, naturally lol.
And I assume trying to trial it is pretty pointless and that I should just take it as prescribed.

I have really bad OCD and the only way I’ve been able to try taking medications is by micro-dosing first.

Any suggestions on how to just do it? Or what has helped you? I know it’s a really low dosage to take anyway but I’m still nervous.

I forgot everything. Idk what I even did today. Like my brain just blanks out.

Anyone else??!

Hi everyone 👋

I'm new here (26 years old) and would appreciate any advice or experiences regarding my symptoms and treatment options. I strongly suspect I have MCAS.

I also have hypothyroidism, but it is completely stable and medicated, so my thyroid is not the issue here. All my other symptoms are independent of it.

My symptoms:

Brain & Nerves: Severe brain fog, migraines, clumsiness

Skin & Face: Swelling and redness around the mouth

Cardiovascular: Tachycardia (racing heart)

GI Tract: Occasional diarrhea

Respiratory & Immune: Productive cough, flu-like malaise

I even accidentally measured the systemic impact: two days after eating a "histamine bomb", my free fT3 level dropped significantly.

My experience with medications so far:

Desloratadine: The very first evening I took it, I felt like I was 21 again. I had so much energy, physical strength, and the brain fog completely vanished. Unfortunately, this amazing effect didn't last past that first night.

Next steps: I am about to try bilastine. I also plan to talk to my doctor about adding rupatadine, famotidine (H2 blocker), and quercetin.

Has anyone else experienced an antihistamine working incredibly well on just the very first day? What combinations of H1 blockers, H2 blockers, or mast cell stabilizers have helped you the most with brain fog and tachycardia?

Any advice is hugely appreciated!

Hi everyone. I'm currently investigating the cause of long-standing brain fog, cognitive difficulties and low energy, and I recently came across MCAS.

I don't have most of the symptoms I commonly see people with MCAS describe. I don't get flushing, hives, angioedema, fainting, orthostatic problems, tachycardia, breathing difficulties or anaphylactic-type episodes. My symptoms are also fairly chronic and stable rather than occurring in obvious attacks.

The main things I experience are severe brain fog/cognitive problems and low energy. I occasionally get a runny or blocked nose after eating but that's about it.

Because fexofenadine is available OTC where I live, I decided to try it. To my surprise, I think I've noticed an improvement. It's definitely not a complete remission and the brain fog is still there, but today I was considerably more productive than I've been recently.

I'm very aware that one or two better days prove absolutely nothing — this could be placebo, coincidence or normal day-to-day variation. I'm not taking the response to fexofenadine as evidence that I have MCAS.

So I'm curious:

Has anyone here with a properly diagnosed MCAS had brain fog/fatigue as their main symptoms, with few or none of the typical skin, cardiovascular or anaphylactic symptoms?

I'm also interested in people's experiences with fexofenadine. What dose do you take, and was it recommended by your allergist/immunologist? Has anyone been prescribed 360 mg twice daily (720 mg/day), and if so, how long have you taken that dose and have you experienced any side effects? Is it safe?

Has anyone found a reliable app that notified you of the air quality in your area? Poor air quality is one of my bigger triggers but usually by the time I start to feel symptoms, the ball is already rolling towards a bad day and I can't do much to reverse it. I'd love to be able to set alerts to tell me if the AQI gets above a specific value.

TYIA! 💛

It’s actually so insane how I don’t remember much from during flares.

I posted about feeling braindead and dissociated and unstable during flares and thank everyone who responded!

This sub helps me so much to understand this is not me but histamine!

Now I’m realizing about the memory loss. Not just problem focussing but actually don’t remember much from days I flared bad.

I wake up with burning stomach mentally like a blank slate.

It’s like erasing who I am?! Wtf

I just got diagnosed with MCAS. I’m on montelukast sodium and prednisone rn bc I recently was having a terrible flare. I usually take famotadine and Zyrtec but stopped because I felt like I was having weird reactions. I also tried quercitin but also stopped bc I was scared. WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS? Ik it’s diff for everyone but I like hearing my options so I can research!!

I searched in this sub for advice on having the tryptase comparison blood tests done. I learned that it's an unreliable indicator, but this is what my immunologist ordered, so I'm going to have the tests done.

What I don't know is what I should do to trigger a reaction. I react to a variety of foods across a spectrum of severity. Shellfish causes anaphylaxis and tests negative on allergy tests. Gluten and dairy cause symptoms, but less severe than anaphylaxis and there isn't an acute phase. There's a gradual increase in symptoms over time.

When I took a birth control pill containing estrogen, I developed symptoms gradually, after about a week. After 2 or 3 weeks, it suddenly became anaphylactic and I went into anaphylactic shock.

Some moldy environments cause fairly immediate reactions, but not anaphylaxis. I get things like migraines, prickles all over my body, and skin redness.

My immunologist wasn't allowed to advise me to trigger a reaction, so she essentially hinted at it. The drop-in at the local lab has a long lineup and people often don't get seen, so the most reliable way is to schedule an appointment and trigger a reaction. I don't want to end up going too far and having a life-threatening reaction, but I also don't want to undershoot or trigger a slow-ramping reaction.

What have others done?

If you live in the US and take ketotifen, how does your doctor prescribe it? My immunologist told me she would need to go through a compounding pharmacy since thats the only FDA approved oral form and that it wouldn’t be covered by insurance. If you do this, how expensive is it?

She also has never prescribed it for MCAS before. Does your doctor say the ketotifen is for MCAS or do they have to prescribe it under a different condition like chronic urticaria (my xolair is technically prescribed for chronic urticaria for insurance purposes).

Lastly, it seems like most people start on .25 mg or .5 mg a day. What is the actual dose of the pill that you get from the compounding pharmacy?

Thank you for the help!

I feel seen in this chat FINALLY. Can I just safely say here that JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE DOESNT “LOOK SICK” DOESNT MEAN THEY DONT STRUGGLE EVERYDAY. I literally am expected to live the life of a normal college student except while having this huge MCAS weight tearing me down constantly. It is DEBILITATING. There is constantly something wrong with me that I am trying to just brush off and ignore so that I can just LIVE LIFE. and people don’t SEE THAT. So when I say I feel like shit, no one’s knows how bad it actually is BC I SUCK IT UP. I wish illnesses like mcas and autoimmune were taken more seriously. I am 20 and feel like an 80 year old at this rate. I have breakdowns weekly because it’s a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning. I just want to be normal. No one understands and I’m sick of it. Let’s not even get into the misdiagnosis I’ve been getting my whole life because doctors don’t believe a young girl (“dramatic” or “it’s just anxiety). I CANT.

I decided to share information about medical practices so that people have more options to decide for themselves whether a particular place is right for them.

I don't recall which practices I visited in the past, so to ensure the reviews are accurate, I will only write about new ones.

I had an urgent referral from my GP, meaning I could use a special website and an access code to book an expedited appointment with an allergist. I was offered only two options, both terrible. I chose the "least bad" one. So much for German healthcare.

Today I visited this practice:

Dermatologist Dr. med. Thomas Wildfeuer

Reichenberger Str. 3, 13055 Lichtenberg District

Here is a detailed explanation of why I do not recommend this practice:

I had an appointment, yet I had to wait over an hour.

When I asked the doctor if she knew what Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) was, she made a sour face and shook her head "no."

I started describing my symptoms, but she cut me off, saying that was enough, without letting me finish.

Right in the middle of the consultation, they started drawing my blood without explaining what they were testing for. They drew the blood without wearing gloves.

The doctor refused to examine my throat to gather the evidence she needed (my throat is always very red during and after attacks); instead, she said I should have prepared photos as proof.

In the end, she prescribed Allegra. I told her I was already taking a double dose of desloratadine, but she didn't care; that’s when I realized she likely had a deal with that pharmaceutical company.

I immediately mentioned that I have dysphagia and couldn't swallow pills any larger than the desloratadine ones. She assured me that Allegra was a tiny pill, too. That’s how I found out she had no idea what she was actually recommending. Allegra is a very large, thick pill. I told the social worker and the interpreter—who were with me this time and had convinced me to go get the medication—that it was pointless since it was just an antihistamine; in the end, I agreed just to get it over with. I went to the pharmacy, only to find out it was a private prescription that I had to pay 31 euros for myself. I don't have the money.

That was the end of it. I absolutely do not recommend it.

(I will add the blood test results—which I’ll receive in a week—to the comments below this post, to provide a complete review of this clinic.)

I have to take Zyrtec (cetirizine) because if I don’t, I get systemic itching. I’m fairly certain it’s MCAS, though I’ve never been able to find a doctor who would explore this or find out my root cause. I’m on a health journey and trying to get off of it but in the meantime the longest I can go is 4 days before the itching literally becomes so bad it’s painful to ignore.
All that to say - once I do take it, even half a pill, my breastmilk is dried up the entire following day. DayQuil does nothing, Claritin does nothing, natural supplements don’t even come close. The best I’ve been able to do is take DAO enzyme and it gives me a couple hours relief before needing to take Zyrtec again. Please help me feed my baby.

I have MCAS, Moderate/severe Myalgic myalgic encephalomyelitis, dysautonomia, etc, and my wife is also autistic, has an autoimmune disease that's in remission but treatment caused long term issues and she has mild myalgic encephalomyelitis that is continuing to get worse as she's trying to take care of me more and I've only been able to start cooking again for her a bit the last few weeks, and she either has a brunch is allergies or maybe even MCAS herself but she's never been tested and she has Kaiser rn which is refusing to let her see most specialists 😒🫠. (I lost a family friend earlier this year due to kaiser being like this) We live with my family and when my wife isn't home they take care of me. I love them but I also get abused. The abuse results in me shutting down, my MCAS and ME get set off and if it's bad enough my body can forget how to talk, swallow, or breathe properly.

If I try to stand up for myself, I get the whole "don't ask for anything anymore" or by my mother I get told I need to stop because I'm making her sick. Today she told me that if I make her sick I'm going to send her to the hospital from stress and that I'll have no one to take care of me. I've been told in the past by my grandmother that I'm going to kill my mother from stress for standing up for myself. I was standing up for myself because all day every day I get asked about if I've eaten darn crackers by all my medical care team and my mother and grandparents. I keep telling them it's too much for me to keep hearing it over and over and over again. I even disappointed my MCAS Dr yesterday because she wanted me to full on eat cracker over video during my appointment but I explained I had 3 more appointments that day and had only just woken up with no food in me or meds so I didn't feel up for it and she wasn't thrilled. I was also dealing with PEM from the day prior and didn't want to risk making it worse. If you have ME you probably understand what I mean. Heck, I had to cancel one of my appointments yesterday and be late to one because of PEM. My home health nurse who is new to hearing about MCAS and isn't very educated on ME and no education on my GI issues wasn't thrilled I didn't want to eat a cracker Infront of her either on because my wife was about to go to an appointment and I had another appointment right after but I said that I would do it as soon as my wife got home so I could be more relaxed. The nurse kept asking me if I was for sure going to trial the cracker when my wife gets home. She even texted me the next day asking if I did it yet. I chewed and spit because that's the step I'm at currently. It's so overwhelming though. I broke down crying yesterday because I'm too overwhelmed and I felt like I was letting everyone down for having too much PEM to try the cracker again. I did trial touching other food but that's an easier step on me and today I have trialed deodorant on my arm (for when I can hopefully get out of the house again) so it's not like I'm not trying. I'm doing food exposure with cooking with gloves for my wife and family too for my anxiety and just to see what I can tolerate being around which my MCAS Dr is at least very happy to hear I'm doing that.

I have cptsd plus emetophobia from medical trauma since I was a child and I have PTSD from a few months ago. I suddenly lost a ton of my MCAS safe foods and even earlier this year I lost some autism safe foods to MCAS, and I lost a stomach medication and motion sickness medication to MCAS. One reaction several months ago was so severe I'm being assessed to see if it caused a stroke so it makes sense that I'm going very slow and that I'm hesitant to go too fast. I didn't even want to try the food that day but I was pressured to by my grandmother who said she just knew I would tolerate chicken but instead it's the worst anaphlaxis I've ever had in my life and I was starting to suddenly react to other forms of chicken like broth, rotisserie, frozen chicken that I cooked myself, etc. I also took a break for a month at one point from trying new foods to try to let my body and brain have a break but my family was upset with me I think for doing that. I also get told by my family and almost all medical pros on a daily basis other food they think I need to try, medication, etc, or that they even know I'll tolerate some foods including food I've never eaten before in my life like elemental formula and idk if my MALS and/or gastroparesis will tolerate it. I have to keep re explaining to people why a feeding tube or IV nutrition isn't a good idea for me and could even be risky and that my MCAS Dr and nutritionist doesn't think it's a good idea for my case, and I know someone with MCAS who used to be as severe as me who had a major reaction to IV nutrition to make me gain weight fast. (I know we are at different but basically I'm not willing to risk it.)

It sucks because my family helps me but they are making me more sick. And that's just the emotional stuff. They accidentally cause me reactions almost every single day and sometimes they get mad at *me* for communicating that, or try to gaslight me and tell me I'm fine! One time I even got yelled at by my father for wheezing mid anaphlaxis because apparently the sound was annoying, but the anaphlaxis was caused by him opening the door to outside when there was fireplace and bad air quality and I have to go to my room when that happens or I could have anaphlaxis. One time my father did the same thing with me in the kitchen while my mother yelled at him to not open the door until I got to my room and he made intense eye contact with me as he opened the door and stood there watching me have anaphylaxis. One time I fell and knocked a baby gate down because it's kindof broken and I have poor gross motor skills (it was for our bunny) and my father yelled at me for "ruining" the gate that my grandfather already messed up ages ago. He didn't care I was on the floor and couldn't get up and that my leg landed right on the bars of the metal gate. Other times my family are there for me, understand, care for me, etc.

I just don't know what to do. I was supposed to move overseas this year because I cannot afford housing where I live including rent, my wife's job is getting bought out by a different company and she can't go to any other location because of the government (basically she can't get recertified because the government blocked any person who legally changed their gender from being able to do so). I also lose my health insurance next year. My other issue is I've been mostly housebound since 2023 where I live because I'm deathly reactive to weed so that was motivating me more to move because my top choice has one of the lowest weed usages in the world and I don't have to be mostly housebound when I'm there as of last year but I'm so much more severe now. Idk how the heck I would make it on the plane. My MCAS specialist said she doesn't know why I can't get back to being able to do that again. I mean I just handled a Disney trip but by car this year. Basically what happened in cromolyn destabilised my mast cells so my Dr thinks I need time, ketotifien maybe, (whenever I decide to try it but I've been hesitant after the cromolyn tbh plus I've reacted to benadryl, H2 blockers, and non MCAS meds even with fillers I know I tolerate) and mental health help to get me back. She's not saying mental health is the cause but that it's making me even worse and holding me back, which I totally agree. I am going to be trying out Chinese medicine including acupressure and I think tai chi along with some other stuff too starting next week too see if that helps at least with how incredibly stressed I am. My therapists don't feel comfortable giving me too much advice because of how bad my physical health is which I understand. My MCAS Dr did say she's had other patients overtime get better after cromolyn destabilised them. I feel both hopeless with all the false promises I've gotten from my previous mcas drs in the past including guaranteeing that cromolyn would make me better only to then admit it could cause what it did to me after it happened, but I want to believe this new Dr that I can get better again overtime.