u/Cheesecake_Senior

I know not everyone who has mast cell activation issues has true IgE allergies, let alone autoimmune diseases, still I’m hoping there are enough people out there with experience or knowledge to give me insight, please.

My allergist/immunologist diagnosed me with MCAS and said my IgE allergies and autoimmunity (lupus, Sjögren’s, etc.; being evaluated for vasculitis) make it worse. I’m on Xolair, and taking H1/H2 blockers throughout the day. However, my mast cell reactions seem to have worsened over the past year or so. Substances that might not have caused a reaction at all before, or might just have made my nose itch or given me a migraine, now trigger multiple anaphylactic symptoms, and allergens and asthma triggers are causing more severe reactions. E.g., I’ve had an increase in venous itching, pain, redness, blown veins with IVs and blood draws, and anaphylaxis reactions to contrasts (MRI *and* CT, which is weird). I’m currently being treated for pericarditis with pericardial effusion after what started as an allergy/asthma/ mast cell attack continued to stew over days, apparently triggering the autoimmunity, specifically my lupus, and it attacked my pericardium again.

Has anyone had these kinds of reactions, or increase in symptoms even when taking prophylactic medication? Anyone else with the autoimmune link as well? Idk whether one or the other or both is worse and I’m eager to have fewer reactions—and less severe ones!

What are your favorite ways to display concert posters as an adult? I’ve never bought one before now, or wanted one, but I recently bought a really cool one at my beloved Alabama Shakes’s concert, and I really want to hang it up as artwork. Are there any exciting approaches in displaying concert posters?

For anyone who may want to loosen your curl/coil naturally, the following may be helpful (outcomes vary):

Henna: Binds to keratin to fill gaps in the hair shaft, making strands thicker, stiffer, and eventually resistant to tight bends.*

Clays: Such as bentonite and rhassoul, deposit fine minerals into cuticle imperfections, adding weight, smoothing the surface, and elongating the hair.

Ambunu: Coats strands in a slippery film that aids detangling and curl stretching, weighs down the hair, and holds the curl in a stretched state.*

Henna creates progressive, permanent structural changes, while clays and Ambunu provide cumulative results that will eventually fade without consistent use.

Have any of you used these techniques for this purpose?

(*See comments.)