🧬 My First Brush With MCAS: The Day My Body Sounded the Alarm
Holistic Medicine & Soul Support
The Day Everything Changed
I was 14 years old, home alone, when my body did something I couldn’t explain.
One moment, I was just walking through the kitchen. The next, I was blacking out. My hands and feet were swelling, my lips and tongue grew thick, my skin itched wildly, and my body felt like it had been invaded.I laid down on the floor, trying to breathe, trying to make sense of what was happening. Then I did the only thing I could think to do — I called a friend. Her mother came over and stayed with me until my grandmother rushed home and took me to the hospital.
They gave me a shot of Benadryl, and slowly the symptoms began to fade. But no one could explain what had happened. I hadn’t eaten anything different. I hadn’t been stung. There was no clear trigger. And yet, my body had clearly launched into some kind of alarm response.
The Second Time We Knew What to Do
Months — maybe a year — later, it happened again. Same creeping sensation. Same swelling. But this time, we knew what to do.
Benadryl, immediately.
And it worked.
Since that day, I’ve carried Benadryl with me everywhere. Always. Like a quiet insurance policy.It became part of who I was — someone with mysterious reactions, unexplained stomach aches, and symptoms that didn’t fit in tidy diagnostic boxes.
A Life Lived in Hyper-Alert
At the time, I was also experiencing severe abdominal pain, and a doctor had put me on a medication that started with an "I" — I wish I remembered the name. They believed the swelling episode might have been a reaction to it, but it was never formally marked down as an allergy.
The reaction passed, but the unease never really did.
For years, I lived with:
- Sudden food sensitivities
- Digestive chaos
- Strange itching spells
- Sensations of tongue or lip swelling that I couldn’t quite confirm
- And the ongoing question: What is going on with my body?
It wouldn’t be until decades later, after my diagnoses of EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and Dysautonomia, that I finally heard the words:
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.And suddenly, everything made sense.
What is MCAS, Really?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is when your mast cells — a part of your immune system — go rogue. They release too many inflammatory chemicals, like histamine, at the wrong time, in response to things that shouldn't be threats:
Foods, heat, stress, medications, scents, emotions.
It can look like:
- Allergies without allergens
- Itching, swelling, redness
- GI upset like diarrhea, cramping, nausea
- Brain fog, dizziness, anxiety
- Reactions to smells or environmental triggers
It’s underdiagnosed, often mistaken for IBS, anxiety, or “just being sensitive.
”And for people like me — especially with connective tissue disorders like EDS and autonomic issues like Dysautonomia — it’s not uncommon. These three often show up together, like a hidden trio.
Looking Back: Were All My Health Issues MCAS?
It’s only now, in hindsight, that I can see the pattern.
Over the years, so many “random” symptoms — the ones doctors couldn’t explain — may have been MCAS all along. I just didn’t know the name for it. And I was too often dismissed as dramatic, sensitive, or just stressed.
But my body was never lying.
It was trying to survive.And since beginning to heal from Breast Implant Illness, I’ve seen many of those symptoms quiet down. Was the chronic mast cell activation made worse by toxic overload from my implants? Probably. That’s part of the mystery I’m still unraveling.
My Holistic Toolkit for MCAS Relief
I no longer rely on just Benadryl. My approach is functional, gentle, and full-body now. Here's what helps me and what I recommend to my clients:
🌿 Holistic Tools:
- Quercetin + Vitamin C (natural antihistamines)
- DAO enzyme to break down histamine from food
- Magnesium glycinate to calm the nervous system
- Low-histamine, anti-inflammatory diet
- Gentle detox support: liver and lymph
- Mind-body therapies to release stored trauma
đź’§ Energy & Soul Supports:
- Blue Lace Agate + Lepidolite for calming
- Flower essences like Rescue Remedy and Walnut
- Cell Salts (especially Mag Phos and Nat Mur)
- Micro-meditations for flare-up calming
Closing Thoughts: Trust the Whisper Before It Screams
If your body has ever reacted in ways no one can explain… if you've ever been gaslit into thinking it was "just anxiety"... or if you carry emergency meds and no diagnosis — this post is for you.
MCAS is real.
You are not imagining it.
And healing is possible.I’m living proof.
Let’s connect the dots — together.