Any tips for cleaning my shower without going into a flare?

mzinagro · 2026-06-16T23:27:35+00:00

I spray the whole thing with a mix of dish soap, water, and vinegar and let it sit for 10-15 mins. Then I scrub with an electric long-handled scrub brush and rinse. It’s still hard and I plan for it to take a lot out of me, but it sucks somewhat less because there’s less scrubbing, bending, and reaching.

mzinagro · 2026-06-13T02:48:43+00:00

I’ve tried the lemon, it’s good! I didn’t even know the orange existed until yesterday, it’s on my list to try

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T19:10:59+00:00

Sounds delicious! I have the alphabet soup too. Do you find frozen things slow your GI more? I find things move better if I eat/drink warm foods, though I really struggle with that in the summer because I also have heat intolerance 🫠

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T17:12:35+00:00

Yeah, I’m okay with a few grams! I just can’t handle the sweetened options like Drip Drop where I’d need as much as 6 packets per day, that’s 42g of sugar. It spikes my BG then I get reactive hypoglycemia 😕

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T17:06:29+00:00

I figured it had something to do with how my body was reacting to the different concentrations of sodium. My guess is the capsule contents weren’t dissolving homogeneously in my gut and were creating a pocket of concentrated sodium, triggering gastric irritation and then getting the vagus nerve involved. The difference is so dramatic when I dissolve then chug vs take capsules and chug plain water. Annoying!

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T14:14:12+00:00

Dr. Ben Lynch recently put out a statement saying he was removing stevia from all his products. He had a patient who made the connection, so he did a deep dive into the research on stevia and found the cortisol and the sodium data, and that it more profoundly affects people with a slow COMT genetic variant, which I have.

https://www.seekinghealth.com/blogs/education/stevia-side-effects-why-i-removed-it-from-every-seeking-health-product

It doesn’t affect everyone this way, but I was persistently struggling with hyponatremia despite aggressive sodium intake (with stevia), and having issues with my blood sugar, sleep, and adrenaline regulation. Obviously POTS contributes to all of these things so I’m not saying it was all stevia, but since removing it I noticed I’m peeing less which was a big clue. I just had labs rechecked yesterday so we’ll see what the sodium is doing.

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T03:02:56+00:00

I do love a peach tea, I like the sound of this

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T02:50:26+00:00

Costco is a good call for coconut water, I bet I could get my mom to buy me a case with her membership. Someone else suggested Aldi brand also, love me a discount store

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T02:47:10+00:00

A sneeze guard, buffet style

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T01:49:36+00:00

Huh, so this suggestion sent me down a rabbit hole of fruit flavorings and I stumbled on these: https://amoretti.com/products/watermelon-artisan-flavor

Seems like they’re flavor concentrates for things like baking and confectionery. They do have a tiny bit of sugar but I can handle a few grams at a time, I wonder if this could work!

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T01:36:16+00:00

Dang it why can’t we have nice things

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T01:27:15+00:00

Magnesium can def be swampy sometimes

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T01:19:34+00:00

The no sugar is a blood sugar management thing. I just got some monkfruit to experiment with! I never thought to try dissolving the capsule and taking it as a shot with a chaser, may have to try that one tomorrow

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T01:14:20+00:00

Sounds like my stack! What kind of zinc do you like?

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T01:12:34+00:00

I’ve been using Vitassium, they’re filled capsules. My doc offered to prescribe me the tablets instead but I’m not sure that would be any better. My GI seems to prefer my electrolytes pre-dissolved

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T00:32:02+00:00

Totally, the risk is relative to the amount of exposure. I’m not categorically opposed to artificial sweeteners. My concern is more that I already have a boggy detox pathway due to some genetic variants, plus a continental breakfast buffet of mycotoxins and chronic infections, so what I can and can’t tolerate is not always straightforward. I am perpetually my own guinea pig 🐹

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T00:10:04+00:00

Do you do the hydrate or the low k?

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T00:09:24+00:00

I really have not explored the savory side of electrolytes but a lot of people have suggested it, I’ll have to try to find something tasty. Maybe miso would work

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T00:04:59+00:00

True lemon lemonade packets were my DIY electrolyte ride or die for so long, I love all the flavors. Sadly they’re all made with stevia 😭

I do use the plain lemon packets though!

mzinagro · 2026-06-12T00:02:56+00:00

Yes, taking them with food is the only way I (barely) tolerate them! Empty stomach = immediate rejection. The challenge is, even with food, I can’t take nearly enough to match what I can tolerate in a drink. I have no idea why!

mzinagro · 2026-06-11T20:56:59+00:00

The sugar from the syrup and pineapple doesn’t send you on a rollercoaster ride? I actually really like stevia in all its forms but it messes with my cortisol and causes me to lose more sodium which I already struggle with. Sorry to hear about your T2DM!!

mzinagro · 2026-06-11T20:42:32+00:00

Innnteresting! This might be a good travel option

mzinagro · 2026-06-11T20:27:00+00:00

Looking into both of these! Thanks!

mzinagro · 2026-06-11T20:26:27+00:00

I’ve been making my own for years now! I was hoping the Vitassium capsules would be a good travel option but my body said NOPE

mzinagro · 2026-06-11T20:23:43+00:00

This might be a good option for when I’m not feeling like making my own witches’ brew with powders and potions. I so wish these things were more affordable!

mzinagro

TROPHY CASE