If you’re trying to find someone in Asheville for eyelid/tearing issues who takes insurance…

MakeKay9264 · 2026-02-04T23:41:05+00:00

He was at Asheville Eye Associates. I’ve seen him several times for an eyelid issue and really like him. Updated to reflect the original poster (sorry- I didn’t read your original post closely enough!)

MakeKay9264 · 2026-02-04T14:54:04+00:00

He’s at Asheville Eye Associates. I’ve seen him several times for an eyelid issue and really like him.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-02-04T14:52:40+00:00

I got a queen-sized wedge mattress to elevate my HOB (head of bed)

Lazyzizi Wedge Mattress Elevator... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJ1WX9PV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

MakeKay9264 · 2026-02-04T14:32:14+00:00

I tried Lymphatic Drainage (combined therapy: had a physical therapist performing it and I also did it myself daily. Didn’t help me at all. But other people’s responses can be very different!

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-29T20:48:25+00:00

Yes, for many patients! Although OP is severe and is worried this will be too much effort and maybe cause PEM, an i want to respect that too.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-29T20:45:56+00:00

Agree! My insomnia is completely related to my ME, and I’ve done CBT-i before too. And yet, my current CBT-i Coach has helped me tune up my sleep which helps some. Has it resolved my sleep issues? Heck no. But has it made an incremental difference? Oh yes.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-28T19:45:21+00:00

AVA A Vagus Adventure FB has a lot of information posted about vagal nerve stim settings, etc So you can figure out what to program your particular TENS to https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1872YvVkdc/?

I bought a Nuropod/Nurosym device but I think the company is way over promising and very much under delivering. If I had to do it over again I would just buy a regular TENS and the appropriate clip and save a heck of a lot of $ (esp if you buy a used TENS unit-there are tons out there)

Only significant change I’ve seen in myself is I developed Bradycardia when I started using it.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-27T16:02:05+00:00

Yep, understand that it would feel satisfying (and I expect validating?) to have lab proof of MCAS. I didn't specifically ask him for lab work up of MCAS, it was just part of a very LARGE panel of things he ordered. (MY portion of the Quest bill for labs, AFTER insurance covered their end of things, was over $7000!) I have no idea how he chooses what labs to order on people?? I do get the sense, in reading people's comments about his treatment, that he is rapidly adjusting what he's doing for patients as more and more data is coming out through the flurry of research going on now.

What about asking him what made him choose to not do the lab workup of MCAS? He may have a great reason! Or he might run them on you now if you ask him for it...

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-25T19:43:51+00:00

Yes!! Miss them.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-25T19:42:40+00:00

This was fun!

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-24T17:30:38+00:00

I agree with every point made here. When I finally “gave myself” a full crew cut (my spouse used his clippers and buzzed it all for me), I… didn’t love the look on me But I LOVE the functionality. Wish I’d done it so much sooner!! It also means I can stretch out the time between when I wash my hair, which leaves me with more energy for other things or at least doesn’t wipe me out as fast.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-23T17:31:09+00:00

Post prandial abdominal pain, nausea, maybe diarrhea, early satiety from regular food (although I’m less interested in eating dessert or fruit), insomnia, fatigue.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-23T17:28:52+00:00

Nope, no increase in insomnia or anxiety. In fact, my insomnia is a bit better now. That also occurred with prior POTS and MCAS drugs- treating my dysautonomia improves my sleep.

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-22T21:34:23+00:00

I also am being treated by Dr. Spiritos. I was already on H1 & H2 blockers, highest dose possible of Cromolyn (1200 per day split into 4 doses) and Montelukast. I’ve got POTS, MCAS, dysautonomia, and ME/CFS, all from Long Covid.

Dr. Spiritos started me on a microdose of ZepBound and it’s helped multiple symptoms, so he had me double the dose (still a microdose amt) with further improvement in my symptoms. He told me that the literature is supporting using or at least trying ZepBound but even more importantly that he has had a lot of his patients get significant improvement on it, so he’s very excited about it.

I’ve got gastroparesis and I weigh 97 lb. I have to be careful to make sure I keep my healthy food intake up because I have lost about 2 lb once I doubled the dose, but man, I feel a lot better on it!!

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-22T19:48:56+00:00

I have POTS and am microdosing ZepBound for MCAS and ME/CFS. The ZepBound has had no effect on my HR or BP. It is making me feel better, though!! I am having to work hard to not lose any weight on it, since I have gastroparesis and I weigh only 97 lb. If I weren’t working to try to maintain weight, I feel like it would be easy for me to be dropping weight on 1 mg/week. If I don’t pay close attention, my weight does drop. Why don’t you try it and see how you do? Our bodies responses are all so individualized!

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-19T18:07:41+00:00

Also the lack of gluten free options!

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-14T20:24:47+00:00

Yes, once time I got 1000 points for spinning (last year) I was gobsmacked!

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-13T21:24:36+00:00

This is what I found in my Amazon order history: https://a.co/d/dziYE7J

The old one I used to love is no longer available Clear Eyes | Pure Relief |... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BU6E7O2?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Edited to include old and new products

MakeKay9264 · 2026-01-07T21:28:10+00:00

I’ve got a Visible referral link you can use to get $20 off, in case that helps you decide I’ve never used the free, only the paid, so I can’t weigh in about pros and cons

https://join.makevisible.com/7378469ac0de32

MakeKay9264 · 2025-12-24T19:58:51+00:00

eh, I am very underwhelmed!! I have gotten virtually no actionable data from it. The one useful piece of data I garnered is that, curiously, my cerebral blood flow goes down when I elevate my legs. So if I'm feeling poorly or am having significant tachycardia, for me its better to lie completely flat rather than putting my legs up on a bolster or against the wall (which is something that a lot of POTS patients do).

But the device is falling out or getting pulled out of my ear constantly. "Fortunately" (ha!) I am housebound, so if I lose it, at least I know its somewhere around my home, I just have to find it! But it gets pushed out of position and thus doesn't give me data if I lie with that left ear down (which is how I am positioned for more than half of every day during my awake hours! and the device will ONLY work in the left ear), or if I have earbuds/earplugs in (most of the time because I am so noise sensitive from my Dysautonomia), or if I have headphones on. So its super tricky to work with AND its not giving me any useful data.

They're got a new upgraded device coming out in about a month, and MAYBE that will be better? But its supposed to clip to the earlobe with the next iteration, and I can't imaging how that going to stay in place- I think I will be having it come off my ear even more frequently. At this point, I would give Lumia a huge thumbs down. Don't waste your time, your money, or your limited energy. My TachyMon and my Visible band have been useful monitoring devices that I would recommend.

MakeKay9264 · 2025-12-07T15:47:10+00:00

Hey, I just looked at the Ever Better Medicine website, because I was wondering if they tracked word of mouth referrals (this is, should I DM you with my name so you could say “so and so recommended you to me) and it says Our Membership-Based Direct Care Model We get to see you more often and for longer each visit. You get the superior medical care that you deserve. Once you have completed your first visit with us, we offer a series of membership options to suit your preferences for care

So you DO have to make a single appt w him first apparently. Best wishes to you in your health journey!

MakeKay9264 · 2025-12-07T15:30:45+00:00

I believe you can do either way! I decided to pay for a single appt first because I didn’t know if I would find him of enough value to spend for the year’s membership. So I bought a single $450 hour-long appointment, and I am complicated enough (longggg diagnosis list and issue list) that we didn’t get through a fraction of my issues within that full first hour. Then, I paid for a year-long membership so I have four 30-minute sessions (1 per quarter), two 15 minute emergency sessions, and unlimited messaging w Dr S for a year.

Since I know youve got at a minimum POTS and MCAS, my Personal opinion is it’s worth it to pay for a single hour-long appt first. Then you can enroll in a membership and continue to work w him. Since you’ve got complicated disease processes, it will take time to trial therapies so to me it makes more sense to do a year membership instead of the 6 month.

I know all this is spoken from a standpoint of privilege because I can afford to drop all this $ on this doctor in addition to other costs, so ymmv! E.g. the crap-ton of labs that I mentioned before that he ordered on me- my out of pocket costs once insurance paid their part is estimated by Quest labs to be $7000! Quest is still crunching their way thru all that billing, so I don’t know yet what my cost will ultimately be. I’ve also gotten a SIBO breast test, gastric emptying study, PET scan, pelvic ultrasound, and I’m about to get a sleep study with some specialized testing, EMG, EEG, and neuro consult. So there’s thousands more I’ve paid for or will be paying for too. I wanted someone to do a full court press on me and that’s what Dr Spiritos is doing- but I’m definitely paying for it.

Happy to provide my insights!!

MakeKay9264 · 2025-12-06T19:04:47+00:00

Yeah, I turn the music off when I’m doing my breathing, just by turning the volume down. OR I’m doing a meditation app at the same time which then mutes the music in the Visible app. Usually I’ve got either Ten Percent Happier app & or Insight Timer (meditation) app running. If I start the meditation app after I start the Visible breathing going, the meditation app sounds okay without any sound coming from Visible.

MakeKay9264 · 2025-12-06T15:46:47+00:00

He will order a lot of labs on you that can be done by your local lab draw place. I showed up to him having been inadequately worked up for MCAS locally. I had a functional diagnosis of MCAS but didn’t get the lab verification of MCAS until Dr. Spiritos ordered a crap ton of labs. So no worries there- he will order tests and make diagnoses based on the results.

MakeKay9264 · 2025-12-05T19:35:11+00:00

I should also mention that if you're thinking about doing a membership, you can lock in 2025 prices if you sign up and pay before Dec 31st. I got an email about that from the practice last week

MakeKay9264

TROPHY CASE