My mast cells are at War

Having a son with Urticaria Pigmentosa (cutaneous mastocytosis) has driven me to learn more about Mast cells and their function. From the sounds of it, Mast cells are a little like a battle zone.

First, let me identify the different pieces:

Allies-Immune system

Base-Mast Cell

Gate-FcERI

Guards-IgE

Scout-Antigens

Enemy-parasites

Storage Sheds-Granules

Biochemical Weapons-Preformed mediators (histamine, proteases, chemokines, and heparin)

Civilians-Pollen

Peace Keepers-Antihistamines

With these in mind, let me explain to you how it all goes down. Each Base is equiped with Gates that only allow certain security guards to employ their spaces. It's like a biological eye scan. Once those security guards are in place, they search for scouts in whom they are equipped to annihilate. Once the scout is found and captured, the Guards alert the rest of the allies that the enemy is near. The base imediately opens the granules and dispenses the biochemical weapons.

Here's where the disfunction of Logan's disease comes in. Logan's guards are in constant panic. Typically, if there are no scouts present, the base is at peace. Logan's body does not have an off switch. His base is constantly releasing biochemical weapons. Right now, Logan is on a medication from Canada that both firms up the gates and blocks the gates of nearby towns from foreign intrusion. In turn, he is more suceptible to parasites because his defense system has been guarded against them.

Now that we have gone over the specific function of the cell, let me explain how life today has hindered this function. We live in a very clean world that has very minimal parasites. Consequently, we have some bored guards. Within our bodies, we have some civilians that look very similar to scouts. When the body is free from real scouts, sometimes the guards will mistake civilians for scouts and set off a similar attack. These attacks are called allergies.

This is where the peacekeepers come into play. Most peacekeepers do not stop the process of degranulation (launch). They simply block the gates of the town before all the civilians are taken out. As a result, the body has a build up of weapons floating around and over long exposure, the peacekeepers can not do their job correctly. They get tired, weak, and ineffective. Therefore, we become immune to the peacekeepers and our biological warfare increases.

It is amazing to me how when life hands you a situation, it suddenly becomes necessary for us to know the ins and outs of the process. What did they do before the internet? Anyway, I hope this clarifies some of the confusion around his condition. I know it has for me.

Good Bye

My grandmother, Marjorie Marie Crichton-House passed away on June 29, 2012. She was 90 years old. It was a bittersweet day for most of us. Knowing that my grandmother is sitting at the feet of Christ's throne is a comforting thought to me. It does not, however lessen the deep hole that has been inserted into my life. Grandma Marge was the anchor of our family, and fittingly so. Grandma was a WWII, Coast Guard Veteran and a devout patriot. She served her country and community with enthusiasm. I loved to hear stories about her coast guard days. She was a great storyteller. I can recall several of her stories, and hope to write them down, as I remember them. What fun it will be to pass them on to my boys. She, in and of herself, was an institution. Grandma knew how to play hardball better than anyone I knew, yet she was the epitomy of grace in action. She was one of the most forgiving people I know. We were all a little shell shocked when we realized that Grandma's time was up. We all thought my grandfather was going to depart long before her. She was the healthy, strong, and active one. God's timing is unique. My cousin Tom passed away just 4 short days after Grandma. He was part of a highway accident involving 3 semis, near Silver Creek, Nebraska. Clearly, his death was also shocking. It goes to show that we can never be certain of when our clock will issue its final tick. That realization helps me appreciate the small things in life. I will never again take forgranted the people and opportunities around me. I will say, 'I love you', a little more often. I will hug my children a little closer. Most of all, I will try and remember the Godly traits that I admired about Grandma and fold them into my countenance. Grandma taught me many lessons while she was here, and I hope to pass them on to my children. What a priviledge and a joy to have known this wonderful woman.