u/Lopsided-Rule-1565

Hello everyone, how did you find out that you have MCAS?

I’m 30 years old, and since the age of 5 I’ve had atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis on my hands, which has never gone into remission. During my first pregnancy in 2022, I started developing urticaria triggered by stress, heat/cold, and sweating. Since then, not a single day has gone by without breaking out in hives all over my body.

Dermatologists and allergists keep ignoring this and focus only on my atopic dermatitis, which is currently very severe because I refuse to use corticosteroids. My test results are all normal, with no confirmed allergies, and my IgE is only slightly elevated. My intestinal histamine is high, but DAO levels are normal.

At the moment, I’m taking up to 4 antihistamines a day, but they don’t help at all. A dermatologist wanted me to start methotrexate, which I refused because I wanted to conceive. Now I am pregnant, and my symptoms are getting worse. I’m starting to have more reactions on my face, eyes, and mouth, and sometimes I even feel like my throat is tightening.

I don’t qualify for an EpiPen because my IgE is low. Do you have any advice on what I should do? What tests should I ask for? How can I ease my symptoms?

On top of everything, the constant hives and scratching are destroying my skin barrier, so my atopic dermatitis is always flaring and I can’t calm it down.