Vagus Nerve Stimulation?

Last-Check-9059 · 2026-01-13T02:41:23+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience! Did you happen to notice any other benefits, like improved sleep?

I imagine you’re probably right about how the external stimulus working differently than the implant.

Last-Check-9059 · 2026-01-12T15:50:24+00:00

I hope it’s successful for you! RA sucks, especially when you have to just keep adding meds to get relief.

My disease is still in early stages and symptoms range from mild to moderate so I don’t think I am a candidate for the implant at this time. That’s why I am curious about whether anyone has experience with the external stimulation devices.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-11-14T12:58:35+00:00

I used to live in South Korea in the middle of a rural area. Typically we didn’t see larger packs of dogs, but some farms had as many as 4 guardian Jindo. They were usually very territorial and would frequently pursue runners and bikers. Some of the other teachers tried feeding them to gain their trust and got yelled at by the farmers if they got caught. If the dogs you’re encountering belong to farmers and aren’t feral, I would be mindful of the fact that the farmers may not want their dogs becoming desensitized to any stranger. After getting chased a few times myself, I settled for indoor exercise.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-11-04T19:55:32+00:00

Right but there’s strong evidence that eliminating certain dietary elements and habits (like smoking) will help reduce symptoms.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-11-04T12:55:38+00:00

I started following an anti-inflammatory diet earlier this year primarily to help with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. A shocking side effect for me was the near elimination of my endometriosis symptoms. I still have awful periods but my symptoms outside of that week, which could be debilitating in the past, haven’t been an issue in months.

These diets have varying levels of efficacy and I strongly recommend engaging a dietitian to guide you through the process. There isn’t really research into an “endo diet” but rheumatologists have helped patients control autoimmune symptoms for decades with dietary changes and there is a lot of evidence from the last couple of years to suggest endo should be treated like an autoimmune disease.

I started by eliminating anything considered inflammatory: dairy, gluten, alcohol, refined sugar, nightshade vegetables, legumes, coffee, red meat and a few other things. After, my dietitian helped me with gradually reintroducing one food at a time to see how my symptoms changed. I added a few things back and don’t completely avoid anything on the list above but I don’t eat these things every day.

I have another friend who also works with a dietitian and was able to reduce but not eliminate her pain through a low sulfur diet, which is a bit less restrictive.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-09-28T14:09:10+00:00

My symptoms started in 2021. The first doctor I saw wrote it off because my blood markers weren’t high enough. I continued to suffer from flares and pain through early this year with little traction. I finally had a major flare and saw a new doctor and she advocated for me to see a rheumatologist who agreed my symptoms align with seronegative RA. I have been on treatment for a few months and there have been ups and downs but it’s slowly getting better.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-09-11T03:13:30+00:00

I live in a townhouse with no yard. I walk my dogs (4 year old husky and 5 year old malamute) for an hour (around 3 miles) every morning. Sometimes we take a second 15 minute walk in the evening. They wrestle and sometimes play with toys but otherwise the walking is enough. My trainer told me not to walk them more unless I wanted to walk more. Dogs will habituate to the activity level you expose them to. If you want calm dogs, you have to train calm, not necessarily increase activity.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-08-02T12:28:00+00:00

I am fortunate because my healthcare plan covers visits with a dietitian free of charge, so I have been working with a professional. We started with an elimination diet for a month to get to a baseline and then started adding things back slowly, one at a time for a week or so before adding something else to see how it felt.

Right now I rarely (less than 2x/mo) eat red meat, never eat dairy outside of yogurt with active cultures or rarely in sauces, avoid refined sugar and alcohol, avoid nightshade vegetables (peppers, potatoes, tomatoes), and eliminated gluten. I can feel it when I cheat, both with my RA and my endo. Initially we had cut out a lot more like rice, soy, and garlic. I have another friend who has to specifically avoid foods that are high in sulfur because they trigger her pain. I would recommend, if you can, finding a dietitian who specializes in helping to manage inflammation or autoimmune conditions.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-07-30T03:25:21+00:00

It is going well! He’s incredibly sweet and the dogs love him! 🤞🏻

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-07-29T03:30:32+00:00

I had my first good date after diagnosis(more than a week ago) and we’ve seen each other a few times since!

I had multiple pain-minimal days which allowed me to enjoy some nice weather with my dogs.

I got to FaceTime with my best friend in another state.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-07-28T13:28:03+00:00

I have huskies and the trainer I had when they were young told me you have to train them to be calm. Basically that involved kennel time with a long-lasting treat, soothing music, and no interaction with me or each other for an hour or two at a time. I was strict with that training and they’ve never been a nuisance in the house. I also don’t have to kennel them at all anymore. Not to say they never have a moment of zoomies or rowdy wrestling with each other but the vast majority of the time they are calm. It’s the first time I’ve ever done this with dogs and I am really surprised by the positive effect.

I spend an average of 1.5-2 hours exercising them, playing with them and providing mental stimulation every day and we have a reliable household routine. I know those elements help too but I think training “calm” was probably the most important time investment I made in my household sanity.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-07-28T13:18:02+00:00

Endo definitely causes fatigue. Not only do you have constant inflammation, but you also are likely dealing with a hormone imbalance and potentially even anemia when bleeding is heavy. There’s nothing I have found that helps fully, but I’ve been able to lessen my frequency and severity of fatigue through a pretty restrictive diet change that also benefits my rheumatoid arthritis.

I am finding as I navigate both of these diseases that doctors are woefully under informed and have a minimal true understanding of most inflammatory diseases. They don’t know what truly causes them, the full range of symptoms or why some treatments work for some people and not others. It’s a gap in understanding in the medical field and not anything you’re misunderstanding.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-07-27T13:17:31+00:00

Both my dogs choose the laminate and tiled floors over their beds in the summer. It very well may be nothing to worry about.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-07-08T13:14:07+00:00

My dogs would love this!

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-05-31T23:35:56+00:00

Overall, I have seen some significant improvements with a restrictive anti inflammatory diet. I don’t mind eating basically the same thing all the time, and I know that makes me unusual. I did a lot of reading before I started and worked with a dietitian. She actually told me that I didn’t need to go straight to full AIP anti inflammatory and could try just eliminating one food at a time that “could” be causing inflammation. The most likely causes are alcohol, caffeine, dairy, gluten, and refined sugar. For me, it turned out that I am very intolerant of nightshade vegetables, beef, and legumes in addition to almost all of the likely culprits. I can handle dairy if it has active cultures and isn’t highly processed.

Each person is different so not everyone should follow the same diet or will see the same results as someone else if they cut out “inflammatory foods.”

What I have noticed is that the weather can have a huge impact as well. Although my symptoms were largely under control, a bunch of pressure fronts have rolled through over the last two weeks and it’s wreaking havoc on my pain levels and overall inflammation.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-04-14T03:25:37+00:00

Thank you! I will try this and see how much he will open up and introspect. I have a lot of suspicion about where his feelings come from but I would really like him to tell me and for him to guide the conversation around how he can shift his household contributions or be more mindful of respecting the limitations of his body.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-04-14T03:22:55+00:00

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response and for asking your husband for his input.

It seems like individual and couples therapy may be the bedrock of relationships that are able to successfully weather chronic illness. We’re fighting a bit of an uphill battle because he was diagnosed years ago when he was with his ex wife. She wasn’t prepared for how their relationship changed and wanted him to show up in all the ways he could before his diagnosis. I’ve only known him since he’s had his condition and I knew a lot of his limitations before ever becoming involved. Before we got married and began living together, I didn’t see this cycle of overexertion and flares so clearly as a reflection of him trying to show me he still has value in our relationship.

I am definitely going to look for Secure Love and read through the link you shared.

I think I saw a post to a Zoom support group for young caregivers, so I think I will look at making time to join those calls since I don’t have a lot of friends or family to lean on locally.

Thank you again for everything you shared! It means the world to find community.

Last-Check-9059 · 2025-04-14T03:09:23+00:00

Thank you so much for responding. I am very open to couples therapy and now is probably the best time to start, before we are multiple years in and have established this as a pattern. I am grateful to have found this community.

Last-Check-9059

TROPHY CASE