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About Me

Hi, I'm Jake. I'm a software engineer living with severe POTS, MCAS, and chronic fatigue. My heart rate jumps 68 beats per minute on a tilt table test. Some days, a 10-minute trip to the grocery store requires recovery time.

My symptoms started after an illness during a trip to Türkiye in late 2022 and have progressively worsened since. I used to exercise six days a week. Now I work from home and measure my life in spoons.

I've also been a caregiver for my spouse, who has severe ME/CFS, POTS, and MCAS, since 2021. The sensory sensitivities alone reshaped our entire life — light, sound, smell, movement, touch, temperature. All of it. So I've seen this from both sides — the patient side and the "watching someone you love deteriorate while doctors shrug" side.

Why This Site Exists

When you're newly diagnosed with POTS or ME/CFS, you get hit with a firehose of product recommendations from people who don't have your condition. Generic "best compression socks" lists written by someone who's never had blood pooling in their legs. Electrolyte reviews from fitness influencers who don't understand why you need 3-5 grams of sodium a day.

I got tired of it. So I started documenting what actually works — for me, and for the people in the chronic illness community I've connected with along the way. I track my health data obsessively (I'm an engineer, it's what I do), and I bring that same data-driven approach to every product I review.

What I Promise

  • I only recommend products I've used or thoroughly researched against clinical evidence
  • I'm transparent about affiliate links — they help keep this site running, but they never influence my recommendations
  • I write for tired brains — clear, scannable, no fluff. If you have brain fog, I get it. I wrote half of this during a fog episode.
  • I'll tell you when something doesn't work. LMNT gave me headaches. The "hydration drops" with 50mg of sodium are useless for POTS. You'll get the honest version here.

My Conditions

  • POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) — severe
  • MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)
  • Chronic fatigue — unclear if ME/CFS, long COVID-adjacent, or secondary to POTS
  • Brain fog — persistent, with intermittent flares that tank executive function