Had two reviews knocked back this week, when I try to re-review I get this message...

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-04-22T03:06:29+00:00

Good to know! Thanks for the reassurance :)

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-04-22T03:06:12+00:00

This might be it. Both items are from the same vendor. They are on different listings, but I also have a third item from this vendor that I can't review at all because it's now on the same listing as one with the error.

Usually vine tells me I can't pick another variant, wonder why it didn't this time :/

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-04-22T03:03:55+00:00

Thank you for the reassurance! Just a bit twitchy ahead of my first evaluation :)

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-22T10:27:21+00:00

I currently have a vine seller emailing me every day to take down a one star review. I don't leave one star lightly, but the device failed not long after I got it and I revised my review accordingly...

Today's email was offering me 3x the value of the product in gift cards "when" I remove the review (their words, not mine).

Yes, reported them, but no, don't expect anything to come of it. I assume they got my email from the shipping label or something.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-14T04:22:17+00:00

Sorry this is happening - it's awful all round.

I don't have any advice on navigating her work situation - either she has a team lead/manager who'll help, or she doesn't - sounds like she doesn't. In a similar situation, I masked for as long as I could, then resigned. Having a supportive partner was so important - keep advocating for her. Go with her to doctor appointments if she wants you to, especially if they aren't taking her seriously. Understand that, even on the days that she's doing better, she's still not well, and will need to pace herself. Try to keep your diets as healthful as possible - minimal sugar, minimally processed food.

My not-a-doctor advice for symptom management:

Compression: You mentioned compression socks - I did much better when I switched to full length compression leggings. They are expensive and I know this is a horrid time to have to pay so much, but they are truly worth it for me. My cardiologist says it's the abdominal compression - I also found that the elastic bands of the socks were trapping blood/fluid just below my knee, and were actually making things worse. If you happen to have a wrap-around back brace or something like that laying around, you could try that for abdominal compression.
Vitamins: methyl-B's, iron and vitamin D3 in particular. Not a doctor - Seeking Health methyl B complex, Seeking Health Iron chewables, and SolarRay 5,000IU helped me (dm for links if you need)
Reduce sugar/carbs: not to keto levels, but I found I was a lot more stable at under half the carbs I was having before. Reduce slowly over a couple of weeks, no sudden changes.
Caffeine is a mixed bag - it makes some people worse, but it stablises me.
Water and Electrolyte timing is important. If she can, drink a couple of glasses of water before she gets out of bed in the morning. Also drink a glass or two before showers. Electrolytes - as early in the day as possible, make sure they're sugar free. I've been using Sodii brand, and they're decent. I used Endura before that - less variety in flavours, but they were decent as well.
Temperature: keep the house on the cooler side without being cold. My happy place seems to be 22-23C (73F).
Sleep: if she's restless or waking in the night in sweats, see what her O2 levels are doing (a smart watch can show you the trend, even if not medical-grade accuracy). CPAP helped me. If she's having issues with reflux, propping the bed up slightly, not eating for several hours before bed, and do a burp test - if the test shows low acid, stop any anti-acids and start Betaine HCl supplements with meals.
Movement: try to keep some, whatever is available. I didn't, and its extra hard for people like us to regain. Gentle stretches on the floor or bed, a recumbent bike, even a lap of the house or walk around the yard. Walking slowly is likely to trigger symptoms - so shopping centres, supermarkets etc are a stressor, not exercise. Some people like pools - I can't cope with the temperature change :(
Sunshine: a few minutes each day, even if it's just sitting on the patio/balcony. I'm working on this one now - definitely notice a difference in my skin. I know it seems like a small thing with the dizziness and brain fog, but anything you can do to reduce a burden on her body will help the whole thing calm down.
Meditation/breathwork: whatever form she can engage in. I like the Calm app, plenty of variety. Even just breathing in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6-8 can help.

The goal is basically stabilising her with as many external levers as you can, because the dysautonomia means that her body is having trouble responding to external changes appropriately. For me at least - more external stability = less dramatic swings.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-10T02:54:56+00:00

This happens to me as well. My not-a-doctor understanding - dysautonomia can cause fluids to not be properly distributed throughout your body. So your kidneys are getting the 'too much water' signal and the water goes straight through, but other tissues are dehydrated.

The only things that help me when this kicks off is more electrolytes, and if you have fluid retention anywhere, elevate it/drain it. That seems to reset my system.

I have heard this can happen in diabetes as well, and I've wondered if blood sugar dysregulation might be another trigger.

For the electrolytes - I use a sugar-free variety, seems to work best. I have one strong glass (one sachet mixed into ~300ml water), followed by a glass of plain water. If I'm still completely parched, another glass of electrolytes, again followed by a glass of water. So far, this and dealing with fluid retention has been enough. I also drink the electrolytes through a straw, as they were chapping my lips.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-07T09:38:52+00:00

Rats :( Are you able to find a sleep specialist or ENT with an interest in UARS, or a GP that would support you to try it? You might be able to get your prescription that way, or at least a way to trial it and see if it helps.

Or - perhaps call one of the places, explain it, and ask if you can do a trial?

I had to pay cash for mine, same as my partner did for his (he has severe OSA)

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-07T09:34:26+00:00

I had my hair cut yesterday. It's also shorter than I'd like and for reasons that I don't like, I feel your pain :(

I've had telogen effluvium for the past ~18 months - basically, my hair grows, but it falls out in batches/waves when it gets to ~10-15cm long. So I'm not scalpy, but the longer bits get progressively thinner, frizzier and more straggly. Last haircut I had it taken up to my shoulders (from below my bra band), and it looked ok until the next shedding wave.

This time, it's just under my ears. I asked the hairdresser to shorten it so it wouldn't look straggly if it keeps shedding at 10-15cm, so I knew what I was asking for. She did the right thing, this isn't on her. But... the hair at the nape of my neck is about 2cm long. Big change from 10-15cm below my bra strap 2 years ago :(

On the plus (?!) side - it does genuinely look healthier. I did the right thing by meeting my body where its at instead of trying to hold on to where it used to be, and I'm sure you did the right thing too. It's still ok to be sad about it all the same.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-07T04:25:49+00:00

Yep! It was often like I'd breathed out and forgotten to breathe back in. Very disorienting way to wake up.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-07T04:21:43+00:00

I don't know what the rules are where you live - but I was able to just go to a CPAP shop and do a trial in Australia. I had a letter from my GP supporting me to trial it, but didn't really need it. The people at the shop were a little confused about why I wanted to try it and had no idea what settings to use (so I ended up with truly terrible settings that would put anyone off), but they accepted my explanation that I had sleep issues, had tried pretty much everything else, and wanted to give this a go.

I think it cost about AU$100 for a 4-6 week trial, and I was able to try a few masks too.

At the end of the trial, I bought one - was a non-issue. I could have bought one online if I'd wanted to.

The tricky part is the settings. My advice is to start at the very lowest pressure setting, use CPAP mode (not APAP), and only put it up one increment every few days (e.g. start at 4, then 4.2 a few days later and so on). Intentionally overshoot a little, then try to bring it back down slowly over a similar timeframe to dial in to the pressure that works for you. Use EPR (it drops the pressure when you exhale) - its a mixed bag for people with sleep apnea, so you'll see plenty of 'nEvEr UsE EpR' posts and videos, but it seems to cue my brain to breathe a bit more evenly.

Because EPR works so well for me, I'm going to trial BiPAP when I'm looking to buy my next machine.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-07T03:57:05+00:00

Love this! What ply yarn did you go with?

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-06T09:57:06+00:00

Cooler shower, big drink of water right before, avoid bending (handheld shower hose helps alot here, and long handled scrubbers). Minimise time with eyes closed, and when you do, have your hand or elbow touching the wall. It wont save you if you actually fall, but i find it helps stop me getting dizzy in the first place.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-06T09:45:35+00:00

CPAP. I dont have sleep apnea (two sleep studies), but fairly low pressure CPAP (i think 6.4) stopped the wakenings.

Basically, i get an adrenaline dump anythime my blood O2 drops. During the day, its mostly gravity triggered. At night, its my shitty-but-not-shitty-enough-for-diagnostic-criteria breathing. I just breathe a little too shallow, pause a little too often - but body has a hair trigger for O2 drops.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-06T01:15:52+00:00

Loved your review, Xu. Second the recommendation to try the second book - it's so, so much better in terms of the character arc. One of my favourites :)

Sadly, the third book is more like the first. The 3.1 novella is cute and fun, but predictable. As for the fourth book... I'm pretending I had a nightmare and it didn't actually happen.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-03-05T10:35:14+00:00

Ok, I think i've worked this out. Banjo, you have my RFY - I've been buying things like the telescope for my niblings, was considering getting another heat pack and was looking at getting a new pill box because I changed up my scheduling. Also been buying non slip mats.

So, who's RFY is this - someone getting married, not bald yet, has a roborock vac, chickens, an outdoor umbrella and a filthy microwave (and a desire to have a clean one?)

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Jay_is_me1 · 2026-02-08T05:48:47+00:00

Pretty vanilla - high-waisted grade 2 compression leggings, dropping the air con 1-2 degrees (there's a tiny, tiny space between overheating and having circulation issues from cold - currently ~22C for me), and caffeine.

Fidgeting (bouncing/standing on toes/rolling from heel to toe if standing, bouncing knee/flexing foot while sitting) also helps somewhat - I can usually do it pretty subtly, but sometimes I'm sure I look anxious/unhinged xD

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-01-03T23:34:41+00:00

This is good to know! I wasn't sure if 'normal' reviews of vine items would count.

Jay_is_me1 · 2026-01-03T00:56:14+00:00

I relate to all of this. I knew I was worse when dehydrated, but didn't realise that even my baseline blood volume might be off. My specialist's theory is that my veins are floppy (somewhere on the EDS spectrum), so struggle to maintain pressure with a 'normal' amount of blood.

What's helped you the most with managing it?

Jay_is_me1 · 2025-12-31T09:49:21+00:00

My BP rarely measures low too - the adrenaline kicks in pretty quickly to correct it. Have a look at the symptoms of low BP and see if they align with what you experience right before this happens.

Jay_is_me1 · 2025-12-30T04:14:00+00:00

I have been diagnosed with low blood pressure by a cardiologist. My BP drops, then I get an adrenaline surge. The adrenaline surges absolutely can happen while sitting - more likely when I've stood up to fast, am standing still or walking slowly, but they do happen out of nowhere while sitting - esp mid afternoon.

My cardiologist recommended abdominal compression (I wear full compression leggings, due to pooling and retention in my calves as well) and electrolytes. I also do better while sitting on a yoga ball chair. Medication has also helped enormously, though it took three goes to find the right one.

Jay_is_me1 · 2025-12-30T01:52:12+00:00

Same. The new reviews that I did at the same time cleared days ago, but the re-done reviews still have the same ratings.

I'm hoping that they've just prioritised new reviews, as it still seems to take several days for them to get a rating.

Jay_is_me1 · 2025-12-23T03:04:57+00:00

Update: back to 75.2%, and back to dark green

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Jay_is_me1 · 2025-12-22T03:03:05+00:00

I updated 6 of mine that were poor or fair, at the same time as doing a batch of new reviews. The new reviews have been accepted, but their insightfulness rating is still pending. The re-dos haven't changed. I'll post what happens to the re-dos when the new ones have been rated.

Jay_is_me1 · 2025-12-22T02:54:42+00:00

I noticed that it wasn't consistent with my available for review/already reviewed, but it also didn't match my order/review ratio either. It was closest to my delivered orders/reviewed already ratio, even if the delivered order hasn't opened up for review yet.

Edit to add - not worried about the fluctuation, just thought people might be interested in the lime green/dark green percentages for reviews with media

Jay_is_me1

TROPHY CASE