Talk to your people in advance, and find out what they want. I personally would want you to ask questions and get all the info! I think of my support people as extra brains when I might not be on my toes — you are there to help me remember to ask the questions and help recall the info later. DH and I have been doing a lot of this lately, so we’ve actually had these conversations recently.

Thinking of you all today, and sending support.

Oh no. You are all in my heart.

For this, I’d follow the doc’s instructions, and I wouldn’t try to add anything to it. I’d do the fast when not having a scheduled medical procedure with whatever type of anesthesia/sedative. I have a 5 day prep for mine, anyway, and it’s never a great experience — certainly it seems easier for some people. But even if it was an easy experience, I’d want my body as strong as possible for the procedure and any surprises that might happen.

We have a 32 yr old, a 20, and a 12. So our smallest age gap is more than 6 years! Everyone has been happy and well adjusted, and I don’t think anyone would say they are lonely. Our kids are all really close and get along great. If you want another baby — go for it. But your kids don’t *need* another baby.

Ok, in a weird twist, our Instacart order was just misdelivered to their house, so now I have an Instacart delivery pic of our order on their porch, right in front of the sign. Gotta laugh!

Our neighbor. 🙄 And her (many?) roommates have a new, huge sign on their front door where a wreath would go. “Welcome to the S***Show, we hope you brought alcohol.” It could be a funny meme, or sign inside the house — for them. But ugh, with all the little kids running around our neighborhood, that sign just feels off. She’s got four that are K and under, too, and presumably learning to read right now — so I guess it’s no biggie to her. I just wouldn’t have made that choice. I hate feeling judgy. I’m feeling judgy. Ugh. It’s probably all the meds I’m on, I’m usually just aiming to be supportive of her.

Are you a non-coffee drinker? (Gasp!) My SIL only goes to SB if she’s meeting someone there, and does not order coffee if she must go. I think she gets a tea drink. If you are a coffee drinker, and have never had SB — I want to congratulate you! SB prices are too high for coffee that is just okay. It leans acidic, and a bit burned. I like beans roasted a bit less, and prefer their blonde roasts over their usual dark, dark roasts. We generally default to any other coffee place, but I will definitely grab a cappuccino there if all else fails. But I would totally take a free drink! Dawn scored! In the 90s, I studied at SB, and always had free drinks — lots of barista friends. For years I’d walk into SB and have a mini panic attack that I needed to study for something.

Thanks for checking on me. I’m a lot better. Dragging, and not feeling 100%, but haven’t had more scary episodes. Have been seeing the specialist every two weeks, and am figuring out what I can/can’t eat. It’s been quite an experience!

Has SIL considered moving out of the family compound and into her own place, so she can offer nephew a safe landing if he needs it? That seems simpler than hanging onto a trailer just in case it’s needed later. I hope he will get some addiction help.

We use Air Tags. They connect to nearby WiFi so we can see them wherever there is WiFi. I can see DH’s stuff when he’s halfway around the world. Last summer we tossed one in our extra kid’s bag while we all went on vacation (with her knowledge and consent) and we didn’t worry about losing each other in various crowded places. They are great for lost bags and stolen items (though I would not confront a thief! That’s for the police to do). ETA: this thread has just inspired me to put one on our deaf dog’s collar, in hopes that there’s enough WiFi in our neighborhood that he’d be visible, if he got out. Thanks!

Gone … where? I’m not following the “acted strange” either — do you mean upset? Worried? Any emotion I apply here feels like projecting. I’m so sorry this is happening in your family. Addiction is a nightmare. With the other issues as well, ASD etc., it’s just so much. And maybe too much for your elders to manage if nephew’s mom isn’t on top of things. There aren’t really good answers.

Well, that would certainly make it easier! I don’t have a source, only my LLMD’s instructions. I will ask her when I see her again. ETA: from the Florastor website, no need to space them. Nice! Can I take Florastor probiotics with antibiotics? Yes! Florastor is proven resistant to most common antibiotics. Florastor has been shown to help maintain digestive balance even during and after antibiotic usage.* Visit the Why Florastor page to learn more.

Interesting! Avocado is high histamine. Maybe your allergy cup was full.

Oh, please remember to space your probiotics and s. Boulardii at least two hours apart from your antibiotics! No point taking massive doses of probiotics only to kill them off immediately with the abx.

This. My doc recommends this. She recommends Thorne very often, but for s. Boulardii, Ingo with Florastor brand because it’s been used in clinical trials and shown to be effective. I’m sure Thorne is good, too. If I’m having symptoms and feeling worried about a C Diff recurrence, I add some other items. I am new to MCAS, but have probably had it for some time, I would imagine when I took these supplements as well, but I don’t know how they will work for you: I add garlic; Candibactin (BR, I think); and Visbiome probiotics. Of those, Visbiome is probably most important — you said other probiotics don’t work for you, but I feel so strongly about this one, I might try it if you’re worried about C Diff. It’s expensive, and used to be Rx only. They will ship it in a fridge box with a card to let you know it hasn’t gotten warm. It must be refrigerated. I only take this when having GI symptoms. It’s not an every day probiotic. I hope you feel better soon!

Our functional med doc suggested Zyflamend to DH for pain, and he really notices when we run out and he stops taking it. https://www.newchapter.com/herbals/zyflamend/ We don’t take a lot of ibuprofen or Tylenol here, but this has helped.

I’ve had good luck with Annie Sloan, but I did a lot of prep, too. Also, the finish afterward is very important. I’ve used her wax (multiple coats), but also another commercial finish. We have Annie Slaon painted kitchen chairs that have seen hard use for 15 years. Those have a wax finish, and still look great. I didn’t prefer milk paint — I don’t recall why.

I’m so sorry that you’re hurt. It stinks, and there’s absolutely a sting — to put it mildly. It’s ok to sit with that, and feel it for a bit. Being hurt by family, your safe people, hurts. It’s a hard place to be. Give yourself some space to acknowledge that. Then, if it’s difficult to move past that hurt — I’m going to suggest therapy, if you can find that elusive unicorn: a kick-butt therapist. Even an adequate one could do trick, just be sure you connect with that person and can build trust. CBT was most helpful here. It’s not a huge time commitment, an hour a week, and the pay off is enormous. Everything else — talking to friends, books, etc — was helpful but didn’t teach me to change my thinking and behaviors around the subject in question (whatever that may be). Hugs.

Everything prairiewindmomma said. I would call the pedi, the allergist and the derm — even if you haven’t seen them yet. Maybe try to get in early. I would want that seen, because it’s not improving. Take lots of pics and keep good records. Hugs. Allergies are hard. We have multiple food allergies here, too, plus skin stuff.

Number 3.

I buy hair and face products that I really like, and work well for my hair and skin. They can get pricey, I’m sure I could have clean hair and a clean, moisturized face for less, but I like my stuff. I spend extra on make up that makes me extra happy, too. We have housekeepers come every other week. They. Are. Awesome. NYT — I love, love, love NYT Cooking. We only added it to our subscription recently, and it feels like I’m getting away with something when I use it. Love it.

What I think of as “regular” grocery splurges: Grass fed beef Salmon Good coffee (Java Planet these days, because I need low acid but I am still a coffee lover) Good cheese And this. So much this. My sister keeps Kosher, and 30 years ago we’d comment that everything Kosher cost 3 times as much as non-Kosher. It was unfathomable to me at the time (I was also in my starving student days back then). Little did I know that allergy friendly foods and ingredients would be the same, and in our future. Our grocery bills are sky high. And there’s a lot of research, ordering and shipping involved. I shudder to think how much money we eat each month.

I’m so sorry she had that happen after the Xolair. How does she manage the idiopathic anaphylaxis? I have just learned about idiopathic anaphylaxis, unfortunately. I had it twice in one week about ten days ago. Horrible. They did start me on Xolair, with samples pending approval, but I am constantly wondering if it will happen again. I worry about what to eat, and supplements and meds. It really gets in your head.

Wow, so many in your family! Was Xolair helpful for them? Obviously not for DIL, yikes. I’m glad she was in the doc office when that happened! How scary.