#common variable immunodeficiency

Blue Lannigan is seventeen, he has two brothers and they live with their mum, but it isn't a good place to be, she is a drunken, abusive mess and Blue has been able to shoulder the most of the burden of keeping the family afloat in the crappy apartment, in a bad area, however, when the abuse turns on his younger brothers, he knows it is time to leave.

Unfortunately for Blue and his brothers, they have limited resources and only a small amount of time to pack, so with everything they own in a rucksack and bin bag and head on a bus to the Lake where there are bound to be some empty houses where they can shelter temporarily. The only piece of luck they have is someone passing by who believes that Blue is heading the same way he is, but someone who doesn't notice the two young boys who are also tagging along and this takes some time and hardship off their journey through the middle of the night.

The three brothers eventually find somewhere and they hole up for the night, just the next day, an unexpected visitor turns out to be someone Blue knows, but also someone who may be able to help them, so as over the next few days, a makeshift partnership is agreed and life starts to fall into an oddly comforting routine, that is until a supermarket trip is needed and an uncomfortable confrontation ensues leaving Blue in handcuffs, his brothers taken away and a return to a system he has been dreading for them all, not to mention losing his job.

*this is part of the "disabilities" section, to see mental/neurological disabilities, click here

GoodTimesWithScar/Scar (unnamed(?) neuromuscular condition)

Ironmouse/Mousey (Common Variable Immunodeficiency, or CVID (thanks nonnie, but I can’t post the ask because I hit post limit for the day on main and that unfortunately extends across blogs))

Skizzleman/Skizz (Multiple Sclerosis, or MS)**

Etoiles (Diabetes Type 1)

Billzo (Diabetes Type 1)

Allergy and immunology are almost always combined together into one specialty.  Basically, for anything that is off with your immune system, this is where you go.  I’m going to write this guide as for a first appointment, but you’ll probably have regular follow up appointments after that are pretty similar.

The first thing they do at these appointments is weigh you, and then take your vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation with that little clip on your finger).  This is the nurse’s job, and they’ll also typically ask what medications you take and what brought you in for an appointment today.

Then you waaaaait for the doctor to come in (most allergists I’ve seen are usually behind schedule, but it’s often because they’re spending as much time as needed with each patient.  So bring a book!)

The doctor will look in your ears, nose, and throat, and listen to your heart and lungs with the stethoscope.  They’ll also look at your skin to check for any rashes or color changes.  I’ve never been asked to put a gown on for an allergy appointment, so they’ll probably just look at your face and arms, unless there’s another area you know has a rash.

Interspersed with being examined will be lots of questions.  They’ll ask you about symptoms, what makes them worse, what your home is like (to identify possible environmental allergens), how often you get sick, if anyone in your family has allergies or immunodeficiencies, and a bunch more related things.  And YOU should get to ask them all your questions too!

If you’re here because you suspect you’re allergic to something, they’ll probably schedule allergy testing for you in the near future.  If you don’t regularly take allergy meds, it’s possible they’ll do skin tests on the same day, but not likely.  There are all kinds of skin tests for allergens (which I am planning to write about) and also blood tests.  Actually, you’ll probably be sent to get blood drawn regardless of what you’re here for- it’s a good way to measure a lot of immune system things.  You’re also pretty likely to be prescribed some medications, such as for allergies or asthma.  This is also where you get your first epipen if that’s something you might need!  I got a choice of what kind I wanted and they let me try out the training devices, which was nice.

Over 350 rare chronic diseases and disorders sit beneath the umbrella term  Primary Immunodeficiency aka PI. 

Madeline and Mike return and what a return it is, after training her events manager to take over Current Affairs, Madeline has been able to step back from the events planning side of her business to concentrate on MDPI and the cases which are being brought in, she has also expanded both teams over the last few years and is happy with where they are, unfortunately, her events manager calls in sick and Madeline has to reprise her role and attend two big events in the Santa Ynez Valley, but Mike decides to book a hotel so that they can have a mini vacation at the same time.

As the final preparations before the event are being made, Madeline receives a phone call to request a background check to be performed, the client is a woman who is anxious about someone appearing on her father's doorstep and claiming to be his daughter, the worst thing is that her father has the early stages of dementia and she is worried about the truthfulness of the woman and why she has chosen to resurface now, so Madeline agrees to take on the case.

The first of the events is a fundraiser for a local charitable organisation, but straight off the mark, Madeline has a bad feeling about the head of the charity and whether they are the best fit, especially when a friend confides in her about an experience they had with them. The next day, it is a brunch being held by newcomers to the area who want to get to know their neighbours, but again, things get off to an interesting start and Madeline gets another feeling that something isn't quite right, so she decides to do a bit of digging into both circumstances, in between having a lovely, relaxing break away with Mike.

Weine and Lorie are about to celebrate the lunar new year with their family, it is a big celebration where families come together to enjoy food, parades and gifts together and one of the main aspects for children are lucky red envelopes.

This year, Weine is in charge of collecting the envelopes and their safekeeping in her bag, however, when they go to get a drink before the evening feast, Weine realises that she hasn't got them, so she and Lorie have to retrace their steps to find out where they are.

Another day passes as my week of holiday comes to an end, it was passed in a flurry of lego, play and food. Nothing of any real drama happened, but it was a nice relaxing day, but I feel more tired than other days when I've been rushing around, how do small children and fluctuating temperatures just sap all your energy?

Between the blazing sunshine and quick rain showers, the temperature has been lower than any time in the last week, but it's been exhausting, then again I attempted to cook a full meal tonight, but only managed half of it! But with help, me and my partner produced a home made gluten free lasagne from scratch and if I do say so myself, it was delicious!

We'll be eating its leftovers tomorrow for tea and I can't wait!