One kiss could turn deadly for woman with rare condition
Most fairy tale romances end with a kiss, but one smooch on the lips could turn into a nightmare for a woman suffering from mast cell activation syndrome.
An American woman has a rare health condition that prevents her from kissing people on the lips unless they follow three rules.
Caroline Cray Quinn has several food allergies and also suffers from mast cell activation syndrome, also commonly referred to as MCAS.
Her food allergies and MCAS are so severe that she can only eat two kinds of food - oats and a special hypoallergenic formula. Caroline calls them her safe foods, and she has been exclusively eating them since June 2019.
This means she can't kiss her partners on the lips if they have come into contact with foods that could trigger an allergic reaction.
"There are three main rules that they have to follow. Rule number one: they can't have any of my six main anaphylactic allergens within 24 hours of kissing me," she said in one of her TikTok videos explaining her condition.
These allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, kiwi, mustard, and seafood. Her MCAS means she has to add an extra layer of safety.
"The second rule is they can't eat anything three hours prior to kissing me. That kind of handles the mast cell activation portion of things where, as we know, I can only eat two foods. Three hours gives the protein enough time to break down the saliva," she said.
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology says that "mast cells are allergy cells responsible for immediate allergic reactions. They cause allergic symptoms by releasing products called “mediators” stored inside them or made by them."
"In allergic reactions, this release occurs when the allergy antibody IgE, which is present on the mast cell surfaces, binds to proteins that cause allergies, called allergens," it adds.
Caroline's third rule for kissing is probably something we all wouldn't mind our partners doing!
"They have to brush their teeth, which I feel is a good rule in general. I will also brush my teeth."
Caroline shared a video about her MCAS story this week that explains how her family first learned about her allergies and how the condition progressed over the years.
She says she was born happy and healthy but, at the age of two, had a "random anaphylactic reaction to cross-contamination nuts" when she ate crackers that may contain nuts.
Her parents had no idea that she was allergic to them. "All of a sudden, my throat started closing. I don't remember this, by the way. This is all my parents retelling the story to me. But there were like, 'It was horrifying. You could barely breathe," she said in a TikTok video shared last year.
She could only eat potatoes and very basic foods for a few years after the incident.
"I couldn't have wheat, I couldn't have any fruit, I couldn't have eggs. I couldn't have any seafood. I couldn't have seeds."
She was later diagnosed with MCAS.
@carolinecray2 Replying to @j Herz My rules for smooching! 💋 #mcas #mastcellactivationsyndrome #mcad #mastcellactivationdisorder #foodallergyawareness #chronicillnessawareness #chronicillnesswarrior #chronicillness ♬ original sound - CarolineCray2
Caroline recently shared a video showing what she eats daily.
Her followers were impressed by how she switched up her meals despite having only two safe foods.
"Your creativity for 2 ingredient cooking is unmatched honestly," one follower wrote.
@carolinecray2 Breakfast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 🥞🥣👩🍳 #mcas #mastcellactivationsyndrome #mcad #mastcellactivationdisorder ♬ original sound - CarolineCray2
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