Three new guides are live. Here is what they are and why I made them.
The most common mistake after a crash is returning to normal activity as soon as symptoms ease. I know this because I have done it. Most of us have. The problem is that feeling better is not the same as being recovered, and your energy envelope on a recovery day is smaller than it is on a baseline day. Every activity costs more than usual. Returning to baseline activity too quickly triggers the next crash, and over time, each crash tends to be slightly worse than the last.
The guide gives you a structured framework for rebuilding after a crash without triggering another one. The 50% Rule is the core of it: on a recovery day, do about half of what you think you can handle and stop there. Not because you are giving up, but because you are protecting the envelope you will need tomorrow.
It also covers nutrition, sleep, trigger identification, and how to communicate your needs to the people around you. There is a quick-reference table you can use when you are too symptomatic to think through each decision individually.
05- Travel Guide
Traveling with hEDS, POTS, and MCAS is possible. I do it. But it requires a fundamentally different approach than most travel advice assumes. The single most important principle is this: plan for your worst-case scenario, not your best. If you plan for a bad day and have a good one, you will be fine. If you plan for a good day and have a bad one, you will be in serious difficulty.
The guide covers pre-trip planning, medication management, managing dysautonomia in transit, MCAS and environmental triggers in airports and hotels, joint protection, and what to do when a flare happens mid-trip. There is a packing checklist and scripts for communicating your needs to airlines, hotels, and travel companions.
Requesting a wheelchair at the airport is not a concession. It is energy conservation for the rest of the trip. The guide treats it that way.
Medical appointments are often the most exhausting and emotionally costly part of this illness. The average appointment is seven to fifteen minutes. Many patients leave without having their most important concerns addressed, without a referral they needed, or having been told their symptoms are anxiety, deconditioning, or simply not real.
This is not a misunderstanding. It is a pattern. It has a name: medical dismissal.
The guide is designed to help you prepare strategically, protect yourself, and advocate effectively within a system that was not built for bodies like yours. It covers how to prepare a one-page medical summary, how to prioritize your concerns, how to bring objective data, what to say when you are dismissed, and when it is appropriate to change doctors.
You are the expert on your own body. Your doctor is the expert on medicine. The best outcomes happen when both experts are present in the room.
All three guides are part of the Pekoe Wellness patient education series. They are designed to be used together and updated as your clinical picture changes.
Stay tuned as guides 7-10 are released!
Try easy.
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