This post shares more of my preparations for hiking the SHT (Superior Hiking Trail) with a chronic illness called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
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Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. MCAS is serious and disabling and people with MCAS often experience significant and debilitating symptoms daily, including anaphylaxis, which can be fatal.
MCAS is often found in combination with other chronic conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Frequently healthcare providers do not know about MCAS, and the tests for MCAS are problematic because they are not uniformly reliable. MCAS can be difficult to manage. Treatments include blocking mast cell mediators with anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers, as well as avoiding triggers.
Check out this post on how to manage MCAS.
If you’ve been following my journey to hike the Superior Hiking Trail, you may have heard me say I decided not to backpack because it seemed too hard given my physical limitations. But the more I looked at options, the more I realized it would be impossible to accomplish the whole trail in day hikes on my budget (which is basically $0).
That led me to revisit backpacking the SHT and I made a plan to backpack a section north of Grand Marais, MN in a couple of weeks.
Part of the problem with backpacking was the pack I had bought was uncomfortable. Since I’ve been home from the north shore, I sold the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 55 Dyneema pack I had purchased on eBay and bought a lighter and more comfortable Women’s Flash Air 50 pack from REI (with a coupon!) It fits my chest better, has load lifters, and is actually 4 oz. lighter than the Hyperlite pack. I was also fitted in person at REI and found that I was a different size than I thought I was.
The tent I had gotten was difficult to set up, the zipper snagged very easily, and I felt claustrophobic inside. So, I also returned the Nemo Osmo Hornet tent to REI (unused) and bought a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1 made of Dyneema. That switch shaved over a pound off my shelter weight. The new tent is so much easier to set up, and it feels much more spacious.
Last week I did an overnight shake-down trip at Afton State Park to try out the new pack and shelter. I hiked about 5 kilometers total with a pack weighing about 25 pounds, and it felt pretty good!
The morning after I hiked in it started raining fairly hard, and the tent didn’t leak one drop. There was also hardly any condensation inside despite being a single-wall tent. I had experimented earlier this summer with a Six Moons Designs single-wall tent that became extremely soggy from condensation, so this was a welcome surprise.
I tried out the umbrella that attaches to my pack strap for the hike out in the rain, and it kept me totally dry. The back side of my pack did get wet, but there was no way around that.
This short trip also helped me to fine-tune my sleep system. I tend to sleep cold so I thought I would need a liner, but with my Nemo Tensor Extreme sleeping pad and Enlightened Equipment 10-degree quilt I felt perfectly comfortable.
Now that I have a solid gear setup I will start doing longer hikes with my pack weight to work up my stamina. Stay tuned!
The bucket theory offers a helpful analogy for understanding symptom reactions with MCAS.
Think of your body as an empty bucket that you want to keep from overflowing. Different foods and activities fill your histamine bucket at different speeds but they combine to form the total level of histamine in your body (how full your bucket is). A fuller bucket means you have more histamine symptoms. When you manage triggers, reduce exposure to known triggers, and take medications and supplements to reduce histamine, you can manage the level of your bucket.
Knowing your symptom progression in a symptom flare is the key to developing your rescue plan. In this post, I discuss how to determine your symptom progression. Once you know what typically happens in your symptom progression you can design a rescue plan to address those symptoms.
Want a tool to easily keep track of your symptoms? Sign up for my newsletter and you will receive my free 50-page ebook of lower-histamine, grain-free, sugar-free recipes, my free symptom log, and a free two-week meal plan!
Healy is an individualized specific microcurrent device (ISM) that runs beneficial electrical currents directed by an app on your phone. Healy can be used to magnify your intention and to get the most out of your life. Check out this post for more about Healy. And this post provides some tips and tricks for Healy.
I provide one-on-one in-person and remote chronic illness and caregiver coaching and Sacred Self-Healing Sessions based on the Sacred Self-Healing Method, a proven novel co-creative healing modality detailed in my Books.
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The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider!
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