Section 02

Symptoms & Flares

Understanding triggers, tracking patterns, and weathering bad days with less fear.

A close-up of a forearm in a clinic exam chair wearing an unbranded automatic blood pressure cuff with a digital display showing blood pressure and pulse readings, a pill bottle visible on a side table in the background

Dysautonomia vs. POTS: How the Umbrella Term and the Diagnosis Relate

A clean breakdown of how dysautonomia and POTS relate, why one diagnosis doesn't rule out the other, and what the distinction means in practice.

Aug 8, 2026

A Black woman with shoulder-length locs slumped sideways across a worn couch in soft window light, eyes closed with a paperback resting on her chest and a knitted blanket over her legs, a half-finished mug of tea, phone, remote, glasses and mail on the cluttered coffee table in the foreground.

02Symptoms & Flares

Why Fatigue Isn't Just 'Being Tired'

Chronic illness fatigue is a different category than ordinary tiredness. Here's language to describe it so others can finally understand.

Jun 17, 2026

Tight intimate detail of a small open notebook resting on a rumpled grey-sheeted bed in soft overcast morning light, the page showing a dated handwritten list of symptoms in blue ballpoint with a pair of folded reading glasses across it; a glass of water and a face-down phone sit at the edge of a small wooden nightstand, a softly woven throw bunched in the foreground.

02Symptoms & Flares

What Does a Lupus Flare Actually Feel Like?

Plain-language descriptions of the most common lupus flare sensations, so readers can put words to what they're noticing and decide what's worth a clinician's call.

Jun 10, 2026

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02Symptoms & Flares

Why You Feel Worse the Day After Exercise

The delayed crash that follows exertion is real, predictable, and often misread. What is happening, what it is not, and how to plan around it.

Jun 6, 2026

A woman in a dark sweater sits on a beige sofa under a thick blanket, reading from a laptop balanced on her knees; an open notebook and pen are on the cushion beside her, and a mug, water glass, and book sit on a small wooden side table near a houseplant-filled window.

02Symptoms & Flares

Is POTS an Autoimmune Disease?

A plain-language look at the autoimmune hypothesis for POTS, what's actually been found, and what's still uncertain about why this condition happens.

Jun 3, 2026

A woman kneels on a bedroom floor packing items into a worn canvas tote, a heating pad and water bottle on the carpet beside her

02Symptoms & Flares

A Flare Survival Kit: What to Have Ready Before You Need It

How to prep comfort, easy nutrition, and a written bad-day plan in advance, so a flare meets a system instead of finding you unprepared.

Apr 11, 2026

A woman lies curled on a couch under a blanket, holding a red heating pad to her abdomen, a glass of water and pill packet on the side table

02Symptoms & Flares

Living With Widespread Pain: Fibromyalgia Flare Patterns

What a fibromyalgia flare can involve, common triggers, and gentle ways to ride one out, including when a flare warrants a clinician call.

Apr 7, 2026

A woman sits at a dining table with her fingertips pressed to her temple and eyes closed, an open laptop and scattered papers in front of her

02Symptoms & Flares

Brain Fog: What It Feels Like and What May Lie Behind It

Naming a vague but very real symptom, the many things that can feed it, and practical workarounds for getting through foggy days.

Apr 3, 2026

A woman in a nightshirt sits on the edge of an unmade bed in low morning light, one hand at the back of her neck, a journal and glass of water on the bedding behind her

02Symptoms & Flares

Recognizing Your Early Flare Warning Signs

Catching a flare in its first hours can change how it unfolds. How to build a personal early-warning list and act on it in time.

Mar 30, 2026

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02Symptoms & Flares

What Is Post-Exertional Malaise, and Why Does It Hit a Day Later?

A plain-language guide to the delayed crash of post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS and long COVID, and why pushing through tends to backfire.

Mar 26, 2026