Allergic to Everything: Navigating life with MCAS (ft. Caroline Cray)

This week on Calling in Sick, I’m joined by Caroline Cray, a content creator and healthcare recruiter living with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), dysautonomia, and multiple severe allergies, to talk about what life looks like when food isn’t safe.

In this episode, we cover:

• What MCAS is (in plain English) and how it affects daily life
• Nutrition with MCAS, bioindividuality, and why “one-size-fits-all” diets can be dangerous
• How nervous system regulation can support chronic illness
• If GLP-1 medications have a place in chronic illness treatment

We also answer your Ask Alex questions... which will be released in our new Ask Alex weekly episode, this Wednesday at 9 am CST!!! Tune in to hear our thoughts from successful self-advocacy, dating with MCAS, navigating work with chronic illness, explaining chronic illness to new people, and coping with anxiety on high-symptom days!

We laughed our way through this episode… so come sit and hangout with us for a bit! 

xx, Alex

💬 Comment: What’s one thing people misunderstand most about eating, food fear, or nutrition with chronic illness?

TIMESTAMPS

Intro:

00:00:00 Welcome back to Calling in Sick!

00:03:11 Alex’s Picks of the Week (Modern Picnic & Kroma Bone Broth)

Caroline's Life with MCAS:

00:04:01 Intro to Caroline Cray (growing up with food allergies)

00:11:17 Navigating college with food allergies & MCAS (and our first BIG reactions)

00:19:10 How Caroline’s food allergies morphed into MCAS

00:29:24 MCAS 101 & Caroline’s diagnosis story (MCAS & Small Fiber Neuropathy)

00:38:55 How life threatening events change our perspective on chronic illness 

00:40:18 What happened when we started sharing our journeys online  

00:43:24 Navigating nutrition with intense food restrictions

00:47:37 Fighting food fear, anxiety and “the bubble” with nervous system work and the “woo-woo” stuff

00:57:51 How finding community improved our happiness and quality of life

01:03:10 Is there a place for GLP-1s in chronic illness management?

01:08:24 What success with MCAS and chronic illness looks like for Caroline

Conclusion:

01:13:15 One Brain Cell Show: Wednesday (Heated Rivalry!!!!! and what we are reading (Off-Campus Series & ACOTAR)

01:17:28 Thank you for listening!

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Connect with our Guest: Caroline Cray

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/carolinecray2/?hl=en

• TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@carolinecray2

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Produced by: Alexandra Wildeson — https://www.instagram.comalexandrawildeson/

Alex’s Picks of the Week:

This week we talk all things food, so these are my two biggest snacking picks!!!

✨Modern Picnic (insulated purse) — https://modernpicnic.com/discount/awildeson

—> Use code “AWILDESON” for 15% off at checkout!

✨Kroma (bone broth on the go) — https://go.shopmy.us/p-37230756

—> Use code “ALEXANDRA20” for 20% off at checkout!

#MCAS #MastCellActivationSyndrome #ChronicIllness #FoodFear #SevereAllergies #InvisibleIllness #SpoonieLife #Dysautonomia #ChronicIllnessCommunity #ChronicIllnessPodcast #CallingInSickPodcast #AlexWildeson #CarolineCray #HealthJourney #MedicalGaslighting #DisabilityAwareness 

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