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Post by moletteuk on Feb 20, 2018 20:33:54 GMT
Most (all?) degus love to sun bathe, even if it is through a window and they aren't feeling much warmth or getting much UV light (it's UV light that allows them to produce their own vitamin D).
If the mast cell stuff is ringing a lot of bells, there is an american doctor who has written a good book on it, he sort of discovered the disease, he's called Dr Lawrence Afrin. Mast cell disease potentially makes a LOT of sense for FMS/ME and actually lots of other unexplained syndromes because mast cells are everywhere in the body. But mast cell activation disorder is so new it isn't widely accepted yet, most people haven't heard of it, I'm doing my bit trying to spread the word!
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 20, 2018 22:25:37 GMT
FMS/ME . . . is? I have been having reactions to my food a lot the last four months. Mostly expressed by the feeling that my throat is thicker and a lot of mucus. This follows almost every meal, and I've been able to isolate that breads and dairy do it almost 100% of the time, but there are times when I haven't eaten either and I will have a very speedy reaction to the something I've just eaten, but it wasn't a singular food item so I don't know what I am reacting to. Is this something that would fit with the topic?
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 20, 2018 23:07:55 GMT
FMS/ME . . . is? I have been having reactions to my food a lot the last four months. Mostly expressed by the feeling that my throat is thicker and a lot of mucus. This follows almost every meal, and I've been able to isolate that breads and dairy do it almost 100% of the time, but there are times when I haven't eaten either and I will have a very speedy reaction to the something I've just eaten, but it wasn't a singular food item so I don't know what I am reacting to. Is this something that would fit with the topic? When I have a reaction to food, airborne pollutants, chemical, etc. The symptoms can be ears and throat that feels scratchy, if it continues I might get hives, throat could start to feel tight as well as chest. There are a lot of things that can happen, described on websites like www.multiplechemicalsensitivity.org/the-symptoms-of-multiple-chemical-sensitivity/ For me the big one is when the fluids began. I can only describe it as if the body is trying to wash something away (as it is). It can be fluid just coming from my lungs or it can include my nasal passage. If I had not heard a story about a scuba diver that was deep sea diving and laugh at another scuba diver while under water. The only thing that saved her was swallowing the sea water that had gotten into her face mask, until she could safely and slowing swim up. When my body goes into "wash" mode all I can do is stay calm and swallow the fluids. It is always clear water like. I have used this method and somehow found my own way thru this instead of grabbing epi-pens, which I do have. FYI a cup of hot tea helps the mild cases. This is what is like for me. (Then FMS kicks in and I'm down for days). Life is certainly a interesting journey. I'm sorry to be long in my replys.
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 21, 2018 11:25:16 GMT
FMS is fibromyalgia syndrome, M.E. is myalgic encephalomyelitis - similar to CFS, but a more specific illness (I don't like the term CFS), basically the same type of thing that you have, DC. You could well be having mast cell issues too, DC. Basically, mast cells are the control cells of the immune system, they flag things up that need attention by other cells, one of the very many things they produce is histamine. So if you are getting histamine type reactions to random things, so any level of anaphylaxis to foods or drugs or chemicals, or randomly get hives on your skin or flushing, this is an indication you are incorrectly producing histamine. This can be a sign of a mast cell activation issue. A lot of current research into CFS/ME/FMS etc is looking at mast cells and also autoimmune stuff, they can look similar. There are lots of other markers than histamine, a couple of the ones they are trying to get a grip on are prostaglandins and leukotrines, whereas histaming gives a red/itchy/inflammation type response, some of the others can give a more mucus type response that is more of a slower and longer effect, which could be what you two are describing with the excess mucus and fluids, and what I think I have been having in my sinuses the last couple of years. There are some fairly common drugs that can be worth trying if you can find a sympathetic doctor, traditional H1 antihistamines are worth a go, H2 blockers such as ranitidine or famotidine, aspirin, monteleukast. It's weird but all these years I've been ill and hardly any drugs have been useful to me, but it turns out that all the ones I have found useful have ALL had an antihistamine effect or side effect.
Food stuff is super weird to fathom, but it is possible to be histamine intolerant - as in intolerant to the histamine that is found in food. Some foods are high in histamine content, and then if you are producing too much of your own histamine in your gut, you can have symptoms, but the way it works is there is a threshold below which you won't get symptoms, which means that you can eat a certain food one day but not the next depending on what else you have been eating. This is an issue commonly associated with mast cell activation disorder.
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 21, 2018 13:52:18 GMT
FMS is fibromyalgia syndrome, M.E. is myalgic encephalomyelitis - similar to CFS, but a more specific illness (I don't like the term CFS), basically the same type of thing that you have, DC. You could well be having mast cell issues too, DC. Basically, mast cells are the control cells of the immune system, they flag things up that need attention by other cells, one of the very many things they produce is histamine. So if you are getting histamine type reactions to random things, so any level of anaphylaxis to foods or drugs or chemicals, or randomly get hives on your skin or flushing, this is an indication you are incorrectly producing histamine. This can be a sign of a mast cell activation issue. A lot of current research into CFS/ME/FMS etc is looking at mast cells and also autoimmune stuff, they can look similar. There are lots of other markers than histamine, a couple of the ones they are trying to get a grip on are prostaglandins and leukotrines, whereas histaming gives a red/itchy/inflammation type response, some of the others can give a more mucus type response that is more of a slower and longer effect, which could be what you two are describing with the excess mucus and fluids, and what I think I have been having in my sinuses the last couple of years. There are some fairly common drugs that can be worth trying if you can find a sympathetic doctor, traditional H1 antihistamines are worth a go, H2 blockers such as ranitidine or famotidine, aspirin, monteleukast. It's weird but all these years I've been ill and hardly any drugs have been useful to me, but it turns out that all the ones I have found useful have ALL had an antihistamine effect or side effect. Food stuff is super weird to fathom, but it is possible to be histamine intolerant - as in intolerant to the histamine that is found in food. Some foods are high in histamine content, and then if you are producing too much of your own histamine in your gut, you can have symptoms, but the way it works is there is a threshold below which you won't get symptoms, which means that you can eat a certain food one day but not the next depending on what else you have been eating. This is an issue commonly associated with mast cell activation disorder. Thank you for all the information and explaining what FMS and M.E. is. I totally missed DC question. I'm in awe with your knowledge and appreciate your time and sharing.
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 21, 2018 15:13:48 GMT
I hope it helps, do some reading, see what you think. I probably garbled the mast cell stuff, which is fairly new to me, I've had M.E./ P.O.T.S. (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome - which is another in the same illness group) 20 years, my best friend has had ME & EDS (ehlers danloss) & MCAD (mast cell activation disorder) even longer - we sit and drink tea and figure it all out together lol!
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 21, 2018 20:19:38 GMT
WOW! Well that does sound very familiar!! I often feel like I have a stream actively flowing down my throat, which can make the simple act of breathing really difficult sometimes. I wonder how up to date my doctor is? She is NOT open to testing in order to chase down a lead. A distinct lack of diagnostic curiosity!! I have wondered about taking antihistamines to help, and have sometimes done so, but am concerned about overloading my system by taking them daily like I would need to. Silly thought??
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 21, 2018 22:46:37 GMT
WOW! Well that does sound very familiar!! I often feel like I have a stream actively flowing down my throat, which can make the simple act of breathing really difficult sometimes. I wonder how up to date my doctor is? She is NOT open to testing in order to chase down a lead. A distinct lack of diagnostic curiosity!! I have wondered about taking antihistamines to help, and have sometimes done so, but am concerned about overloading my system by taking them daily like I would need to. Silly thought?? No not at all. During a really rough episode with water in lungs and nose I took children Benadryl and had a reaction to that. Talk about compounding problems. I have since learn it was the dye, I came to that conclusion because I tried clear Benadryl and not problem. Rainy, cold day in Houston Texas. Just want to go to bed with a heating pad (as the degus are) but for some reason my family needs to eat.... Photo of my baby boys I feel so bad they still have no name, but they look so much alike, what do you do?
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 22, 2018 11:35:11 GMT
@dc I take fexofenadine antihistamine for 7 to 10 months a year and have been doing so for a long time, my hay fever is quite severe so I can't manage without them, the itching drives me crazy. I would be less happy taking them all year round, I think it's good for my body to manage without them for a while so they don't stop working. I don't notice any side effects, except I don't taste my food so well, but that could be the allergy itself. Maybe you could consider taking them for a month while you are having the mucus but everything else is fairly stable and see what happens, if it goes well, trying adding ranitidine (it's available without prescription here so easy to get) a month or more later. Tests do exist for mast cell activation but the samples need freezing so they aren't widely available and it's difficult to be sure that a negative result is accurate or if there was incorrect handling of the sample, and not many labs offer the test. beckerd58 your boys are gorgeous. How about some kind of matched pair of names, or some other theme, since they are so similar? Or are their personalities different, and maybe that would suggest something? If you want to start a naming ideas thread I'm sure you would get lots of suggestions.
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Post by ntg on Feb 22, 2018 11:51:34 GMT
I'd definitely go for a matching pair but it really does depend on their personalities! So if you can tell us about them then maybe it would help us to suggest some!
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Post by claire on Feb 25, 2018 4:46:34 GMT
Mine were going to be called Ronnie and Reggie but they were too sweet to be a psychopath so ended up ratty and lil sh!t. Or basil for vet purposes and little man kinda just stuck. He needs a nick name and hes 2.5 yrs old lol
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 27, 2018 19:00:37 GMT
Mine were going to be called Ronnie and Reggie but they were too sweet to be a psychopath so ended up ratty and lil sh!t. Or basil for vet purposes and little man kinda just stuck. He needs a nick name and hes 2.5 yrs old lol Since I have talked about the no name twins I've really looked at them trying to see if there is any difference. They look exactly alike. Yes they have some difference in personalities. For now they are the Twins. I have plans for them to be neutered in June. They will be around 14 months. I'm hoping to settle the fighting down, it's been less during the winter but it is starting up. Then there is the hope that I might be able to bring the boys and girls back together again. I don't know. One step at a time.
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 27, 2018 19:02:07 GMT
I'd definitely go for a matching pair but it really does depend on their personalities! So if you can tell us about them then maybe it would help us to suggest some! Spent all weekend watching them. Right now we at at little crap and sweet one.
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 27, 2018 19:04:53 GMT
@dc I take fexofenadine antihistamine for 7 to 10 months a year and have been doing so for a long time, my hay fever is quite severe so I can't manage without them, the itching drives me crazy. I would be less happy taking them all year round, I think it's good for my body to manage without them for a while so they don't stop working. I don't notice any side effects, except I don't taste my food so well, but that could be the allergy itself. Maybe you could consider taking them for a month while you are having the mucus but everything else is fairly stable and see what happens, if it goes well, trying adding ranitidine (it's available without prescription here so easy to get) a month or more later. Tests do exist for mast cell activation but the samples need freezing so they aren't widely available and it's difficult to be sure that a negative result is accurate or if there was incorrect handling of the sample, and not many labs offer the test. beckerd58 your boys are gorgeous. How about some kind of matched pair of names, or some other theme, since they are so similar? Or are their personalities different, and maybe that would suggest something? If you want to start a naming ideas thread I'm sure you would get lots of suggestions. Thank you for the information and a new look into what might be going on. I have been reading for days on this and other things that link up to site with information on all of this. Feeling like to I'm on info overload. But in a good way.
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beckerd58
Foraging Degu
Parent to 2 boys and 2 girls degus
Posts: 98
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Post by beckerd58 on Feb 27, 2018 19:05:35 GMT
@dc I take fexofenadine antihistamine for 7 to 10 months a year and have been doing so for a long time, my hay fever is quite severe so I can't manage without them, the itching drives me crazy. I would be less happy taking them all year round, I think it's good for my body to manage without them for a while so they don't stop working. I don't notice any side effects, except I don't taste my food so well, but that could be the allergy itself. Maybe you could consider taking them for a month while you are having the mucus but everything else is fairly stable and see what happens, if it goes well, trying adding ranitidine (it's available without prescription here so easy to get) a month or more later. Tests do exist for mast cell activation but the samples need freezing so they aren't widely available and it's difficult to be sure that a negative result is accurate or if there was incorrect handling of the sample, and not many labs offer the test. beckerd58 your boys are gorgeous. How about some kind of matched pair of names, or some other theme, since they are so similar? Or are their personalities different, and maybe that would suggest something? If you want to start a naming ideas thread I'm sure you would get lots of suggestions. Thank you for the information and a new look into what might be going on. I have been reading for days on this and other things that link up to site with information on all of this. Feeling like to I'm on info overload. But in a good way. Yes to a future naming thread.
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Post by claire on Feb 28, 2018 6:57:28 GMT
Becky does one have a different marking in their face or like a light strip of fur around his neck. That the only way i could tell 2 of mine apart for ages. Doesnt help the strip moves as the summer coat comes lol
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