The Mast Cell Block Tango

  We went to this place last week for four days. A pause relaxation vacation before plunging into the madness that is the USA right now. Right now I have things I must do in Louisiana. We came here to breathe the cooler and wetter air and soak in the volcano springs and we did. Started having a horrible histamine dump when we got there, not sure why but other folks and colognes were everywhere so picka trigger. I got right in the pool they keep in the sixties and it helped so much. I stayed so long in the cold pool that Ticos were asking me if I thought it was cold. No, I replied, it feels lovely and cool. Several days spent soaking in the hot and cold waters. It seems to help me feel better, but this time by the end I was almost sick to my stomach and had to go right to bed to sleep it off. Ate zero chocolate at the Chocolate Fusion at all this trip. Just didn't feel like it for a change. Been talking to a doctor that treats mastocytosis in another country and he gave me a few thi...

  Out and about today I encountered a fuzzy yappy little dog that made me wheeze at a local restaurant, and  drunken St. Patty's Day fools smoking inside a restaurant with a "No Fumar, No Mascotas" sign. No smoking, no pets if you don't do the Spanish.  Got a little sunburned today out on the beach and am about to partake of the Devil's Lettuce edibles. I seem to be getting more relief from it than my prescriptions. Little worried about tomorrow. We're heading out for a vacation before our trip to the armpit of the USA Baton Rouge, a place you can smell Exxon forever on a clear day. Going to Arenal again, and slightly worried because if it's a rainy day the smoke from the volcano lingers and it's more asthma city.  

  I am about to be as legless as a drunken Scotty here. Need my medical herbals stat   Today - church, a place I have avoided for a month I went. Woke up, felt better. This was not a bad week even with the hot flashes from histamine dump . Cleaned windows and gardened I felt so decent this week. Not well, but okay. Didn't last. Why? Easy. Eight dogs in church, and I thought a three dog night was a bad thing.    Now about to do a few edibles and paint this afternoon. I just cannot understand why anyone would bring a dog to church. It cannot get saved, or understand the sermon. None of these eight are service animals . I believe I'm going to have to rethink church altogether. It's too much and this pastor is more interested in keeping people coming in and tithing than protecting a church goer with a legitimate disability . 

  Sort of how I feel. I did manage to figure something out. Today I cleaned windows outside, an odious task I struggle with and yell more obscenities than those on the wall. The Mr. got the idea about five years ago to blast the windows with the hose, most than once as I tried to insist he not do that due to the huge amounts of calcium in the water turns all glass a dull white. The last few years I've been trying futily to scrub off the calcium. Made real progress but I was waiting to wheeze or have hideous histamine hot flashes, De nada just my crackhead back letting me know it hates it when I'm that active. No smoke, no dust, decent breathing. This evening though we went to pick up a few groceries at a pulperia five minutes away, a few apples and onions, a pack of crackers, assorted stuff. Did fine. Got home and not five minutes after arriving while cooking a simple meal while unloading groceries it happened, that sudden sweat-a-thon I keep having. I think it's likely a d...

  Is that pickle gluten-free, organic and free of MSG? Yesterday, the day before and most of the previous week we've been scuttling around changing up our investments. Sadly this place is more than an hour away, which meant we were on the road. We stopped at the husband's favorite smoothie joint. I never partake there, like never ever. But yesterday was an exception since I've been having those pesky hot flashes that are mast cell releases. I decided to get a sugar free smoothie. They had ten options. Only one was without things I am highly allergic to. But that wasn't not even the main deal. I had to navigate in Spanish asking ten zillion questions about cross contamination. Questions about cleanliness. I hate this, but I hate having a big episode even more. Was pleased to note that my carrot-pineapple-celery-cucumber-ginger smoothie was not sweetened and I had zero cross contamination. I had experienced cross contamination everywhere but from Subway, but I avoided all...

  I feel like a Butterball Turkey. Today being Monday I left the house for errands. Fool's errands you might say.  It's hotter than Hades here right now, the awful dry heat of a blast furnace. My skin hates it. My lungs hate it. I was hoping I'd not react but of course I did. My blood pressure tanked to the point by the time we'd gone to two stores I was just so done-zo. Low oxygen levels mixed with low blood pressure means my brain tries to say "No thanks!" and check out. Laid down in the car while the husband ran the last errand. Came home, in the bed all day long. Took two naps, do not feel rested. Still feeling no better. Exhaustion beyond exhaustion. Thankfully tomorrow is another day. 

  I guess at least I'm not glowing in the dark like Mr. Burns here. Newest weird symptom that hit this week? Hot flashes, hot flashes 15 years after I went through menopause. This morning sitting here at my desk in the front window when it hits me, sudden heat and sweating. Everyone's at church so I rip my clothing off, sitting here right in the flow of the air conditioner in the all together. As a neighbor walks past our gate I realize the gate is open and I'm flashing the world.  New gate with the new remote and mechanism only shuts if you stop to press the button again if you're inside or leaving. Open gate, then close gate. Going to have to talk to the husband so I stop traumatizing the neighbors. But, damn, hot flashes too? 

 ...and just like that add greasing up my skin daily with some sort of organic skin creams so I damn near slide out of the bed at night...

  Here have a side order of the crypt of Jesus for dessert. This week we've been going back and forth to nearby Santa Cruz with the aim of moving one of our investments to local credit union offering a better rate. Being that this is Costa Rica every single time you decide to shift big money around you have to prove it's not drug money from the cartel. Ha! As if! Very time consuming, too much time sitting in the car or credit union office. Today I started falling asleep during the visit. Very awkward and likely mast cell related. Several days we'd eaten at Subway. Subway is not my favorite, but if I stick to certain menu items they're a safe choice. I rarely react as long as I don't eat there too often and I go with more veggies and wheat bread and less meats. Salted meat isn't good for anyone.  Today was different. Neither of us was up for visiting Subway again, and there was a Chinese restaurant on the main drag. Santa Cruz is primarily a maze of one way very ...

 Yesterday was a bell weather day. I started finally feeling better. Which means it was time to clean up the the week's worth of Sahara Dust. We're getting pounded by it. This is how I clean.  I actually have better masks to wear than this basic one. I have a hepa one that's more something a painter might wear and I have a pile of n95s. I tend to save these things for use when I'm sicker than now. Clean, scrub in this getup and then strip it all off to shower. Even if the hair and face were mostly covered during the clean. Somehow I didn't react. I fell into the bed at 8 pm, and with one short trip to get water I stayed asleep until 8 this morning. This is what happens when I am at the end of an episode of mastocytosis. I sleep a long time and awaken refreshed and able to breathe. Today on the docket I will be constructing a Corsi-Rosenthal box to deal with the rest of the Sahara dust coming. I cannot run the Roomba during it because it seems to mostly stir the dus...

  My life in this moment, stuck inside the house constructing a weird air cleaner Hepa filter thingy out of a fan, duct tape, Hepa filters and cardboard. Couldn't even risk going to church this morning. Already choking from the Sahara Dust here. Most miserable time of the year for me between the extreme dry air outside, the random blowing dust, the smoke from burning acreage from the wildfires and now this effing Sahara Dust frosting the turd cake that my life right now. Incapable of much! About to go spend the day in my art studio with a medical marijuana edible. Suspect my paintings today will be weirdorama.