What paused my Conception journey for baby 2?

Last summer, in June of 2022, I scheduled an appointment with my Integrative Medicine doctor to discuss some testing I wanted to have done prior to trying to conceive (ttc) another child. For those who don’t know I have an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s in addition to my Celiac Disease. So I mostly wanted to make sure my thyroid was “in working order” and that my levels were in optimal range for conception. Some experts say that your TSH should be between 0.5 and 2 when ttc. If you have Hashimoto’s or Hypo/Hyperthyroidism, one of my favorite thyroid resources is The Thyroid Pharmacist, Izabella Wentz if you want to check out her blog.

So of course, with most holistic approaches, these doctor visits aren’t covered by insurance so I came up with a list of questions to ask my doctor to “get the most for my money.” One of the things I work with clients on is to come up with questions to ask their provider before appointments so they can be advocates for their own health. In addition to the question about getting a full thyroid panel done, I also had questions about why I had a typical body temperature of 99.3 and why despite, “doing all the right things” I felt that my body was dealing with invisible inflammation still. I also have a symptom called air hunger that I can’t figure out the cause of. And, I also recognized that I was experiencing some histamine related issues when eating and was having trouble pinpointing food sensitivities because I’d react to some foods sometimes but not others. Like occasionally tomatoes gave me a headache but other times they didn’t.

After listening to everything I said, my doctor mentioned that he thought it all sounded like Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). His suggestion was to start an antihistamine and go on a low histamine diet.

I had actually heard of MCAS before because an old coworker of mine has it. MCAS only got a diagnostic code in 2016 so it is relatively new in the world of medicine, but it is estimated that as much as 17% of the population may be experiencing it (that is 1 in 6 people). I went home and started a deep dive into MCAS and after completing a symptom survey there was no doubt that MCAS is definitely a possibility for me (it is actually really hard to get an official diagnosis), but based on “strange symptoms” alone I “diagnosed” myself.

See MCAS can present itself differently in everyone. My main symptoms are/were fatigue, histamine intolerance, air hunger, occasional lightheadedness and nausea, low grade headaches pretty much constantly (these went away with low histamine diet), hormonal migraines, memory issues, constipation, food sensitivities, chemical sensitivities.

I spent about two weeks really frustrated, which was then followed by a period of relief to feel like I had an explenation for what was going on with my physical body. Many of the resources linked above are from a site called Mast Cell 360. I joined their newsletter after that doctor appointment to learn more about MCAS, and a month later I started working for them as a result of them looking for a Virtual Assistant to help with customer support. It was the journey to conceive another child that led me to leaving my almost decade long career in higher education and taking the leap to fully enter the Health and Wellness field. Mast Cell 360 is a health consulting practice that supports clients who are looking to heal their MCAS and histamine intolerance.

There are many root causes and triggers for MCAS, but the number one cause we see at the Mast Cell 360 clinic is Mold Toxicity. I actually had a mold exposure over a decade ago and never did anything to address the mold that was most likely in my body. After starting to work for Mast Cell 360 and learning that mold can pass through the placenta and breastmilk, I put our conception journey on hold.

I knew that healing my body would create a better physical environment to grow another human if that was still my desire in a the future. So while I do feel called to grow our family still, that is currently on pause. I know that removing mold from my body was a missing step on my healing journey. Especially when I was “doing all the things” when it came to diet and lifestyle.

I’m often grateful for where life has taken me and the changes I’ve made so far to improve my health. I can’t imagine the quality of life I’d have if I was never diagnosed with Celiac Disease back in 2011. I often remind clients that health is a journey not a destination. There is always something to continue to work on. Right now I’m working on detoxing mold. It hasn’t been a fast process, but I know it will be worth it!

If you have a bunch of mystery symptoms, find that you’re sensitive to foods and supplements, are exhausted, and feel misunderstood by practitioners, I encourage you to look more into Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Coming up in October, there will be a free summit where you could learn about the missing piece to your healing journey. You can register here for more information!