#news from mca

[chronicallydragons]

Anyone else with dysautonomia/POTS/Orthostatic intolerance/anemia/low iron etc watch shows and see someone casually stand up and just start walking and go “man, how unrealistic. Didn’t even have to reach for a wall or anything” and then realize that that’s just the normal way people stand up?? Most people don’t experience briefly blacking out every time they get up???

[mcforwhatiam]

Photos by Scarlet Page, via Instagram

[sevenangrybees]

I wanna see a cooking competition show where all the judges have different dietary restrictions and professional chefs have to make a meal that all of them can eat.

I wanna see someone with allergies look a chef dead in the eye and tell them they're disqualified cause they didn't check that the pecans were manufactured somewhere with no peanut cross contamination.

[wryn-redacted-thrives]

another day, another moment of “oh wait, fuck, when was the last time i was tested for that vitamin deficiency?!”

[thebibliosphere]

Hi! I'm getting my first MRI (for my brain, with contrast) and I am TERRIFIED! It sounds like you've had a few - any reassurance or advice? (No pressure to respond - you probably get lots of these!)

It’s definitely a weird sensation and I understand the fear, but I actually don’t mind them. Some labs offer things like music or aromatherapy to keep people calm (some people find the machine extremely claustrophobic and they are aware of this) so check with your radiology department to see if you can bring in your own playlist if you think that’d help.

For my first MRI with the contrast they let me bring my childhood teddy bear and once I was situated in the tube, the lab tech placed him in my hands outside the machine so I could hold onto him, as well as the panic button that they give you so they can pull you out if you suddenly realize, yeah, actually, you’re claustrophobic and about to freak the fuck out.

I’m someone who panics in enclosed spaces, but the MRI was actually okay. I knew I wasn’t trapped because my feet were outside the machine and I just closed my eyes and made up fanfic in my head for forty five minutes 😅.

The drum spinning can be loud. So if you’re noise sensitive, ask about ear plugs.

I don’t usually bother with the earplugs and sometimes just talk to the lab tech over the intercom if they’re feeling chatty. They know I’m an MCAS risk with the dye so they tend to chatter more with me than other people, I think. My first ever episode of MCAS anaphylaxis happened inside of a CT machine from the contrast dye (different dye from the MRI dye). So they know my PTSD from being in big whirly machines is through the roof and do what they can to help. If you’re extremely anxious let them know. They’re used to it.

Afterwards, don’t be surprised if you’re dizzy or experience vertigo. I felt like I’d been on a very fast spinning ride when they pulled me out.

The tech explained this was the MRI affecting my inner ear and it’d go away pretty quick. I think it took an hour for me to stop tripping over my own feet, so if possible I’d suggest having someone there to drive you home/take a cab if you can.

Other than that, just try to make sure you’re well rested beforehand and give yourself something to look forward to after. I usually go to the bookstore or grab a new comic, but getting your favorite coffee or another little treat is a good idea too.

I hope your scan is uneventful and whatever reasons you’re doing in for resolves soon. Best of luck!

[theunderestimator-2]

Mick Jones during his Big Audio Dynamite era, here posing in London with MCA (Adam Yauch) & Mike D (Mike Diamond) of the Beastie Boys plus photographer & common friend Josh Cheuse in an early '86 photo probably shot by Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz).

Here's a excerpt from an AD-Rock interview on The Guardian in which he recalls how MCA re-taught Mick Jones how to play 'Clash City Rockers’ during their visit at Mick's house while surprise guests keep ringing his doorbell:

"We’re in London for a few days to “work”. Our friend from New York, photographer Josh Cheuse, was friends with Mick Jones from the Clash. He worked with them a little bit and hooked it up for us to go hang out with him one night. AT HIS FUCKIN’ HOUSE! And by the way, he is one of the nicest people in the world. We meet, hang out, have a little tea, a couple beers, and then he shows us his studio in the basement. Not a practice space, but a nice little studio, with all kinds of equipment. While Mick Jones is showing us a guitar of his, Yauch asks him to play Clash City Rockers. I don’t know what possessed him to do that but, I mean, fuck yeah, I wanted that to happen. He kind of laughed and said that he forgot how to play it, and so Yauch took the guitar and taught Mick Jones how to play the song. Yes! Mick Jones from the fucking Clash. Oh wait… Someone’s at the door. Yup. It’s Joe fucking Strummer! Our new close friend Mick Jones had said some people were coming over; Now Joe Strummer’s here and the doorbell rings again… It’s fucking Johnny fucking Rotten! He’s with this cool-ass German lady and we are now officially drunk, and freaking out. In Mick Jones’s living room. We’re getting ready to go see a movie, and one more person shows up on our way out. Take a guess… could be any-fuckin’-body, right? It is one of the coolest people in the world. Ever. Paul Simonon. Picture yourself with your two best friends… real tipsy. Driving around the streets of London at night in two cabs with, basically, the fucking Clash and Johnny Rotten. Stopping at red lights, laughing, screaming, and throwing things at each other out the windows. I mean… just a few years ago, these people made music that changed our lives. We absolutely and totally fucking love them. And now we’re getting drunk with them and we’re on our way to go see a slasher movie together. IN LONDON!!!".

(via)

[pixiel]

Help Rem/Pixiel afford a Wheelchair!

I asked before looking for advice on getting a wheelchair - the best advice I've gotten so far is to open up my own fundraiser on GoFundMe to help me afford it! So here's my story explaining why I need the help;

I would be really thankful if you reblogged this post even if you can't donate yourself!

(explanation/story under the cut!)

Hi! My name is Rem / Pixiel. Some of you might already know me as the person who made the first Old Tumblr fix after the layout change! I haven't talked too much about myself online, so for those of you who don't know me let me talk about my health a little bit; I have Hypermobile-Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Arrhythmia, A floppy heart valve, balance issues, Suspected POTs & MCAS - and a myriad of other smaller comorbidities to go with it. I have daily pain in my wrists, hands, knees, neck, shoulders and hips. Basically all over my body! I tire easily due to my heart problem and have to take extra care not to injure myself. I’m currently someone who uses a cane (a really fab looking one!) but while it helps me get around the house and to and from the shop a few doors down the road - going beyond that around town often results in me having a lot of pain in my hips and knees, usually leaving me unable to do anything for the next couple of weeks - struggling to move around the house and get things done due to the pain. This is something I’ve put off for a long time, but I think it’s time I got a wheelchair. Unfortunately, as I am on benefits barely covering the cost of living, this is not something I can afford on my own; especially now that the government is trying to change the rules and make it more difficult for disabled people to afford anything or put us on vouchers. I need a wheelchair that is light enough for me to move and fold, one that isn't too bulky, as my rented house is not wheelchair accessible - as well as being a powered chair, as with my wrist pain I'd unlikely be able to use a manual chair without injury. After doing my own research I really love the idea of the "Monarch Carbon Lite Powerchair" though I'm currently working with a mobility provider to find the perfect chair for me! If you can help me pay towards my new Wheelchair I will be incredibly thankful! Please share and help me be able to afford it - so I can go out and about and live my life without injury and pain holding me back!

[kirby-the-gorb]

we are about an hour into rare disease day in my timezone! (it's always the last day of february, whether that's the 28th or the 29th.) the true prevalence of mast cell disorders is unknown, as they are often misdiagnosed or ignored. and mast cell activation syndrome, the most prevalent kind of mast cell disorder, only had diagnostic criteria laid out for the first time in 2010. so whether or not it's truly rare is really up in the air!

(personally I suspect it is just aggressively underdiagnosed but I'm not a research scientist or diagnostician right now. and even if it is rare, it's gonna be a lot less so than it was 5 years ago as certain respiratory infections are known to trigger it into visibility. that's what happened to me when I got mono at the end of 2015, further compounded when I got covid in 2022.)

all chronically ill people face a lot of hurdles when it comes to seeking diagnosis, accommodation, and treatment (all of which can be severely complicated by any intersecting marginalities), but rare diseases present a special challenge.

for example, I have an immune disorder. my immune system does not like being alive, my mast cells are way too jumpy and throw a tantrum over every little thing. you'd think an immunologist would be the one to treat me, right?

I've had 6 immunology referrals rejected in the past 9 months alone. multiple major immunology clinics in my major city tied to a major research university outright refuse to see patients with "mcas" written anywhere in their chart.

after 8 years of being debilitatingly ill, and suspecting it was immune mediated for 6, and getting it confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt by the bone marrow biopsy last month, I will have my second ever appointment with an immunologist. another 2 1/2 months from now. the first immunologist lied to me about the reliability of the one available blood test, when I first came up with the hypothesis by myself 6 years ago, and forced me to abandon my (correct!!! now proven!!!) hypothesis for 3 entire years while we wandered around lost and got nowhere other than even more thorough process of elimination.

okay, well if my immune system is attacking me, maybe it's technically autoimmune? that's the rheumatologists instead of the immunologists, what do they have to say? dick all my dude, I don't have rheumatoid arthritis so they just shrug at me and go "idk, fibro? I don't know why you're here" and send me home with nothing. (I literally had a rheumatologist say to me, verbatim, "I don't know why you're here." buddy it's your job to read the chart and decide if I get seen or not, you tell me. at least he had a snazzy outfit.)

being chronically ill can be a terrible struggle no matter what, but a disease that is perceived as rare, accurate or not, adds a whole new layer of bullshit. (and of course there are much much rarer diseases out there, with even more hoops and dead ends and struggles and all-new layers of bullshit that even I don't have to deal with!)

anyway I'm having a shit time and using this awareness day as an excuse to productively bitch about it 👍

[covid-safer-hotties]

Might be a resource for some of y'all

RTHM Direct is your connection to the latest promising treatments for Long COVID, ME/CFS, POTS and MCAS, right from home. Currently available in: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington. More states to come.

[bekolxeram]

I honestly think it's nothing personal. Someone just saw your post and felt pity because the writers often don't do this much research when it comes to the show, so OP and those reblogging the post probably thought you'd do yourself a favor if you stopped obsessing over the timeline. What they failed to notice, though, is that this is not really the focus of your analyses; you don't care about the timeline, you care about the aviation stuff. It's your passion so it's normal that you want to see it represented well or at least somewhat believable in the show. This is not a crime.

If you worry about potentially irritating people, you could always add a disclaimer on top of the post that this is just an info dump about the real world, but the show ultimately does what it wants to do so no one here should feel obligated to subscribe to your theories.

I think there are a lot of people actually appreciating your input to our fandom, but there will obviously be some who don't care and get irritated. It's normal. I get irritated all the time when I scroll on my "For you" page here on Tumblr just because people headcanon Buck and Tommy in a way that I don't. That shouldn't stop them from writing what they want, though. It just says that I'm not their target audience. I think the same's with you. If someone's really this annoyed because you write about something you're passionate about and it collides with what they believe to be true, let them. Add a tag that they could block if they don't want to see it. But don't let them dictate what you write about.

Sorry, this got really long, but I really want you to know that it's okay to be yourself here, even if some people don't appreciate it. There will always be those who don't, but there will also be those who do. I think your input is great for fanfic writing purposes at least. If you help just one person with your knowledge, I think it's enough to feel satisfied. Also, if Buck was real, I bet that your blog would be one of his favorites because he could actually learn some cool stuff about his boyfriend's profession.

Ultimately, this is your mental health and no one here can force you to do something you don't feel comfortable with. If their comments made you feel like you shouldn't impose, it's a shame but if helps your mental health it's fine. I'll miss your analyses and I'm sure plenty of people will too. But we'll have to accept it because there's a real person behind this screen and their comfort should be prioritized on this blog. But if a part of you feels like you don't want to stop, please listen to it before you make this decision and remember that it's okay to be fully and unapologetically yourself.

I actually love long posts. And this is so lovely, I teared up a bit reading it yesterday, so thank you.

I think you put into words very accurately what I wasn't able to. I made my first ever post the day 7x09 aired. (It was actually my 30th birthday.) Something happened that week, a Singapore B777 encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar, injuring 104, killing 1. The media immediately pointed out the jet "plunging 6000 ft in 3 minutes" using FlightRadar24 data. I'm not talking about tabloids, I'm talking about BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, reputable news agencies. Aviation experts contacted the media upon reading the articles and told them a descent rate of 2000 fpm is actually standard, more so when there are injured passengers in need of urgent medical attention. Even then the media didn't walk back their sensationalized statements until a week later. That combined with the widespread attention Boeing has gotten after the MCAS scandal and the door plug blowout earlier this year, this kind of clickbait-y reporting with numerous misconceptions always gives me the ick.

Then, as you remember, the tide on BuckTommy turned drastically around that time, when a subsection of the fandom realized Tommy was staying. And that's when I started seeing takes like he only "drove the helicopter", Hen was the hero, Tommy did nothing and didn't deserve a medal. As you can see I was already in that mindset, being irritated by aviation misconceptions, I really wanted to hit back with my measly little knowledge about flying. I was already seeing people over here getting annoyed by the constant negativity and fighting, then I had an idea, why not try explaining the 5 years vs 7 years at Air Ops conundrum by bringing the intensive training for LAFD pilots into it? I mean, the introduction Tommy gave Buck during the Harbor Tour was lifted verbatim from the real LAFD website. The writers didn't even have to google the "training takes 2 years" part, it was on the same page, they just had to scroll down a little and read a few more lines.

I just thought it would be a fun little hc/potential background story for Tommy, showing how hard it is to be a firefighting pilot. On top of that, competency and dedication towards one's goal is just super hot. Even the CAL FIRE air tanker stuff I wasn't trying to persuade others that the invisible string theory is wrong. I just saw and loved the idea that Tommy always "knows a guy". We only saw one example in canon of that, him being friends with the Las Vegas fights promoter, so I was like, wait, he knew a guy with CAL FIRE too! Maybe also sneaking in some fun facts about the power and danger of water dropping in an urban environment. I never intended to nitpick, I'm just trying to bring 2 things I love together. I mean real CAL FIRE didn't even start operating C-130 until last year, and I don't give a damn about it.

I wrote about my fear of one day being mistaken as one of the Tommy bashers because my current overfixation coincides with what the haters decide to fuss about that day. I saw pushback against looking too much into the timeline first 2 times I posted about Tommy's pilot career. As I said, I planned to keep writing about things I enjoy until the day comes that I unknowingly walk into the bear trap. Honestly, I feel like this time is it.

Like many BuckTommy enjoyers, I've been a little on edge since the hiatus started. We've got attacked, harassed and bombarded daily by a thousand different reasons Tommy supposedly won't be back for S8. Then I saw those planes, I saw that hangar, and I was so excited. I had so many ideas and speculations to play with. The 8x02 title came out, I finally got a couple aviation related asks, I was so pumped. I wasn't even thinking about CAL FIRE at the time, someone asked if it was possible Tommy flew that plane realistically, so answered it. And hours later, that post popped up, explicitly mentioning my theory, with 200+ notes. It was just... a little overwhelming.

I'm not even mad at those who think I obsessed over these things too much. I just... wasn't prepared for that. I thought, comparing to the months of bad faith discourse, I was just talking planes, helicopters and clouds, that should be quite tame? I did not expect it to be actually controversial. I just don't feel the same happiness nerding out about aviation in this fandom afterwards. Maybe I just need some time to process and perhaps tone it down? I don't know. I still have many ideas in my head and those asks in my inbox.

But once again, thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings. You have no idea how good that makes me feel.

[tj-crochets]

Hey does anyone else with one or more forms of dysautonomia* have a thing where if they have a moderate-to-severe physical stressor (like a severe allergic reaction, getting a vaccine, stuff like that), they get a new bonus dysautonomia for a few days to a few weeks? I thought it was a side effect of allergic reactions for me**, but this vaccine I had pretty much zero allergy symptoms but am having new issues, so I think it might be more general. A few times, I've had increased issues with low blood sugar for usually only a few days, but sometimes as much as a month or two after a severe allergic reaction. Once, I had waaaaay over-sensitive adrenaline reactions for a while (bad enough that I watched an episode of gamechanger and had to stop because I got too tense and my heartrate shot up). A few times, including this time, my thermoregulation seems to be very off. Like, it's not great in general, but now I am sweating so easily which is not normal for me (and not good with my salt issues) *my diagnoses that fall under that umbrella, more or less, include but are not limited to: salt wasting syndrome, POTS, possibly MCAS, tachycardia (separate from the POTS), and "something is weird about your endocrine system, maybe Addison's?" **I did bring this up with my allergist! He said "Allergies don't do that". I said "If it's not allergy related, then why does benadryl help?". He stared at me for a while, then said "I don't know. Allergies shouldn't do that"

[the-hottest-band-tournament]

Round Two

Beastie Boys 

Defeated opponents: The Police

Formation: 1981

Genres: Hip hop, rap rock, alternative hip hop

Lineup: Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz - vocals, guitar

Adam "MCA" Yauch - vocals, bass

Michael "Mike D" Diamond - vocals, drums, programming

Albums from the 80s: 

Polly Wog Stew EP (1982)

Licensed to Ill (1986)

Paul's Boutique (1989)

Propaganda: Three geeky New York Jewish boys became some of the coolest guys in the world through sheer confidence and skill.

INXS

Defeated opponents: .38 Special

Formed in: 1977

Genres: New wave, pub rock, dance-rock, funk rock, alternative rock

Lineup: Michael Hutchence – lead vocals, backing vocals

Andrew Farriss – keyboards, guitars

Tim Farriss – guitars

Kirk Pengilly – guitars, saxophone, backing vocals

Garry Gary Beers – bass, backing vocals

Jon Farriss – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Albums from the 80s:

INXS (1980)

Underneath the Colours (1981)

Shabooh Shoobah (1982)

Dekadance EP (1983 & 1984) (two completely different releases by the same name)

The Swing (1984)

Listen Like Thieves (1985)

Kick (1987)

Propaganda: Just got two words: Devil Inside.

[thebibliosphere]

Hello, I apologize if this is something you've already talked about or you've answered this question before or don't want to speak more on it but I saw that ask you responded to the other day that your 'mast cells burnt down your gi track' and I wanted to ask what the name of that condition is called? Several years ago I randomly lost 45 pounds and couldn't explain it. And while I already had gi issues before, after it happened I started developing new ones that got worse with time to the point that now I am physically unable to work. There are a lot of other factors with my situation that could be to blame but I've gotten an absurd amount of various tests with no answers to show for it. And now I'm wondering if maybe whatever happened to you has happened to me.

Oh, bestie, you're all good; all I do is bitch on this app about having mast cell dysfunction.

There are a handful of different mast cell disorders, but my condition is known as Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, or MCAS for short. If you want to know what a mast cell is and how it operates in the immune system, I'd recommend checking out The Mast Cell Disease Society:

They're currently redoing their content, but there's still a wealth of information on there.

You can also search my blog for #MCAS and find a handful of posts where I break it down in detail, along with the current flaws in testing for mast cell patients.

The reason I lost a lot of weight was because my mast cells made my GI tract so inflamed that I couldn't digest anything I was eating. It was going in through my mouth, causing excruciating pain and giving me no nutritional value whatsoever.

Histamine type 2 blockers, such as famotidine/pepcid used to treat acid reflux, can help with GI inflammation from mast cell dysfunction (the GI tract is lined with histamine receptors), but I needed extra support, which I finally got late last year when my GI doctor realized after a biopsy that I was being undermedicated and needed more help managing my MCAS.

If you want to ask more specific questions, I'm happy to try to answer them, but I'd suggest reading through the above link first to see if any of it resonates with you.

[natlacentral]

mcakwesasne On Thursday and Friday, February 22 and 23, 2024, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s (MCA) Land-Based Healing Program, in collaboration with Akwesasne Child & Family Services, and Netflix, planned two special screenings for the community Akwesasne for Episode 1 of the new series, Avatar: The Last Airbender at the Port Theatre. Akwesasronon actress Kiawentiio, who is a main cast member and plays the role of “Katara,” also made a special appearance at the screenings. The first screening was held for Mohawk immersion students from the Akwesasne Freedom School, Kana:takon School, and Tsiakwawennatónhe’ts School. Kiawentiio was a Mohawk immersion school student herself, having attend the Freedom School, and wanted to give back to the Mohawk language programs through the special screening. The students all cheered for Kiawentiio as she came on stage to introduce the episode. Kiawentiio told the students she was just like them, and was raised just like them, immersed in Mohawk language, and she became teary-eyed while looking back at the young fans who listened intently at Akwesasne’s newest star.  On the following night, over 200 community members were in attendance for the public screening. The evening was hosted by 97.3 CKON Radio’s Reen Cook, who welcomed the crowd and led a brief Q&A with Kiawentiio prior to the screening. Kiawentiio’s mother, Barbara Tarbell, also came on stage to thank the community for all their support.  Akwesasne is very excited to share in the celebration of Kiawentiio’s success and we wish to thank her for inspiring our youth to follow their dreams. Also, thank you to her family for helping to bring the screening to our community. We encourage anyone who couldn’t attend to catch Kiawentiio on Netflix. Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming. Congratulations to Kiawentiio and we look forward to watching her on many more projects!

[thriftstorerecords]

New Attitude Patti LaBelle MCA Records/USA (1985)

From The Motion Picture Soundtrack "Beverly Hills Cop"

[funnuraba]

I've been compiling a list of weird or embarrassing warning signs of ME/CFS or Long Covid. Perhaps you have noticed these in yourself, but they've seemed too minor, confusing or embarrassing to ask about or look up. In any case, I've gathered these from online posts, so you'll never know which, if any, have happened to me, which I think is a very clever move on my part. Okay I did start complaining near the end, but I added some helpful solutions you may purchase, which I had to figure out on my own.

Actually I'm gonna lead with the absolute weirdest one, because it's a sign of the initial acute Covid infection that can be hard to detect now. I've only seen a post about this once, but a bunch of people agreed with it and said it happened to them:

If the skin on the soles of your feet is suddenly super thick and dry, that is associated with the initial 'Vid infection. I don't know how long this is supposed to last, but it was vouched for by several accounts I felt were trustworthy. I had to look up "Covid feet soles" on Twitter to check for this, forgetting that Twitter search now just randomly shows you posts with only one word that you entered, and I didn't find the post I remembered but I am not going back in there.

Extremely ridged and brittle fingernails (apparently this is showing up a lot on beauty subreddits and such)

Shrinking or vanished half-moons on the fingernails (I don't know if the level of shrinking is random, or related to severity/length of time)

Thinning hair/balding: seems to follow the usual pattern of your dominant hormone, so estrogen-heavy people get thinning hair, particularly along the center of the scalp, and testosterone-heavy people get receding hairlines and bald spots. There's no single pattern that everyone with ME gets. (Although ME is much more common in AFAB people.)

Incontinence that's not associated with age or childbirth, etc. In this case it's due to nerve damage, not weakening muscles.

Pins and needles, or sharp shooting pains in your fingers and toes: this is called neuropathy and it's also a sign of nerve damage. (I got a ton of this and thought I might be pre-diabetic, because that's all that came up when I searched! I asked doctors about this and they just went "oh 😐 " so I exercised a bunch and probably made myself much sicker XD. Anyway magnesium supplements helped a lot with this! You need a magnesium complex that includes magnesium glycinate, because other types are really hard for the body to absorb.)

Sudden acid reflux and heavy gas, loss of tolerance for foods you could once eat: this is associated with aging, but if it's really really bad? Like remember a year or so ago,when suddenly everyone was posting about how their tummy hurt and they were being really brave about it, and it kind of came out of nowhere and had never been a meme before? Almost like it was sort of new for this to be so very widespread? Yeah, Covid can fuck your system up real bad, and this is a common comorbidity of ME called gastroparesis. Basically your stomach muscles are as weak and slow as your other muscles, so your food sits in there for way too long. It often comes with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which is bad news and means a ton of new sensitivities, to food and other things. MCAS goes along with a lot of other unexplained body syndromes that doctors don't really "get" or care about.

Being super itchy in one spot for no reason: this is a histamine dump. MCAS again. I'll admit to this one too. A couple of years ago, my lower legs started getting super itchy after showers, and I would pour on the lotion, over and over, and it would do nothing. "What the heck has happened to my skin?" I would wonder. It was histamines, roaming wildly through my body from the hot water and standing up for too long!! The standard ME advice for histamine stuff is:

10mg Loratidine 2x daily (I've just discovered that this can fuck up your stomach and a bunch of other stuff though; see this Twitter thread for alternate antihistamines)

20mg Famotidine 2x

Quercetin daily (I'm doing 1000mg a day)

Some kind of Cromolyn thing. I take a NasalCrom spray a couple times a day, because my sinuses swell up when I lie down (?), which I have to do all the time now. Lol.

Anyway, your sinuses can swell up when you lie down, did you know that? At first it would just happen sometimes, and I would be like why am I suffocating? That's so crazy haha. So I got these things called nasal cones that keep your nasal passages open, and they're just a little bit too big so they slide out all the time, and it's really annoying but other than that they worked. (My brand is Max-Air, the Sinus Relief line.) Then I got reinfected this year, and now my sinuses swell up constantly when I'm lying down. Hence the Cromolyn spray so I can breathe :)

The soft tissues in your face are collapsing: I think this is also an issue for me because it's not like the cones are reaching right up into my sinuses and un-swelling them, right? Anyway other people have reported some really serious issues with eyelids and noses, etc.

Your mouth and nose no longer produce moisture: okay so I got this too, and as a result I must use Ayr brand saline nasal gel multiple times a day, or else it feels like I'm suffocating. I'm pretty sure this Sjogren's Syndrome, another common comorbidity. For me it was one of the first signs something was wrong, circa 2020. Again, I thought pre-diabetes and asked multiple doctors for input and they went "iunno 😐". For the mouth, Xylimelts are your only real choice; don't bother with anything else when it gets to this level. You keep a Xylimelt in your mouth, 24/7, stuck to your teeth, or else you experience the intense, maddening distress of a totally dry mouth. If either of those solutions wears off during the night: don't worry! You'll wake up!!! Don't worry about choking on the Xylimelt, though, it's very safe.

Skin stuff: Dark, flaky patches of skin on the torso, long dark lines around the neck, pruny fingers, skin randomly splitting like paper cuts, chilblains, nails peeling off, other weird stuff.

Swollen genitals: settle down.