Anyone with chronic illness knows that having one person in our corner can make all the difference in how we handle our lot in life. Over the years I’ve met so many people with mast cell disease or chronic fatigue (CF/ME) or a number of other debilitating, chronic conditions like mine and it seems those of us who fare the best are the ones with support.

Not necessarily an entire support system, either, because those are more rare than you think, but just someone – a spouse, a sibling, a friend, a neighbor – who is there for them unconditionally, believes them (one of the most important parts) and can help arrange rides to the doctor, etc.

For me it’s my husband who has stuck by me and seen me through three decades of mast cell hell. He’s known me since I was 12 years old, though, and watched me struggle over the years, especially after we were married and went through three pregnancies together, so he knows I’m not faking this disease. I do have some who still call me a hypochondriac behind my back, but for the most part no one acts like that who is allowed into my inner circle anyway. I don’t have time for unsupportive people and there are far too many like that out there.

My son has me, which is good in the sense that we both understand what it’s like to live with mast cell activation even though we have slightly different triggers and our symptoms manifest a bit differently. After all, he’s a 30 year old man and I’m a pre-menopausal woman at this point who can’t wait to see if the end of my periods means final relief from the worst of this.

That’s the other thing, all it takes is one bad period and I’m knocked out for weeks afterward. Or one skipped dose of medicine, then I’m spiraling back into mast cell hell. Or one hidden trigger lurking around, ready to pounce. Or…

You get what I mean. I hope you at least have one person on your side to get through this madness. 💜