it’s me, hi
There have been so many awful things happening lately, especially the hurricanes in the southern/eastern US. I really don’t have the words to say anything other than it’s horrific. There are a lot of people who have already done the work of putting together places where ppl can help/donate, easily findable on Google.
It’s honestly been so overwhelming for me. I find myself empathizing so hard with everyone who I’ve been following who posts about it, not only people I know but also people I don’t know.
I’ve also really been feeling the truth of horrors happening in Gaza, and in Afghanistan.. I read a post on Twitter about girls who were instructed not to laugh out loud while walking outside, since it’s illegal for their voice to be overheard by a man. It’s unbelievable, really, how bad it is,there. Just so incredibly awful.
In my corner of the world.. I just had an extended family member pass away, and haven’t begun to be able to grieve it, and others who are dealing with health conditions.
My mast cell issues have been getting worse. I’m thankful for the many things I still can eat! But it’s been really hard lately. I reacted to sweet potato the other day with my throat puffing up- it was the last vegetable I can currently eat- so it just felt especially heavy. Maybe I’ll be able to add it back again some day, since mast cell sensitivity doesn’t necessarily have stable/predictable triggers, and tends to ebb and flow. I can still eat all land meats, bread, pasta, rice, mayo, canola oil, chocolate, cream cheese, jam, some spices… so that’s a lot! I’m hoping to try adding back cooked spinach soon and see how I do with it. Eventually I want to try to add dried apricots- since I was fine with them before this flare- I just haven’t found a way to source it that is safe from both latex glove contamination AND tree nut contamination; usually they are manufactured along with tree nuts (another allergy).
I’ve taken over all the transportation of the kids to and from school (this was difficult as I had to first communicate with the school to make sure I wouldn’t encounter latex balloons in doing so), and that’s been going well, though I often have a mild reaction each time I get out of the car in the parking lot (it could be to tire dust, or asphalt dust- both contain latex). It hasn’t been dangerous, but I’ve been showering/changing clothes 2-3 times a day on weekdays as I don’t stop itching until I do.
I’ve also been able to have the kids do homework outside while the weather is nice, right in front of the window so I can see them, and then hold it up against the glass so I can check it/help them with questions they have. I’ve also put down a sheet to have them do it inside, which didn’t work as well, but is an option, and I just kept my distance. Someone else I know of with the same issue (latex allergy/MCAS) uses a tablet to put all her kids’ homework on, and re-prints it at home. One of my goals is to get Kindles for them and a safe printer to see if I can work with their teachers to get as much of their homework as possible to be something I can be in direct contact with (I react to most books- ink can contain latex, and so can binding glue, and a lot of school paperwork is latex contaminated due to rubber stamps, erasers, etc).
We’re figuring it out. Both kids are doing so well in school and I’m really thankful that that’s the case.
I’ve started working on a series of posts that I feel kind of ambivalent about posting. I’ll probably just go ahead and start posting them. Idk. It’s scary to me. But it also feels right? So, we’ll see.
Oh good news also is that my mp3 player broke due to condensation in the air (!!!!?! in the air!), and the company is going to replace it for free!! So, yay.
Also I got a really good cat brush, for brushing our cat Atticus, which was like $7 or something? (I think it’s this one, they changed the listing but it looks the same) And he’s a long-haired cat, and honestly brushing him has been a struggle, and the brush is really helping. So that’s good too.
I’m also excited because I’m going to try “making” the boys’ Halloween costumes this year (cutting and gluing and painting felt to pre-existing clothing) so.. honestly it’s been a huge amount of work!! Emailing companies to try to find a latex-free hot glue gun, and latex-free paint. It takes so much of time to simply email and call companies asking what materials their products contain. Hopefully someday we can include natural rubber latex on the list of allergens that must be disclosed in a product!! It would save so much time and effort, including from employees, who currently are like “does it contain latex? it’s rubber,” and then I’m like “does the rubber contain natural rubber latex? it might be synthetic, and I’m not allergic to synthetic latex” and it’s a clusterfuck of a waste of time for everyone!
😀
Hope you’re having a good day.
