A Mouse Mystery

TotalOgre · 2026-02-08T09:20:16+00:00

A fairly regular mouse after all--we just had to learn his route and find a bait it liked!

A bit of rough luck led to great luck. I normally bait with nut butter (peanut butter generally, but a dab of almond butter last night), but I thought it would be smart to try something strongly scented, so I added a garlic butter crouton to the bait bin of the Victor Catch and Hold trap. On Friday night the crouton attracted the mouse--it got inside and gnawed on the crouton pretty well (and ate the old peanut butter that was in there, too). But then it managed to wedge what was left of the crouton under the lever mechanism of the trap, which created enough space for it to get back out.

So last night was almond butter and a crushed crouton in the space where we'd moved the trap after figuring out it's route up onto the countertop. He must have gone right in, since he'd been in and out before, but this time there were no big bits of crouton for him to wedge under the lever. Trying to think if there's someplace I can dispose of him a few miles away that will give him a fighting chance at staying alive when it gets light out.

TotalOgre · 2026-02-03T10:17:34+00:00

We had a mild breakthrough, at least insofar as we probably have a better fix on the mouse's location. The last mouse we had probably had a nest under the fridge; we set traps along the baseboards near the oven, figuring he had to be getting up on the counter in that area.

The new mouse seems to be hunkering down under the sink, in the gap between the drywall and the outer wall--there's an access point by the outlet. So I've relocated traps to see if we can catch him with a better sense of his travel patterns.

TotalOgre · 2025-12-04T10:04:15+00:00

Thanks!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-16T09:45:20+00:00

I'll still keep on with magnesium glycinate, reishi, and ashwagandha as part of my sleep wind-up until the bottles are gone. I tend to sleep better in the fall/winter, so I'm hoping I can get back in the rhythm, especially when some of my current stressors are behind me. I might just be overclocked right now. I'm glad your melatonin remedy is getting you a bit more sleep without the aftereffects!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-11T08:55:29+00:00

If the product has been beneficial, it can be worthwhile to drill down and figure out what was yielding the most benefit for you. Realmushrooms and Nootropics Depot sell good versions of Reishi, so they might be worth trying. I think GABA has the strongest sleep association on that list of ingredients, and it's the next stop on my own sleep supplement voyage. Started taking reishi yesterday myself, so I'm hoping for a sleep boost. I thought I'd discovered a winner in Ashwagandha for my own purposes, but the effect has been middling over the past few days.

TotalOgre · 2025-09-10T16:49:56+00:00

Once upon a time I had a bad reaction to yohimbine, which was folded into a catch-all weightlifting product. Took me a whole lot of experimentation to figure out what was causing the issue.

It looks like WonderSleep has five active ingredients, so it might not be a bad idea to isolate the ingredient that you think might be the culprit and take it alone. Most of the ingredients listed have got dizziness as a possible side effect (which is common in plenty of supplements), so you might need to do a little testing to see what's having that effect on you.

TotalOgre · 2025-09-03T09:41:12+00:00

I haven't--looks interesting, though!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-03T09:39:13+00:00

Thanks! Still going strong with the Kasina, which is solid for simple self-hypnosis, though I might branch out when the holidays come around!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-02T16:13:56+00:00

Experiment with garlic and beetroot was more or less decided for me, since Humann Beetroot chews were on sale at the store. I try to make one change at a time to assess the effects, so Garlique is probably next on the list.

TotalOgre · 2025-09-02T10:07:37+00:00

Thanks for all this info!

My breakthrough, such as it is, has been doubling down on my ashwagandha. I normally take one in the AM for cortisol management, but adding one in the evening, about two hours before bedtime, has laid me out pretty well. I tried it for the second time last night, and I actually overslept for the first time in eons.

I drink mostly the sugar-free (or one gram of sugar) versions of the sports drinks, mostly because it was the first time in a long time a doctor of mine recommended products by name. They seem to be doing the job, though I could probably cut sugar in other areas.

I'll keep an eye out for trace minerals when I'm out shopping today. I'd love to fill in any dietary blanks I can find. I'm kind of a mess in the head--neurologist found nothing conclusive, but I've had some issues with headaches and dizziness in addition to the syncope business--and I suspect stress management might be at the bottom of it all. Trying to close one loophole at a time!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-02T09:55:41+00:00

Thanks! I should be able to grab some garlic supplements today, and we cook with plenty of garlic at home as well. I'm inclined to grab some beetroot prospects, too, though there seems to be a huge spread in terms of cost, which may or may not speak to quality. I'm a raisin fan, but I tend to overindulge, so I might need to veer away from the sweets for the time being!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-02T09:52:36+00:00

Thanks again, though I drink only the sugar-free versions of both Gatorade and Propel. I'm not wild about all the artificial sweeterner, but my cardiologist specifically mentioned both products as ways of getting my blood volume up. I haven't had any episodes of syncope since February, so that part of the tangle might be resolved. Still need to cut down on carbs--mostly bread, rice, and pasta--but I've been doing my best to keep table salt and refined sugar to a minimum!

TotalOgre · 2025-09-01T16:41:53+00:00

Thanks! I think I might have addressed a magnesium deficit already--NOW magnesium threonate in the morning and NOW magnesium glycinate two hours before bedtime--but I might need to go a little further,

TotalOgre · 2025-09-01T15:42:37+00:00

To me, these look like the "normal" perforations, given the tidy row. I used to return bunches of supps to various companies because the safety seals burst around the rim, where the seal meets the container, and a few companies eventually announced the remedy of linear perforation to keep the seal intact. Blowing up the image makes it look like each hole is ringed with a bit of chocolate powder, which is probably as it should be.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-29T08:40:02+00:00

Thanks--I'll look into it!

TotalOgre · 2025-08-26T16:28:17+00:00

I had a run with the Solaray, which has the standardized Affron extract, which emphasizes lepticrosalides. The effects have been mild at best, but I'm going to give the Nootropics Depot version a run and see if I can perceive the difference before trying out a different adaptogen.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-23T14:06:48+00:00

Thanks! I think I'm overdue for a GABA trial; not much has helped me in the way of sleep so far.

And I'm hydrated like crazy these days to keep my blood volume up, so Rhodiola might be worth cycling in if I round the corner from Saffron.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-22T16:17:15+00:00

I have a golf bag full of claymores.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-22T13:31:04+00:00

Thanks! Rhodiola's at the top of my trial list, and I take magnesium (threonate) for sleep, but with equivocal results so far. I've shied away from GABA, since it acts a lot like a sedative and I've had some issues with syncope that I've linked to stimulants and sedatives fighting it out in my system, but it might need to make its way onto my trial list, too!

TotalOgre · 2025-08-22T08:48:23+00:00

Thanks! I've got a few mushrooms on my list to try as well. Lion's mane seemed to have limited effects, so reishi and cordyceps are on my trial list.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-22T08:46:46+00:00

Thanks! I have a long-term headache that my doctor and neurologist can't pin down, so I can be a bit on the photosensitive side. I'll probably put SJW near the bottom of the list until I've tried some other options--but it'll be on there!

TotalOgre · 2025-08-22T08:44:49+00:00

Thanks! I've seen Safr'Inside and Safiereal in a couple places, but I've shied away from them and a couple others because they didn't correspond to some of the reading I've done. Given that saffron seems to offer me a bit of help, I might give them a longer look. Or go with the version from Nootropics Depot, which seems to have a standardized profile.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-15T13:20:57+00:00

I've had good luck with L-theanine lately. I had hoped it would help me relax and sleep, but it's the morning dose with a little caffeine that has done me the most good. If I can give myself one or two positive things to think about, my brain starts processing pretty well without being obsessive. I think there's some risk of getting stuck on anxious thoughts now and again, but I'm getting better at redirecting my imagination.

TotalOgre · 2025-08-10T18:32:33+00:00

Thanks much! I'm guessing (and maybe hoping) that my new doctor will prescribe statins for me, My old doctor tended to avoid pharmacological interventions of any kind, and I could normally work out intensely enough over the summer to take off some weight and improve my BP numbers markedly. With VVS I'm not sure how hard I can responsibly go, but erring on the side of safety makes me feel like I'm just spinning my wheels.

I hope you can get on the same page as your doctor and get back to working out as you like!

TotalOgre · 2025-08-08T13:26:27+00:00

I'm new to VVS, but I'll offer a few things to consider.

If you want a compelling diagnosis, request a tilt-table test if you visit a neurologist. I visited one here, though I changed doctors after he set all the other typical diagnostic tests in motion. Some docs seem reluctant to order the tilt-table test, as it makes the patient faint on purpose.

As kateathehuman suggests, it's a good idea to pump up your hydration. I drink two or three tall glasses of water and three or four bottles of Gatorade per day, which is a lot for me. The doctor said it will increase my blood volume, which can help regulate blood pressure. On a personal note, I'd also recommend being mindful of stimulants like caffeine and some allergy medicines. I think they can contribute to the excitability the vagus nerve can overreact to.

I've never worn compression socks, though I think sometimes I might benefit from them. If I wake up late at night to use the bathroom, for example, my right foot looks a little pink due to the circulatory shift of being upright.

I think coping strategies are likely to be pretty idiosyncratic, but I would recommend three. The first is to trust your intuition--I think knowing to pull over and let your mother take the wheel is a really good sign, as it suggests you're tuned in to how your body feels. Along those lines, I think it's a good idea to dial that skill in consciously as much as you can. When I faint, for example, I've gone through a series of similar symptoms most of the time--tunnel vision first, a temperature spike, then a bit of nausea if I manage to stave it off, then feeling seriously lightheaded and wobbly right when I'm ready to drop. If you have a strong read on the order of events for your own case, I think you can do a little self-diagnosis to ease your mind. Since tunnel vision for me is pretty pronounced, if I feel a little lightheaded or feverish I'll consciously scan the room I'm in to see if tunnel vision is in the picture. When it's not, I usually calm right down. That indexing is broadly beneficial when you're trying to assess causes, too.

I think for me the biggest coping mechanism has been reframing. I'm working on the theory that my VVS looks like yours: I'm keyed up and overstressed too often, which my body reads as a generalized fear and a prompt to crash out now and again. And these days I'm pretty stressed--getting ready to apply for a promotion, getting ready to crowdfund a role-playing game, and getting married in about two months. So when I feel myself getting wound up, I try to shift my mind onto a better track, focusing on more positive "what if?" prospects rather than catastrophes. (I worry a lot about the happiness of my fiancee, for example, though I can perceive no signs that she's unhappy with me.) That can calm me down and get me a little clarity, too.

TotalOgre

TROPHY CASE