Candor Creek

My writing partner, from above, in a favorite position. I'm getting better at one-handed writing. Health post, but a more positive tone for those that can't handle my usual depressive bullshit. Summer cuteness for your troubles. Ah, yes, the "halfway to anaphylaxis" epipen. Rare, and opting out of it is usually a poor choice that has led to ER runs and large flares in the past. Doesn't stop me from wrestling with taking it every time, though. I was smart (?) just now and gave in to the likely inevitability of at least one Epipen in the next day or so. The reasons finally stacked up high enough: mold spike two days ago, corresponding reactivity/pre-anaphylaxis all day yesterday despite it being a steroid day and staying home (extra trips up and down the steps though), and I've now progressed to pre-anaphylaxis after eating anything or getting up off the couch to do something after a sleep cycle. Further complication: I won't have the steroid as a buf...

Not actually 4AM - it was 5. AM. It's that bewitching time of year where the temperature drops at night, and we welcome the coolness into our homes along with the smells and sounds of autumn... ...but my sequestering intensifies, as does the temperature in my home, because heat rises and stops in a closed second floor apartment. All windows remain firmly shut as they have since last snow because my body chooses to fight, with ridiculous and dangerous fervor, all of that autumnal welcoming in particular. See that tall spike? That's my worst mold allergen starting to kick in. I was blindsighted by three epi-pens in 36 hours the day after the spike. I have new tools this year. Increasing the H2 blocker (and possibly the H1 blocker) seems to be keeping me on an every-other day steroid schedule instead of a daily regimen, and my array of ice packs help when my body suddenly forgets how to regulate its temperature, which happens a lot more when trying to do things in an...

...and this is just the beginning. Autumn, bitchessssss. ...and all yall haters, pumpkin spice shamers, and people who chuckle condescendingly when a white girl in a seasonally-colored sweater smiles at the falling leaves can go suck a big one. This autumn-loving white woman has been pretty severely ill for the past two autumns - multiple-ER trip, bed ridden, windows sealed, life-changingly ill - and I've missed the cooler weather and the colors. My soul needs the extra time baking in the kitchen. Autumn used to be my peak geocaching season, and I loved everything about wandering around in the woods, finding rocks and taking pictures of leaves, even if I never made the find. This year I've been learning how to navagate life with the MCAS diagnosis and its various sensitivities. Thanks to wearing my UV-blocking clothing in and out of doors along with increased use of my mask outside I've so far been able to stay out of an emergency zone for the entire month of Sep...