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.

MCAS adds another layer on top of everything — chemical sensitivities, reactions to smells, temperature swings, foods that used to be fine suddenly aren't. I've spent years deep in the research, testing products, and learning what actually helps across all of it.

Why This Site Exists

When you're newly diagnosed with POTS or ME/CFS, you get generic advice: "eat more salt," "wear compression stockings," "stay hydrated." Okay, great — but which salt supplement? What compression level? Which electrolyte drink won't make you sick? Nobody tells you the specifics, and when you're running on empty, researching products is the last thing you have energy for.

That's why 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