Welcome Nick! So glad that you found us! There are some helpful posts on the basics of how to help yourself by identifying triggers, etc in this forum under the category, "Start here". Take a look there for some good tips.

You have a wonderful attitude about your medical condition, and I love that these good things came as a result of your getting sick! I was like that. I now have my own business, and I never would have if I hadn't gotten ill and realized I couldn't hold a traditional job. So, congrats on your progamming job and your degree! That is definitely impressive!

Are you taking any daily preventative antihistamines? If you aren't I can tell you that they work tremendously in preventing symptoms and allowing us to feel good. Feel free to share what ones you do take, and we can give you some pointers on what seems to work best for most people.

Once again, welcome!

Hi Nick and welcome to the forum!

  I'm so glad you've been able to get diagnosed and some treatment that helps you.  No treatment is perfect, and I don't know anyone who hasn't cheated and paid for it!  Many of us have have been told our problems were a mental health issue, nothing really wrong with us, or mis-diagnosed before we found out what was really happening.  That's hard to go through, but when it happened to me, I decided that the doctor was wrong and that I'd never stay with one who didn't believe me.

  The key to feeling well is to do everything at once, that is, avoid triggers (dietary and environmental), keep stress level as low as you can, and have a medication strategy in place.  Meds are the basis of treatment.  Once you find your baseline doses, you'll learn how to treat breakthrough symptoms when they happen.

  You already know some of your food and environmental triggers, but it never hurts to keep testing things to see if eliminating something will help you feel better.  Some things, like pollens or artificial scents can cause symptoms, but they aren't allergens, they're triggers.  Keeping an exposure and symptom diary might help.  If you have increased symptoms, think about where you were, was anyone wearing perfume, could there have been hidden ingredients in something you ate.

  You've probably read what we talk about as a trigger bucket.  Sometimes it won't be one big exposure or food that causes problems, but many little things, and then one more trigger will cause the bucket to "overflow" and you'll have symptoms.  So when deciding to try a forbidden food or go someplace where there might be triggers, you have to consider whether you've had exposure to a lot of other triggers.

  In general, if you know something triggers you, avoid it.  With foods, most of the time there can be substitutions, even in restaurants.

  Good luck with the doctor.  I hope you can get to your best health soon.

Thanks Pam. I'll have a look now, and hold back on eating breakfast first just in case it contains any.

Thanks Deborah,
Sometimes I'm not clear!!  Thats what I meant by it is rare, only a small percentage of people with mast cell issues have a salicylate issue!
It is just something to consider while figureing things out!