u/Illustrious-Mix2194

Hi, I wasn't able to find other posts on this topic but I'm sure it must have been asked before. Anyway, my question is, if you were to receive an offer of representation and your proposal were non-fiction and topical/related to current affairs, and you were certain it was the right agent for you, is the two-week waiting period mandatory?

Thank you!

I've had urticaria from heat and wind for years. Never dx' with MCAS but I think it's likely given that I also have hypermobility and other co-morbidities. This week I ate a bag of popcorn and noticed I had hives around my mouth. Immediately thought, 'oh no, I must be suddenly allergic to corn?!' So I tested myself on my arm (do not recommend this). When I rubbed salt on my arm, especially sea salt, the same hives popped up. Then I tried it with just rubbing a wet towel and a similar thing happened. So I guess my skin mast cells are just ridiculously reactive? I did have a mild virus last week so maybe it exacerbated something. The annoying thing was that I spent hours convinced I had a corn or sea salt allergy and testing it out, only for it to just be mast cells reacting to irritation! Does this happen to anyone else?

I’ve been renting a cottage in rural MA in a tick-prone area all winter. Now it’s spring, I’m having second thoughts about it. Luckily I haven’t found a tick yet but the cottage is a few steps from a pond with a wooded area around it so I’m guessing it’s just a matter of time.

On the positive side, there is a gang of chickens, which I’d imagine helps to keep the tick population down. But there are only 3 of them and it’s a fairly large area that they roam.

The negatives: no washer-dryer (I go to a laundromat), 350 sq ft open-plan cottage so not possible to have a separate area for dirty clothes/mud room, and the only way to leave/come in is to walk across (short) grass. I also live alone so no partner for tick checks, and there’s also no full-size mirror or enough light to do thorough tick checks by myself. It’s basically a tiny house - the entryway doormat where I take off my shoes is a few steps from the couch.

I‘m becoming increasingly worried about ticks and find myself not feeling at ease in the cottage. Any advice would be welcome - I’m not sure if I’m being overly paranoid about wanting to move! Am I putting myself in a high-risk situation?

I’m renting a cottage in a rural area (northeast US) and it’s beautiful. It’s been amazing during the winter, really cozy and great for working from home. I’m single so it has been a nice sanctuary for the last 6 months.

Now we’re getting towards summer and on warmer days I’m seeing carpenter ants and spiders in the cottage. I moved the bed because I saw three wolf spiders on the wall behind it (like just above the pillows) in one week :( I have anxiety about spider bites because I had a really bad bite a few years ago (in a different location.) I’m noticing that in the evenings I’m not relaxed here anymore, I’m kind of on alert for bugs all the time. I found a spider crawling on me while I was sitting at the desk working last week and ever since I’ve been working from the couch! The cottage is clean and well designed but there must still be tiny gaps because bugs are getting in. It’s on the edge of a river.

I was going to stay through the summer but I have a 30 day lease break contract, so I could leave at the end of May if I gave notice now. I need opinions! Especially if you know the northeast US and rural areas in summer. I haven’t lived here before but I’m guessing the scenery will get prettier but the bugs will get buggier…

ETA: I don’t have a community here and it’s been quite lonely. I moved here to be near to my ex-bf, we broke up in the winter. I loved the cottage so much that I stayed, but I’m really socially isolated and that might be why the bugs are having a bigger impact than they usually would.

I'm not sure what to do in situations like this. I'm seeing a new allergist and she ordered 15-18 vials of blood in a test, to test for allergens/causes of my chronic hives. Last time I had blood drawn was 3 weeks ago and it was 6 vials and I was a mess for a whole week, with palpitations and panic attacks and dizziness. My nervous system can't take all this 😞 I'm wondering if it's possible, in the US, to take a labs order to a lab and request a few tests at once, and return for the rest? Does anyone have any experience of this, or tips that could help?

I know this is an uncommon situation. I've been using 1-day Acuvue Moist for 20 years and have recently learned that the symptoms I've had all this time - eye burning, eyeball pain - are not normal. It looks like I might have a sensitivity or even allergy to some of the ingredients. Unfortunately Acuvue doesn't publish their ingredients list, but I am allergic to other common food preservatives so I would like to err on the side of caution when choosing a replacement contact lens. I've used Air Optix in the past without these reactions but it now looks like their only lens uses Hydraglyde, which I'm keen to avoid for similar reasons.

I will discuss this with my optician, but I'm wondering if anyone here has a recommendation. Most online recommendations for 'sensitive eyes' actually contain MORE additives not less. I'm not looking for gliding technology or next-level oxygen maximization. I just want a simple product that is safe for my eyes.

(Honestly I'd be happiest going back to the old school method of hard lenses with overnight soaking! I'm not sure if that's even an option these days?) Thanks so much for any thoughts.