I thought that this would be a good topic to discuss and gather tips from various people. During times of extreme stress, one's mast cells may trigger at the drop of a hat due to that "bucket" that we speak of being at a constantly high level that continually overflows. Stress is a known mast cell degranulator. With extreme stress, such as tragedy, this can make it very difficult for you to remain well and handle the situation. So what are your suggestions?

This past week my father went into the hospital with emergency bleeding due to diverticulosis. Since he is 91 and has partial dementia, he went into a state called delirium and forgot how to swallow as he was battling out his hallucinations from the delirium. This, in turn, resulted quickly in severe pneumonia. To go along with that the hospital has done its best to withhold the most assertive treatment since he is 91. While my whole family has gathered to fight for him, it has obviously affected me greatly especially as I am the youngest daughter in the family and very close to him. My mast cells have been triggering a lot, but no anaphylaxis. Yay. I seem to be in a heightened state of triggering, though, and feel pretty unwell.

So, what have I done to try to prevent mast cell degranulation so that I can be at the hospital without getting sick? I can't say that anything I am doing has helped much, so I am very interested in learning  what others do. I emailed my doctor, Dr Akin, about this.  He replied that since the mast cells were being triggered by stress, in addition to mast cells meds, I should take Xanax during this time. I didn't really like that idea, although I know that for many that works wonders.

Thus far I have doubled my meds on some days and tried to limit my time at the hospital since my dad is not aware of who is there and my mom and siblings are there around the clock to help him. That has helped all week until now. Now as things seem to be near the end for him, my symptoms are ever present, even resulting in rashes down my neck and dizziness. These are not daily symptoms for me and are only popping out because I have been dealing with crisis after crisis at the hospital for a week long (malpractice issues stemming from doctors who have not done tests they should have in the beginning and withholding treatment contrary to the advice of specialists). No need to get into that here, but that is the added cause of the extreme stress. You want to know that you have done everything possible to attempt to save your dad, and the stress resulting from a doctor who doesn't agree due to his age is what is overflowing my bucket.

So, as I deal with this, I realize that once again my situation can help others avoid what I am experiencing. This seemed like a great topic to start for suggestions of how to stay well during times of extreme stress. If anyone has good tips, please share them here.

Deborah I don't have anything on the specific question of stress and extreme tragedy, but I do know something of the emotional experience of dealing with elderly parents and health crises, and just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear what you are going through. All I can say is be kind to yourself, do everything you can to take care of your own emotional needs through this, and our thoughts are with you as you go through this trying time.

Ruth