Friday, October 16, 2009

Mastocytosis

I found out recently that I have a rare condition called masocytosis which affects less than 200,000 people in the US. I had some reddish dots on my thigh and when I went for my check- up at the dermatologist in August she did a biopsy of one of the lesions. It came back and it was called urticaria pigmentosa. This condition means that there are mast cells in the skin.

I asked whether the mast cells could be in any other organs and she said yes and to look it up on the Internet. When I did I found out that this condition could cause fainting. As I read more about the condition I realized that all the symptoms I have experienced over the last 2 years fit. The triggers for my attacks-heat, stress, exercise. What happens is there is an excess of mast cells in the blood which granulate and bring on my fatigue, anxious feelings and fainting.

I went to an allergist who took a blood test to look for excess tryptase in my blood and It came back very high-36. This confirmed the diagnosis of mastocytosis. (Hey that rhymed)

I hope this will help some of you out there who still are looking for answers regarding your fainting spells.

Beth