Mast cell activation and high histamine can result in intense, vivid dreams or nightmares, and also correlate with anxiety and ADHD in some people. Hormones are part of the picture so it’s more common (or can become more intense) in women around or after menopause. Covid is also increasing mast cell activation for many people. At the new Long Covid clinic at Mt. Sinai, mast cell activation is one of the first 3 things they try to address with patients, so this is evidence-based. (As an aside, the other two are POTS and microclots, in case anyone is interested!) Basically it’s common for people whose mast cell issues flew under the radar earlier to experience exacerbated symptoms as they get older or after viral infections, mold exposure, etc.

For veterans, try the VA first. Might not end up being the best fitting aids for all, but definitely worth a try given the cost. Amazing service center to call with any issues, and they overnight new charging cases etc.

I live in the path of totality. We have groceries and gas. and plan to walk tomorrow to our friends BBQ, and then to a park with our mini poodle during the eclipse. Not driving anywhere! Heard an excerpt of Annie Dillard’s essay below, Total Eclipse, that really intrigued me, and a scientist who said being in totality even with clouds is much more interesting than a partial eclipse in full sun. As long as some brightness is shining through the clouds, he said, it’s quite dramatic to see the world go dark. That was great to hear because it’s going to be partly cloudy here tomorrow and I’m not going anywhere else! https://pioneerworks.org/broadcast/total-eclipse-annie-dillard

Are you subtracting fees as well, in addition to tuition? My understanding is that scholarship funds that cover tuition and fees aren’t taxable, but funds applied to room and board are. Books and educational supplies are qualified expenses as well, I believe. We keep receipts for the tax credit.

Oy, sorry you have to deal with that. I'd be on the horn with the director of financial aid and our CPA. That just can't be the way full tuition should work.

Thank you for checking in with your neighbor! Lengthy power outages are rough and exponentially more so for elders, littles, health and dietary needs. Glad you could warm up a bit and run the dw, but how maddening to lose power again! I hope it comes back on soon. Just heard dd21 has power back in her dorm.

I read that one copy of norovirus can infect someone. Even if that's not quite right, it definitely doesn't take much. Hope you and your family feel better soon, Katy.

I can't believe how many people I know have symptoms of Long Covid that they don't perceive as LC. I obviously can't diagnose anyone, just really confused and sad to see lots of family and friends accepting major declines in health, often without questioning the cause or trying to prevent further decline.

CDC, the White House and my Congressional reps must love hearing from me. Anyone want to join my grassroots lobbying group? Five Million Furious Mamas Pick just one weekday that works for you to call the above and share your thoughts on current Covid policy until CDC gets serious about protecting our children's long term health. How long would it take with a million calls a day? And weekends off!

Just saw this on cybersecurity incident with pharmacy network. Anyone have issues picking up prescriptions today? https://therecord.media/prescriptions-nationwide-impacted-by-change-healthcare-incident

Ugh, thanks for the replies. Kinda what I suspected. Moving would be tough for this person but still seems like a good idea.

@historically accurate I’m sorry you and your family are going through this, yet also want to thank you for making such an effort to stop chains of transmission. It’s incredibly difficult to take care of our families and do the right thing for our communities now—it requires impossible amounts of time, effort, money and persistence. Unsustainable, unnecessary and unfair when solid public health policy could dramatically reduce transmission.

Genuinely shocked to see accurate Covid reporting on a major network! I especially love the part where the anchors are like, hmm, could this just be corporate pressure to get all us medieval peasants back laboring in the fields? Sure sounds like it….

Long shot but does anyone have experience with health impacts of exposure to radio broadcasting equipment? Exposure is living 2 floors below installation in a high-rise, same side. I did find this on health issues in engineers exposed to high level radio frequency working on transmission masts. Off to figure out what kind of equipment they were working on, what exactly radio broadcasting equipment emits etc. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10795393/

Vivid dreams, anxiety, fatigue and GERD could be related to mast cell activation and histamine. Not sure about thyroid. Insomnia or hot flashes around 2-4 am is another classic symptom because histamine physiologically peaks at that time of day, so if it's already elevated it's easy to go over the threshold. Hormones around PMS, ovulation and perimenopause can also exacerbate mast cell issues, estrogen especially. Everyone is different and no one will have all the potential symptoms--the list is pretty long! Covid also seems to be initiating (or exacerbating) mast cell issues for many people. There are other threads on the challenge of finding a practitioner to treat mast cell issues, and that can take time. In the meantime you could try quercitin, holy basil or perilla seed extract supplements, and/or a low histamine/low tyramine diet to see if that helps ease any of your symptoms. They all stabilize mast cells to prevent release of histamine and literally 1000+ other mediators for physiological responses all over the body. Nettle tea is great too. Trying one supplement for a few days may not tell you if it helps. Many with mast cell issues do see some improvement after a week or so, but it could take 3 months on a few supplements to stabilize mast cells and allow the body to process excess histamine and other mediators. Quality and potency varies significantly with different brands. Here are my favorites: Quercitin: Integrative Therapeutics Alpha-Glycosyl Isoquercitrin, start with 1 capsule once a day, if okay can try 1 in the morning and 1 evening Holy Basil: Gaia Herbs Stress Support Holy Basil Leaf vegan liquid photo-caps, I take one before bed Perilla Seed Extract: Pure Encapsulations Perilla Extract, expensive but potent extract of perilla/holy basil seed, worth a try if quercitin doesn't work for you, dose the same as quercitin Hoping you find what works for you and feel some relief soon!

I think they're paid handsomely to sow doubt and confusion, in service of corporate oligarchy. They profit personally and corporate oligarchs effectively control both politics and public health. But the result is that millions of Americans are developing chronic illness, becoming disabled and dying, just to prop up quarterly profits and the whims of sociopathic billionaires. It doesn't even make economic sense beyond the extremely short term. We're getting and spending, but disabling our workforce and our children??

Love the title above! The Onion and The Vertlartnic on Twitter have helped me stay sane recently. And I do think it will be business interests and lawsuits that shift our approach to Covid eventually, because political leadership and public health apparently don’t exist anymore.

Sigh, I wish we had clear and effective clinical guidelines. In the absence of that, I'm seeing some people take Pax and metformin. Not sure if they start metformin after Pax? Anyway the thought is it can help prevent Pax rebound, help prevent establishment of SARS2 reservoir in the gut, and decrease chance of Long Covid. Metformin does have an impact on gut flora and some other mechanisms that may be involved. Not everyone can take metformin but it's generally pretty well tolerated, I think. There are studies on metformin and LC. I'm sorry I don't have time to look it up and wish we didn't have to DIY everything related to Covid. One of the reasons I'm interested in metformin is dh was pretty darn sick with Covid in Dec and felt better after a couple Pax doses, but did have rebound. It just makes logical sense to me that's something to do with the life cycle of the virus and viral rebound, and addressing that might make for more effective treatment with decreased risk of long term issues.

Guess the Dog Breed is brilliant! Sounds like it’s working well for everyone, with your daughter contributing something from her area of interest that others really enjoy.

Definitely call your cardiology practice (many have docs on call), let them know what’s happening and ask if meds need adjusting, and what to do if it happens again. Not uncommon to need to adjust meds, especially when you have a combo of meds.

Do the shelters have a list of things they accept as donations for dogs? If there’s anything your teens could make—tug toys or treats?—that could be a great way to do something together or have them work on it and drop off the donation together. Or if there’s nothing they could make, maybe they could organize gathering towels, blankets, donations for food, whatever. Interest and caring for animals is wonderful and fun in itself and a great way to practice social skills like empathy and understanding how others have different needs.

Our ped told us several years ago that docs in Europe are less likely to test for and treat strep. No idea if there’s variability between countries or if that’s changed at all.

I always wondered why my dad relied on my mom to tell him when to switch from summer to winter pajamas, as just one example. This makes sense of a lot for me.

Glad his throat feels better and that he’s on his way to the clinic. Sounds like he got some good sleep too, which is huge!

Ha, sweater is a great idea when I go too short or too ridiculous!