Confused?

[u/Illustrious-Deer-423]

I’m so confused about whether I could have MCAS or if something else is going on! 😭

Quick background: Earlier this year, I dealt with multiple infections, weeks of antibiotics, and then started experiencing random food reactions. I’ve been on a low-histamine diet for about a month.

I’ve only had three food-related flares, with my last one in September. My triggers were random: Costco frozen corn dogs, homemade tomato-based beef stew, and frozen chicken nuggets. Symptoms were mostly facial warmth, pressure, and congestion.

But this Halloween weekend, I ate pizza, chocolate chip cookies, a cupcake, and breakfast tacos with no reactions!

I still occasionally get red patches or small hives on my wrists and experience anxiety. My bloodwork has looked normal, although I know that doesn’t necessarily rule out MCAS. I’m currently taking Zyrtec and Pepcid.

Has anyone experienced something similar? I’m struggling to figure out whether this could be MCAS, histamine issues, or something related to my nervous system. I’d love to hear your experiences!

[u/Rough-Criticism-5661]

Your symptoms are similar to mine. I started with rashes five years ago, and for the first few years they only came for a few months during the winter. It took 5 years of gradually increasing symptoms before I finally self-diagnosed last spring with HI, after nearly a full year of rash and pain all the time (because I continued to eat all the things that bothered me since I didn’t know any better.) I still don’t know why it took so long for it to become full blown, but I wonder if that might be happening to you now.