Thread by @UntoNuggan

so fun fact. if you sprain your ankle or something, tissue repair is supposed to go like this:

Inflammation

Then

Make more collagen (etc) and repair what's damaged

If you're perpetually inflamed because of immune system shenanigans, this process gets borked

#NEISvoid

Also, I know this is going to sound fake

But apparently the "inflammatory phase" after an injury lasts...a few days

A

Few

Days

(I guess if your immune system isn't perpetually in fight mode)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK47044…

This is *probably* part of why there's a lot of overlap between MCAS and EDS

EDS causes all kinds of connective tissue injuries

Mast Cells are... theoretically supposed to help rebuild that connective tissue

Scientists who are looking into the overlap between EDS and MCAS are kind of dealing with a "which came first" scenario

(In medicine they call whatever came first "primary," and all the bonus complications "secondary")

The problem is, we really don't know if EDS is usually primary

And all the constant tissue repair kind of borks the old mast cells, leading to MCAS

Or if all the Inflammation from MCAS just means your connective tissue doesn't work right (causing EDS)

Plus...POTS 🫠

This is also kind of an oversimplification, because there's lots of ways that

mast cells (MCAS)

connective tissue (EDS)

the autonomic nervous system (POTS)

interact with each other, and problems with one can start a domino effect

Here's more details on some of the ways EDS, MCAS, and POTS are related

(Mast Attack is also a great resource for learning about this kind of information)
mastattack.org/2017/06/mastat…

Anyway, if you have any kind of autoimmune or autoinflammatory condition

Or if you're dealing with another source of Inflammation, like say an infection or a herpes flare or whatever

All the Inflammation can affect if and how your body repairs your connective tissue

Also, if you are... perpetually getting connective tissue injuries for some reason 😅

Each injury pushes your body back into that initial inflammatory response

Which can then exacerbate any immune system issues you're also dealing with

Love this for us 🙃

Our immune systems can affect... basically every other system in your body? Because pathogens like viruses can go so many places

This is good for like, surviving an infection

But not so good if your immune system is yelling "the sky is falling!" at your body all the time

Also it does not help if your autonomic nervous system joins the party and keeps setting itself to "fight mode"

https://twitter.com/UntoNuggan/status/1619464748529254400?t=uiU5IzO5tGrX_zN2Bc1QbQ&s=19

The immune system is also...hard to turn off

This is good for like, surviving viruses

And also so pathogens don't just go directly for some "set immune system to sleep mode" receptor or whatever

But it sucks if your immune system wants to challenge everything to a duel

If you're dealing with immune weirdness or connective tissue problems or dysautonomia

Or some combo of the above

The list of things that can potentially send your body into a giant flare is... honestly overwhelming

And trying to keep your body from like, dueling your vital organs

Or dumping a bunch of chemical messengers that will set your nervous system to "fight mode"

Is like herding three cats in a trenchcoat

that keep biting each other

and demanding attention

I know when I'm really flaring, it's so frustrating how much of my limited energy goes to boring stuff like "staying hydrated" and "taking meds"

And it feels like I'm not "accomplishing" anything important

Well, this is just to say: trying to survive is actually hard work

I'm not the first person to say this, by any means. (If you have spoons, try reading Audre Lorde's Cancer Journals)

But resting is hard

And this capitalist system is not going to give you any praise or prizes for resting, or for doing self care

Anyway this started off as a brief explanation of how chronic inflammation can mess with your connective tissue

But uhhh apparently I went on a tangent about how your worth is not determined by being "productive"

And that rest is, actually, productive

Speaking of endless work taking care of my body, I should go hydrate