Interventions - or When Regular People Do Not Understand Mast Cell


 Oh man we had a funny night last night.

Let me backtrack. Our neighbor who comes swimming here every few days did a quick trip back to the States and I had asked him to bring something back for me. Two ginormous bottles of generic benadryl from Costco Stateside. A thousand count for like five bucks. Here it is eight bucks for a blister pack box of 30. I tend to take maybe 6 to 8 or so on a regular day. More if I cannot breath or the mast cell is really acting up.

We were all supposed to go out for dinner as a belated birthday celebration for Jim. I wasn't feeling it, still dealing with the crazy stomach virus but gamely decided to go. Got dressed up and ready and the neighbor man showed up. Found out his wife could not go and I told Jim I would stay back since I didn't feel great and the guys could have a guys night out.

But before they left the friend turned to me and started babbling out some insano bullshit about being 'concerned' that perhaps I was 'getting high' on all that benadryl. He was concerned that I might O.D.

I thought maybe this was coming because he's been running his mouth about the number of pills since he muled them back three weeks ago. I tried explaining that's like an 18 month supply, and since nobody knows when this COVID thing is going to end, or if Jim and I can get back to the States I figured I'd better lay in a big supply very cheaply. I tend to do this with otc things that you can get cheaply in the States, like Jim's fiber gummies. He didn't express concern Jim might have massive diarrhea from the amount of those he brought back! No fair!

He went on to explain that he had looked it up, ha ha, online, and taking massive amounts of benadryl to get high was a thing. Apparently it's now a foolish thing on TikTok the kids are doing. I'm not a kid.  I didn't know, but I have been taking them along with the piles of other drugs, prescriptions for the mcas that I don't even get the sleepiness any longer. I didn't tell him I keep the injectable benadryl along with other injectables for sudden asthma attacks.

So I decided to show him what I am taking on any given day for the mast cell, and then when the asthma flares. The inhailable sodium cromulyn, the drinkable cromulyn, the Zyflo, the Duoneb, the Xopenex, the laundry list of allergy pills including those stupid benadryls. The Epipen, and all the other stuff including for those times when my blood pressure drops, gets too high and a million other things. I thought his eyes might bug out of his head. Sometimes I joke with everything I take for the mast cell it seems like I am single handedly keeping the drug companies afloat.

See why I laughed off the fright of his that I was getting high with the benadryl. On a bad day I might take twelve, rarely more than that. But I know other mast cell folks that take them like m&ms and they are largely harmless. Standard dose if you are hurting in a big way can be as much as four at a time. I don't do that!

This is the absolutely shitty part of having a rarer lifelong illness. The folks that don't understand you're just trying to keep stable with no attacks by taking more drugs than Fleetwood Mac back in the 1970s. It has nothing to do with 'getting high' It's breathing stupid! I happen to be fond of breathing.

If I merely wanted to get high I have a full bar of hard booze, and it's a hop, skip and a jump to the Thursday Night market where one lady sells magic mushrooms and pot brownies. The friendly neighborhood dealers are always hanging around the Rotunda day and night. A high is easy. Health is a whole different ball game. As precariously balanced as a drunk elephant dancing on a pin.

I guess I'm just grateful he wasn't doing like most folks do when they find out I have mast cell and routinely take piles of meds. They usually suggest yoga, or essential oils, or kale, or some such other nonsense that doesn't work for mast cell. Sound bathing, bells, meditation. Yep, tried it and does not work for me. Although I do like kale chips.

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