This Has Just Occurred To Me -

Thank you so much for all of this! I think being tested to see if I have developed allergies is a good idea. I live in rural Wales so there aren't any dermatologists around, but I could try asking my GP - hopefully I'll luck out and they'll listen!

Hello there - I had a question which I think(?) you might be able to help with. Or at least point me in the direction of more information.

I have a few chronic illnesses and disabilities and as such there's many gremlins I deal with. One thing that crops up a lot are comorbidities between my conditions.

I'm trying to be more vigilant with regards to my health - as a child there were many, many missed opportunities to get my symptoms seen to by a doctor (all squandered due to my parents nor believing me about my symptoms).

Anyway, I wanted to ask about MCAS and if you know it's possible to have it but not realise it?

I've had a few incidents like this, but mostly forgot them or ignored them. But yesterday I ate some basil from my windowsill plant and I had what can only be described as an allergic reaction. I'm not allergic to any foods (as far as I know) but I've eaten from this exact plant before and been fine. I have mint growing next to it which I also ate and it caused the same reaction. Again, I've eaten from this exact plant before. It was like my mouth was burning or stinging and the leaves felt, spicy? In my mouth. I'm not sure how to describe it but I hope you know what I mean. Today I ate from the exact same plants and had no reaction whatsoever.

I've definitely had similar things happen before- but events like yesterday are few and far between. But utterly confounding when they do happen. I have urticaria (diagnosed since age 18) which I suspect is relevant, somehow.

I'm starting to wonder if a lot of my symptoms I've written off have actually been MCAS. But I'm not sure. Do you have any advice around talking to a doctor about this or if I have a leg to stand on so to speak?

Sending my best wishes!

Hey friend, sorry to hear you've been dealing with some neglect.

And considering MCAS was only really recognized as a condition in the last 15 years, it's absolutely possible to have it and not know until symptoms get worse. I was experiencing anaphylactoid reactions my whole childhood, but because I tested negative on IgE tests (I still do), it was dismissed as anxiety right up until I hit my 30s and I experienced my first episode of full-blown idiopathic anaphylaxis.

(Note: anaphylaxis is not a requirement for diagnosis, and not everyone experiences it.)

You should discuss your inconsistent allergies with your doctor or allergist. I would also advise pursuing allergen testing, as new allergens can develop at any time, even if you don't have mast cell instability.

If you suspect some form of mast cell instability may be the root cause of your issues, I'd suggest checking out The Mast Cell Disease Society. (Their website is in the process of being updated, still. But they have good resources there.)

Their signs and symptoms (and triggers) page has recently been updated and is fairly concise:

If any of that rings a bell, it might be worth bringing up with your allergist, but fair warning, not everyone is receptive to the idea of mast cell disorders outside of mastocytosis. (And even then some doctors gaslight their patients to hell and back.)

If you do find yourself in this situation, try joining a couple of support groups to see if there are any MCAS aware doctors in your area, or alternatively, try the TMS physician finder tool:

TMS - The Mast Cell Disease Society, Inc

Find a Physician - TMS - The Mast Cell Disease Society, Inc

Find a Physician Loading store locator from Stockist store locator…

Sorry if it seems like I'm just throwing a lot of links at you, but they are very useful links and I'm not at my best right now to explain things.

I hope this is helpful and if I missed something, please let me know.

I wish you luck in remedying your chronic health issues <3

Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Trans Britain' a olygwyd gan Christine Burns, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2018.

Mae'r llyfr hwn yn wych iawn ar gyfer astudio hanes pobl draws ym Mhrydain Fawr c. 1910-2018. Dyma lyfr gyda thraethodau gan lawer o bobl - e.e. Christine Burns, Fox Fisher, Jane Fae, Mark Rees, y Parch Christina Beardsley ayyb. Mae pob un yn hynod ddiddorol i ddarllen! Roedd y llyfr yn ddefnyddiol iawn ar gyfer fy ngwaith israddedig hefyd.

Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn?

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Today's book is 'Trans Britain' edited by Christine Burns, published in 2018.

This book is brilliant for studying the history of trans people in Great Britain c. 1910-2018. This is a book with many essay contributions - e.g. Christine Burns, Fox Fisher, Jane Fae, Mark Rees, the Rev Christina Beardsley etc. All are fascinating reads! The book was very useful for my undergraduate work also.

Have you read this book?

Welsh Gender Neutral Family Terms

We've come up with some gender neutral Welsh family terms in the LGBTQIA+ Welsh discord I run (dm for link) lately and so far people seem to like the terms. So, this is an introduction to some of the terms we've come up with so far.

I plan to make polls eventually with these terms and any other suggestions you might have and run a little tournament to see which terms are favoured most by Welsh speaking LGBTQIA+ people.

Without further ado, here are the terms:

(f. = feminine grammatical gender, m. = masculine grammatical gender)

Chwaed(ion) f. - Sibling(s)

[‘chwaer’ (sister) + ‘brawd’ (brother). Rhymes with ‘chwaed’ (blood), reminiscent of family ties]

Chwaerydd m. - Sibling

['chwaer' + '-ydd' (masculine suffix) ]

Chwaed fy mam / fy nhad - Aunt/Uncle (Literally, my mother’s/father’s sibling)

 [Literal translation (my mother’s / father’s sibling) ]

Naith f. - Niece/Nephew

[‘nith’ (niece) + ‘nai’ (nephew) ]

Dain (Deiniau) f. - Grandparent(s)

[‘taid’ (grandfather)+ t > d + ‘nain’ (grandmother) ]

Nam-gu f.- (Grandparent)

['fy nhad-cu' + 'fy mam-gu']

Of course, these are only suggestions. So far, chwaed has been very popular and dain has been preferred over nam-gu because it's less South Walian. But I'm interested to hear what you think or hear if you have any suggestions of your own!

Please share this post so we can get a larger sample size. Diolch!

NB:

These terms have come from multiple users, so bear that in mind with feedback. I can pass on suggestions to the users who coined them.

Grammatical gender is unavoidable in Welsh, but grammatical gender does not necessarily equal gender gender. E.g. the German word for girl 'maedchen' is grammatically neutral. In addition to this, certain suffixes in Welsh are gendered, which affects how words behave in certain sentences.

Announcement on Prosiect Llyfr Enfys!

Bore da! I am delighted to announce that I have started a patreon for Prosiect Llyfr Enfys. I've created the patreon as a way for you to be able to support the project and have a say in blog posts, video content and much more! Becoming a patron will help support me in my research for the dictionary and help me make it the best dictionary it can be.

Patrons will have early access to blogs, video content, physical media and will be able to vote on what they would like to see next.

Tiers start at £3.20 a month and LGBTQIA+ Welsh speaking patrons can request access to the patrons only channel in the Enfys Draig discord (links available for the server upon request!)

I would like to thank each and every person who supports my work and the project- your support genuinely means a lot and the excitement for the project is really heartening to see!

If you join today, there is a poll to vote in, two blogs ready to view and an early access post for patrons, with more content planned for the end of March. Diolch o galon am ddarllen / thank you very much for reading!

Luke (he/him), LGBTQIA+ writer and creator of Prosiect Llyfr Enfys

(Please share this post so it can reach other LGBTQIA+ Welsh people or people interested in the Welsh language. Diolch!)

Mis Hanes LHDT+ 2024 / LGBT+ History Month 2024

Mis Hanes LHDT+ Hapus 2024! Heddiw yw diwrnod olaf y mis, ond dwi'n dathlu’n hwyr gyda fy hoff lyfrau sy'n dylanwadu ar fy ngwaith.

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Happy LGBT+ History Month 2024! Today is the last day of the month, but I'm celebrating late with my favourite books that have influenced my work.

Y llyfr heddiw yw 'Understanding Trans Health' gan Ruth Pearce, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2018

Mae'r llyfr hwn yn hollbwysig i unrhyw un sy'n astudio pobl draws yn y DU yn yr 21ain Ganrif. Yn llawn hanes traws a meddygaeth draws, mae'r llyfr hwn yn disgrifio'r dirwedd feddygol y mae pobl draws a meddygon CHR yn ei hwynebu yn y presennol. Roedd y llyfr yn ddefnyddiol iawn ar gyfer fy ngwaith israddedig y llynedd.

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Today's book is 'Understanding Trans Health by Ruth Pearce', published 2018.

This book is essential for anyone studying trans people in the UK in the 21st Century. Full of trans history and trans medicine, this book describes the medical landscape that trans people and GIC doctors face presently. The book was very useful for my undergraduate work last year.

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Ydych chi wedi darllen y llyfr hwn? / Have you read this book?

I've seen plenty of "Tumblr Ask Challenges", but none involving history. What a shame...

We cannot keep telling disabled and mentally ill people that "maybe someday, if you work really hard, you can become a valuable person." We're valuable NOW. Even if we can't work. Even if we can't study. Even if we need help. Even if we can't provide for ourselves. Even if we struggle. Even if we fail. Our worth is inherent because we're here and we're human and we cannot live a happy life on the hope that maybe someday we can become good enough for society. We're already worthy and valuable as we are and we need y'all to acknowledge that.

lledr-neidr-lleidr -> y-ddraig-arian

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

art block is kicking my ass so. im trying to play around with some more low stakes experimental stuff